Life Reborn
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10
I remember going on a date to a really fancy restaurant-you know the kind with chandeliers, grand pianos, and place settings that make you forget all your table manners. I felt so uncomfortable, insecure, and almost guilty for making this beautiful restaurant seem dirty or somewhat tainted with my presence. My date, very aware of my awkwardness, said casually “Don’t worry about it, you’re with me”. Immediately, I was at ease.
This is exactly how Jesus will interact with me when I arrive home to Him. I may feel uncomfortable, like an outcast, and insecure standing in the presence of the King of kings who knows my every thoughts and all of my inadequacies. Instead of condemnation or the fear of tainting heaven, Jesus will intercede on my behalf saying, “Don’t worry, you’re with Me”! There is no greater comfort and security than knowing I belong to Jesus Christ.
The thief comes to steal our joy, kill our spirits, and destroy our hope and testimony of God’s goodness. Admittedly, I’ve allowed the enemy to enter in and succumbed to his attacks under tumultuous trials. Like many others, I have been under severe affliction, fiery trials, and just absolute hell like hurt!
To name a few, I’ve been betrayed and abandoned by my closest and dearest friends. I’ve been wounded and forsaken by my family. Forgotten and ignored by my church. I was diagnosed with numerous painful health issues. I fell head over heels for a guy only later to be callously rejected by him—for my best friend. I have suffered a job loss and incurred significant financial debt. I was maligned and gossiped about and have felt unwelcomed, uninvited, unwanted, and unneeded.
I know I am not alone in these feelings. As a bible study leader, I’ve heard countless stories from women with similar stories of loss and betrayal. At the core of it all, the enemy has a distinct hatred for women and persistently attacks us with these lies of defeat. And yet…we have life more abundantly because these very scars we bear remind us how far we have come, how much we have survived, and Who faithfully carries us through the refining flame.
“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”
- John 10:10
One Sunday morning at church, when my grief and heartache overwhelmed me to the point of pleading the Lord would just take my life, take me home, just make me disappear, and end it all, He answered. My pastor was in the final closing points of his teaching in Matthew about Judas and what he missed out because he committed suicide.
I remember what he said with perfect clarity, “Judas missed out on so much more because he took his own life. He missed out on the greatest event to ever taken place. He missed out on the Resurrection of Jesus. He missed out on life being reborn”.
Immediately, through uncontrollable tears, I told God that I wanted more. I wanted to see my life reborn. I wanted to see Jesus transform my hurt into hope and loss into life! I wanted to see the Resurrection and experience resurrected/ renewed life in Jesus.
Hope can change our very lives. Hope is what dries tears, helps people get back after one failure after another, and keeps us moving forward and living with purpose each day. It believes that despite the circumstance, despite the pain, and despite the hardships you are facing, you have eternal, abundant life. Having hope doesn’t mean that you are blind to the circumstances you are in. It doesn’t mean you are immune to the pain you feel. It doesn’t mean you are unaffected by your past.
Hope simply means that you believe in the God of Peter who calmed the raging storm despite his fear. It means you believe in the God of Job who restored his loss and brought him peace. It means that you believe in the God of Daniel who closed the mouths of lions and kept him safe. It means you believe in the God of Hagar who saw her alone in the desert and provided for her. It means that you believe in the God of Jesus who conquered the enemy on the cross and death from an empty grave. Hope is the unflinching confidence in God’s power to accomplish God’s plan in God’s timing. Hope says “don’t worry, you’re with Me!”
I may not know your scars or your specific story, but I know the Healer of all hurt. I may not know what fears you are holding onto, but I know the calmer of the wildest ocean waves. I may not know who or what you need to leave behind or who you might offend, but I know the Defender who alone can defeat death itself. I may not know what struggles, what baggage, or what sins you have committed, but I know the Savior— the loving precious Savior, who shows no condemnation or shame but gives life more abundantly. I may not know your deepest insecurities, your painful offenses, or your darkest secrets, but I know the Resurrected Jesus who gives hope to the hopeless and life to the lost. Seek Him and find hope.