Mark chapter 5, Jesus met a demon-possessed man. He shrieked both day and night as he roamed the tombs of his home of Decapolis. The towns people tried to contain him out of fear of personal harm, but nothing worked. He broke through their chains, and left them feeling hopeless.
Then Jesus entered.
Isn't that how life works? Tragedy strikes. The burdens on this world break our backs. Hopeless anxiety settles deep within our souls, as we come to the realization we have no power to make things right. We fall on our face with no place to turn.
Then Jesus entered.
The demon-possessed man grabbed a glimpse of Jesus in the distance. He ran before Him, and fell to his knees. With a shout, “Why are you here, Jesus the Most High?! Why do you come to torment me so? We have no business together!” the spirits deep within this man knew good and evil do not belong together, that where God dwells evil flees.
“Get out! Leave this man, you unclean spirit!” Jesus declares with all authority. He then questions the spirit, “What is your name?”
“I am Legion, for we are many.” A legion of demons tormented this man – stealing away every part of his life – completely abandoned by all, with no control. Friends and family long gone, a chance at a normal life ripped from his fingertips... until Jesus entered.
A herd of swine fed in the distance, The spirit begged Jesus to send them into the swine, rather than sending them into the countryside. Jesus conceded. Upon entering the swine, they flung themselves off a near by cliff, where they drowned in the sea.
At such a sight, the herdsmen rushed to town, in order to report what they witnessed. The towns people ran, and came upon the man. A man they once feared sat before them – clothed – calm – collected – and they trembled. A beautiful miracle unfolded before their very eyes, and fear consumed them. So much so, they ran Jesus out of town.
I witnessed this same principle. My friend invited me to her family's village to share Christ with her Muslim family members. When her sister accepted Christ, both were ran out of the village, unwelcome to return. Something changed. What was once normal was no longer there, and an uncomfortable feeling settled within. They did what they thought was right. Their panic blinded their eyes to the good, exactly like the towns people from Mark five.
Jesus entered, and shook an entire town. The man – the man who experienced the grace of God in a way so powerful only he grasped the greatness – begged Jesus to allow him to follow. “Not this time,” Jesus replied, “instead, go home and share the great things the Lord has done. Share of His mercy for you.” Jesus knew the people would not accept His ways if He stayed, but knew this once broken man had a story to tell that can bring restoration to other broken people. All because he allowed Jesus to enter in his life.
So many times, I wish to simply hide away with Christ – to live my life simply me and Him. In that, there is no glory. Our lives are not restored in order to hide away, rather to embrace the brokenness which surrounds us, and share the grace and hope we also found. We are rescued so we may rescue others. When Jesus entered our lives, we each became a witness to a beautiful miracle of all brokenness being restored, because Jesus entered.
Daily, we are surrounded by broken people. People experiencing what we once encountered, looking for hope. We bare the answer, and our purpose is to declare our restoration in all hope that others will also allow Jesus to enter their lives, and be forever changed. For this, I will continue to boldly roam this broken world, declaring His great mercies in my life. I will carry the prayer that those I encounter will also allow Jesus to enter, and be forever changed.
God has brought so many people into my life since coming to Uganda. I met so many I can pour into, and together we can come closer to our Savior. Of course, my Ugandan friendships are my favorite. They are the reason I am here, and being able to share life with them changed me completely. But not all are Ugandan. I have made plenty of other mzungu friends as well. These are people God uses in my life to help hold me up, as I help hold them up. We are here because of our missional God, and we need the encouragement from one another to keep going. It is such a wonderful set up going on in Jinja! But I still have met those mzungus who I feel like I am pouring out into like I would my Ugandan friends. That is the strangest sensation, and sometimes feels like a hinderence to ministry. Let me introduce you to Peaches. For the life of me, I cannot remember her real name! But I was sharing with one of my friends what was going on with this woman, and for some reason that I cannot remember n...
Comments
Post a Comment