Keep On Keepin On

I am reading a book called Harvest From The Highways by Diane Shreve. It is about Christian motorcyclists who are mostly Harley dudes that cruise around the country and tell stories of how their lives have changes since becoming Christians. It deals with personal struggles with depression, immorality, hate, adultery, drugs, alcohol, thoughts of suicide and even premeditated murder. The mission of the book is to let people know that you are never "too bad for God." I just read a line in the book that was actually in the forward. It says "Our goal in this book is to encourage every believer to use whatever you already do (in our case, it's motorcycling) in such a way to give Him glory. "

Wow! This same message keeps hitting me over the head, day after day. When I read "The Shack" it TOTALLY rocked my world. I think that book meets you where you are at. If you are in a different place than someone else spiritually, it may not mean as much to you than if you are somewhere else in your spirituality. In any event, the message is the same. Here goes:

We are all born into a set of circumstances, go through different experiences, are given diverse spiritual gifts, whether we are a doctor, stay at home mom, or an artist. No matter what our "story" is about how we came to a saving knowledge, no matter how many sins we have committed in the past and by the way CHRISTIANS ARE STILL SINNERS. We all have a need for our savior! He uses our skills, that He gave us, as a tool to be used for His Glory. We are called to do just that. Does the guy with tatoos all over his body and piercings galore have a place in God's plan? You bet! In fact, he can reach many that I would never be able to reach! Does God want us to reach the men and women in prison in order to change lives? Totally! What about the guy who pulls up on the motorcycle next to you in your Sunday best? He is wearing leather chaps and chains? Could he be heading to his mission field? Oh ya...but we as "good christians" might be thinking "Hmm...he is OBVIOUSLY not headed to worship!" Christians have a habit of not making eye contact with the kid with green hair. Think about that. Isn't he screaming for attention? Doesn't he want to be seen? Isn't he trying to "make a statement?" What about greeting him and looking him in the eye? On the other hand, I want to point out something that bothers me greatly! Non-believers tend to set expectations that are rediculous for Christians as well. Suddenly, if one professes faith in Jesus, that person is expected to never sin again! Really? Becoming a Christian doesn't elevate you to a perfect and wonderful life. Actually, more is expected of you, but you still fail every day, when compared to God himself. Hypocracy is soon a term thrown around, relationships are lost and the point of it all is totally missed. Who is at fault? I think it is clearly a shared problem. The bottom line is, it is all about values. What does God want of us? He wants us to trust Him at His word. Do as He commands and know that Jesus really is the only way to spend eternity with Him. So, when you look at your life and all that you have been given or even not given, what is He calling you to do? For me, it is about taking a path that hasn't been taken in order to demonstrate my faithfulness. It is about speaking truth in love and meeting others where they are at. It is about sitting back and letting God teach me from all people, believers and nonbelievers alike. I am constantly in awe of what He reveals to me and am challenged by the walk itself sometimes. He is constant, neverchanging, but always waiting there, usually with another lesson in hand for me. Sometimes, what seem like my failures, are little things that lead to a bigger event that soon becomes apparent. So, use what He has given you....are you are great organizer, a good cook, or good with animals? Do you like to ski or garden? Whatever it is, use it for His glory to reach the unreached. It doesn't matter what your story is....because He wrote it and already knows it.