Aaaah yes, the quintessential don't-stray-from-the-church devo, right??
Wrong.
Well, kind of.
As pretty much everyone in the whole world knows, I moved to Canada last week, and let me tell you, it's been a little strange.
I mean, yes, it's exciting and fantastic and cold, but it was literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life.
I left my family, my dogs, my home, my church, and my town, the place where I grew up for almost 8 years. The weirdest part was the thought that when I go back, it won't be mine anymore.
And I kind of freaked out a little bit when I realized that. I felt like I was losing a huge part of me, that I was losing part of my identity.
I'm no longer Kenzie, the girl who lives in Mexico, the girl who is in charge of 20 properties, the girl who is a novelty.
I felt that I was just Kenzie: Canadian.
But then I realized that, no, that's not true. Just because I'm no longer immersed in it, it's still a HUGE part of me. It's still so firmly ingrained in my being that it would be very difficult for me to separate myself from that Kenzie, because she is me.
The same goes for Faith.
When I first left, putting my relationship with Jesus on the back burner was something that I was worried about doing.
I've seen SO many cases of people moving away from their safety blanket and going pretty much insane, renouncing their Faith and just making bad choice after bad choice.
Or, if they don't go wild, they just stay lukewarm.
They're like "Oh yeah, that Jesus guy's pretty alright. I used to know him pretty well, but just like my other childhood friends, I've kind of lost contact. Whatever."
And to be honest, I think that scared me more.
I know that sounds bad, but it's true. People are much more likely to go back to Christ when they've had a crazy experience with Him, like what I like to call Spectrum Sliding. Going from one extreme to the other. From NOT believing to having a radical encounter with their long-lost love.
But those lukewarm ones? They never really let go, and they never really jump back in.
So when I said Stay Connected, I didn't mean that you should use Jesus like we use cell phone chargers.
Once or twice a week you have to plug in, get recharged, and go on your merry way for the next few days not really thinking about it. Then you're like "Hm, it's getting a little weak, I should plug it back in." And that's just how it goes.
Or use Jesus as WiFi, always having Him there but only using Him when you want something.
No.
When I say Stay Connected, I mean become the broken tree branch.
Have you ever seen a tree with a huge, gaping scar where a branch was ripped off? The tree looks kind of sad, but that open scar will always be there.
As Christians, we've an amazing invitation from Jesus to be part of that tree, be part of Him.
Have you ever tried grafting a tree branch back on to a tree? It takes work. It’s something that needs to be constantly checked on and worked on, making sure the branch is in the right place so it’s not crooked and keeping the break watered and propped up with sticks. And while I’m not saying that we need to be tied up with sticks (that would just be weird) I AM saying that we need to constantly work at grafting ourselves back into the Tree. It’s not something that you can just put there and walk away from and thing that it’s all going to be perfect.
It requires work and dedication, just like building up any relationship.
So Stay Connected with your past and stay connected with the Lord.
Yes, going to church is important, but if you can’t get to church on Sundays, it doesn’t mean that you can’t study the Word.
You have a Bible, and you have the internet on which you can find COUNTLESS devotionals and lessons, and all of the tools you’ll need to work on becoming part of that tree again.
Love you guys, and I miss you.
Stay in touch, ok?
No comments:
Post a Comment