If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
In previous years I didn’t fit in. I had a secret years before. I would keep this secret book in my pack where ever I went and I would read it at every moment I got when no one was looking. It was like I was ashamed of this book. It was a bible. But I was just reading the stories, they fascinated me but I really didn’t get them. I read about Jesus but I couldn’t find any appropriate times to talk about him. It was as if it was uncool to say you read the bible, and even more “no fitting in” if you admitted you thought this guy was awesome.
There is a picture I want to show you.
This is me under a waterfall, no I’m not just going through my holiday snaps – there is a point. Years ago when I was a younger, I was into caving or potholing as it was called. The week had been hot and there were showers forecast. So myself and my friend Martin decided to go and do a cave called Yordas. It is a big cave with a huge entrance chamber about the size of this church. The guide book said it was safe in rain. So we arrived outside and there was a dry riverbed. So we decided to pose for a photo and I stood in the dry river, when this massive gush of water came over the waterfall and covered me. Our sensible antennas must have not been working that day because we decided to enter the cave thinking it would be fun. Once inside the water increased so much that it knocked down the concrete entrance posts and washed both of us into a lake that was pushing us towards a plughole that would have certainly drowned us both. Someone must have been looking out for us that day as we gained our footing and narrowly avoided death by waiting on a ledge for the water to subside.
The point about this story is that the river just gushed over me. That is the only way I can describe the feeling one cold morning when I awoke and the stories I had read for years suddenly made sense, I had accepted them as the word of God and I accepted Jesus. I felt an enormous waterfall of compassion, forgiveness and love overwhelm me. I had been told the stories, read them for myself and struggled for all those years, until eventually they made sense and Jesus made my not fitting in –fit in.
Lord God, you alone know who we all truly are
what we have done and think.
You along hear our deepest thoughts
You see our actions and know our motives
Help us to reach out to people,
Help us to help everyone we meet to fit in
To feel part of your loving family
Like their life is worthwhile
Help us to openly love and glorify your name
for you sent your son to atone for all our sins.
Through your son Jesus Christ
Amen
with blessings
Graham
365 Exhortations 