Out of the Pit

I've seen churches fight and fall apart.
I've seen friendships and families feud and fall to pieces.
I've broken promises that broke relationships.

The pit is a place we can end up together. The darkness hides us from each other. Sometimes we end up in the pit because we've been hiding from each other. Most times we end up in the pit because we've forgotten Jesus lifted us out in the first place.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  John 1:5

The work of being in community with one another is hard. The invitation to live life with others is appealing on the surface, but walk with another for very long and you'll start to see their cracks. Worse even, they'll start to see yours.

Jesus was amazing about being in the pit with others. He called to the disciples in the storm. He wept with his friends after Lazarus' death. He saw others in the pit. Instead of pointing fingers He pointed to His Father.

The man in all of history who could have pontificated and laid low his friends didn't. He shone grace into their darkness and eventually illuminated their lives with the pure light of His resurrection and salvation come to fruition.

But in those moments when we've been slighted or betrayed we are quick to forget where we've come from. The pit is where we start. The pit isn't somewhere we end up because we messed up.

The Gospel is about our lives born from the pit. We're born dead and it is the very life of Christ that revives us. Do we forget where we came from?

We were dead. We were separated from God. His wrath placed on us for all eternity.

"But Jesus..." Those words are the sweetest in all the world and we can sing them for all eternity and we can sing them into the depths of each others despair. Because Jesus is the only ladder out of the pit. Jesus is the Light that John the Baptist heralded.

When we are chasing light we're really chasing Jesus and He is waiting to be caught. He is waiting to capture our hearts with His Light.

On a daily basis I am tempted to give others grief, lip and my two cents. Sometimes I falter and forget grace. I forget that the measure I've been given is the measure I am to give.

 Are you awed by how far God brought you from the pit?
{We've plumbed the dark and seen it in our own hearts. Now we take to the chase. I'm excited about where this is headed. The good stuff is yet to come so make plans to join me in the coming days.}