May 18, 2010
Please Sir, May I have some more?
Posted by Kyle
Yesterday at Summit was probably one of my favorite messages that Isaac has given. Ever. It wasn’t a special series that I was really looking forward to and it wasn’t a holiday or something exciting. I showed up, played worship, sat down, just like a regular old Sunday. I expected to hear a good sermon, but then ended up having my world rocked.
There were a few things that Isaac said that really struck me. The only one I’ll talk about, and to me, the most significant, was the classic bible story (which, aren’t they all classic?? Anyway…) of Jacob and Esau and how Jacob stole the birthright from Esau in exchange for some stew. Ever since I heard that story I thought it was pretty ridiculous. Why would anyone give up something so significant for something so temporary? Just seemed fake or just plain dumb at the least. Until Isaac told how he read the story while in a tree stand hunting, and absolutely starving. It put a whole new perspective on it for him. At that moment, he had been in a tree for about 6 hours, hadn’t eaten, was technically hunting for food, hadn’t got any, and was just about ready to give up anything for some food. The same for Esau. Hunting back then was even more difficult. You had to be stealthy, patient, and smart, have a plan of action, athletic, the whole nine yards. And Esau was good, really good. He was hunting for food probably for the entire family. If you were a poor hunter; you didn’t eat. Now, imagine doing that all day, not catching anything, not having eaten, and then seeing your brother with some soup. You are ready to pass out and willing give up anything for some food. I’ve been in that spot before. Starving to the point that I’m shaking, can’t see straight, ready to pass out, blood sugar is low, and man, I will do anything for some food. The story made a little more sense this time around. But it didn’t stop there. Isaac ended the story by saying something like “what if the moral of that story was don’t go hungry so you don’t do something stupid for quick satisfaction” (by the way, I totally butchered that last part…the moral. He said something super brilliant. I can’t remember at all what it was…but that’ll do and get me to my point.)
We had been talking the last few weeks about “the ethic of anticipation.” Basically, putting on the character of Christ. What to do after you believe. From the time you “get saved” to the time you “die and go to heaven” what’s the point, what are we to do? That has been the series. So with that in mind, the idea of putting on the character of Christ, spending our time trying to “become better” and the “how-to” has been somewhat of the discussion. Now relating back to the story of Jacob and Esau. What if spending our time “feeding” ourselves isn’t all about “getting better” but also about making sure we aren’t so hungry that we throw away our whole lives for a quick fix? What if we stopped getting frustrated that we’re not becoming perfect and just kept feeding ourselves with scripture, not just to try to be a “better person” but to make sure we’ve got enough sustenance so we don’t look for a quick snack somewhere else that will potentially be damaging to the rest of our lives?
That thought started to make more sense after I was unpacking it with my girlfriend on the way to my parents’ house for dinner. Could that possibly be the reason why we see so many “good Christian” married couples get divorces? Not even just Christians, but good people in marriages gets divorces? Could that be why so many solid, good guys and girls are throwing away their virginity before they’re married? Could that be why good kids with good hearts end up hooked on drugs, alcohol, and homeless?
I guess the most personal example I could give is my relationship with my girlfriend. It’s those moments that we come into our relationship starving and looking for a bowl of soup or stew from each other, that we end up most disappointed with each other, end up in a dangerous position, end up being the most selfish or needy, end up being frustrated, angry, grouchy, and ultimately end up being ready to throw away anything just to be satisfied for a moment because we’re starving emotionally, physically, mentally, whatever. Neither one of us are meant to be sustaining the other. We were a gift to each other from the one who was meant to sustain us. It’s not that spending time with Christ is just going to make our relationship better, I mean, it could and can, but it’s not the point, at least the whole point. It’s that spending time with Christ brings us into our relationship already full, satisfied, sustained, so that we’re not looking to each other to fill us up.
So, I guess for a closing thought…. for me, I’ve come into these quiet times, these moments with Christ, prayer, reading, reflecting, with somewhat of a different attitude. Yes, I do hope over time that spending time with Christ reflects in my character, that I do start to be molded more into who Christ was and is, but that is no longer my sole reason for spending that time with him. It is now also an attitude of just plain substance so that I don’t go out hungry, weak, vulnerable, and potentially throw away my birthright for just a small bowl of soup.
