July Teaching Series

Personal Reflection Question:

This weekend, Chris talked about having big hairy audacious FAITH and how we can reevaluate what it means to have faith in Jesus.  Chris took us through the story of Jesus’ first miracle where Mary (Jesus’ mom) displayed faith in her Son.  Can you think of a time in your life where your faith in Christ, went beyond mental belief and into action?  A time where you acted simply on trust in Jesus? Explain.

I remember the weekend I sat down at a weekend service here at CityChurch and opened the program to see what was going on at the church.  One of the blurbs in the program said the church was hiring for an administrative assistant and that’s when I “heard” God.  I was supposed to apply for the job.  In fact, whatever I was feeling at the moment was so strong it was telling me that job was already mine.  All I had to do was apply.  

I always feel strange telling this story to people cause at some level it feels egotistical; as if I was bragging about my superior experience with God.  But, in all honesty, each time I go back to that moment I haven’t been able to change the details of the story.  It was my big hairy audacious FAITH moment.  You see, I had just gone through a REALLY, REALLY tough time in my life.  Wait, tough isn’t the right word.  I was recovering from a destructively massive atomic failure in my life.  And I was just barely crawling out of it.  After a period of self-imposed unemployment, I was three months into a new job and that new job was providing a perfect schedule for me to go to school during the day.  That itself had seemed an answer to prayer and was giving me some needed stability in my life.  

That’s why I new that what Jesus was asking me to do (apply for the job) was a sketchy thing personally.  I knew it meant a pay cut.  I knew it meant my ability to finish school would become uncertain.  I knew it wouldn’t offer me the hours I needed.  There were these and a lot of other reasons I did not need to apply for the job.  But I feel so far in my life I can look back at that moment as a water into wine moment for me.  It was a decision “beyond mental belief” for me.  It was a decision where I “acted simply on trust in Jesus.”  And while part of me was scared to make the decision to even apply, I can’t tell you how OKAY and secure I felt once I did.  

And since taking the job I can’t stand here and say that everything has been easy, but I can say that Jesus has been faithful.  He’s extended me grace in ways that I didn’t think possible and continues to bless me even when faced with my shortcomings.  And even when recent events remind me that life can be patently unfair, Jesus has not only reminded me of His faithfulness in His Word, but gently points back to where He’s brought me from.