One of our Vista elders, Paul, encouraged and reminded us of our identity in Christ using and excerpt from one of Tam’s books. I thought it served not only as a great reminder, but also as a good intro to some of what we hope for on our Inward Journey over the next 40 days…
“Just like basketball players must practice free throws over and over daily in order for them to become the most natural motion they possess on the court, we, too must wake up daily and have these foul shots of faith in our consciousness. Think of how much different each day would go for you if you held these truths right in front of your face every minute – that you are loved without regard for your performance, totally forgiven, wrapped up in the faithfulness of a God who won’t ever let you go, and given undeserved gifts and privileges. It’s not hard to see how our daily interactions are radically different when we build the rest of the life upon this foundation.”
“Which one of the four free throws of faith is the most challenging for you to hold onto?
- God is unconditionally loving.
- God is always faithful.
- God gives complete forgiveness.
- God is full of grace and mercy.”
“Holding onto such life–altering truth with fervor is enough to bring healing to our lives. However, we are also brought deeper into God’s restorative process when we rest our identity solely on God. So often, we look for our definition of who we are in other people, in circumstances, in possessions, and in performance, wondering why we feel so out of sorts so often.”
“If you recall reading the children’s book Are You My Mother?, you remember that the little birdie is roving around, desperately asking everyone and everything if it is his mother. From a cow to a crane in a junkyard, the poor tiny thing is never at rest until it finally encounters the one who birthed him. It’s the same with us. Until we rest our identity squarely on what the one who created us says we are, we will simply be on a fruitless search, constantly discomfited by our lack of security.”
(Soul Healing Forever, An Interactive Study Guide for Life Change in Christ, Tammy Smith, PhD, p. 23, 2009)
Satan’s lies have me so warped that I struggle with all four of those free-throws-of-faith.
Forever Changed could not have come at a more perfect time. As I honor the Lenten season, I hope to become more aware of those lies and the TRUTH that I need to digest in order to set me free.