Crockpot Jesus

Do you ever get the feeling that God is a procrastinator? Have you ever wished His timing was less like a crockpot and more like a microwave?  In our “want it now” culture we have come to expect instant results and quick solutions.

I used to struggle with wanting to know what I should do or how things would end up. This anxiety and impatience was especially strong when life felt hard or I was suffering. I would cry out to God desperately wanting to know what He was cooking up in my life.  I didn’t really care how He preferred to cook it, in a microwave or a crockpot; I just really wanted a taste.  I wanted to know what the plan was so I could just do what He wanted me to.  But He was procrastinating…

I don’t know about you but I hate it when my kids ask me what’s for dinner.  When they come into the kitchen and lift the lid to the crockpot and they catch a glimpse before it is ready, I brace myself. I know it will be followed by complaining about what they just saw and dreading what’s to come. Funny thing is when the time comes to sit down to dinner they are always ready and hungry and often desire more.

I began to wonder if that is what God thought when I would try to skip the process and ask Him to just give me a taste.  I wanted to lift the lid just for a peek trying to turn crockpot Jesus into the latest microwave version. But I was not ready to taste and see what was coming.  I would say to Him, “Here I am, take all of me, use me Lord, I’m waiting,” but the whole time I was saying that I was not trusting Him to know when He was done preparing the meal He had for me.

I found myself really wrestling with where God wanted me. I even tried to read Job and realized I had a problem for sure. I wasn’t even patient enough to read what God told him.  I found myself wanting to skip ahead and find out what happened. What formula did Job use to fix what he was going through?  Job was definitely getting the crockpot version of God and I was determined to microwave his story to get a solution to my problem.

But, when we wait we get hungry.  When we wait we become ready for what God has for us, and we desire more of Him. One day it hit me.  I realized I had to start living in the now and stop worrying about tomorrow. God spoke to me, and the weirdest part was, it came out of my own mouth as I spoke to my youngest child at breakfast.  He was four at the time and he was extremely worked up at the fact that his older brother had eaten all of the cereal he wanted.  I poured him a bowl of his favorite cereal to have instead, but he continued to whine. And as I spoke to my son I heard God say to me, “Are you going to continue to whine about what you don’t have or come and eat what you do have?”

So often we focus on finding a solution, getting results, and figuring out a formula to get what we want. We say we trust God but we live in fear of the cost that what we don’t have is better than what God has already given us.  Often what we really fear is the unknown. If God only gives good gifts then how could the cost be bad? If our hands are full of the things we think we must control or are too afraid to let go of we can’t fully receive God’s gift.  Our hands need to be empty, our hearts expectant and our crockpot setting left on "serve".

“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” Romans 5:3-5

Words On Paper~

I walk into a building. I am confused. There are people moving around. They are rushing to get somewhere. Hurrying in and out. Never looking back. Rushing through doors opened by someone else without a word. No thank you’s are spoken. No offerings are given. I look around longing for someone to notice me. To say hello. To welcome me into what is already happening. To speak to my son. He has questions. Is this for real? But they are too busy. Hurrying. Doing. To slow down and notice their purpose is right in front of them. Someone longing to be pursued. To be loved.

 

Then I move towards them. I pursue them. I slow down to engage them. I have them for a moment. Then it is gone. Without a look back they are gone. Rushing again. Where are they going? I follow. I hear someone talking. Sharing words. Words on paper. Words that make sense to me. Words that tell. Words that tell us to love. Words that tell us to serve. Words that tell us to engage. Words that tell us to commune. Words that tell us to pursue. Words that tell us to sacrifice. Words that tell us to pray. Words that tell us to worship.

 

I look around. I see people sitting. I see people listening. I see people receiving. I hear them now. They are singing. Words on paper. Words that say we are loved. Words that say we are forgiven. Words that say we are free. And then it’s gone. 

The lights become bright. People are moving. They are rushing. Hurrying. They move without a thought. They get up before praying. They go without serving. They disconnect before communing. They depart without loving. They are too busy to put words into action. They leave words on paper.

How can we slow them down? How can we show them that the words became flesh? A sacrifice was made so our work could again become worship. Our love become service. Our world become pursued. Our lives become worth living. Our sacrifices become joy. Our prayers become offerings. Our words become flesh. 

We become the church.

The few, the proud, the privileged... Am I one of them?

How could Jesus never have thought to himself, “Next time I’m going to push them out of the way?” Especially Him. I mean He was God; the Savior of the world. “I came to serve, not be served," He said. He never sinned? Never?

One day, a few years ago, I came home from taking my kids to school and my rather "annoying" neighbor that lived in the apartment above me, was on her way out. Okay, I don’t mean rather, I mean she had a dog over the weight limit rule and she let it bark at me right in my space. She also thought she owned the parking lot every time she was going anywhere. She always made sure she edged you out. You know the “entitled” type: “The few, the proud, the privileged.” Well, as I was coming up the stairs I heard her coming down. Then we met in the middle, on the platform, where there was only enough room for one person to go through at a time.

Guess who? Yep, she keeps going past me and says, “Thanks." Not in a sincere “thank you” type of way, but in a, “Thanks for recognizing my majesty,” sort of way. And as she walked away I thought, “Next time I am going to go first. I will edge her out of the way; push her down even, because she is just becoming too entitled. She doesn’t deserve to go first every time. She is always the one to go first and I can’t just let her walk all over me…”

Then I thought, “How on earth, especially on Earth, did Jesus, of all people, not push someone down.” And then I thought, “Oh great, and she was carrying a heavy load. Jesus would have gone over and carried her load for her all the way to her LEXUS!” But me? Oh no. All I could do is picture her papers flying out of her hands as she fell to the ground. Just so I could get to my apartment first. Because I deserve to go first, at least sometimes. I mean if she does, I do, right?

But wait, Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Who wanted to be first here? Who thought they were entitled?

When I love the lovable, does the world see God? Jesus said, “Even sinners do that.” (Luke 6:33) When I love the crazy entitled neighbor, does the world see God? If I pushed my neighbor down, who would she see? How would I feel? Privileged? Would I represent the Kingdom of God? Is that what heaven is like? Is that why clouds exist because in heaven everyone is pushing each other down?
 

When I harbor bitterness, do I win? What about anger? Or entitlement? Doesn’t it lead to more bitterness, anger, and entitlement and then to guilt, that I am not living up to my job description as a “Christ Follower”?

I found myself wondering, how I will survive in heaven. I had been assuming that I would change once I get there, and maybe. But doesn’t the Bible call me to live this way on Earth? To die to myself. To love God and love people. To live a life where His glory is on display. I had been fooling myself every time I would serve or lead, thinking I was doing it for God and more importantly with God. Was I?

Well, I wasn’t doing it for my own recognition, not always. I truly felt called to help the broken, when it was on my terms. When I could pick when and where and what cause to sign up for. The homeless shelter, giving money to my friend in need, but what did it mean to die to myself daily? To love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me? To walk as Jesus did, not follow like his privileged entourage?

Jesus lived His life that way. He was God, yet He came to serve, not be served. He healed the sick and loved the broken and outcasts wherever He went. (Allow me to repeat...Wherever He went!) When He died on the cross did everyone know who He was and believe He was the most amazing person ever? The Messiah? Did He go out on the cross with two thumbs pointing to the name Christ on His back? Did He fall into temptation? Why not? He knew who He was and whose He was, and most importantly He knew there was nothing better out there. He believed it! He lived it!

I have often gone through life looking for the reward, or “the blessing”, and missing it. He is my blessing. He is my treasure and my reward. I got a brand new life and a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: my Creator. And why? Because of Christ’s loving sacrifice.

When I wake up each day I need to remember to thank God that He chose to keep me on His Earth one more day to worship Him with my whole life. I need to remember I am not here for me. I am here for God as a reflection of who He is and I need to act that way. When I interact with other people, I have a choice to be here for me or for God. Will I choose to be faithful and believe there is nothing else out there better than what He has? Will I die knowing that it is only important for Jesus to introduce me to His Father and hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant”? Or will I die longing for significance from my friends and family, at work, home, church or at school? I need to remember I was created by Him and for Him.

I need to remember to love my enemies. I must die to myself daily. As I allow God to love me, He fills me up and helps me see others the way He sees them. As I go through my day I can look for ways to serve others rather than myself. Whether I am at school, at home or at church, waiting in a line at the store, commuting to work, or when my neighbor comes down the stairs and assumes her rightful route ahead of me. I can be confident and know that God is at work and I have the privilege to die to myself and to serve.

Why is it hard for us to Love?

It is really hard to say given that we have someone who loves us so much.  God knew us before we were born.  He created us with every special detail.  He made us beautiful and in His image.

He knew before He created us that He would sacrifice His own life for us.  He knew before He created us that He would die a brutal death on a cross but He created us anyways.  He was in love with us before we were born.  He didn’t care what it cost to have us, to be with us.

He knew we would break His heart. He knew we would reject Him. He knew we would choose other things, much less important things, over Him. Things that would hurt us. Things that would lie to us. Things that would imprison us. Things that would cause us pain. But He still created us.

Why? Was He hurting for people to worship Him? Was He desperate for attention? Did He need someone to tell Him how wonderful He is? Did he need someone to live His life through? Did He need help taking care of the first days of creation? The birds, the fish, the fields.

If we weren't there to worship Him the rocks would cry out. If we didn’t exist He would still have the angels all around Him, worshipping Him, singing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty. They didn’t question His existence. They didn’t worship other things. He had no need to create a people that would. But He was in Love.

He loved us even though we were of no use to Him whatsoever. He pursued us even though He knew we would turn away from Him. He forgives us over and over again. He chases us, comforts us, and rescues us. He doesn’t force us. He doesn’t pick favorites.  He doesn’t ignore the broken. He befriends the outcasts. He touches the unclean. He makes time for those in despair. He finds the lost. He heals the sick.

We were lost. We were broken. We were in despair. We were pursued. We were comforted. We were forgiven. We are adopted. We are chosen. We are loved. So why is it so hard for us to Love? Why is it so hard for us to forgive? Why do we feel the need to pick favorites and label the outcasts?

Should we not love because He first loved us? Should we not forgive because He forgave us?  Or pursue because He pursued us?

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:1-2 Mess.