Urban Reformation

We arrived home late Friday evening after an evening with my parents and brother and his wife, out on the town for my Mother’s retirement party. She was honored a week before Mother’s Day weekend. We picked the children up from their other grandma’s and made it home around 10:00 pm. Brandy and I made it to bed by 11:00. The previous day the serpentine belt had come off on our other vehicle and nearly broke, and is now awaiting repair.

We were surprised when in the morning we woke up early and refreshed thinking we may need to attend second service at FCC because of our late night, however since we woke up early, we determined that we had plenty of time and we could even be a bit early for first service. I asked my oldest daughter to grab something out of the van that I needed before we could leave. However, this morning when my daughter walked outside to get something of our van she had the pleasure of delivering some familiar, yet not so good news to us. Kayla was able to tell us that all three of our drivers side windows on the van that was still yet mobile, were broken out. So much for attempting to make it to first service this morning.

We’ve come to expect things to not always go the way we think they should in our neighborhood; it’s part of the cost of not having off-street parking and living in inner city. I also realize it’s part of God being totally sovereign and the fact that we’re not….

However we’ve lost an exact count on our windows being obliterated, this is either the sixth or seventh time our windows have been hit or shot out of our van. No exaggerations, there are fleshly moments when things like this happen and we wonder where do these kids live, who would have done this, and would it be all right to teach them some discipline?

There is also the other side of it, we’ve moved here for the purpose of sharing Christ, to be a light in a dark place, and we know men love darkness rather than light. And though often we feel inadequate in our “doing” of the word, we are doing, and spiritual warfare is real.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-48

So as our flesh calmed down and I began to really consider this morning our circumstance, we prayed for whomever this person was who did this to our van. We were able to see opportunity for hope in Christ that this person might come to know Jesus Christ.
And this evening as we had a new couple join us from our church, and my wife recounted some of her own stories of sanctification. It is a rare time in the Christian walk where “sanctification” does not also mean an increase of fleshly pain as the things of this world are stripped from our hands, and what control we have conned ourselves into believing we have slips through our fingers, we slowly, must come to grips with the fact that God is the designer, and these windows being broken out, our other van being down…. were all designed by the sovereign hand of almighty God for the purpose of His Glory and our sanctification that we may be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It is never painless, and the more pain we go through, more suffering, more sanctification carving off portions of our flesh, as we decrease and God increases, He is busy at work bringing us to a greater understanding, brining us low so that we might recognize our God to be God, magnificent, holy, perfect, faithful and yes absolutely sovereign over all things.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? -1 Peter 4:12-17

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death – Philippians 3:10

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? – Luke 9:23-25

The bottom line was our windows were allowed to be shattered by God’s design.

I can already say that God has proven himself faithful and strong, as God planned for me a day off in advance to take care of everything! He’s sovereign, and I wondered how I was going to spend my day tomorrow!

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