This is a balm my soul needed right now. I’ll keep on focusing on Jesus and doing His work that I’m called to amid some who are bent on not seeing Jesus. He said we won’t be liked by all.
I love this so much! Yes! And, additionally, my husband has always interpreted the greater things as applying to the body of Christ as a whole through the ages, the good she has done. Hospitals and schools in remote places, faithful service, healing through the intelligence he gave to drs and nurses, speaking out against injustice and helping change systems, etc. Ironically of course there have always been those claiming to be the body of Christ working against this, but that was also foretold (wheat and tares) and modeled (pharisaical teachings in his time).
As I was reading this I was instantly reminded that Jesus told his disciples that the greatest would be among us old be the servants.
And who are the servants, if not the ones who willingly get down in the mud and do the hard, ugly, unglamorous works - the ones that take actual work and patience. If we want to do the “greater” things, we first need to carefully consider our definitions of greatness ❤️
After all, the GREATEST work that Jesus ever did wasn’t multiplying food or healing a leper … it was laying down His life so that we could be restored and brought into eternal life with him
Beautifully said. This resonates with my heart and my own message so much. I love seeing the rise of tender hearted, God honoring Christians who are willing to speak out against the injustices and untangling scripture that caused harm. I agree that so often it’s seen as bitter and dismissed and I lament at this. Oh that we as the Church would learn to hold space for the pain and trauma of the flock rather than put salt in wounds.
Kristen. This brought me to tears. Growing up in church gave me so many good things and so many not good things. And I remain so committed to her. This deeply unglamorous work of gently parenting my children (so imperfectly), being a place of welcome for the broken, of being long-suffering is the work of Jesus. And He has the words of eternal life. Thank you for this.
Kristen, what if your “greater thing” was writing books? Telling the truth? Raising kids with special needs? Healing your trauma and caring for your mental health? You’re doing these greater things! The ordinary day to day faithfulness is the greater things God has for us.
My husband and I are going through a really tough time. We are Aussie missionaries in Thailand, and since we've gotten back to Thailand things have been rough! But what we've experienced in the roughness is Christian community people have crawled into the dirt with us and it's been beautiful. We've also experienced a deeper connection to God and His people and a real sense of His strength through our weakness. And if He took away/instantly healed the tough things, then we wouldn't have experienced these things. Does that mean they He LIKES that we've been suffering, nope! But does that mean we've done something wrong as missionaries just because things are rough right now, also nope! Thanks for your words, and the reassurance that just because we haven't received the answers we hoped for, doesn't mean we're doing something wrong ♥️
This is a balm my soul needed right now. I’ll keep on focusing on Jesus and doing His work that I’m called to amid some who are bent on not seeing Jesus. He said we won’t be liked by all.
i cannot stress it enough - keep. going. There are many of us in the dirt with you!
What a beautiful article, thanks Kristen for putting words to the inexpressible truth of generational healing and healers. I really appreciate you.
thank you, sienna!
So good. Thank you ❤️
I love this so much! Yes! And, additionally, my husband has always interpreted the greater things as applying to the body of Christ as a whole through the ages, the good she has done. Hospitals and schools in remote places, faithful service, healing through the intelligence he gave to drs and nurses, speaking out against injustice and helping change systems, etc. Ironically of course there have always been those claiming to be the body of Christ working against this, but that was also foretold (wheat and tares) and modeled (pharisaical teachings in his time).
As I was reading this I was instantly reminded that Jesus told his disciples that the greatest would be among us old be the servants.
And who are the servants, if not the ones who willingly get down in the mud and do the hard, ugly, unglamorous works - the ones that take actual work and patience. If we want to do the “greater” things, we first need to carefully consider our definitions of greatness ❤️
After all, the GREATEST work that Jesus ever did wasn’t multiplying food or healing a leper … it was laying down His life so that we could be restored and brought into eternal life with him
waving my pentecostal hanky at this!!
❤️
Beautifully said. This resonates with my heart and my own message so much. I love seeing the rise of tender hearted, God honoring Christians who are willing to speak out against the injustices and untangling scripture that caused harm. I agree that so often it’s seen as bitter and dismissed and I lament at this. Oh that we as the Church would learn to hold space for the pain and trauma of the flock rather than put salt in wounds.
Kristen. This brought me to tears. Growing up in church gave me so many good things and so many not good things. And I remain so committed to her. This deeply unglamorous work of gently parenting my children (so imperfectly), being a place of welcome for the broken, of being long-suffering is the work of Jesus. And He has the words of eternal life. Thank you for this.
Kristen, what if your “greater thing” was writing books? Telling the truth? Raising kids with special needs? Healing your trauma and caring for your mental health? You’re doing these greater things! The ordinary day to day faithfulness is the greater things God has for us.
My husband and I are going through a really tough time. We are Aussie missionaries in Thailand, and since we've gotten back to Thailand things have been rough! But what we've experienced in the roughness is Christian community people have crawled into the dirt with us and it's been beautiful. We've also experienced a deeper connection to God and His people and a real sense of His strength through our weakness. And if He took away/instantly healed the tough things, then we wouldn't have experienced these things. Does that mean they He LIKES that we've been suffering, nope! But does that mean we've done something wrong as missionaries just because things are rough right now, also nope! Thanks for your words, and the reassurance that just because we haven't received the answers we hoped for, doesn't mean we're doing something wrong ♥️