Where Two or Three Are Gathered

twins
Originally uploaded by neonangel.

Tenuous link of picture to blog entry:
#1 It's about the power of buddies
#2 It's about finding closeness when the world is weighing on your heads.
#3 I just insanely like any excuse to post rabbit pictures.

I realise I may sound like an absolute schizo when I say I am fine one moment and blog about how crap I feel in the next. And somehow neither cancels out each other. But therein lies the paradox of Christianity - in my weakness, He is strong.

In Matthew 18:20, the BIble says "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." When I was young in my faith, I thought that just meant Jesus/Holy Spirit magically floating around like some hovering poltergiest when people prayed together. Conceptually, I just could not really grapple with that idea.

Yet as I grow older in the faith, I see how Jesus works through His people - His Body aka the church - and understand more about the verse. When we gather in His name and for His purposes, we share our lives and in doing so, we make known the reality of His work in us. We remind each other of how present He is - in terms of Place and Time - in these times of tribulation.

Sometimes hearing about how Christ changes people to become better people does not directly apply to my life's problems but just hearing that and knowing that He is real is enough for me to find rest.

When I shared about my melancholic funk, I got a rapid influx of well-timed encouragement from various sources. It is hard to stay melancholic when so many others show you there is no need to.

WIll share just two that were particularly well-timed and sweet to receive. Perhaps these God-graced words will pour courage into someone else someday:

From ViaDolorosa: "When we have an empty place in our heart yet will not allow it to be filled with anything less than God's best - that is the greatest kind of patience"

From L : "In the forest, the fern and the bamboo live very different lives.
The fern grows fast and rapidly covers the floor. It flourishes with great ease and little trouble. Yet, the bamboo stays small, seemingly fruitless and insignificant for many years.

Life seems hard for the bamboo but one day, overnight the bamboo shoots miraculously to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the 5 years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

God promises He would not give any of His creations a challenge it could not handle. All this time you have been struggling, you have
actually been growing roots.

The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern.Yet they both make the forest beautiful and they both serve in different ways. Trust that old song - In His time, He makes all things beautiful."

So how is it that "In my weakness, He is strong?"

It is always in my times of weaknesses and irrational suffering, when I discover strength, rationality and hope.

I definitely do not find all this within me in my moment of weakness.

There are 2 sources:
#1: I find these things in His words in the Bible and assorted Christian material of course.

#2: But significantly, I find them too in the kindly words, gracious fellowship and generously shared stories of other christians. Many of them would not have been inclined to reach out so, if not for the knowledge of God that changes their very nature.

These two sources are mediums for God to pour strength and courage in me, changing parts of my sinful nature. This is how I become strong. Not by (my) might, not by (my) power, but by the Spirit of God.

In times of pain, God finds opportunities to become very real to us, manifesting between the lines of the gracious actions and words of His people.

This "kindness of strangers" factor alone does not move me out of my present situation or circumstance.
But it does move me out of melancholia and into hope because I can see clearly the source and motivation of the kindness being offered.

That has become far more important to me and ultimately is the key solution to living joyfully in a fallen world. This is how a Christian can thrive in adversity - not out of mindless optimism, but out of acknowledgement that He is doubtlessly all around and real.

We are not alone.

Christ proves it time and time again - through friends, through books, through His word, through music, through the very changes He has wrought in our nature.

If you ever doubt His presence, this is what I prescribe. When you feel bad, find good Christian company - either face to face, or through the mediums of SMS, Email and what not. Once you gather two or three godly Christians, get them to start sharing about their walk. Watch Him emerge powerfully and poignantly through the cracks of their life stories and their overall demeanour.

Truly amazing.

P.S. I am not so tired anymore. And I am not so sad anymore. Funks may come and go but they have increasingly shorter lifespans the older I get in my faith. :)