Shelter - Roots

 

This is not a shelter of cushions, an exemption from all bumps and bruises. Christians are guaranteed suffering. It is the shelter from that which destroys the soul. We cannot fulfil what we have been called to without hiding ourselves in God, being sheltered in him. His refuge is sure and his arms are always open.

 

But if he is not more than shelter, if we are found under his wing only when the storm is about our ears... do we really love him, delight in him, treasure him?

Is he our first love or just some kind of safe-house to remember while we are off collecting treasures of our own? When things go wrong, really wrong, most will run to God, but why aren't we there already? Because we left when the last storm cleared. What could have lured us away, what could possibly be of greater value?

            This can only happen when we have no real desire to delight in him, when all we want is to get security and assurance while we delight in other things:

 

Who would marry a person that wanted to live with someone else, but who expected to be able to return for a while whenever convenient? It isn't really any different.

We try to get the advantages of God's covering without any obligations, we want our complete freedom and independence so we can go out and follow our hearts—which is mostly just a delicate way of saying "doing whatever I want". We try, in short, to find our lives, and according to Jesus, we lose our lives.*

 

But those who seek God will find him, those who lose themselves for his sake will find themselves in him, and those who draw near to him will be met with a love they could never deserve or earn. It must be remembered though, that staying is not a result of our love, it all begins and is sustained by God's love for us. Surrendering to him is not something for which we are to be highly commended, something for which we pay a high price; it was never a choice or option given to us, but a command—and in obeying it we gain so much more than we lose. We stay because, as Peter said, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life."*2

 

Jesus died that we might have life in abundance, some people act like its the other way round.

We don't serve him because it's the right thing to do, give up all we could have had so he can benefit, as if we are the volunteers for a persevering charity that can't pay much for service. Some expect to hear 'Such generosity is to be greatly commended, these people have put aside all the fulfilment they might have had for the benefit of the better cause, by their loss the faith was advanced.'

            Nonsense. We give up what rusts and fades for what is immeasurably better and endures.

           

To God we are children and, like children, often don't know what is good for us. When the blessings of heaven fall, we shouldn't always expect to hear cheering from earth. Even persecution is listed as a blessing, when we look at it historically we can often see why. Some of the most awesome blessings we don't see the worth of immediately. Take a teenager getting either a car or an education—the education doesn't seem like a blessing, but later would enable him to buy much more than a car. If we get only what we want we will not have everything we need. A wise parent doesn't give the child what elicits the most exuberant response but what benefits the child most. We cannot give better than God, we cannot be better off than in his service.

 

When someone deserts the shelter that is meant to be home, who is the one who loses everything?

 

*Matthew 10:39

*2    John 6:68