We are people of the "already" and "not yet." You may remember hearing that in church before. We have already received much of the blessing and promise of the Kingdom of God with the arrival and work of Jesus on earth. But there are still things to be done and Jesus has promised that someday He will make everything right and everything new. We live in the tension of these two realities, thankful for all that we have been given and longing for what's still to come.
One of the keys to navigating a difficult conversation is to use a similar principle. The word "but" has the effect of erasing whatever came before it in favour of what's about to be said. If you say, "I love you, but...," the expression of love has just lost its power. However, "I love you and..." has a different effect altogether. Loving someone and needing to say something difficult about your relationship can and do co-exist. It's incredibly helpful to be able to express them both well.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about being a person of the "and," a person of the "already and not yet." As disciples of Jesus, this tension of recognizing the truth of a situation while still being able to hold firmly to hope is our superpower. Yeah, that's kind of a weird way to say that but it's true! We have been given the supernatural ability to both respond to the needs, grief, happiness (or anything else!) of the moment while having hearts and minds that are fully convinced that this is not all there is. We'll be "living our best life" when we're in the presence of Jesus for eternity and nothing here can compare to that.
Take a read through Romans 8:18-37. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live in the "and" and to know how to navigate every day, every circumstance and every season as we both wait for the "not yet" and invite others into the "already".
I'm praying that all of us will be like the men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what to do. I'm thankful that we have everything we need as followers of Christ to hold on to the hope held out in the gospel and to share it with others.
Thankful to be walking with you,
Pastor Tracy
This Sunday
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