He Is Meant to Be Experienced and Shared

As hurricane season is upon us, we see firsthand the dangers of living near God's unpredictable creation. There is so much beauty surrounding bodies of water; whether that be an ocean, a river or a lake. When things are calm, these places serve as a place to refuel your soul. People escape to the beach or the lake to retreat from it all and relax.
 
However, when these waters churn and rise, they become dangerous and often deadly. Man alone can't calm the sea or stop the rivers from rising. We become helpless. We can often only watch in utter despair and pray in hope.

I've been thinking about the perilous hurricane season this year and the parallels of being a Christ-follower. When all is going well, our walk with Christ seems perfect, calm, and often, serves as a respite from our weary days. However, when storms arise, and the waves of uncertainty pound against us, we lose sight of the Anchor amidst the storm. Sometimes, we even try and pull up the Anchor in the middle of the storm or break ourselves free from the Anchor altogether.
 
My land (America) is silently (and sometimes not so silently) becoming hostile to the things of Christ. As a Christian, it's easy to think it is not because I can bubble wrap myself with church activities, godly friends, and parental controls on the televisions and computers. However, I have to enter the land at large, and it looks a lot different than my bubble wrapped life.
 
I'm embarrassed by what I see around me. I'm ashamed by what I see. I'm heartbroken by what I hear and see.
 
But isn't that what a Christian is supposed to feel? The not-so-good or disobedient things of this world should look starkly different than our own lives. If our lives look the same as the world, we are not followers of Christ; we are followers of the world. 
 
“That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).
 
There are seasons where our Christian lives are gentle and calm. However, there are seasons in our walk that might be dangerous. The danger doesn't always come from what we are doing in our lives, but instead from the fact we've said "Yes" to God using our lives. Just as a person who lives by a body of water assumes the risks of living there, Christians assume the risks of being a Christ-follower. You may not be the most popular, the most liked, the most silent, or always welcomed, but you, my friend, get to bask in the beautiful glory of Jesus Christ each and every day. What you possess within you by the power of the Holy Spirit is what people want even if they don't realize Jesus is the thing they desire and need the most.
 
Our land is in dire need of Christians to be bold and loving in sharing their faith. We need to love others more than ourselves and our comforts. If we say we love but don't care about the condition of another's soul, we don't really love well at all.
 
Enjoy your beautiful view of Jesus today, but also share Him with others. The thing you love most is always the thing you want to show off and share. Invite someone in today to see your view, and let God do the rest.
 
“Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise, you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity” (Hebrews 12:14–15, The Message Translation).