REFLECTIONS

In Search of Something Somewhere

The road through life is not a straight one. In fact, it’s not a road at all. We all blaze our own trail through it, sometimes through forests thick, sometimes through fog heavy, through storms flashing and fires raging. We travel up mountains steep and valleys deep making our way toward something somewhere.

The trails we blaze are our own. No other is quite like it or will there ever be. We learned from our moms and dads and others we traveled with along the way, all in search of something somewhere.

The trails we blaze come to an eventual end, we know not when. It could end at a place where mountains are still unscaled, or where fog has not blown away, or valleys are still unexplored. Or the trail might end with a great light that shines on the Way to the something somewhere we have looked for all along. Then, and only then, will we know that the trail we blazed led to the place God wanted us to find. His kingdom.

Webster defines a kingdom as a sphere in which one holds a preeminent position. The philosopher, Dallas Willard, once explained a kingdom as a sphere of influence; and we all have one of those. But our kingdoms all reside within God’s. We simply become too busy performing in ours to find his. But when his light shines on us and his grace covers us like a warm blanket, we discover the “something” we have been searching for.

As disciples of Christ, we receive grace in its fullness—grace that forgives, but also grace that relieves the burden to perform for success as we previously defined it to be. “Grace is the power in our lives,” Willard explains. “Grace is God acting in our lives to accomplish what we can’t accomplish on our own.” Success does not come from the burdensome performance, he suggests, “Success is the presence of the kingdom of God in our lives, relationally. And relationally not only with Christ, but with those around us.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

God’s grace. Receive it in its fullness. Grace, with all its peace and rest, is that “something” we search for. With it, we are free of the burden to succeed as we have chased it. Success then becomes the presence of God in our lives—the kingdom.

Grace is that “something” we search for in our lives.

The kingdom is the “somewhere” we will find it.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org.

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