Changed

 

I can't stop talking about the power God has to change peoples lives. He does it in the most inconspicuous ways too. For me, as we've read previously, through just chatting with Him or by reading scripture or by prayer, he translates His vision for our lives into our hearts. He works through the humble or the lowest of low to ensure we understand that it wasn't by our power or might that things changed but by His power. He uses everything for our good but we have a narrow field of view and often we get lost in the grand picture of redemption. Even our hardship and struggles are used by Him in one way or another.

Several months ago, He gave me a vision of what our lives are like.

Picture yourself as I did being a slave. Now, this isn't political or racial or anything like that, so don't read beyond what I am trying to convey here. So picture yourself as a slave. Never knowing what its like to be free or to pursue what you want. Always being told what to do, when to do it. Being beaten if you don't move fast enough or make a mistake. Working all the time with poor conditions and little food. No self respect, always in fear and doubt. Now that we've got a small picture, imagine yourself on a muddy street pulling a cart behind you with goods for the market. It's your job to pull that cart, sell the goods to the man at the general store then return with an empty cart. As you do this, you pass by the largest house in the whole area. It's big and white and has a fence around it. It's clean and shiny and doesn't look right sitting in such a muddy dirty town. Your job though is not to dream of what it looks like inside but to deliver the goods and do it quick or you'll be beat again. 

Above you, on the top floor, unknown by you. The master of that huge house is looking down upon you as you struggle by. On your return back to your masters house, you come upon that mansion again but this time, there's a man dressed nicely waiting at the front gate. You see him but your taught not to look at those above you, which is everyone but a slave, in the eyes. So, you keep your head down and keep walking until the man calls your name. It startles you because you haven't heard anyone speak so softly to you before or call you by name. "Excuse me sir," you say as you slow down. He calls you by your name, this time it's a bit louder but sweeter. "Yes sir," you say, still looking down. 

The man says, "My master has sent me to fetch you and take you in to his house. He has purchased you from your previous owner and He has set you free." The words you hear but they hit a calloused heart and you don't believe Him. "I must get back to my master now," you say and start to walk away. The man's tone changes to one of importance as he raises his volume, "My master has purchased you and all you have to do, is to follow me. Do you want what you have now or do you want a new life?" he asked you. Fear fills your heart as your life has been filled with it. "I cannot, my master will be mad at me," you say. 

The man pulls out a paper and says, "Look and see." He pushes the paper under your hanging head and you see your name on it written in a deep red. "This bill of sale states, you have been purchased. Now do you believe." A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds and shines down as your heart, for the first time, tastes hope and joy. "It's real," you think as you gently grab the paper as though it would dissolve in your hand. You look at what it says and read through it thoroughly. As you do, a smile comes upon your face and happiness fills you as you believe in what it says. You are free! 

The man says, "Come, follow me." You look up to him and he turns and enters the gate. You follow slowly and cautiously. It feels more like a dream than reality. The weight of the cart is gone, that's the first thing you notice. You have no weight pulling on you, keeping you down. You feel light. As you step into this other world, the colors hit you as dull grey changes to bright and vivid colors. The mud outside was replaced by a luminous green grass inside the fence. The walkway was made of marble. It's clean and glasslike surface reflects your image and the bright blue sky above. The house is so white that it hurts your eyes as you look at it. Bushes line the front of the house and the grand patio leading up to the door is flanked by huge columns that seem to rise forever. There are gardeners tending the grass, bushes and flowers all around and while you walk slowly to the house, they stop working and watch you with big smiles and welcoming eyes. 

You still can't believe this is real as you step up on the front patio of the house. The man that is leading you, walks to the door and opens it and holds it open. You can see inside for the first time. Something your eyes were always wanting to see but never expected to, is now directly in front of you. The view of inside grows bigger as you approach and step through. The inside feels and looks bigger than what the outside looked like it could hold. Grand staircases to the right and left of you, curve elegantly along the walls and join in the middle at the top, several stories up. A figure, surrounded by light coming from the window behind them, stands at the top of the stairs along the banister looking down at you. The man that brought you in addresses him. "Sir, the man you told me to bring is here."

"Welcome to my house," the man above said. his voice amplified and bounced off the huge walls. "Thank you sir," you say with a tremble in your voice. The man replied, "Everything I own is now yours. I have made you an heir and coheir with my Son." The news is so fantastic that you can't process it, so you don't respond. "You will need to learn from my Son on how to be my son, as I have adopted you. I paid a large price for you and I want to get to know you. Learn from him and one day you will be by my side." Again, his words echoed through the halls as you tried to comprehend them. The man then leaves the banister and disappears in the light behind him. 

You just stand there in awe as another man approaches you. "Hello and welcome, I take it you approve of your new home?" You manage a slight, "Yes" as your still in shock. The man that pulled you from the street says, "This is the masters son." His son extends his hand to you to shake, which you do. He holds your hand tight looking at all the dirt and scars from hard labor. "This won't do," he says still looking. The son tells the man, "Go and take him to the baths and have him washed then dressed." He looks at you, "My father will never see you this way again, you will be cleaned and he will never see a speck of dirt on you ever. He will never see what you used to be, to him, you are my brother." He smiles and pulls on your hand and hugs you."

Later, after you have been given a bath and new clothes, the man who called you tells you, "you can go anywhere you want and do anything you want. Some things you do are of value and some things you do are not. So choose what you do wisely." He leaves your room and you're alone. So you sit in your room and read your contract several more times. Page after page you try to interpret the language used and try to understand the context of it all. Some things are very apparent but some things are not. So you leave your room and start to explore the house. 

Immediately after leaving your room you hear voices saying familiar things. Things like you've been reading. So, you go look for them. Down the hall from your room you find a large gathering area with all sorts of people in it talking. Someone notices you and approaches. "Hey man, how are you doing? I can tell by the lost expression on your face that you're a new resident here. So, let me introduce you to some of my friends."

You are introduced to a bunch of people who you find common ground with so you hang out with them whenever they gather. You ask questions and they give you answers. Some answers don't quite line up with the contract and others do. Some of your questions are met with enthusiasm, others are never answered fully. Still you hang out with them. One day you ask about the man who met you by the gate. "Who's the guy that brought me here," you ask. "Him, he's the head servant around here," one of your friends tell you. "What does he do?" you continue. "He just calls us and introduces us to the master of the house and his son."

"Is that all," you ask. "He told me he was available for questions anytime. All I had to do was ask." "We do not talk to him because we know our place here and you need to understand yours," they said. They were a bit hostile and you stopped asking questions. In your heart you knew something was a bit off. You found out that there were many different groups meeting in different areas of the house. Some were ridiculed and made fun of by your group. Others sounded like your group. 

Things started to be stagnant and your time here was full of second guessing, bickering, backstabbing and animosity. It was like you were back with your old master. Thoughts of your old life haunted you as you were told you would never be fully rid of that old life and you'd never be like the son. The slave mentality overcomes you and you see yourself as broken, dirty and unlovable again. 

You decide to leave your group and seek out others. One group you visit is too strict with rules. Another group wants you to get to know the head servant because he gives out gifts and gifts are extremely important to have. So many different groups. How can all their viewpoints and how can all their extreme differences be in one house, you ask yourself. If we are in one house, with one servant, one son and one master, then why do they allow there to be all this mess, you thought. You must be the problem, you think.

So, you decide to quit all the groups and do your own thing. You mingle with others daily but your enthusiasm has went away. Your curiosity is fading and you become disengaged. Days of just existence flow by with little change and you settle into a daily rhythm. You look out your window at people on the streets smiling and having fun running here and there, buying, selling and building houses for themselves. 

You are stuck between bitterness and doubt, fear and pain as those around you try and encourage and lift you up. Yet, even their adoration cannot fill the hole you have. After years have gone by, you get a knock at your door. You open it and it's the head servant. "I haven't seen you around in a while, everything alright?" he asks. That sweet voice of his stirs up something in you. You tell him, "I don't know. I'm miserable. Your contract says one thing, the people around here say another and I'm confused, mad and hurt." "Did you call for me?" He said. Your reply, "I prayed some and I've been told so many things that I'm confused at what you do, if I can use you or not or what you do."

"He looks at you and says, lets look at the contract together. I'll help you through it." For hours you pour over it with him and feed on the simplistic nature of it all, which wasn't there when you read it alone or with others. Each day you invite him back and ask him to help you and you learn so much. One day he asks you, "Have you been to the masters son and seen what he does?" You reply, "No, I don't even know where he is." "Do you want to go see him?" he asks you. "Yes" and both of you walk for a long time and go to a place in the house that was under construction, far away from anyone. 

The son was over by a table looking at architectural drawings and then looking over where he was working, then back. Once he was satisfied, he looked up at you and welcomed you in. The servant stayed and the three of you talked for a while. You talked about your troubles and you talked about your time with the head servant. It was a great time to sit and just talk and be talked to. The son said, "I need to be about my father's work, your welcome to stay and join me." Nervous and unsure, you ask, "Can I just watch you." "Sure," he said. 

So, now you spend time with the head servant for a little while and then you go to the son and help him. In small steps of confidence you understand the plans that the son reads. In time, you not only mimic the son but you anticipate what he is doing and you do it as well as he does. One day while working, the son looks at you and says, "You have done so well. I have something for you to do." He leads you to another section of the house. "This area over by that wall there, I need you to expand it out and add on more rooms." You look at him and say, "Yes, I'll do it." The project takes days, weeks and years but when it is finished, you stand back with the son and the head servant and take in all you have done to expand the house. As you are standing there, a hand touches your shoulder. It's firm and strong. It's the master. "Did you build this? "He asks you. "Yes sir." "Good work," he says as he grabs you in a sideways hug. 

This is a story, a simple story of how we are called, redeemed, taught and brought into sonship with the Father. Maybe, someone got something from it. Like all my posts, take from it what the Spirit says is truth and the rest discard. 

To God be the Glory!