at church, our pastor spoke about opposition, pushback, & advancement as the pattern of Christianity. "if we're not exeriencing opposition, it's not because we're mature, but because we're not a threat." this pastor is not a particularly tall person, so everyone chuckled empathetically when he described his middle school basketball history; he was never guarded in pick-up games because try as he may have, he couldn't have done any damage to the other team anyways. the same is true of our lives as Christians; if we pose no threat, we won't be opposed in our [lack of] efforts. on the flipside, when the enemy senses our potential, we can expect the company of diversions, distractions, & discouragements.
the first time i recognized such opposition in my own life was a few weeks after hearing Hunter's talk on the subject. during one short week (or more precisely 5 days) of moving from one apartment to another, i managed to receive 5 parking tickets & almost get towed... 'almost' not meaning not 'free of' being towed, i just had to pay the man who had loaded my car in the 3 minutes i had left it some $75 to unhitch it. even though i had left it (full of my stuff) with the hazards on in the loading zone. (booo.)
it's amazing what a change of perspective will do for the human spirit. on my drive home after being forced to dish out an absurd amount of cash to the tow-truck driver at 1 a.m., the fear cut me. i'm not a crier, but the tears came. when i called out to God, it occurred to me that there was more to my circumstance than the crazy narrative i would walk away with about how many extraneous auto fees one possibly could incur in x number of days.
while the tickets, etc, were largely due to my own ignorance, the discouragement that ensued was certainly not from God. this 'pushback,' if i may call it that, fell in the midst of a move propelled by financial circumstances, & immediately prior to a job change that would cut my income just about in half. i didn't know how the money was going to work, but i believe that God called me to go, to take the new job, to reach the people He would place me with. as soon as i recognized the timing & effect of these tickets, etc, it beckoned the question: do you trust Me?
& that was a question i will always know the answer to: of course.
whatever storms may rage (even tiny, dollar-sized storms), i trust that He will get me through. i refuse to be discouraged by seemingly daunting waves that are simply a part of the current. in fact, i will take the opposition as encouragement. if the enemy is afraid of what Christ will do through me, i'm ready to charge ahead full-force.
in that moment, my frustration turned to laughter.
i had caught a (super super super)mini-glimpse of what the disciples had experienced when they left their flogging "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." - Acts 5:41
WINNING.
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"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you & have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
All who rage against you will surely be ashamed & disgraced;
those who oppose you will be as nothing & perish.
Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand
& says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." - Isaiah 41:8-14
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