The Glory In Not Being OK

I feel the pressure. Do you feel it too? The one that says if we have put our faith in Jesus and believe His Word to be true, then certainly by now we would be "ok".

I mean certainly we can't possibly still be dealing with that addiction. How could we still be wrestling with that sin pattern? We know that Jesus tells us we have victory in His name, right? If we're still grieving perhaps we just need more of the joy of the Lord. Prayer works, maybe we should pray some more to get a breakthrough...

It's all true and wonderful -- Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus redeems. And we have victory in the name of Jesus. Yes, yes, and yes.

Well meaning Christians shout these truths from the rooftops and proclaim the hope-filled gospel. But within it there is often an underlying message that to truly demonstrate the gospel message to others we must be walking-talking testimonies of His saving power. The one who has overcome the addiction? Well, of course he reflects the gospel and can share his testimony on Sunday. But the woman still grieving the loss of her child? Well, we'll just pray for her and wait until she finds the "joy of the Lord" and then she can stand up on stage (bonus points if she gets pregnant again!)

Christians share the story of Jesus, tell of his death and resurrection, proclaim that he saves, but then ironically leave out the full story -- that after His death and resurrection He ascended into heaven but promised a return. And then and ONLY then is there the full promise that "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Somehow a lot of us want to fast forward through the story and pretend we are at the end when we're not. We want to lay claim to the truth of the victory we have in Jesus without wrestling with the tension of us being given a victory that is already here and yet is not fully here, not yet.

Truthfully, part of my story is the idealized testimony. I have been saved from pits of despair. I have been redeemed from broken and shattered places. I have experienced profound healing.

Except in the areas I haven't.

Like it or not there are certain areas of my suffering and wounds that simply will not be fully healed and I will not be fully ok until Jesus returns. While I can experience some form of healing and I can find joy in my salvation, some things will just never be ok until sin is eradicated for good, the enemy is destroyed, and Jesus establishes His reign on earth so that all things are completely and fully made new.

Y'all, I love Jesus. I believe Jesus saves. I believe in redemption and healing. I believe we have victory in His name.

I also believe life is hard. I believe there is suffering and heartache. I believe that even though Jesus saves and healing happens, sometimes it doesn't. At least not fully. Not yet.

Oh but it will. It is coming. And it will come with such great force and glory and magnitude that my heart cannot contain the anticipation, the longing.

But until then, our tears, our pain, and our suffering gloriously proclaim that this story is not done yet. We are not done yet. Jesus is not done yet. Jesus is coming back and we do not have to pretend things are ok until He does. Because how can we possibly be fully ok until our Lord and Savior is here with us forever?

We are gloriously not ok because -- JESUS.

At what point can THAT be a part of the testimony we use to share the gospel? That we are battered and bruised and longing and groaning for the return of our Savior. That yes, Jesus saves and there are parts of our lives that presently reflect His saving power and His work on the cross. But there are other parts of our lives that are messy and tear-stained and gripped with the agony of longing because those parts will never be fully redeemed until Jesus returns.

Those parts of us that are not ok point to the end of the story, they point to the completion of the gospel message. They point to the glory that is coming and the full redemption that is promised.

So don't hide them. Don't pretend they are not there. Share them. Lean into them. Learn from them. Let them point you and others back to Jesus. Let them speak to you and others about the entirety of the gospel message and the promises we have in Him.

Jesus saves. Jesus redeems. AND Jesus is coming back again. And until then we are gloriously not ok, not fully, not yet, because we are not meant to be. Not without the completion of the story when every tear is wiped away for good and sin and death are no more.