This past weekend at FAC was far from mundane. In fact, it was quite an adventure – from the fire alarm going off during the service, to the Holy Spirit lavishing love upon my heart during worship. As we were worshiping, singing the song “I have decided to follow Jesus,” the following lyrics began to resonate in my heart:
“All I am and all I have to bring … I will give to You my everything”
I faltered for a minute, trying to grasp the weight of these words. Does Jesus really want me to bring what I have before Him? Sometimes I think that I have nothing desirable or worthy to bring Him, unless it’s perfect. I’ve lived in the “all-perfect, have it all together” world with nothing but hurt and disappointment left as a result. Does Jesus really want all that I am and all that I have to bring? Let me tell you that what I have to bring sometimes is not gold, but ashes. What I have to bring before His feet is often not an expensive aroma, but an old scent of a broken heart and a multitude of fears. Why does Jesus ask us to bring our whole selves before His throne? What could the Author of Beauty possibly do with the clutter and debris of our pain, inadequacy and defeat?
The father so kindly breathed LOVE over me in the midst of my wrestle and reminded me that He wants to EXCHANGE my ashes for HIS BEAUTY. He wants to exchange our mistakes for His victory. He wants to exchange our insecurities for His confidence. He wants to “bestow on our heads a crown of BEAUTY instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61: 3) Will you let Him dignify you when you feel the weight of lies and deception and let Him exchange them for something that’s so much better? Will you let Him lead you into a whirling dance of intimacy and freedom while recognizing that He wants ALL that we have to bring before Him, without sifting through to choose what we see as “worthy”?
You are called “a crown of splendour in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” (Isaiah 62:3)
This is how God sees us. How do you see yourself? I know I sometimes hear the drumbeat of accusation louder than the song of wonder and grace He sings over me. This thought came to life when Pastor Grant said, “Jesus sees differently than we see.” If this is how He sees us, why is it that we let the forgery in the enemy’s roar resound louder than our King’s? The Father sees us differently than we see ourselves and we will only be able to carry out our purpose on earth to the full capacity to which we embrace His perspective. I am completely dazed by the fact that God sees us through the lens of Jesus – a pure and clean bride. And as Pastor Grant said, “When we see as God sees, we will be more inclined to do what He says.”
“Open my eyes so I can see what You show me of Your miracle-wonders” (Psalm 119:18 , MSG)
We live in a thrill-driven society. We love adrenaline rushes but we’re not comfortable with the mundane – I personally hate it. I get stuck in it, and a new desire for change begins to weave its way into my heart every time I get stuck in repetition. But can I find wonder in the mundane? Can we find wonder in the mundane? Can I truly see the beauty, the newness around, when everything looks the same? I think it’s a perspective issue – when I ask for Jesus’ eyes, everything around me suddenly catches beauty. Jesus sees beauty in our flawed selves, in the mundane, in the old, boring places. He sees LIFE and WONDER.
This is how He’s called us to live – with awe and wonder as we gaze upon who He is and open the little spaces in our hearts to receive His perspective on all that’s around us. This is what it means to have a child-like faith: it’s more than putting one foot in front of the other and venturing into known or unknown places – it’s doing so with awe and wonder. A child is always in a state of discovery and marvel – whether it’s a leaf on the ground or fireworks in the sky, a child’s eyes light up for the things we see as “normal.” What would it look like for me to always find beauty in the “normal”? To find wonder in the mundane? How would our world change if the children of God saw the beauty in a world that loves to display the frightful?
I believe that our perspective shift depends on our willingness to bring to Him all that we have regardless of what that looks like – I believe that the exchange will begin to write a new story of redemption, hope, and beauty. We need it. Our world needs it.
You carry the beauty of the King to dry, parched lands. So let’s carry it together, as we recognize that His perspective is living water and that how He sees us is the place we ought to live from. There’s so much freedom on the other side of this – will you venture into the beautiful mundane with me?
Written by Sara Apostoaei
