The Joy Challenge: Wednesday 19th March 2014

In sickness and in health. Not simply a marriage vow commitment but a covenantal one in respect to our relationship to Christ. Today I am sick. It's fairly annoying. I hate being sick. It makes me realise lots of horrible things about myself: that I think I'm pretty important and feel guilty for not being able to be places lest things fall apart when I'm not there, that I overload myself with too many things to do instead of trusting Jesus, that much of my sense of identity is underpinned by being a doer and needing to be active, needing to be needed. But we, beloved, are not defined by what we do; we are defined by who we are: children of God, daughters and sons of the King, lovers of the Almighty, those whose lives are hidden in Christ. "What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29.) A much harder thing altogether perhaps. Not about do do doing but be be believing. Am I believing, trusting, leaning, resting? After all, at heaven's pearly gates, nothing we have done will be our means of admittance; we will fall to our knees with nothing to say but that we believed. He is the one who has done it. Not us. That is pretty sure grounds for rejoicing.