Future Tense

By Belinda

I slip from beneath the warm covers, wondering at my nightly metamorphosis.

At night I wander towards my bed like a wayward child, happily distracted at every turn from actually getting there. Those chilly sheets don't beckon at all! But by morning...oh, it is a cozy nest in which I long to linger as long as possible.

Today, though, I was propelled by the knowledge that a friend would be waiting at Cora's where we were meeting for breakfast. Adding to my sense of urgency was my uncertainty of the time we were to meet. When I went to bed I was sure it was 8.30. Overnight I was seized with doubt. Was it 8.30 or 8.00? The need to call and find out got me up in good time and to find in relief that I was right all along--we were meeting at 8.30.

So I sat down with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, glad that I had time to read my Daily Light. And a scripture verse that I have read countless times before jumped off the page at me as if it were written in flashing pink neon lightbulbs.

John 18:36 (New International Version)
6Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

The "where " of Jesus's kingdom, had everything to do with the thrust of his actions and his motivation at a moment of great pressure and crisis.

"My kingdom is not of this world....If it were" there would be a different course of action.

I don't know why all of a sudden that hit me with such profound significance but it did.

"What about me?" I wondered, "How rooted in this world am I?"

"And how much," I thought, "does that rootedness affect my actions and motivations?"

How well do I, who profess to follow this man, actually represent what he stood for?

Am I as distracted on my way to heaven as I am on the way to bed at night? And am I as cosily rooted on earth as I am in my morning cocoon of bed? 

We live in tension between earth and heaven, and I think that maybe that is the way it is meant to be. We are here, now, and meant to enjoy the richness of relationship with friends and family.

But much of what consumes me--well, the verse this morning made me wonder whether it is what consumed Christ. Which kingdom has my heart? It was a course correction moment. A good one.

Comments

You went to Cora's! The Brothel of Breakfast? Oh. My. I love Cora's!! Whadyahave, whadyahave?
Belinda said…
Hey Dave,
This post was about what consumes me, not what I consumed! :)

Okay, at the Brothel of Breakfast I had...drum roll...the cinnamon raisin brioche dipped in French toast batter, topped by an egg and 3 crispy slices of bacon--and a pile of fresh fruit salad, with copious amounts of fresh black coffee.

In the evening we went to The Pickle Barrel to celebrate Victoria's birthday and I ordered the salmon with maple syrup and nut sauce.

In between those meals I tried to eat as little as possible! :)
mercygraceword said…
Belinda,
Don't you love those course correction moments as evidence of God's intimate and personal relationship with each one of us?
He truly is "at work in us, to will and to do for His good pleasure."
There is great joy in the working out of our salvation with fear and trembling, isn't there?

Deborah (who sadly has never been to a Cora's :o)
Marilyn Yocum said…
I've never been to Cora's either. :-(

Your thoughts at Cora's go along with some of what Derick Bingham said in the audio you posted yesterday, at least in my mind.

Not to sound overly somber or morbid (I don't think it is), but the more time I spend with the elderly and the chronically ill - those who REALLY have eternity close in mind, the more I SEE how unprepared to go I/we can be, so attached to this world. And that attachment drives choices and priorities often.
Anonymous said…
Yes, thank God for "correction moments," and for Coras. ;-) All too often, as I consider the life of my Saviour - his words, his actions and his teachings - I'm struck by the radical nature of who he was. By contrast, my own life seems to tend more towards conformity.
mercygraceword said…
Marilyn,
You are so right! Yesterday I listened to the audio of Derick Bingham and then watched audio updates for Pastor Matt Chandler, and Zac Smith. Then I read the post'Futility of Care, and Fatalism' from this blog: http://mcquilleninternational.blogspot.com/
and have been pondering afresh where I need to set my heart and focus.

Deborah
Deidra said…
Yesterday, while reading The Sermon on the Mount, I had similar promptings...where is my treasure? Where is my heart? Am I trying to live with two alliances? It can't be. It won't work that way. Thanks for this post and for stretching me some more...

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