Grass Power

Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them. For greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
-1 John 4:4

I saw some grass the other day. I know, this is a gripping start.

And I thought... Every blade of grass that grows, by its very existence, defies the almost overwhelming power of gravity. 

We're right in the middle of a fairly depressing time of the year for most people out here. Days are cold, the holidays are long gone, and the commute home is still pretty dark. Even the promise of spring feels untrustworthy when the weather changes every week. 

And the political cycle is starting to spin like a broken washer that won't stop, and violence and heartbreak are around us in the news.  There's just a whole lot of ugliness. We can feel powerless in the world, and even powerless to deal with our own blah-ness. We can feel that gravitational pull of despair and discouragement. 

So today I'm offering just a little reminder of the promise that God's Spirit is up for the task. 
In 1 John, John is writing to the early church, who have been struggling with how to handle the overwhelming messages swirling around them that looked very little like Jesus. People were spreading alternative narratives about what was real and true... and none of it looked like the love of Jesus. That is the whole theme of his letter. Everyone was discouraged.

And John challenges them not to let that sense of discouragement take over, because "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world."

Today, we might take that message and say the Spirit of Jesus in you is stronger than the gravitational pull out there toward despair, sin, and darkness. You may feel flimsy, but God's spirit is moving through your veins, and there is strength available that you don't even realize. 
Remember, a tiny blade of grass can defy the entire gravitational pull of the earth, as long as it's rooted. 

There’s a lot of power towards darkness, despair, and selfishness. But it’s not an even match to the power of light and love that we have through Jesus. A little light will always be more powerful than the greatest darkness. Christ in us enables us to change our outlook, to stay energized to doing good, and to remember that God is able to bring redemption in every situation and person. Even me. Even you. Even your enemy. 

I'm all for being a realist, and reality can feel pretty grim sometimes. But I often wonder if my realism is actually just a half truth of "the world is messed up and so am I" that completely ignores the whole truth, "yet Jesus is in me giving me strength to participate in redemption."

God’s Spirit in you is stronger than any power out there to pull you away from love. 

You're allowed to feel weak and tired. You don’t need to be dishonest or gloss over any of it. You're allowed to look around at the world and notice a gravitational pull toward sadness and selfishness and violence.  
And yet. There are blades of grass everywhere, rooted in defiance. 

So when we find ourselves with the early followers of Jesus exclaiming, this is all too hard and it feels impossible!  Then we also hear the merciful words of Jesus proclaiming… with God, all things are possible. 
With God... sadness and death and untrue thoughts and massive injustice and feelings of despair won't have the last word. 

God’s goodness in you is powerful. It can break through in a moment of kindness to a stranger. Or in a lighthearted moment of laughter in the middle of a sad day. The gravitational force of despair and sorrow can be countered by one prayer, one encouraging text, one extra large tip at dinner, and one moment of forgiveness.  

The Spirit will give you the strength you need and the eyes to see. Just stay rooted, and you'll have the strength to grow upward and outward, almost miraculously. God is with you today.

Jesus, bring fresh hope and fresh conviction as I start my day today.
 
Peace,
Keith

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