LifePath Church
  • Home
  • Get To Know Us
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • What We Value
    • What We Believe
    • Racial Justice
    • LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
    • Local Mission
    • Global Mission
    • Partnerships
  • Get Connected
    • Celebration Gathering
    • Listen Online
    • Children and Teens
    • Meal Communities
    • Triads
    • Life Seminars
    • Giving
  • Together for Good
  • Calendar
  • Latest News

Together for good

simple weekly reflections on community, spiritual formation, and the way of Jesus

Opportunities Like an Ark

11/2/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
-Paul, Romans 5:3-5

I recently re-watched the delightful and bizarre film Evan Almightywith my kids. The short recap is that God (Morgan Freeman) calls a newly elected politician (Steve Carrell) to leave his high status job to build an ark in the middle of a housing subdivision. Like a modern day Noah. I know. It’s a plot leap. You should probably watch it yourself to understand. That’s not my point. This call from God comes after Evan’s wife prays and asks God for their family to come closer together. 

But it doesn’t exactly work. After Evan finally caves in and begins making the ark, acting a little bit nuts, everyone deserts him. He becomes a laughing stock at his job. Television networks mock him on the evening news. Even his own wife leaves with the kids because she can’t handle his delusions.

When Evan’s wife is away, God shows up looking like a waiter to chat with her in her distress at a restaurant (Morgan Freeman is fabulous, by the way).  

He listens, and then he asks her a few questions… 
(watch it here)

If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? 
Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
If he prays for courage does He give them courage, or opportunities to be courageous? 
If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings?
Or does he give them opportunities to love each other?


Really good point, God—er, Mr. Freeman.

I'm not suggesting that Evan Almighty is a helpful crash course in theology (though you could do worse). But I was reminded that perhaps we sometimes misunderstand the process of being shaped by God. It’s not random magic. It’s a partnership.

Picture

​Opportunities are all around us. Life is hard. Things can get discouraging. But as we bow our heads and pray for God to change us- giving us more humility, more patience, more strength, more courage… we need to also lift our heads and look around, so that we see the holy moments that give opportunity to practice what we’ve been praying for. God wants to form us, but it will only happen with our movement too. 

Of course, we don’t believe that God is the author of the heartache in our lives, or the source behind our struggles. But the beauty of God’s redemptive character is that in God’s economy, nothing is wasted. Even our greatest trials can be transformed by God into opportunities for us to become more like Jesus. In fact, it could be argued that those hard experiences are the most transformative times of all. 

After the restaurant scene, Evan’s wife decides to return home, and the family shares quite an adventure building a 300 cubit long ark! Laughter, exhaustion, and bonding ensue. God provided the opportunity. But the response was still up to people. I’ll let you watch the movie on Netflix to see if the flood ever comes. 

Today, keep an eye out for holy opportunities for you to become what you’ve been asking for. God’s Spirit will empower you… but you’ll still have to make the move. Thankfully, Jesus will be with you the whole way. 

Jesus, help me notice the opportunities you give me today to be formed in your character. 

Peace,
Keith

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

    RSS Feed

Lifepath Church

Copyright © 2022
Contact Us
Photo from Pascal Volk
  • Home
  • Get To Know Us
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • What We Value
    • What We Believe
    • Racial Justice
    • LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
    • Local Mission
    • Global Mission
    • Partnerships
  • Get Connected
    • Celebration Gathering
    • Listen Online
    • Children and Teens
    • Meal Communities
    • Triads
    • Life Seminars
    • Giving
  • Together for Good
  • Calendar
  • Latest News