Now through the end of December, a chance to re-examine the gifts of Advent, the arrival of a Savior, and the epiphany of Epiphany.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.
I grew up with a belief that somehow my flesh was evil, sinful, corrupted. Childhood abuse charged my insides with conflict about who I was, who God was, and what I could expect in this world. I grew up caught in a never-ending battle between my desires and my faith; anything short of perfection was probably not going to be good enough to gain God’s favor.
As an adult, that deep, internal conflict has been challenged, thank God, and these are the stories I felt compelled to write for the sake of others in Walking When You’d Rather Fly.* Our battle is not against flesh and blood, says Paul, (Eph. 6:12) turning our attention from what we see to the unseen world. This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, says Adam when God makes Eve (Gen. 2:23). The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, says John. God gave us flesh in the garden, and recommitted to it by wrapping his son in it and giving him to us as well.
This flesh, this tabernacle, is a gift that houses other gifts God has given. It is weak, and even corrupted, yet through its cracks, the light of the world spills out. We have this treasure in jars of clay, says Paul, so that others know the light isn’t coming from us (2 Cor. 4:7). And if Jesus was willingly wrapped in flesh to show the world what God was like, I will thank God for the gift of flesh, and trust He will use mine too.
Prayer: Giver of good gifts, pour your light into this broken jar of clay, so that it might overflow into this world you love – a world of flesh and blood.
* Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall will be available December 22. More info to come.
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