Trailblazer

The theme of the retreat I participated last week was “Adventure by Faith”. The speaker was an expert on 19th century Christianity and a story he shared struck a chord in me.

The present day interpretation of the parable of a merchant who finds a finest pearl or a farmer who finds a treasure in a field is that the merchant/farmer is us – Christians – and the pearl/treasure is the salvation. Both of these characters went and sold everything they had to gain what they found. However it is not the way the story was understood up until a couple hundred years ago. Traditionally the merchant/farmer was interpreted as God/Christ, and the pearl/treasure was us… How cool is that!?

Dictionary definition of an adventure is “risk taking activity”. The central message of this sermon was that before God called us to abandon everything to obtain what He has to give, the Almighty Himself went on an ultimate adventure to obtain us.

I met this speaker 2 years ago during the Central Conference 05. At the time I was dealing with a major break-up and one of my best friends was dying of cancer. To my question why God allows us to have such intense feelings for others if He was going to take them away, this pastor replied “Maybe God wants us to learn how strongly He feels about us by giving us these emotions…” I didn’t find the comment particularly helpful back then, but it has stayed in my mind and resurfaced time to time.

As I tried to love others unconditionally, I came to better appreciate the love shown on the Cross. A lot of times I just don’t find it in me to love one-sidedly. My heart bleeds when my love is not returned. I’m likely to withhold love if I thought it’d be “wasted”. But Christ, knowing I can choose not to love Him back, still laid down His life for me.

He bled from everywhere, not just from his heart.

Loving is a risky business. God who went on an adventure first also goes before me and plows the way. Though the road is stained in red, I want to want to follow You.