A Work in Progress….

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you…?

Christ Jesus is in us. Let that sink in for a minute. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, is IN us. He is infused throughout our beings. He is the breath in our lungs and the blood in our veins. To know that Christ is in me makes me feel incredibly powerful. I’m not helpless. Christ is in me.

2 Corinthians 13:11a Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace….

But, as we know from the super heroes, with power comes great responsibility. I can’t lock Christ away in a dark corner of my heart until it’s convenient and useful for me to let Him out. If Christ is in me—and He is!—then I need to be sure that He is infused in every thought, word, and action, in every breath and every deed.

2 Corinthians 13:11b …And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Lord, Thank You that You are not a dusty, powerless deity on a shelf, that You are the lord of my life, that You are in me. Help me to infuse You into all that I am so that my life can be an homage to You and Your love. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Lord, Thank You that You love me as the hot mess that I am. You don’t expect perfection. You know I’m a work in progress. And yet You love me fiercely. I don’t deserve them and can never earn them, but I am eternally grateful for Your love, mercy, and compassion.

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

Lord, Thank You that when You see me, warts and all, You see Your creation, Your masterpiece. Every good and perfect gift in my life is from You. Help me to use the gifts and the strengths You’ve given me to comfort Your people and shine Your light.

2 Corinthians 11:30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Lord, Thank You that Your strength is perfected in my weakness. Thank You that I can share my weakness so that I can boast all the more loudly about Your strength. Thank You for showing me the strongholds that I still need to surrender to You. Thank You for loving me through it all. Amen.

2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

I share my ugly humanity in these reflections in the hopes that others who struggle will see they are not alone and that that knowledge will help remove some of the stigma of the struggle. I am wholly embarrassed by my struggle with giving. And as with so much in life, my struggle is varied and nuanced and based in emotion and therefore not rational nor easy to dissect and correct, which is maddening.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

So I have to focus on what I can control or I will lose my mind. I know 1. my attitude in this area is a stronghold that I must surrender to God. 2. my attitude doesn’t permeate my entire being, it’s not omnipresent. That’s good. 3. my attitude is better, more generous now than when I was younger. I’m moving in the right direction. 4. I’m not there yet. I know it. God knows. So I’ll keep working on chipping away the attitude and surrendering it to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Lord, Thank You for Your fierce love, even in my imperfection. Thank You for reminding me of the strongholds in my life that must still be surrounded to You. Thank You for the gifts of Your compassion and grace. Help me to be a more cheerful giver in every aspect of my life. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 8:2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

For reasons I don’t understand, I have a problem with giving (and sometimes sharing). Not with gift giving per se—somehow in my brain that’s different—with the giving of money or resources. It makes no sense, and yet it is frustratingly real.

2 Corinthians 8:3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own….

I have a physical reaction—my breathing becomes faster and more shallow, my heart rate speeds up, I just feel…icky in my skin—hyper alert and anxious. I assume it is a scarcity mindset issue—if I give something away and end up needing it, then I won’t have it. Panic! Panic! Regardless, I hate it and know God is once again calling my attention to this stronghold that needs to be given over to Him.

2 Corinthians 8:5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

Lord, I love You and recognize that all that I have is Yours. My irrational reaction to giving and sharing is so frustrating. Help me to drag this issue into Your light and surrender it to You so that I can feel Your peace in this area as well. Please help me, Lord. Amen.

2 Corinthians 8:7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 7:8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it….

This chapter talks in part about earthly sorrow versus godly sorrow. Only godly sorrow can lead to repentance. Earthly sorrow in matters such as these can lead to broken relationships and hurt feelings, but it can’t bring about repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:9a …yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance….

And it is only through repentance that we can restore right relationship with Christ. Paul, as much as it pained him to come down on the church in Corinth because of their behavior, knew that it was necessary to help them see the error of their ways.

2 Corinthians 7:9b …For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

Lord, Help me always seek to restore right relationship with you. Don’t let me be content with this world. Amen.

2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

Ram Dass has a saying, “We are all just walking each other home.” I know nothing about Ram Dass, his views or ideologies, but I think he summed up the purpose of life—for Christians and for everyone—with this saying.

2 Corinthians 6:3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

By helping to walk my fellow humans home, by being an encouragement, a companion, a positive presence, by holding space for those who are struggling, just being there so they know they don’t slog through the muck alone, I am putting God’s grace into action, I am loving God and loving others.

2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses….

Lord, Thank You for the gift of Your grace. Thank You for the knowledge that love, presence, and community in You are essential. Thank You that by walking each other home, we are being Your hands and feet in this world. Amen.

2 Corinthians 6:10 …sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

This earth is not my home. This body is not my eternal dwelling. At once I fully embrace and believe these ideas and also struggle with them. Verse 7 says that “we live by faith and not by sight,” but it is often hard for me to wrap my head around things that I can’t see, can’t fathom.

2 Corinthians 5:4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Verses 6 and 8 both mention the dichotomy of being home in the body and away from the Lord. We can’t be both at once—in the earthly body and with our eternal Lord. This idea reinforces my belief that my loved ones who are no longer in their earthly bodies are with God. They are no longer home in the body, so they are now home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that this creaky body is not my eternal home. Help me to take care of it, but when the time comes to leave it behind to be with You, help me step boldly and in faith. Lord, I trust my sight more than I should probably because it’s what I know. Help me strengthen my faith so that I may live more fully in You. Draw me closer. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Lord, This world can be a tough, painful place. Thank You for being with us, for fighting our battles when we calm ourselves in You. Thank You for the hope and promise that the worst thing isn’t the last thing, that You have the final say.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Lord, It can be so easy to lose heart, especially when the deck is stacked against me and everything feels like it’s falling apart. Thank You that You are bigger than my feelings, bigger than my fears. Thank You for the renewal that can only be found in You.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Lord, This world is not my home. You have promised to never leave me nor forsake me. And Your strength is perfected in my weakness. You are my strength and my hope, my fortress and my shield. Help me to rest in You, to shine Your light, to comfort Your people. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Have a blessed day.