I urge you to behave with all humility, and gentleness, and patience. I urge you to bear with one another in love. I urge you eagerly to preserve that unity which the Holy Spirit can bring by binding things together in peace. -Ephesians 4:2-3
“It’s just not how it was meant to be” and “The proofs in the puddin'” are two of my favorite quotes because, to me, they capture the reality of life. Watching the twelve year old special needs child who lives in my home struggle in ways that my other three children do not, makes me think, “It’s just not how it was meant to be”. The cheese cake from the cat poop coffee shop is really good even though it’s sold by the same people who sell cat poop coffee. It’s clear to me that, “The proof is in the puddin'” Pudding could be something other than pudding, you will only know once you take a bite whether it’s cat poop or pudding. After following Jesus quite a few years, I feel that He often would say to people, “Hey, it’s just not how it was meant to be, BUT there is hope for it to be the way it’s supposed to be.” I notice that He is always challenging me and other disciples to truly follow Him and to be “really good pudding” rather than “cat poop” that looks like “really good pudding.”
In Ephesians 4:2-3, the Christian Church (body of Jesus Christ) is exhorted to place these five virtues in our pudding: humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace. We, the Church, are urged to preserve unity. When I look at the common picture of the Church, the description I find posted above the doorposts of the chapel and on the heads of the congregants often times seems lacking these five virtues. It seems that you can taste a hint of one or two of these, but it’s safe to say that it may be difficult to find a pudding full of all five. It’s just not “how it was meant to be.” I mean come on, the “proofs in the pudding” and we all know that it’s not “how it was meant to be.” So what, what do we do? We start with prayer. On our knees, together, we seek Jesus and ask Him to bless us, each of us, with His abiding presence. He is humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace. We must deny ourselves in a way that makes it clear to others that we know, that in comparison to Jesus Christ ,we… I, am nothing but a prisoner. Without Jesus living in me, I can and will only produce something that is not worthy enough to even call “cat poop”. BUT as Christ lives in me and in you, and as you and I deny ourselves and let Jesus reign and abide in us, He will make Himself known to those around us and He will be faithful to bring about unity in a way that we could not imagine. The body of Jesus Christ makes up all of those He indwells. This Body of Christ is ONE, and I can assure you, it is UNIFIED.
Let’s admit “It’s not how it was meant to be” and “The proof is in the pudding.”
Come and taste the pudding…
Looking forward to experiencing the Body of Christ the way it’s supposed to be,
Rob