Different and Better - Monday
TODAY’S VERSE
Mark 3:3
Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” (NIV)
The sermon this week is titled Different & Better. If you were able to listen to Jon, he talked about how Southland (and by extension, Jon) is different from how it was 26 years ago. Things are different, but by God’s leading and grace, they are better. God has done amazing things through Southland, and each of them is a direct result of God’s love through Jesus Christ.
To me, this lesson is very personal. I didn’t come from a ministry “pedigree.” I was raised by a single mother. She tried her best, but she was also young and just trying to survive. My dad loved me, but he spent much of his time touring around the country with his band. My mom and I lived with my grandparents in a small log cabin in southern Indiana, and for a long time, stability felt just out of reach. Despite all of this, my mom (and her parents) always made sure I was in church. After my mom remarried, things became a little more stable, but I was still a young kid searching for love and belonging.
I’d love to share how God took hold of my heart, but it happened through dozens of people and countless situations. What I can tell you is that it started with one pastor named John, who willingly “babysat” a five-year-old kid who was often the last one picked up from church. He saw me. He took time for me. He taught me magic tricks and made me laugh. Like the man with the shriveled hand whom Jesus saw in Mark 3, John saw me and brought me (along with all my baggage) into the light.
My life has been a constant story of different people stopping long enough to help me step into the light so that Satan could no longer use my vulnerabilities to keep me hidden. Each time, through God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrificial love, I became a little different. I still have a long way to go, but I’m deeply thankful for every person who patiently guided that confused and shame-filled kid into Jesus’ life-changing and forgiving light.
APPLICATION
If becoming Different & Better is something you’re craving, consider joining a group. There’s no better way to begin healing the stigma and shame you carry than by being transparent and vulnerable with other people. You can find more about joining a group and search the directory at southland.church/groups.
PRAYER
Today, pray that God will show you what needs to be healed in your life. Pray that God will reveal what stigma needs to be removed so you can become different and better.