Theme: Uncertainty
There are times in our lives, whether it be during training, at work, or at home, where we question the choices we’ve made. They arrive shortly after we make an important decision. A form of “buyers remorse”, where we wonder if we’re on the right path. As humans, we long for certainty, but who is ever 100% certain?
The gymnastics world was certain Simone Biles was going to dominate the 2020 Tokyo games. I was certain of it and I know nothing about gymnastics! But Simone has expressed she is uncertain of herself in the air. And when you are flipping, twisting, and turning high above the ground confidence is not an option.
So certainty is what is safe to us, and we seek it out… knowing with certainty, in uncertain times, that we’re on the best path forward.
But… do we really?
Think back to a moment of uncertainty. Think of the first day you first talked to your significant other. The first time you went on a roller coaster ride. The first time you did a public speech. The first you walked into a new job.
Uncertainty makes us feel alive. Those moments are etched into us forever, and are some of our fondest memories. If everything was known, expected, and pre-determined, life would be so horribly boring. It wouldn’t be a life at all.
Sunday we talked about responding to God and people with a sacrifice of love. This requires an embracing of uncertainty. It's the proverbial "Box of Chocolates" life Forrest Gump spoke of. Mary, a dear friend of Jesus, poured out a year's worth of wages in perfume in a matter of minutes. That sacrifice of love was not safe and she was met with harsh criticism for it. But in that moment, a moment Jesus said would be forever etched in time, she had to have felt fully alive. However, after it all happened, do you think she had moments when she questioned herself? Was that too much? Should I have done that? How will I be remembered? After all, the gospel we read today was written decades after the event happened.
While it may create uncertainty in your life, you will never be more like your Heavenly Father than when you make a sacrifice of love. People may be critical of you. You may question yourself. But if you are responding to God, you can't go wrong.
Scripture: Mark 14:9
Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.
Prayer
"Father, we pray you would help us sacrifice the comfort of certainty. We pray you would help us be as bold as Mary. She dared to be different. She faced opposition for it from those watching, but Jesus applauded her for it. Increase our faith, give us a love that is willing to sacrifice any power, prestige, or preferences we may have. We don't want to live safe, we want to live by faith. Give us a spirit of sacrificial love. Amen."