Read Luke 7:18-35. Why is life such a mixed bag? Why do both good and terrible things happen to us? Why isn’t everything always right with the world?
These are the kinds of questions the crowd were asking of Jesus. In seeking out John the Baptist in the wilderness, they were looking for the Kingdom of God, and they wanted all of it right now.
Jesus explains that’s not how it works. The Kingdom of God isn’t something you can own. It’s always God’s invitation to us. It draws us deeper, wanting to know more of God. But he is always in control. He chooses us, more than we choose him. So, the Kingdom is here, but not entirely here. John is both the greatest man who ever lived, and less than the least person in the Kingdom of God!
We live in the in-between. We do so in faith and trust. We accept our mixed bag, because we know that in the end, it is a good mixed bag. One day, God will resolve all our shadows.
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
•How does it feel to know you are not in control of God?
