Broken Snow Blowers

My snow blower refuses to start.  With each pull of the cord, it is as if I can hear it mocking me, “You can keep trying, but I’m not starting.”  The only thing worse than not having a snow blower in NE Ohio, is having a snow blower that does not work in NE Ohio.

As I was thinking about my snow blower, I was thinking about people I know and care about who have seemed to have the same experience with their faith in Christ.  They push their faith out of the church garage only to find that it fails to work in real life.  I have even felt that way in my own faith journey at times.  I can see them pulling the cord to no avail as they wrestle with the questions they apologize for sharing:

 “I thought being a Christian was supposed to help our marriage.  So, why is our marriage ending?” 

“I raised our kids in church.  Why don’t they even believe in God now?”  

“I thought if I tithed, God would provide.  Why am I left with no choice but bankruptcy?”  

“If God wants us to be free, then why am I still struggling with the same old sin?” 

After asking questions like this for so long, some people conclude: “The only thing worse than not having faith in this world, is to have a faith that does not work.” 

Perhaps it was that very conclusion that made people of the first century, and every century since, so drawn to Jesus.  His faith, for lack of a better way of saying it, worked.   And it was not because he was super-human.  No, he was fully human. He shows us how to be fully human and have faith that fully works in this life.  He introduces us to a rhythm of faith—Up, In, Out…Up, In, Out…Up, In, Out…-remove any piece of this rhythm and you have a snow blower that does not blow snow. Luke 6 summarizes this pattern that we see Jesus repeating throughout his earthly ministry.  Up, In, Out…this is a faith the works in real life.

Through Jesus, I am learning that when it seems my faith is stalling that I need to check to see how my up, in and out is going.  Have I been spending time looking up to the Father in worship (personal and corporate)?  Have I been opening my arms wide to other believers for mutual support, accountability, confession and encouragement?  Have I been taking the good I have received through worship and fellowship and pouring it out to others in our world who are in need spiritually, materially, relationally, physically and/or emotionally?  Am I living in the rhythm of up, in, out? What makes this rhythm work is not me pulling the cord in my own trying and striving, but that this up, in, out puts me in the flow of the Spirit; this is his rhythm and I am invited to step into it. 

At Canton First, we want every new and longtime believer to step into and be held accountable to this rhythm of life.  Because the more I move to the rhythm Jesus modeled, the less my faith will be left collecting dust and taking up space in the pew.  Jesus made us for a faith that does more than work…he made us to receive a faith from him that moves mountains, believes the impossible, expects miracles, overcomes obstacles and perseveres through the storms.  Don’t settle for pulling on the cord of a broken down faith, when you can dance with him in the rhythm of up, in and out!