Strong spirits: open?
God is always using the most ordinary folks to do his most extraordinary work.
How open are you? To change? To new ideas? To new people? To God?
To be open to God is to be able to embrace the rich, full life that God intends for us. It is a function of faith. To be closed to God is to limit your life and to hinder all that God wants to give you. It is usually a function of fear- of the unknown, of loss of control.
Once when Jesus was healing a man both deaf and mute, he said to him, "Be opened!" I think it is something he probably needs to say to me, and likely to you as well. I know I need to have my eyes, ears, mind, heart, and spirit opened to God at all times. It is a challenge, and it takes courage. How about you?
It's a crazy world out there, and we are wise to be careful what we open ourselves to. But you can confidently open yourself to God, as he is the source of all that is good. Maybe take just one step this week towards being more open to him?
Besides serving as pastor at Caledonia Congregational Church, Gary Schwerin is the Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley and Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford. Prior to launching Bridge Ministries, Gary spent many years in leadership with Young Life. His columns appear here every Sunday - to see them all, subscribe to our daily email.
