PERFECTED

A minister said, “The Bible says of Jesus, ‘by one sacrifice he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.’  By Jesus’ sacrifice those who have been made holy by God will know his peace and deliverance from tribulation.  We will walk in the confidence of the lord.  And we will be delivered, spiritually, physically, and financially.”

The Gadfly said, “Those who rejoice in the spilling of blood, whether the blood of their animals or their God, fail to understand one simple truth.”

The minister asked, “What are you talking about?”

The Gadfly responded, “We are the living sacrifice. Our blood is spilled and our bodies are broken daily.   Do you imagine that this is a sign of our shame?  The fruit that dies in order to give up its seed does not worry so.  Such is the gift of life.  Do you imagine that perfection involves immunity from raw pain, and protection from destruction?  It is quite the opposite.  A perfected human could say, ‘I have pushed myself beyond my limits.  I have exhausted my strength.  I am too weak to withhold my heart, and too afraid not to love.  Every moment I live beyond my present breath is borrowed time, a free gift of the Universe.  But how will I embrace this gift?  For my reason has failed, my confidence is shattered, and my heart is broken.  I am too beaten down to do anything but let go.  I will let go.  I will release myself from my own steely grasp, and be all that I am.  For, I do not have the strength to be anything less.’  When the blood of such as these is shed, it is a gift of redeeming life to the people.  When their bodies are broken, it is living bread for the life of the world.”

The minister said, “Jesus is the only sacrifice, which can redeem us!  How dare you talk like this?”

The Gadfly said, “If you refuse to embrace your pain as fully as you embrace your joy, then you have dishonored all sacrifice.  If you will not live your confusion as deeply as you live your clarity, then you are only half alive.  And if only your health is sacred and all your brokenness is profane, then you cannot even begin to understand the message of Jesus.  We are the living sacrifice.  Let us not wallow in our fear of life, but embrace the fullness of all the seasons of our hearts.”