Leaving Behind the Familiar
Born in 1848, Mary Slessor was raised by an alcoholic father. When she grew older, she found work in a cotton mill, but she longed to become a missionary. She found inspiration in David Livingstone, an early nineteenth century British explorer who traveled to remote regions in Africa to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Compelled by his story, Mary left her home in order to go where no other white person had settled in Western Africa.
At the age of 28, Mary established a missionary base in the Calabar region of Africa. Settling in the area was highly dangerous. Some of the accepted cultural beliefs of the time included burying widows alive in their husband's graves and killing innocent children. Yet, Mary refused to give up-dispite her battling sickness often and living with constant threats. Over the years, her commitment to Christ, sharing the gospel, and opposing injustices had a profound impact on the culture. Not only did locals hear the good news of Jesus Christ but Mary challenged a long-held superstition that twins were evil. Because of her hard work and prayer, locals finally quit the horrible customary practice of killing and abandoning twins.
Today in Nigeria, Mary is recognized and honored as a spiritual leader who saved the lives of countless children and women and shared the good news of Christ with many.
God used a short, red-haired, Presbyterian missionary to make a profound impact in our world. But in order to lay hold of the life God had for Mary Slessor, she had to leave that which was comfortable and familiar behind, a necessary ending, in order to lay hold of the new beginning God had for her.
Though our stories may not be as dramatic as Mary's, we all have moments in our lives when we sense God calling us to leave something behind in order to lay hold of the something new God has for us. Sometimes the necessary endings we're facing are practical. We may sense the invitation to leave a place or a job in order o step into the fullness of life and service God intends. Or we may feel a nudge toward a necessary ending through forgiveness of something that happened to us in the past. Or maybe we're aware of an unhealthy pattern or addiction in our lives and we've got to make a break.
Whatever necessary ending you may need to make, rest assured that it's worth it in order to lay hold of the freedom and fullness of life God has for you.
All of us will encounter moments of necessary endings.
1) When in your life have you made a significant change, a necessary ending, and discovered God had a new beginnings waiting for you?
2) When you're facing a necessary ending, what is the most difficult aspect for you emotionally? Physically? Spiritually?
Sometimes we must let go and move on from that which is familiar in order to embrace all God has for us. One of the ways the disciples did this was by leaving behind all they knew to follow Christ. They accepted the necessary ending of what they knew in order to lay hold of the new beginnings as disciples of Jesus.
Levi, also knows as Matthew, was a man with a good job with great income. But Jesus had more to offer this tax collector. Jesus invited Levi to the new beginning of a lifetime.
3) Read Luke 5:27-28. How did Levi respond to Jesus' invitation? What have you left behind in order to become a follower of Christ? What has made this decision worthwhile?
One of the great paradoxes or upside down principles of following Jesus is that when we choose to die to ourselves through the grace of the Holy Spirit, then we become more alive to Christ. Jesus illustrated this idea through His life, death, and resurrection and also through His teaching.
4) Read Matthew 16: 24-25. When have you tried holding on to our life but discovered that God had something more for you?
When Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 16, the disciples were all too familiar with witnessing rebels carrying Roman crosses to the place where they would be crucified. The idea of carrying a cross was all too real of a possibility to the disciples or anyone who opposed the government. But the cross analogy evoked a two-fold meaning: carrying one's cross represented the willingness to deny oneself as well as willingness to die for Christ.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus often said that His hour to die had not yet come. However, in John 12, Jesus finally declared that the hour had arrived. Jesus pointed to this as the hour of glorification-the time for Him to be crucified, buried, and risen. Jesus would lay down His life to bring redemption to the world. Through Jesus' death, He offered new life to many.
5) Read John 12:23-26. How willing are you to sacrifice for the sake of others? In what way have you seen the truth of the principle that through self-sacrifice comes new life?
Laying down our lives for someone else is the ultimate sign of love, affection, and friendship. While Jesus' sacrifice led to new life for those who believe, our own sacrifices are necessary so that we may have life ourselves. The apostle John described a bad example of showing love in 1 John 3:11-15. In contrast, he illustrated the perfect example through Jesus Christ.
6) Read 1 John 3:16. When in the last year have you experienced someone laying down his or her life to make a meaningful sacrifice for you? How did his or her actions make Christ's sacrifice more real to you?
Greek, the original language for most of the New Testament, has more than one word for "life." Bios is the earthly life, from which we derive the words "biology" or "biosphere," and zoe is the new life offered by God. We are called to lay down our bios to receive the zoe that God has in store.
7) When in the last year have you laid down your life and made a meaningful sacrifice for someone else? What did you discover about yourself through that experience? What did you discover about God?
8) What necessary endings do you sense God nudging you toward in your life? What's stopping you from making those necessary changes?
Sometimes we hold on to things that aren't God's best for us and we face a necessary ending. But when we let go, we can begin to lay hold of the new beginning God has for us.
Digging Deeper:
Read Genesis 13:5-18. What necessary ending did Abram(Abraham) face in his relationship with Lot? How did Abram respond to the situation? How did God reward Abram for his response? What wisdom or hope did Abram's story give you in any necessary endings that you're facing in your life?
Bonus Activity:
Reflecting on this, consider any necessary endings you sense God nudging you toward in your life. Over the course of the next week, prayerfully consider what moving toward one of these changes might look like. On a calendar, establish a timeline for these changes. Consider asking a friend to pray for and encourage you along the way.
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