Coming Out Of The Closet

It is truly amazing how furious and fiercely the longing of God is toward the lost, broken and hopeless, and I am one of those who have been rescued by such an arresting unconditional love.

A friend sent me the links to a four part conversation with Paul Young being interviewed about his life and the writing of the story that turned into the book, The Shack. To say it impacted me is the understatement of the century; I am sensing afresh the boldness of His love for me to begin the baby steps needed to come out of the closet of shame and fear.

http://www.newday.org/ontheair/index.php?program=34122

God is using religious institutional systems (they are no threat or rival to God) and otherwise to drive people to helplessness. To expose power, to expose those things that need to be transformed!

More than anything I want to be real, transparent with myself, the Lord and with others, on the other hand, fear and shame is something that is designed to want to keep me known for who I’m not.
So much has been and continues to be stirred up in my life and I’m beginning to recognize the hand of my loving, caring heavenly Father in it all.
If I was to simply be released from painful circumstances and situations without being set, made free on the inside, what the hell good would it be to have to face those very same things again without the fear and its grip on me broken?

I am seeing that grace has no attraction to it without being vulnerable, transparent, and weak, swimming in an abundance of inner depravity. Performing will never earn or buy God’s favour and fear is something that drives us all to do just that perform.
In watching and listening to Paul Young open up and share about the depravity within his own life and how grace transformed him, I could easily relate to him.
On the other hand someone who has never seen or admitted to their inner brokenness of shame and depravity, grace no matter how loud they proclaim it has no more appeal than a conceptual buzz.

Rich