I’ve Been Robbed

Have you ever come to the sudden realization that you’ve been robbed? Years ago we walked into our home to the realization that someone had been inside, ransacked and taken some things. It created a huge sense of violation. I have often since come to the belief that I’ve been robbed, that something I had or think I should have is not mine.

Perhaps you’ve had this sensation. Particularly as we grow older we can be overcome with a sense of loss, or a sense of a failure to gain. Perhaps it occurs when we discover that our life didn’t turn out as expected. It can happen when we realize that our spouse and kids and even ourselves aren’t perfect, far from it. Maybe it’s when we realize that the dream of arising to the pinnacle of our profession is never coming to fruition. Perhaps we realize that the financial security we thought we would have isn’t there.

When these realizations, we have to consider two possibilities: Perhaps our expectations were unreal. Should we really have expected that our spouse would always be twenty-one? Was it realistic to believe we would be the wisest, richest or most beloved person we know? Of course not. Or perhaps we had realistic expectations and dreams, but we got tired or discouraged. Maybe we gave up or just settled for less than we could have had.

As Christians or followers of Christ gathered together, sometimes called the church, we should have that “We’ve been robbed” realization. If we read the Book of Acts, we quickly see that the church is not what it was then. We can argue that it’s a different time or that the Holy Spirit was more active then, but deep inside we know that’s not right. We know that we have been robbed, that we have settled for less than what God intended.

It’s important that we review what God intended and promised. He never promised that we would never be ill, or die or be poor or cold or naked or feel alone. Sometimes in church we get the idea that if we aren’t rich, or at least comfortable, and healthy, that we are lacking in faith. We sometimes believe that these things are the rewards of following Jesus.

We need to review. Followers are promised persecution and rejection. We aren’t promised full churches filled with devoted listeners and enthusiastic doers. In fact, as the end draws near we are promised cold hearts and false teachings. What we are promised is the presence of Holy Spirit until the end of the Age. That promise is conditioned on our commitment to discipleship, our own and the making of others. If we feel the absence of the presence we were  promised, it is that we have failed on our part. We aren’t called to entertain, to get glory for our “holiness” or to get others to the point of emotional recitation of a prayer. We are called to discipleship. That requires practicing the presence of God in community. It means putting all our trust and God and be living proof that such is not only possible but gloriously joyful if not always comfortable and fun.

When we feel we’ve been robbed we need to consider that we never understood what we were promised. When we come to a proper understanding of the promise, we can realize that we gave our heritage away or allowed it to be stolen. The response is to march into the camp of the enemy and take it back. It’s ours and it’s much more that we ever imagined.