When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down a once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
Luke 19: 1-10
As an artist(and I'd say many other fields)...stepping out of the "norm" is part of growth. Risk taking isn't always popular though. People often value routine & those that "get with the program". I know this sounds absurd in relation to the arts. In college, I was told I should switch to oil because my themes were not appropriate for watercolor. I was really bothered by this, because I felt that art was about pushing boundaries & taking risks. I found a way to continue pursing the themes/subject matter I wanted to pursue, and feel I've grown personally & artistically because of the challenges I encountered along the way.
Jesus did not always make "popular" choices. In the case of Zacchaeus, Jesus truly went against "acceptable" behavior by going to his home. Zacchaeus was a tax collector...and a pretty self serving one at that. No self respecting Jew would want to go to the home of a known baddie. However, unlike most "self respecting Jews" ...Jesus could see beyond what others saw. He knew...if given the chance Zacchaeus would change his life around. It just took someone taking a "risk". Going against what was "acceptable", Jesus showed love to someone who was in desperate need of it! Am I talking about Zacchaeus now...or us? Before Jesus, we were just as unacceptable as Zacchaeus. Sometimes we forget that we were/are just as much in need of a Savior.
Do you know someone that needs you to take a "risk" with? A friendship, an invitation to church, a kind word or deed done in the name of Jesus.....could change someones world. Be the risk taker the Lord created you to be! Be willing to stick your neck out. I bet you will see a change...in yourself!(it is in God's hands regarding the heart of the other person).
(I love turtles...and this is one of my fav sayings!)
PRAYER
Dear Lord, let me see with your eyes!
Let me be an instrument you use to meet the needs of others.
Let me be an example of Your love.
Jesus, help me to not look at labels, but at the
the love you gave to me...and may it compel me to
love others. Let me be the risk taker...
knowing you are always with me &
will never leave me.
AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment