1 Cor 1:17-25 / Mt 25:1-13
Most of our children have become as comfortable on their computers as they are on their bikes. And watching them skimming along in search of information for a report or simply scanning the horizon for what might tickle their fancy can be a jarring experience for many of their parents and grandparents. There is no doubt that many of the brightest people in the generations just behind our school children are utterly baffled by e-mail, internet, and this whole new world of communication.
If we take that bafflement as a model, we can capture the state of mind of the majority of Jesus' contemporaries and indeed of our own when they examine Jesus' life. With no promise of payback, he voluntarily gave his life on behalf of the people he loved. Insanity is the only label that these folks can apply to such a choice. But we know better.
As we've walked through our own lives with Jesus at our side, we've come to understand that we find life and truly make it our own only as we give it away. Good mothers, spouses, teachers, pastors, and many more, all know that and live it. It seems to be an utter lapse in logic: Two and two does not equal four. But on an entirely different level it works. Indeed, it's the only thing that works.
If that is true, then each of us is left with some hard questions. Are you giving your life wholeheartedly where it needs to be given? If not, what are you holding back, and what's holding you back? There's no better time than now to begin to change that!
