“Ultimately, it comes down to this, that the real cause of our trouble is failure to realize our union with Christ.”- Martyn Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression: It’s Causes and Cures, 1965
“But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace.”- Ephesians 2:13-14 (NIV)
Ann Voskamp concludes Chapter 3 of The Broken Way with the realization that none of the pieces of you find peace until you see, feel, and experience the reality of your union with Christ. Put another way, only a oneness with Jesus heals your one broken heart. In addition, Ann expands our understanding of peace:
“Peace isn’t a place — it’s a Person. Peace isn’t a place to arrive at, but a Person to believe in.”
Therefore, Ann emphasizes, giving thanks precedes breaking and giving; doxology, then discipleship; eucharisteo, followed by koinonia. Furthermore, Ms. Voskamp enlarges her view of koinonia. Koinonia is:
- much more than simply communion or fellowship
- no less than full participation in Christ’s brokenness and givenness
- a deeper union with Christ
- this miraculous embrace capable of ending our abandonment and aloneness
Hence, Ann wonders if all the bad brokenness in the world begins with the act of forgetting. When we forget that what God gives is good enough and that there’s always more than enough, we fail to live in intimate communion with Him. Instead, we live in fear.
The author encourages, us in “remembering our union, our communion, our koinonia with Christ. Remembering heals brokenness.” When we allow a way for broken pieces to re-member, in essence we let go into the more we almost can believe will come.
Today’s question: During your desert, transition time, how have you failed to realize your union with Christ? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The quantum physics of God”
