“Come to me means seeing and being honest about what’s going on in our hearts. . . . We get straight into the crumbling places with our shovels, hoping there’s a way to firmer ground. It starts with being willing to look at the places we’d rather not see.”- Alli Patterson
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws . . . you will be my people and I will be your God.”- Ezekiel 36:26-28 (NIV)
As Alli Patterson moves on in Chapter 3 of How to Stay Standing, she stresses that opening your heart to Jesus means you show up and say honest things. Because the only starting point with God that encourages anything real to take place = truth.
Therefore, Alli exhorts, learn to follow the Holy Spirit into those truthful places with God. Because when we come to Jesus in truth, we get a new heart to replace the one that’s crumbling or falling apart. So, instead of looking away and avoiding the crumbling places, we have the chance to start living with an unshakeable foundation – God.
Most significantly, Alli notes, Jesus gave that exact same invitation to Zacchaeus. And with his background as a tax collector, he most likely never expected that incredible opportunity. As a result, Alli states:
“Zacchaeus openly acknowledged his character and his past. He told the truth because the promise he saw in Jesus was too good to pass up. Truth is the risky necessity to get Jesus’s reward. But it pays off every time. The invitation to come into the presence of Jesus will always compel you toward the truth; his Spirit will move you to follow his decrees.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you dig straight into the crumbling places? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Open curiosity – coming to Jesus”
