28 April 2015

"Spare Room" Baggage


On Sunday my husband shared a challenging, encouraging message to our church family from the pulpit. He preached from John 4, which is the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus and His disciples travelled from Judea and stopped in the town of Samaria for a rest. While the disciples went to buy food, Jesus sits at the well, where a Samaritan woman happens to be drawing water.

The time of this meeting was midday. The women in that day would usually go to draw water in the morning or evening, when it was still cool. This woman happens to have gone in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. In verses 18 to 19, we read that this woman had had five husbands and was currently with a man who was not her husband (very shameful in that day). This woman was very likely trying to keep her baggage hidden by avoiding meeting others at the well.

We can see that the woman tried to avoid the conversation with Jesus multiple times. In that day and culture, it was unheard of for a Samaritan to talk to a Jew, let alone a woman talking to a man. Yet Jesus pushes through and gently shares Himself with her. In verse 10, the word "knew" is in an experiential sense - not just head knowledge. Jesus wants the woman to experience Him fully. He wants to heal her wounds. He desires her to be 100% satisfied by Him. He wants to complete her need.

He offers the same thing to us.

What baggage do we hold?

Is there something that we have thrown into the "spare room" of our lives and quickly shut the door so that no one will see?

This is not what Jesus desires for us.

Jesus touches the places in this woman's life where it hurt the most. We see that He pursues her; seeks to bring her completely alive. Through that pursuit, He offers healing from her wounds and baggage.

He is doing the same thing with you and me.

When we see that Jesus is real; that He desires relationship with us and that His Spirit can live with us each day, we can be filled with Him and overflow Him into the lives of those around us. We have the opportunity to have God living through us!

Even with all of our baggage and secrets and struggles, Jesus still seeks us.

That blows me away.

I pray that you will realize that Jesus is gently showing Himself to you and offering you a life that is free from baggage and wounds and half-living. And I pray that you will accept His love and grace and empty the "spare room" of your life to Him and let Him fill you completely.

~Rachel

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