♥
what does it mean to
be a bold + brave agent
of justice + change ?
::
i have had a week of
weight + wonder
wrestling with questions
on my heart
around justice + bravery
e.g.
what bravery looks like
when it comes to belief
whether it means
holding onto holy hope
in the face of injustice
patiently persevering
or if it means to speak up
as agents of justice + change
::
the notion of “risk-filled obedience”
came to mind as my minister shared
from the Book of Judges last Sunday,
raising a question of spiritual courage.
::
in chapter four we encounter two women,
one is Deborah, the other Jael. arguably
both women provide a partial picture of
what risk-filled obedience looks like.
::
for Deborah it is the willingness to trust
Yahweh + speak on His behalf. she is
appointed as judge of Israel, a leader +
a wife + a prophet, who goes into battle
to lead by wisdom, not by might.
::
for Jael it is the boldness to act as an
instrument of justice, driving a tent peg
(a women’s weapons in the day) with
a hammer through the skull of a man,
taking a risk despite her vulnerability.
(note that even though she is not an
Israelite, Yahweh works through her)
::
what powerful portrayals of women, yet
even so, they are partial images of living
courageously. for the pure, complete,
picture of justice + bravery is seen in
J E S U S
his risk-filled obedience was not to kill a
man for the sake of justice, but to be killed
as an innocent man in the name of justice.
::
maybe spiritual courage looks a lot like
sacrifice + surrender, as we seek to honour
+ trust Yahweh by submitting to His ways
+ works, with hearts ready to obey + take
risks for his name, because there is freedom
found in the fulfilment of
risk-filled obedience
in
J E S U S
♥