Romans 8:1-2 (The Message)
The Solution Is Life on God's Terms
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
I can remember waking from a deep sleep in a dark room. The waking agent was my mother pulling up the window shade, allowing into my cocoon a blast of sunlight so fierce my eyelids felt transparent.
I pulled the quilt over my face as a shield until my eyes adjusted to the light. Coming to life from such a deep sleep in such a dark room took transition time. The eyes had to adjust to the brightness of day before my brain could process what was seen. As that sleepy grogginess wore off, my mind began to process sights, sounds, and smells (mmmm, bacon cooking).
In the unconscious state of sleep, involuntary reflexes and systems kept my body alive and functioning. I did not have to be awake, for example, to continue to breathe. Since my mother was ready to interact with me, however, she dispelled the darkness of my room with a fierce light to call me into that state where I was able to make conscious decisions about sustaining myself. How many pieces of bacon, for example, did I choose for breakfast? Would I present myself as grouchy or cheerful?
Once awake, our eyes adjusted to the light, we are able to make choices about how we want to live and interact with our siblings here on Earth, as well as with the One Who woke us with the Light.
Will you come out from under the covers? There's no breakfast there.
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