believers are like Ninjas

My brother in law brought me this Ninja thing a few months ago. Beth, you’ve got to try this, it’ll change your life, he said. And like everything new that enters my life, I put it in its proper place and eyed it suspiciously for many days. In fact, I used it for the first time just last week. 

And you guys. You have no idea.

Most mornings now find me scouring my cupboards and fridge for anything, a-ny-thing, that could provide nutritional value if  crammed inside the blender cup. It’s like a carnival of creative bliss. And when you’re finished you get to eat it. My heart’s pounding even as I’m writing this.

And since the Ninja has consumed more waking thoughts than I care to admit recently, it’s started to remind me of something else in my life. Don’t knock this analogy until you’ve read it, k?

Believers are actually like Ninjas because…

The visible product will not look like the ingredients inside.

I have yet to make a smoothie in my Ninja that does not look like poop or puke. Seriously. Once blended, my smoothies appear nasty, intimidating, and unlovely. This is sensational to me, because I know what went inside them. Fresh kale, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, blueberries, mango juice, a banana for cryin’ out loud. Vibrant ingredients. Healthy. Delicious…but the product leaves something to be desired aesthetically. If I didn’t know the contents, I would probably scream and hurl it out my kitchen window.

Believers are like that. (not the throwing out the window thing, k?) Each one has beautiful ingredients. A thrilling story of personal salvation unique to them. Accounts of God’s grace, mercy, goodness, provision, and sovereign care. And every believer’s personality has elements, or some likeness, of God’s personality. He made us like that. BUT often what we see on the outside is not so beautiful as those ingredients. We may see the glaring idiosyncracies. The worn look of a long spiritual battle. The result of a sleepless night or secret physical condition or ongoing trial.  Or (shocker) a believer that is drastically different than ourselves. All these and more can make for intimidating, overwhelming, or unlovely believers on face value.

So get close enough to discern the ingredients. Get skilled at asking questions that will draw out the beauty in each believer. Take time to discern the lovely inside them. It’s there. Because Christ is at work there and lives there.

If you take in the contents, you will be nourished.

So this smoothie-in-the-morning thing is new to me and my stomach. I’m not quite sure if I feel like the Hulk or like I’ve been punched by the Hulk after drinking one of them.  But it’s gotta be doing me good, because I’m happy, satisfied, and nourished every time I drink in those amazing flavors and nutrients.

Believers are like that. Just this week a friend from church reached out to me through social media, one of them through prayer meeting, one of them through a coffee house chat…and I could go on. I needed what they had to offer. It’s been a rough week, folks. And they lifted up my hands. They spoke of God’s grace. Of His sovereign loving kindness, of His guidance…and as I ‘took them in,’ I was nourished.

So take time to take in the believers God’s has placed in front of you. Get up close and look into their faces and listen to their words and learn from them. You will be nourished. It’s God’s plan.

A ninja ‘out of sight’ will be a ninja ‘out of mind.’

Sooo maybe one of the reasons I didn’t use my Ninja right away was that I put it up on a high shelf in my cupboard, and high is not exactly eye level for Beth. But I had no idea what I was missing!!!!!!!!!! *facepalm* (that’s me channeling my bro-in-law) I forgot about it because I wasn’t near it. It wasn’t in a place that I saw very often. It wasn’t visible.

Believers are like that. If I’m not around them, I miss their benefits. I miss the beauty and nourishment they contain. I lack. So get creative in keeping your fellow believers visible this year. Invite them into your home. Invite yourself to their home. Call, text, chat, and IM them throughout the week. Stalk their facebook pages and act on what you see. Hang at your favorite places with them. Don’t miss a service at your church: they’re going to be there. Church is like open season for ninjas.

And to quote my bro-in-law: You’ve got to try this. It’ll change your life.

Beth