The Plan
The Plan was always redemption. The Plan was to be born to a virgin. The Plan was to live a blameless life. The Plan was to reconcile man back to God. The Plan was to make disciples to spread the gospel. The Plan was perform miracles so that people would believe. The Plan was to be accused. The Plan was to be condemned. The Plan was to be beaten. The Plan was to be crucified. The Plan was to be resurrected. The Plan was executed thousands of years ago. The Plan was that you would come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior. The Plan was that you would be forgiven. The Plan was for you to believe. You were a part of The Plan all along. Happy Good Friday! What’s your plan?
Purpose
I can't imagine what God felt like to realize that he was born to die. We are all born to die, but to know that you will die tragically for a crime you didn't commit...that's hard. His death had a purpose. His pain was not in vain. His life was a ministry. Many of us don't understand why our paths have taken us through the valley instead of the mountaintop. We don't understand our pain. We don't know why we hurt or why we hurt others. Life seems like there is no rhyme or reason.
There is a purpose in every tear, in every misstep, in every mistake, and in every regret. There is a lesson in your heartache. There is a seed of maturity in the soil of your doubts and fears. There is a ministry in your series of unfortunate events. There is life in your spiritual death. There is purpose in your pain.
Fruitful
"But life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony."-MLK
What does fruitful harmony among opposites look like? Is it the "American Dream" of a melting pot? Is it religious and political freedoms? Is it gun control? Is it stricter immigration laws? Is it police reform? Is it bridging the wealth gap?
MLK was assassinated 50 years ago, and I can't help but think that his America mirrors mine with very little progress. Yes, we have had some significant historical accomplishments, but we've suffered major setbacks. What does America's fruit look like? Have strange fruit on Southern trees become bullet-riddled bodies in backyards? Have we been fruitful or are we like cursed fig trees that bear no fruit? Have we been fruitful with our passions and dreams or have we buried our time, our tenth, and our talent? Have we been fruitful or are we barren?