I think that carrying a baby inside you is like running as fast as you can. It feels like finally letting go and filling yourself up to the wildest limits. —Author Unknown
Christ is forming in us—taking shape and filling us in the same way a child fills his mother. We can even think of baptism as a pregnancy announcement. What you’re saying when you get baptized is, “I’m pregnant! Jesus is in me.”
And He is. He’s starting to grow and change the way we look and how we relate to people.
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you… (Galatians 4:19)
Jesus will begin to show in our lives and the results are amazing. Listen to some stories I’ve encountered of Jesus showing, just in my part of the world.
- I knew a guy who was offered a tremendous promotion, but it would have required him to uproot his family. His kids were doing great in school, and his wife had a sense of purpose in the community. So he looked at his family and chose to turn down his promotion. His Jesus was showing.
- There’s a businessman in a firm with other believers. At the end of the year, the partners gather and agree upon a certain percentage of company profits to give to charity. Every time they write that check, their Jesus is showing.
- I know a woman whose joy is to meet over coffee with younger women and just listen and encourage them in their lives. She does this every day. Her schedule is full of coffee and lunch dates, birthdays, and milestone reminders as she watches these young women flourish in life, singleness, marriage, first children, first jobs, the discovery of purpose, and intimacy with God. When she’s listening and encouraging, her Jesus is showing.
So next time you see someone do something that has evidence of God all over it, let the person know. It’s like walking up to someone, putting your hand on his or her tummy, and saying, “Hey! Your Jesus is showing.”
Jesus, I rest in You and trust in You to live through me as You wish. And today, show me one way You want to encourage one person who is letting You show through his or her life. Amen.