Essentials for a Functional Family on Mission (Part 2): Stewarding the Natural to Supernatural
There are those times when the natural becomes supernatural (while remaining in the realm of the natural). In the moment, we don’t always catch the significance of what is going on around us, among us, or even within us. And, yet, something bigger is happening than the little things which are taking place in our life.
It is a natural-supernatural moment.
Functional families on mission together understand the importance of the supernatural being lived out through very natural ways in our lives. We create a culture that has room for such unplanned experiences. In short, healthy families work to take some of the weirdness off the hard-to-explain moments when the supernatural and natural collide.
We see such a moment at work in Mark 5:25-34 when Jesus is touched on the hem of His robe and a woman is healed. A natural occurrence in a crowded situation leads to a supernatural moment as the woman’s 12 year disease is healed instantly.
It is a moment when God is at work and there is something more happening than the simple piece we are paying attention to or focused on. Others may not always catch on to what is happening, but Jesus knows and so do those in whom God is at work.
Sometimes we are engaged in a simple act of being kind, such as meeting a very natural need in someone’s life, not knowing the depth to which we are reaching within them. The Holy Spirit is at work using us and guiding us while touching someone else through us. A natural moment in the hands of the Holy Spirit turns it into a supernatural moment in someone else's life. Powerful. Miraculous.
There are other points in life when God is doing something profound and has spoken a word of challenge and encouragement to us. It moves us to faith and hope rises up within our hearts. Others, who are unaware of what has been taking place, inadvertently cause a moment of wavering in this new found trust through a simple, natural choice. Such as, they were unable to attend or participate in a gathering where expectations had risen in the heart of a leader due to this new found hope.
It was natural and unintended … had they known and were able to experience this moment, a different choice would have been made. Someone got sick and wasn’t able to participate or an unexpected visitor arrives changing all their plans. They have no idea how this impacts the one who holds the expectation in their heart because they do not know what God has said or is doing.
The natural moment becomes supernatural as faith takes a hit and your steps are silently being challenged. It is a point where everything is put on the line. You can cave and give up on whatever it is God has spoken. You can fight to rise back up and trust again. The battle is on and others around you who innocently became part of this fight don’t even realize what is going on within your heart and mind.
Supernatural moments may impend over our lives through very natural circumstances.
In such a time we discover one of the important aspects of walking in the Holy Spirit. It is to discern such moments so we are not overcome by them when they happen… and they will happen, of this you can be sure. The enemy does not want God’s people to really believe and act on what the Spirit breathes in them. The enemy of our soul is a master at using the natural to subvert the supernatural.
Either way, the struggle is in play and people are affected. Sometimes we see the evidence right before our eyes and can’t explain how it came about. Incredible. Positive. Uplifting. The flip side is just as important … the times when the supernatural interaction is tempered by very natural things going on in and around us. Such moments are meant to stop or impede our forward movement in the plan of God.
We don’t know what might have happened in the woman’s life who came to just touch the robe of Jesus.
What if she didn’t show up?
What if she withdrew her hand right before touching His robe?
It would have been so easy to convince herself it wasn’t her place to intrude.
How might it have changed things if she shied away when Jesus called for her and chose to remain silent rather than step forward?
What we do know is that a very natural act in her life turned into a very supernatural interaction, and she walked away free from the bonds of the last twelve years.
All I know is that it reminds me of Paul’s words: So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT) We just never know when the natural becomes the pathway of the supernatural in a person’s life. Make room for the natural-supernatural collisions to take place in your life and among the family on mission you are connected to. It’s a healthy way to do life together!