The Lazarus Experiment - Day Twenty

You're half way through this experiment! How are you doing?

I don't know some of you. I may know your name, but I don't know your life. But I can be certain that right about now some or all of these things are true:



You're wondering about what you got into with this whole Lazarus thing.
You're feeling guilty because you're not keeping up.
You've had some kind of major upheaval or life problem.
You've run out of ideas for The Experiment, and you're just looking back on your day and trying to come up with something that seems like something that maybe Lazarus would have done.
You're tired and weary and worn out and you don't have any energy left.
You wish Lazarus was around so he could try The [insert your name here] Experiment and see how he liked it.
If Lazarus was really alive, and you met him in the street, and he started in about how wonderful life is and how everything was just going great and that if your life is with Jesus then you have the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in your heart -- well, you might just have to punch him in the nose.
This will not help, but you may want to know that this happens to me every year. That's why I want you to do one thing.

Don't give up.

Here's what I've noticed: if I keep at this thing and get through to the end of the forty days, something amazing happens. Lazarus gets into my head. The whole idea of looking around me and seeing things through the eyes of a resurrected person takes hold and begins to be a more permanent thing. Each time I do this Experiment, my life gets reoriented a little more, and I get a better hold on what abundant life is engineered by Jesus to be.

So keep at it. Determine that you will hold on to the end. Cut loose of all the guilt and pressure. Sit with Jesus a few minutes. Read John 11 again.

And then tomorrow, set about to do one thing that gives dramatic evidence to your life in Jesus.

You can do this. I'm with you. You'll be happy you stuck with it.

Besides, punching Lazarus in the nose would only hurt your hand.

Suggested Scripture For Today: John 11

Suggested Ideas: 
Take the day off TLE.
Grab a song book or hymnal and sing for 30 minutes to yourself.
Write a love letter you didn't intend to write.
Call a friend and take them for an ice cream sundae.

Question of the Day: Would Lazarus have anything to be embarrassed about after he came back from being dead? Would he have more inhibitions or less? Would he have cared about what other people thought of him?

May God back up his dump truck of grace and unload it in your front yard,

Ron

Just a short response today - I just want to say I'm thrilled to have been able to share conversation with someone who knew and loved my husband.  He said that he missed Kevin and he and Kevin had had many opportunities to discuss spirituality.  He was relaying his beliefs to me (or lack thereof really)  and why.

I told him about a recent experience I had and then started talking about Lazarus.  We ended up in a 30 minute conversation about living a life of faith.  It was awesome...... He hugged me and thanked me for not being judgmental but showing him how to remain firm without a being a thumper and making him feel like he was (in his words) a lower form of life.  Then he followed that with, "I love you Lissa!"  I just smiled winked and told him I thought he was really "getting it".   It was a great conversation!