Alive

“ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” ~ Colossians 2:13

Francis of Assisi one day said to several of his followers, “Let us go to the village over the way and preach.” As they went, they met a humble pedestrian who was greatly burdened. Francis was in no hurry and listened carefully to his tale of woe.

When the village was reached, Francis talked with the shopkeepers, spent time with the farmers at their fruit and vegetable stalls, and played with the children in the streets. On the way back they met a farmer with a load of hay, and Francis spent time with him. The morning gone, the group reached the monastery from where they had set out in the early morning.

One of the followers, who was greatly disappointed, said to Francis, “Brother Francis, you said you were going to preach. The morning is spent and no sermon has been given.”

And the saintly Francis replied, “But we have been preaching all the way.” From Prairie Overcomer (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 737–738.)

There was a time in our lives when we were dead because of sin. Meeting Jesus changes all of that. Surrendering to the power of the cross brings life. Life to the way we walk and talk. Life to the things we do and the motivation for doing them. Life to our purpose and our direction. Being alive means living out our days in a way that reflects Jesus to all we meet.