When Jesus reappeared to the Apostles after His Death and Ressurection – I don’t think I could imagine their joy. Yes they had found the empty tomb, and yes they knew that Christ had risen from the grave – but how full their hearts must have been when they first came to recognize His presence amongst them once again.
And then He ascended in to Heaven – then He left them again.
So I wonder – If they had had a choice in whether or not to let their Lord physically leave them, could they have been persuaded? Even with the promise of greater things to come (John 14:12), would they have been willing to risk it? I’m not sure I would have, in their shoes. I don’t think I could have imagined anything greater than walking beside the Lord. I think I would have clung on tight.
But praise God that His plans are greater than ours – that He is able to see beyond our vision, that He is indeed a God of the great and impossible. And so Jesus left and the Church was founded. And it spread throughout the world. And men and women were drawn to the perfect and sustaining love of God. And lives were transformed. And goodwill was propagated. And the Apostles worked miracles. And Jesus Christ was lifted high.
Because God had His way.
I think the Apostles were ‘fortunate’ in a sense. They had no say in whether or not Christ was going to stay. When His Father called him to Heaven – that was that, He was going.
But I think in our lives sometimes, we need to be just as submissive to the Lord’s calling. Christ’s obedience was perfect, and so He went without looking back. But sometimes I wonder if I’m more like the apostles might have been. I don’t know that I’m always ready to let go and give up the good that I have. But I think we’re asked to give up the good, in anticipation of the great. We’re called not to settle for mediocrity, but to realize our full potential – as a favourite author of mine says – to become the best version of ourselves (Matthew Kelly).
It’s a somewhat terrifying thing to do – knowing that the good that we give up may never be realized again. But it’s a risk worth taking. The Father doesn’t lead us to a place He hasn’t prepared for us. He called His Son. And then He sent His Spirit. So, too, in our lives – when we open our hands, He takes what doesn’t belong and replenishes them with abundance.
