Vulnerability, Victory, Vitality

Cooper Kupp, a wide-receiver for the L.A. Rams, the MVP of Superbowl LVI, and the one who knows his worth is in his relationship with God, said, “I don’t play for the victory, I play from the victory.”

YES! We too get to live from the victory that Jesus won for us that long-ago Easter morning.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Corinthians 15:57

I was mad. I complained. I tried to offer my side of the story. I cried. I wanted to fight. It all was so unfair. And it was all in vain. My business acumen didn’t line up with hers. She let me know. She let others know. The hurts multiplied. It was a dark time.

What had been going so well, was turned on its head. I wanted to quit. I wanted to create the victory, not live from the victory. And that was the problem.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory!”

In time, God reminded me of several truths that calmed my raging emotions.
In time, I submitted to the victory Jesus won for me with his resurrection.

Proverbs 3:5 & 6 communicated several of the truths I needed to embrace to experience victory.

Trust in the Lord – I asked myself, where was I going to allow my trust to rest?
With all your heart – Sue, don’t just kinda’ trust. Be all in. The process came one small trust at a time.
Do not lean on your own understanding – A friend interpreted this as God gives me permission to not understand. My understanding needed to rest not in what I thought was right. My understanding can never be the source of my faith.
In all your ways – Even in the hard things, God invites me to concede to his wisdom.
He will make straight your paths – What a great promise!

As I sank into the truth of Proverbs 3:5 & 6, God changed my desires. I no longer wanted to prove myself. I no longer wanted to fight. My tears dried. My desire became trust. My relationship with God was more important. The gospel became the battle I wanted to win. I learned …

When my reactions are defined by trusting God,
my desires are refined by God.

The victory was won through vulnerability. This is me. I’m struggling. I’m not there yet.
Vulnerability led to vitality, to transformation, to new life.

Lazarus was a key player as Jesus taught us, “I am the resurrection and the life”. Because of the resurrection, we can live from victory.

Four days after his death, Jesus is visiting his tomb and asks that the stone across the entrance be removed. Then Jesus stands at the door of the tomb and calls Lazarus out. John 11.

Jesus doesn’t go into the tomb to comfort Lazarus.
Jesus doesn’t say you were the victim. You got robbed of life because I didn’t get here in time.
Jesus doesn’t go into the tomb and say, ‘I’m here with you’.

Jesus called Lazarus out. Jesus didn’t spend much time in his own tomb. He doesn’t come into ours. His desire is that we come out of our tombs, be vulnerable, live from the victory he secured, and allow vitality to define us.

Vulnerability >>> Victory >>> Vitality