Me, Jesus, and the CIA

This is not the beginning of a good joke, I'm not the clever...

I have a few friends who work in the FBI and Secret Service, and while I certainly don't know exactly what they do, I've been told enough to know that there are so many things going on behind the scenes that American citizens are unaware of.

There are so many secret plans and hidden agendas, many of them mapped out and designed to serve and protect us, even though we have no idea when they are occurring, why they are being done the way they are, and how they are being executed.

The dots that they are connecting, dealing with international terrorism, homeland security, and protecting our country are not even on our radar. They have information, based on surveillance and intelligence, that we can't even begin to understand. On top of that, they often deal with misinformation, as the same groups from other countries try to feed us false information, in an effort to divert our focus on the things that are most important.

Part of that makes me a little nervous, to know that there are many things happening that I am not aware of, some of them very serious. And part of that makes me comforted, knowing that there are people out there with the tools and information at their disposal that can help guide and direct our country, and keep us safe.

I'm thankful for these people, and the risks they take to keep us safe, and at the same time, recognize that there is some inherent danger related to the fact that human beings have that much power and information at their disposal. Hopefully, there enough people working together on these things, that no one person has too much responsibility in these areas because it is too much for one person to bear.

This, to me, is how Jesus works. He's like a much better, more powerful CIA. He has all this information at his disposal. He has spies, and counter-intelligence agents, and wiretaps, and undercover agents working all throughout our lives. We don't know they are there, and we don't know why they are there, but he does. He is connecting dots for us that we cannot possibly comprehend. He is closing doors and opening them, all for the purpose of moving us along in our purpose. Sometimes the methods may be confusing, nerve racking, or frustrating. We can't understand the what, why, and how of everything, because everything can't be revealed to us, because we can't handle it. it's too much for us.

In the same way that the government is designed so that one person doesn't have too much power or too much information because they can't handle it, I think we ae not meant to go this thing alone. Because of the nature of the stops and starts, and the non-linear path of our journeys, because of the fact that we can lose track if we try and connect the dots on our own, I think Jesus intended us to do this life WITH someone.

We need other people with us to help us dig through all of the information and to help us filter through the misinformation that we are fed as well. We need people to help carry us (or tote us) through the challenging times, when we can't see how the dots are connecting, or the really dark times, when we can't see any dots at all.

I'm not sure that I believe that Jesus has mapped out a specifc plan for my life and that no matter what happens, he will get me to that exact spot. I'm not sue I don't believe it either, I'm just not sure.

But I am certain that he is sovereign and I am certain that he is on my side. I know that he is working for me and not against me. And while I may be confused and uncertain at times about his methods, I have no need to question the posture of his heart. I would not be capable of seeing the whole plan in front of me, all at once, and I am thankful that he knows that, and reveals it to me when I am ready.

So, me, Jesus, and a CIA agent walk into a bar....


Much Love,
Bryan