customizing the Good News

I love the idea that came to me recently: If God knows and cares for me individually (to the point of numbering the hairs on my head!) maybe the Guide within me, the indwelling Spirit of Christ, wants to translate the Gospel into everyday words that speak to my heart in this particular moment, this mood, these circumstances....

what would be "Good News" to me right now?

I find it to be a great self-coaching question, especially when I start to feel the "tightness of soul" that precedes debilitating bouts of anxiety and depression. Another way to ask the question is...

what could God say to me that--if I believed it--
would open up my heart and spirit to Life?

We tend to think of "the Good News" strictly in the context of Bible-Words. That term just came to me, and I assure you that I don't use it flippantly! I love the Bible. I revere it as a unique communication from God's heart to His people. I have experienced countless times the "living and active" power of Scripture, and I absolutely believe it would be folly for me not to use the textual Manna God has provided for my journey.

I've also noticed that Bible verses sometimes seem to bounce off me, especially when I'm in the "fog of war" between flesh and Spirit. Maybe I'm just too feeble in my faith to receive the Word properly, or MAYBE the Guide has other words, everyday words, that would penetrate more effectively in that moment.

Here's an example: As I sat paralyzed one morning in the anxiety of how to bring meaning and structure to an unstructured day, I tried to imagine what God could say to dissolve the anxiety. Right away these words came to me: "You know what? Nothing you do or think or feel is of any particular significance in the light of Who I am. My Life and Love are so vast, so complete, so 'enough,' that if you did nothing of importance for the rest of your life everything would still be okay."

That may not sound like Good News to you, but to me it was an incredible spirit-opening relief! I was so hung up on doing the "right" things that day---the things that would make my life legitimate and pleasing to God---that I had forgotten my legitimacy rests in Christ, not in my daily performance. It's a basic principle of the Gospel, right? There are lots of Bible verses that communicate the same message, but I wonder if in that moment those customized Spirit-Words energized me more quickly and effectively than Bible-Words would have.

The Good News is with us always---always up-to-date and always relevant to our individual personalities and circumstances. We can hit the "refresh" button on the question every minute if we feel the need. So how about it? What would be Good News to you right now?