Spiritual Spursy

by Leslie Hall

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8, NIVUK)

Some say millennials despise commitment. Well, if that’s true, I’m out to be the exception to the rule. I’m an “in it for the long haul” type. I want to be “all in” on the good days, the bad days, and all the days in-between. I love a good commitment. I can’t speak much on commitments such as marriage (queue Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”), but I love sport and I’m committed to the teams I love, almost ridiculously so at times. I support the clubs I love even when they’ve not won a trophy or a championship in decades. For example, supporting a football club like Tottenham Hotspur means I’m familiar with an adjective known as “Spursy” – when you have loads of potential but completely (and heartbreakingly) throw it away when it matters most.

I may not be the typical millennial and like to think of myself as a very committed person, but I am also a daughter of Adam, prone to wander, and often forgetful of my first Love. To put it plainly, I can be a bit Spursy in my covenant with Jesus. When I look back at the opportunities I had in 2020 to really go deeper with Jesus, I squandered them; I was Spursy. I relate with Paul when he laments over not doing the very thing he wants to do (Romans 7:17-20). I am reminded that I stand in a long tradition of Spursy followers of Jesus. Peter completely blows it when Jesus needed His friend the most. Abraham, Moses, David, and every saint who has ever walked this earth has had their fair share of Spursy moments. And even still, God doesn’t abandon God’s covenants. While I was being Spursy, Christ died for me.

God hasn’t thrown in the towel on any of us and God never will. My covenant with the Lord isn’t based on my performance, but covered in the redemptive blood of Jesus. God’s love, grace, and mercy is powerful enough to transform my most Spursy moments into opportunities for repentance, reconciliation, and renewal – thanks be to God.

In Christ,

Leslie Hall

For Reflection:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23-24, NIVUK)

1. Remember your journey with Jesus – where has God lead you in the Way and transformed you? Rejoice in the things that God has done!
2. Invite the Holy Spirit to search you for any Spursy tendencies – where can you invite more of God’s presence into your day to day? How is God inviting you to repent and be reconciled?
3. Where is God calling you to deeper commitment in your commitment to love the Lord or in your commitment to loving your neighbour?