Crisis

"Responding to God's call includes a
turning away from what is of lesser value (detachment)
and a turning toward God (attachment)...
Carolyn Gratton

When we think of Crisis, it is common to imagine situations where "push comes to shove" - a job becomes unbearable, a marriage falls apart, a physical illness threatens our health and family stability, or disappointment with God finally overwhelms us and makes a mockery of our fragile faith. In short, we come to a crossroad and must make a change of direction. the actual derivation of the word is from the Greek, "to separate". Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words also lists some very interesting connotations associated with the word "Krisis" : "accusation judgment and condemnation".

Often, we apply "Krisis" - accusation, judgment and condemnation, toward ourselves and become alienated from others, falling into an attitude of subtle self-hatred. This attitude of self-hatred keeps God at arms' length and prevents Him from healing us. We become our own prosecuting attorney, judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one. As a result, we unwittingly reject Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and become Self-Sufficient and Self-Righteous, without need of God's grace. Only as we open up our pain in complete honesty with God and ourselves are we able to relinquish our prideful self-sufficiency (detaching from the lesser) and let God do something for us (attaching to the greater).

In contrast, think for a moment about how Jesus handled his moment of Crisis. Being drawn inexorably to the accusation, judgment and condemnation of the Cross, he "set his face like flint toward Jerusalem"..."for the joy set before Him." Remaining centered in his relationship with the Father, Jesus manfully walked into Krisis. But even during his hour of severe trial in the Garden of Gethsemani, and on the cross, when He was wracked with anguish over being separated from the Father, Jesus did not descend into self-pity or angry recriminations against God.

While He pleaded with God, and asked that the cup pass from Him, nevertheless He came to a point of acceptance, realizing it was God's will at stake and not His own. In this action we see demonstrated Christ's utter humility. "He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant...He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death"... (Phil. 2:5-8). The difference between Jesus and most of us is that Jesus did not apply Krisis to himself as we often do. He remained free of bitterness, resentment and self-hatred. Now to be sure, Jesus did cry out, "My God, my God, Why hast Thou forsaken me?!" (Mt. 27:46) But notice that his next utterance is to commend his spirit into God's hands. "He trusted in God that he deliver him, if he delight in Him to deliver him".(Mt. 27:43) Even in the midst of confusion and anguish, his center held firm.