Fully Embraced by the Lord

3/30/2015 – by

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. ” Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

Have you ever had the experience of hugging someone who does not accept your hug? Both of your arms are wrapped around the person while their arms hang limp from their shoulders, like the sleeves of a shirt on a hanger. If we want to be fully embraced by someone, we have to receive their hug and return their hug.

Many of us struggle to be fully embraced by the Lord. Thomas Keating has written, “If you want to be fully embraced by the Lord, you have to accept both arms: the one that allows suffering for the sake of purification and the one that brings the joy of union.” We may easily accept the arm of God that brings comfort and joy. We may struggle to accept the arm that permits pain and heartache for the sake of our growth and renewal.

Thomas Keating has written, “If you want to be fully embraced by the Lord, you have to accept both arms: the one that allows suffering for the sake of purification and the one that brings the joy of union.”
Holy Week commemorates a week in the life of Jesus in which both arms of God were clearly evident. In the crucifixion, the Father embraced His Son with the arm that allowed the most horrific pain and suffering one can imagine. In the resurrection, the Father embraced His Son with the arm that brought the greatest joy and victory one can imagine. Jesus’ astonishing willingness to accept both arms of the Father was evident in the surrender of his will in the Garden of Gethsemane and throughout his torture and crucifixion.

Jesus’ willingness and surrender returned the Father’s embrace with both arms! The example of his love for the Father was so powerful for the apostles that any fear of suffering in their lives was completely cast out. They experienced the power of the resurrection of Christ because they were willing to share in the fellowship of his sufferings (Phil. 3:10-11). They feared no suffering as they endured extreme hardship and, in many cases, martyrdom by horrible deaths for the sake of their love for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Reflection upon Holy Week this Lenten Season has led me to the conclusion that I struggle to allow myself to be fully embraced by the Lord. This is evident in my sneaky tendency to accept the arm of God that I trust will lead me to the joy of union with Him and not so much accept the arm of God that will allow me to suffer to be made new so that I can fully experience that union. In the midst of recently admitting this to myself, I long to allow myself to be fully embraced by the Lord—by both of His arms. And I long to wrap my left arm of surrender and my right arm of willingness around my relationship with Him and, thereby, experience the intimacy with God that leads to abundant life. May God help us support each other in learning to be fully embraced by the Lord.

Putting it into Practice at FCS:

It is extremely common for those to whom we minister to be struggling to be fully embraced by both arms of the Lord—“the one that allows suffering for the sake of purification and the one that brings the joy of union.” A crucial aspect of our ministry is to encourage those we serve to be fully embraced by the Lord—by the arm that brings the power of Christ’s resurrection as well as by the arm that allows us to share in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering for the sake of our formation into his likeness.

About the author:

Marty Goehring, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and an ordained Cumberland Presbyterian Minister. He is the Director of Formation Counseling Services, an Associate Pastor of Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and an Adjunct Professor at Richmont Graduate University. The three life-long missions that Dr. Goehring pursues with passion are to assist the Spirit-driven process that forms Christ in people’s lives, to support the church in fulfilling its calling to be the primary provider of soul care in the community, and to inspire the church to mobilize its resources for the sake of spreading the gospel wide and taking it deep.