You can't get too far into the Gospels without noticing that Jesus made a pretty lousy apologist.
Rachel Held EvansMy interpretation can only be as inerrant as I am, and that's good to keep in mind.
Rachel Held EvansIt wasn't shared social status or ethnicity that brought Jesus' followers together either, nor was it total agreement on exactly who this Jesus character was - a prophet? The Messiah? The Son of God? No, there is one thing that connected all these dissimilar people together it was a shared sense of need: a hunger, a thirst, a longing. It was the certainty that, when Jesus said He came for the sick, this meant Jesus came for me.
Rachel Held EvansI think maybe God was trying to tell me that gentleness begins with strength, quietness with security. A great tree is both moved and unmoved, for it changes with the seasons, but its roots keep it anchored in the ground. Mastering a gentle and quiet spirit didnโt mean changing my personality, just regaining control of it, growing strong enough to hold back and secure enough to soften.
Rachel Held Evans