As always, school is off at a brisk jog. It isn't sprinting yet, but give it time. Over the past year I have become a big believer in the Sabbath. Not necessarily the Hebrew Sabbath, but just the practice of slowing down from time to time to remember and spend time with God.
Unfortunately I am an American...
We live in a culture that tells us, "If you're not busy, you're lazy."
The sad part is we buy it.
I bought it.
The things that occupy my time are good and all important to me. My time is stretched and pulled by my youth internship, Seekers, and school. That is why I am searching for Sabbath.
Since I cannot and will not drop any of these things that I love, I have to keep my eyes open to the opportunities to stop and rest. I still want to know God and He wants to know me. Finding the time to do that will be an adventure.
I am excited about all the blessings in store for this semester. I am working with a youth group that I love, I am in a drama ministry that has become my family, and I am learning so much about God and my work.
I just have to remember to slow down.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Have-Nots
I have been thinking a lot about the way we see the world. We separate everything into neat categories.
There are the rich and the poor,
the popular and the unpopular,
the good and the bad,
the beautiful and the hideous.
There are the Haves and the Have-Nots.
Unfortunately, we let these distinctions infiltrate our faith. We see people outside of Christianity as those without faith,
without hope,
without God.
We forget that faith is a part of being human. Whatever we feel to be right, whatever we cling to, whatever we hold dear is our faith.
We neglect the fact that life is not possible without hope. Whatever gets us out of bed, whatever makes us work, whatever we long to see is our hope.
But most importantly, we forget that God is everywhere, in everything, and with everyone.
When it comes to God, there are no Have-Nots. There is no group that is outside of God's love. Therefore, there is no group that should be outside of our love.
Our job is not to implant faith, our task is not to create hope, and our duty is not to deliver God. Each of these actions is beyond our grasp.
But love is greater than hope and faith, as you've heard before. Not only is it greater, but it is what is within our grasp.
We cannot use faith and hope on others. We can love them.
In a world where everyone has the love of God, will we continue to withhold our own?
There are the rich and the poor,
the popular and the unpopular,
the good and the bad,
the beautiful and the hideous.
There are the Haves and the Have-Nots.
Unfortunately, we let these distinctions infiltrate our faith. We see people outside of Christianity as those without faith,
without hope,
without God.
We forget that faith is a part of being human. Whatever we feel to be right, whatever we cling to, whatever we hold dear is our faith.
We neglect the fact that life is not possible without hope. Whatever gets us out of bed, whatever makes us work, whatever we long to see is our hope.
But most importantly, we forget that God is everywhere, in everything, and with everyone.
When it comes to God, there are no Have-Nots. There is no group that is outside of God's love. Therefore, there is no group that should be outside of our love.
Our job is not to implant faith, our task is not to create hope, and our duty is not to deliver God. Each of these actions is beyond our grasp.
But love is greater than hope and faith, as you've heard before. Not only is it greater, but it is what is within our grasp.
We cannot use faith and hope on others. We can love them.
In a world where everyone has the love of God, will we continue to withhold our own?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Spit Shine
Today marks the end of an era. I bought a new watch.
For those of you who are not familiar with my bond with my late timepiece, I will share the history of that watch.
I received it as my first "real" (analog) watch when I was in the 6th grade. It has been on my wrist almost every moment since that day. That is why I have such a tan-line on my wrist. It suffered dents and cracks for almost 9 years. Today it took its last hit from a basketball before it finally gave up.
I started thinking about that watch.
How quickly do we throw things away when they no longer look "good"?
It had been years since that watch looked good.
But it still ticked.
It still stayed on my wrist.
It still worked.
We so easily forget that things continue to serve their purpose long after aesthetics have faded. We figure that if something doesn't look pristine then it isn't working the way it's supposed to work.
We treat ourselves the same way.
We try to keep ourselves looking nice and put-together so that we appear to be doing everything right. We cover up our flaws to give the appearance of perfect actions. We spit-shine our souls.
But spit-shine still depends on spit.
Whatever we do, we're going to get dirty. We're going to get battered. We're going to be broken.
But God still works.
Where we are filthy, he shines. Where we are cracked, he makes whole. Where we fall apart, he remains the same.
Do not let the bruises and cuts of this life fool you into thinking you are useless. Let God show you that your scars make you something more.
When we are at our most broken, he shows just how whole we can be.
For those of you who are not familiar with my bond with my late timepiece, I will share the history of that watch.
I received it as my first "real" (analog) watch when I was in the 6th grade. It has been on my wrist almost every moment since that day. That is why I have such a tan-line on my wrist. It suffered dents and cracks for almost 9 years. Today it took its last hit from a basketball before it finally gave up.
I started thinking about that watch.
How quickly do we throw things away when they no longer look "good"?
It had been years since that watch looked good.
But it still ticked.
It still stayed on my wrist.
It still worked.
We so easily forget that things continue to serve their purpose long after aesthetics have faded. We figure that if something doesn't look pristine then it isn't working the way it's supposed to work.
We treat ourselves the same way.
We try to keep ourselves looking nice and put-together so that we appear to be doing everything right. We cover up our flaws to give the appearance of perfect actions. We spit-shine our souls.
But spit-shine still depends on spit.
Whatever we do, we're going to get dirty. We're going to get battered. We're going to be broken.
But God still works.
Where we are filthy, he shines. Where we are cracked, he makes whole. Where we fall apart, he remains the same.
Do not let the bruises and cuts of this life fool you into thinking you are useless. Let God show you that your scars make you something more.
When we are at our most broken, he shows just how whole we can be.
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