It seems like lately I’ve had so many thoughts racing through my head… kind of like I’m flyin down the highway about 70 mph trying to take in sights as they're going by. I’m trying to remain alert to everything my eyes catch, my ears hear and my nose smells. I feel God tapping me on my shoulder, whispering, “Did you get that?”…and not simply “Did you ‘get’ that?” BUT, “ Did you get the essence of that life lesson?” It’s as if all I am encountering, are building blocks… you know, the kind your kids play with that are the nice wooden, multi-colored blocks…and eventually these blocks He’s (God) stacking are going to present into some recognizable formation. I’m not exactly sure what… but something.
All of these “blocks” seem to be centered around the "authenticity" of relationships…relationships with others as well as that of Christ.
If any of you are in the world of Facebook, you may know I’ve put a little pink in my hair…only the bangs. I had an interesting week as several folks (“Christians”, I may add) decided to hurl some “not so positive” glances at me…some even tried to pretend I wasn’t standing 2 foot from them… as if I was invisible.
If you know anything about me, you know I’ve always lived a bit on the edge with my hair. My thoughts are…it grows, fades, etc…therefore nothing is really “permanent”. It’s one area of my life that I’ve chosen to be experimental, creative, etc…I’ve never been one to spend too much time on my appearance. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a level of “acceptability” that I have. However, it’s about what’s acceptable to me, not what’s acceptable to anyone else…meaning I’ve never really cared what others thought of my appearance…hoping people would recognize some degree of depth about me, and find a desire to get to know my heart.
Even as a teenager, I’ve always had friends from all walks of life, as I’ve tried to be accepting of people, looking past what may be on the outside, to find some depth within the individual. A lot of times that’s how I’ve been able to find “true” friends…those who care to look past the obvious and dig for something of substance.
While I’m saying this, trust me when I say I have done my share of “passing judgment” on someone based on certain appearances. However, it’s the appearances that “stand out” to me that draw me to want to know the “story” behind “the piercing”, “the tattoo”, “the funky clothes”, “the haircut or color”…but sometimes it’s the “quiet” more “stand-off-ish” individual that I feel drawn to, wanting to know their “story”…or perhaps it’s the “bubbly, energetic” person that draws me to wanting to know their “story”.
My point is…the longer I live, the more I realize that we all have “a story” to tell. While the seasons of life continue to change we’re always in the middle of writing a chapter in the book of our life. I love hearing the “story” of another individual. It may be something someone has struggled with or through… or perhaps it's a mountaintop experience an individual has encountered.
I feel like there’s always a lesson for me in hearing from others. I think when we authentically share our hearts/ our “stories” with others, it then becomes a piece of their “story”. I know when someone shares with me, it becomes a part of my “story”.
We had a tragedy in our neighborhood a few days ago. There was a 40ish year old man, husband and father who made a decision to hang himself. I was told he had just lost his job. I inquired from another neighbor if the family attended a church.--They did not...
As I tried to get my mind wrapped around the reality of a life now gone, I wondered if anyone had ever tried to offer this man/ family “hope”…the eternal “hope” of our Savior. I wondered how this man could have gotten to such a “hopeless” point. Did anyone know he was feeling suicidal? Did he keep the weight of his despair all to himself? Why was it that no one had seemingly “invested” in this man?
We are inundated with people every day; people are all around us. How is it that so many people can have these “thoughts” and it be a surprise when a tragedy such as this happens.
It made me think of how intentional Christ was in his relationships as he walked this earth. There was no one any busier than him; yet he took the time to be with people. He took time to answer their questions, tell stories, have conversations with folks, show compassion on people who were dealing with “issues” and “infirmities” that were important to the life of that individual. He was “all about” the “individual”. He was able to look past the outward and see directly into the heart of people.
THAT is what I desire…to look past the outward and directly into the heart of people. If we indeed are “Christians”, we are to be “little Christs”…We need to focus on the eternal and not the outward, superficial. We need to see the hurt and struggle in our “neighbor”. We are “duty bound” to help “carry their cross”.
“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Who are you investing in? Who around you is shouldering a “cross” alone? How authentic are you willing to be with others? Your being authentic may very well give someone else the permission they're looking for, to be authentic!
Blessings!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Be Free...
Have you ever been “released” of something…”released” of a debt…something you owed someone else? Have you been “released” of doing something you really didn’t want to do? What about being “released” of a responsibility you simply hated?
Have you ever experienced the “release” of an emotion…like the tremendous cleansing of a nice long cry…or a giddy squeal of sheer elation? I remember months after the loss of a child we were supposed to adopt, waking one morning and just crying most of the day, as I had not had an opportunity to mourn this loss…and what a “release” I felt after those hours of crying.
Etched in my mind, as if it were yesterday, is taking a pregnancy test (for what was to be our first child) and watching it turn positive. I ran down the hall towards Chuck and leaped into his arms with excitement! If you can identify with my "release", then you understand the essence of total freedom from within. The euphoric “high” where you feel as if you could simply fly. The feeling of “SHHEEWWWWW”…relief!
Freedom is an amazing thing. If you’ve experienced it, it can be hard to describe. It can be a bit like trying to describe the color of red to someone who’s never had sight or describe a beautiful tune to someone who’s always been deaf.
We all have things we’ve experienced in life that tend to have a “hold” on us. Perhaps it’s something you wished you’d never done or said...a bad choice you’ve made in the past that tends to haunt you. OR, perhaps it’s something you’ve encountered due to a bad choice made by someone else.
Several weeks ago I experienced the “release/ freedom” I’m writing about; freedom that can only come from the Spirit of God.
Looking back now, I’m amazed at just how this “bondage” held me captive. It limited my ability to freely receive grace and mercy from others. It limited my ability to freely care and love for others as well as be cared for and loved. My view of others as well as myself was skewed.
I feel a little like Paul after he had his experience on the road to Damascus. Remember he had scales on his eyes which God removed through his servant, Ananias.
I feel like I’ve lived a large part of my life with scales on my eyes! Thank God those scales are “no longer” there! I am no longer held captive and in bondage. I feel like God has breathed new life into this 40 year old soul. I feel like a dancer whose legs have been untied after years of being bound...a songbird whose regained it's ability to sing...and eagle whose just realized the joy of soaring.
Mandisa sings a song about God’s love for us called “How Much”.
http://media.nabbr.com/mandisa.html
The words are:
Do you know how much you are love…
Take the depths of the deepest ocean and go deeper
Take the top of the tallest tower and go higher
Take the best day that you ever had and try to imagine better than that
And it still don’t come close
To how much you are loved
God’s love for me is difficult to understand; not just the fact that He would love me but the depth of that love is difficult for me to grasp.
However, the fact remains, we are His children. I try to compare that to the way I feel about my own children. I don’t want my children living in bondage or feeling they’re held captive by anything. I want them to experience love and the freedom to love.
God’s word says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 1 Corinthians 3:17
What has a "hold" over you? What's keeping you from being totally free and living completely abandoned for Christ and in Christ? Allow Him to unleash you...
you'll never feel more whole! Trust me...this I know!
Blessings!
Have you ever experienced the “release” of an emotion…like the tremendous cleansing of a nice long cry…or a giddy squeal of sheer elation? I remember months after the loss of a child we were supposed to adopt, waking one morning and just crying most of the day, as I had not had an opportunity to mourn this loss…and what a “release” I felt after those hours of crying.
Etched in my mind, as if it were yesterday, is taking a pregnancy test (for what was to be our first child) and watching it turn positive. I ran down the hall towards Chuck and leaped into his arms with excitement! If you can identify with my "release", then you understand the essence of total freedom from within. The euphoric “high” where you feel as if you could simply fly. The feeling of “SHHEEWWWWW”…relief!
Freedom is an amazing thing. If you’ve experienced it, it can be hard to describe. It can be a bit like trying to describe the color of red to someone who’s never had sight or describe a beautiful tune to someone who’s always been deaf.
We all have things we’ve experienced in life that tend to have a “hold” on us. Perhaps it’s something you wished you’d never done or said...a bad choice you’ve made in the past that tends to haunt you. OR, perhaps it’s something you’ve encountered due to a bad choice made by someone else.
Several weeks ago I experienced the “release/ freedom” I’m writing about; freedom that can only come from the Spirit of God.
Looking back now, I’m amazed at just how this “bondage” held me captive. It limited my ability to freely receive grace and mercy from others. It limited my ability to freely care and love for others as well as be cared for and loved. My view of others as well as myself was skewed.
I feel a little like Paul after he had his experience on the road to Damascus. Remember he had scales on his eyes which God removed through his servant, Ananias.
I feel like I’ve lived a large part of my life with scales on my eyes! Thank God those scales are “no longer” there! I am no longer held captive and in bondage. I feel like God has breathed new life into this 40 year old soul. I feel like a dancer whose legs have been untied after years of being bound...a songbird whose regained it's ability to sing...and eagle whose just realized the joy of soaring.
Mandisa sings a song about God’s love for us called “How Much”.
http://media.nabbr.com/mandisa.html
The words are:
Do you know how much you are love…
Take the depths of the deepest ocean and go deeper
Take the top of the tallest tower and go higher
Take the best day that you ever had and try to imagine better than that
And it still don’t come close
To how much you are loved
God’s love for me is difficult to understand; not just the fact that He would love me but the depth of that love is difficult for me to grasp.
However, the fact remains, we are His children. I try to compare that to the way I feel about my own children. I don’t want my children living in bondage or feeling they’re held captive by anything. I want them to experience love and the freedom to love.
God’s word says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 1 Corinthians 3:17
What has a "hold" over you? What's keeping you from being totally free and living completely abandoned for Christ and in Christ? Allow Him to unleash you...
you'll never feel more whole! Trust me...this I know!
Blessings!
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