Recently I've been more aware of the aspects of my life and the lives of those around me that are changing. I mean change is constant. Ironic yes, but factual, and recently it seems like a lot of things have changed.
One of those things being my faith and the faith of those around me. Some of you know that last year I took a hiatus from my home church and went on a journey to find a new one. This journey ended with me back home, which I've come to understand is EXACTLY where God wants me. I do feel like I needed the break. I needed the time to figure some stuff out...to do some major forgiving...but ultimately I'm happy with where I am, and I know God is too.
Of course, with any journey comes realizations...it's the reason we take journey's in the first place. To find ourselves somewhere new. Somewhere where nothing is familiar...where you have to be stretched...you have to figure things out...and you have to change. And sometimes within those moment's we come to realize that the place we are supposed to be was the place we began, but even those journies are not taken in vain. For some piece of wisdom comes with every step we take to understand ourselves and God better. For me, the one piece of wisdom that I came away with that has plagued my mind and heart is the way we love each other within the church and outside of it.
Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous poet in the 1800's. He says in his poem As Kingfishers Catch Fire, "For Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his To the Father through the features of men's faces." For we are made in the image of God, in fact the word Christian literally means, "little christ". Keeping this in mind...ask yourself...are you loving people like Christ loved people? Are you seeing Christ in others? This is something I struggle with on a daily basis, the laying down of my patience and pride at the Father's feet, in order to live a life that glows from HIS glory, not my own. Believe it or not, God uses people. In many instances in my walk, God has chosen to use people to speak to me, rather then speaking directly. He has used people to comfort me, to encourage me, to speak truth to me, to heal me, and to teach me. As humans, I think we are a lot like Elijah in 1 Kings 19 when he asks for rest. At this point, Elijah is terrified. He is literally running for his life and He comes to a tree in v. 4 and says, "I have had enough, Lord...Take my life; I am no better than any ancestors." He is giving up. He is discouraged. He is TIRED. God sends him an angel and tells him to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Elijah goes out and there comes a huge wind...but God isn't in the wind. There comes a huge earthquake...but God isn't in the earthquake. Then there is a huge fire storm...but God is not in the fire. Yet...Elijah finds God in the silence. In the same way, we today expect to see God in the GREAT moments. In the moment's where things are happening! Not in the silence. We don't expect to see God in eachother. We don't expect to see God in our pain...in our tears...in a touch from a friend...in an encouraging word...in a simple sentence. No, we expect to see him in the wind storms, earthquakes, and fire storms of our lives. But God uses us. He created us...he loves us...and he uses us for his glory. So...shouldn't we do EVERYTHING we possibly can to love one another? Shouldn't we being giving to others the love that God is continually pooring out on us? For those that are thinking that it's too hard...that you don't have the patience...or you don't have the time...MAKE THE TIME! PRAY FOR PATIENCE! People are dying without knowing! My pastor once said, "By doing nothing we are in essence telling everyone else to 'go to hell!' So are you going to sit by and do nothing? Or are you going to show love to anyone and everyone you come in contact with? I'm not saying it's going to be easy...but it's soooo worth it!
Worship Element: Perfect Love from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.
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