Alive

You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.
Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000


Stumbled across this quote tonight and it just stuck. How often do we get caught up in details, busyness, stress, etc.? I know I do. But how simple our directive really is: Look, Listen, Choose, Act. We hear it in church as "love God, love people", and in essence it's no different.

To love people you have to look. You have to see them, see their pain, see their hurt, see their need and in order to see it - you have to be looking. You also have to be listening. Listening to God, what people are telling you, and to what they're not telling you. It's not that difficult because most people just want to be heard.

Once you've done that, you have to choose. You have to choose between action or inaction; between doing or not doing; between loving or not loving. I used to see a lot of grey areas, but the more I examine the directives from God, I see things as do or don't, less middle ground.

If I am not actively loving someone - am I hating them? We take definitions to the extreme and want to say No. But what is it really to not like - to not love? Is it not hate?

If I see a need and don't act - is there a simplicity there? I don't think so. If I encounter someone who is hurting but don't look or listen, am I really living? What is life if we're not here for each other?

Inner Beauty

For I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

This was the topic verse of our girls small group tonight. What a great discussion we had! We talked about society's view of beauty, our own view of beauty, and God's view of beauty. We tossed around why we want our outer appearance to represent what's inside and to bring our best to God. We are his vessels - how does that impact our appearance?

It was so awesome to share their thoughts and to see them actually thinking about allowing their inner beauty to shine on the outside. Not pursuing beauty because society tells us it looks this way or our culture tells us it should be that way - but seeing ourselves as God sees us and honoring him in our appearance.

Good stuff. I LOVE these girls.

Orchestrations of God

Have you ever been so befuddled by events of life that you can only take baby steps in faith, knowing that God is in control and that hopefully somehow, in some way, He will make the confusion clear and show how He is working?

I've had several instances of this in my life. Sometimes the confusion clears and God's handiwork becomes obvious, but sometimes this hasn't necessarily been true. I may have been assured that God was at work, but He didn't necessarily provide the answers I was looking for.

I love looking back and seeing God's handiwork. More than that, I love getting through a trial or temptation, trusting God and feeling like He stops for a moment, gazes at me in Fatherly love and simply says, Well done.