"The Furious Love of God"

"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it."

~ The Ragamuffin Gospel

Brennan Manning

(p. 25)

Silence

sometimes, a lack of words speak louder than conversation.
sometimes, the silence is all that a person needs to be healed.
sometimes, listening is the only solution.

Reflections on maps and God

So, I just got back from New Orleans. It was such an incredible experience that I would not trade it for anything else. The friendships that were formed will last forever as they are built on genuine love. It feels like I knew these people forever!

The thing that struck me the most is how happy I was. I'm usually very excited about serving other people but this experience was different. A different form excitement occured that built up everyday. All the concerns about safety and worries about hygenie were minute in comparison to the purpose of helping others. And, what's strange, is that I didn't look at this break as "losing" time for myself or "giving something up"; rather, it was a time to explore my walk with God, to grow closer to my friends, and to discover exactly how far I will trust God with my entire life.

You see, I am much of a planner. I like to make sure that I know exactly what's going on each day. This spring break, a friend told me to "throw the map away." Strange how our destination can be so easily dictated by a map and yet at the same time the journey may yield different results.

Where have you held onto the map far too long? Where do you need to "throw it away" and allow God to be your guide, your cartographer, your compass? He always has a way of working all things together. The surprises that you find when you let the wind blow your map away are absolutely endless.

A Gift for Everyday

Does Christmas have a feeling?
If so, it doesn't "feel" like Christmas to me.
At least not in the way that it felt when I was a child. I remember feeling really excited about all the gifts that were waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morning. As I got older, I started realizing that not everyone celebrated Christmas like I did.

Religion, ethnicity, and money all play a signifcant role in how a family celebrates the holidays. Sometimes, we just need to go without to see how fortunate we are to have.

Sitting on my couch looking at my Christmas tree, I now understand that Christmas isn't about the quantity or quality of a gift, but rather, the gift that one gives. Gifts don't have to be material; they don't need to come all wrapped up in shiny reindeer paper adorned with a nice gold bow. The best gifts are those that you can give everyday such as a smile, a helping hand, friendship, a listening ear, gifts whose value is not measured by a price tag but by a person's genuine interest in the individual. Lasting gifts may not be easy to give but may be the exact perscription that a friend needs. Humbly giving to a neighbor in need reaches across the socioeconomic status that the media often defines as a "wealthy," a "middle class," or a "poor" individual.

Allowing your hand to willingly reach out and hold the hand of another is the exact love that Jesus was talking about. It is this kind of self-less love that brings about action, causes forgiveness, and promotes peace in our families, coummunities, government, wars, etc.

What if everyone reached out to one person a day?

Would our world be a better place?

Would your world be a better place?

Would those you touch either physically, spiritually, emotionally, academically, etc. reach out and touch another person, thus creating a lasting domino effect?

Would there be any changes in your life or the lives of others that you invest in? What would those changes be?

Could you see yourself adovcating for the lives of others, putting other's needs before yours, and loving regardless of the circumstances?

Would you be able to accept the fact that Jesus loves you everyday, not just on Christmas? That it is Jesus who watches over you, "knows when you are sleeping, knows when you're awake, knows when you have been bad or good"? It's not the man in the red suit that brings you toys once a year. It's the human, the Spirit, the God that holds his life in your hands. Every breath, every movement, every action is known by God even before you fulfill it.

Have you accepted the reality for today that God loves you just because?
Where in your life are you allowing God to "love" you?
If you have, where in our life are you not allowing God to "love" you?
If you haven't, why not? Where could you give of yourself to help a friend in need today?

Promises, friends, and God; uniquely woven into a myraid of indescribable beauty

I have only recently come to terms with the unforseen reality that I have a lot of commitments.

These range from commitments to family, to friends, to school, and to personal goals/beliefs. Each commitment is a promise to fulfill a need, a desire, or a duty. I live by the philosophy of "don't make a promise that you can't keep." Yet at times, I am unexpectedly thrown into a situation where the majority believes that I can fulfill a promise that I have yet to discover.

It feels like sometimes my friends believe in me more than I believe in myself.

I am truly greatful for a solid group of people who seek to stretch and pull me in order to grow. They have a signifcant impact in my life, shaping and molding me to use and aquire my fullest potential. I am grateful for their "potter-like' mentality, creatively leaving their imprints in my life through smiles, words, listening ears, warm hugs, and unique personalities. I am grateful that they are allowing themselves to be used by God in order to bring joy into another person's life.

Through my friend's, I see Jesus manifested as a human, as Spirit, and as God himself. I wish to bring these caring and compassionate traits that my friends have been freely giving me to people that I meet. I long for seeing genuine smiles and courageous testimonies. I long to see God's work manifested in all of his people. I long to be a part of something greater than myself. And each day, I see myself growing into this person that God has always intended for me to be.