That's a "rap"!

Well, I’ve come to the last day of my 40-day blogging spree, and after a little vulnerability and some falling-asleep-writing-this-on-my-phone posts, it looks like we made it (to the tune of Shania Twain)!

I think probably my favorite thing I’ve gained from this exercise is the way it has opened my eyes to the spiritual realities I encounter every day.

Francis Schaeffer in his book The God Who Is There says, “The more logical a man who holds a non-Christian position is to his own presuppositions, the further he is from the real world.”  In other words—people who feel they have a clearly defined explanation for why the Gospel and its meaning are not true are out of touch with reality.  Harsh, but true.  When you walk in the Light, you realize why things are how they are, because they’re real.  Every now and then you get this tremendous feeling of knowing that you are living in touch with what the universe was created for! 

Even small, seemingly insignificant things take on meaning.  I’ve had several of these experiences in just the last few days—where I realized why certain things are:

Why I can’t stop listening to rap music:

God’s word tells us that “a cheerful heart is good medicine.”  So true!--Sometimes you just gotta #GO!  I find that often I need to encourage myself and pick myself up, knowing I’ve got the Spirit inside of me.  I need to choose to put on a good attitude and let the prescription WORK!  Sometimes (a lot of times/all the time) I listen to rap music to engage my cheerful heart.  Kan’ is “just tryna change the color on ya moodring”.

Why road rage makes me sad:

I travel to and from work every day in rush hour traffic, and I’m usually driving somewhere in the city almost every night.  Which means that at least once a day someone cuts me off, I forget my blinker, someone doesn’t yield, etc. But instead of getting mad—regardless of whose fault it was—I get sad.  I get a sinking feeling every time I see one of my fellow drivers getting road rage, and I realized that’s because I know “the Father of compassion” (2 Corinthians 1:3).  I wish everyone would just love each other, not in a 70’s-hippie kind of way but in a I’ve-got-the-Spirit-of-Love kind of way.

Why I’m okay with my room being messy:

I’m a Lebo, which means cleanliness and organization are written in my DNA.  And while it’s true that cleaning dishes really is one of my favorite hobbies, my room gets pretty messy, and I don’t really mind.  I sort of consider my messy room evidence of an “abundant life” (John 10:10).  Not to say you have to forego being organized to live abundantly, but for me, in this stage of life, I am compelled to spend my time when I get home from work resting, engaging God’s creation in nature, or spending time with the brothers and sisters who encourage my soul—life to the FULL!

When you walk with Christ and consider Him, you realize that all of life really is about His truth.  I’m thankful that these last 40 days have helped me to stay in touch with that truth.  As for what comes next?  I think I will spend the next 40 days fulfilling my dream of eating fro-yo for every meal—just kidding…that wouldn’t be much of a diversion from the usual.

Fuh real doh, I’m going to keep blogging, just probably not every day.  This verse I posted a few days ago is my guide for the future:

“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” (Psalm 51:6)

I want the Lord’s truth to live inside of me—deep inside of me—to the “secret heart” where even blog posts do not go.

Birthday Blogger

Here's a guest blog post from the birthday girl, Gabby!  Interesting insight in light (literally) of my post yesterday regarding the ways God fulfills each of our inborn needs.  There is such a razor thin line between needing things and people and needing things and people (read that sentence with the same tone as you would the question, "Do you like her, or do you like like her?").  Surely God provides all we need in Him, but there is no question that we are also sustained by things He created.  Some mysteries of God remain unfathomable (Job 11:7).

Anyways, not sure if I'm cheating by using a guest blog post during my 40-day blogging challenge...but go shawty, it's yaa burffday:

Horizontal lines. Direct lines. This is what we are taught, as kids, is best. The fastest way to get from one point to another is a straight line. When you have a problem, go straight to the source. Direct flights are always better than connections. You get the idea. Here's the thing: I think this is where we go terribly wrong in almost every relationship we've ever had. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but it's at least a temptation that I fall into nearly every day.

Let me try to explain what I mean. We have needs, and the Lord has put people in our lives to help us fill them. If we're in full-time ministry, we NEED supporters; when we are hurting and lonely, we NEED friends to comfort us; when we have surgery or other health issues, we NEED someone to take care of us. But too often we look to those people directly, and if they don't come through we feel angry and abandoned.

If we could alter our perspective ever so slightly and make that horizontal line look more like an upside down V a (  /\  so to speak )  we will better understand what God means when He says He gives us the privilege/responsibility to be His hands and feet. We must seek Him, ask Him, expect Him to fulfill those needs. He, in turn, can put it on other peoples’ hearts to serve us in whatever way we are needing, and they can respond by serving the Lord. We are simply the recipients of that obedience.

What We Have

I was encouraged recently to create a list of things we (I) seek in relationships and accompanying scripture that promises we (I) already have all of those things in the Lord.  It’s kind of a cheesy exercise, but it affirms that our desires for relationship are actually innate—they should not make us feel guilty or needy because they were created in us by God.  The promise, however, is that He is also the one who fulfills all of those needs.

Here is a sampling of the list I created (in the context of “the royal we” so that it doesn’t sound as real and personal as it actually is for me :) )

We want to be deeply known by someone who understands us better than anyone else

• “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Luke 12:7)
• “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise.  You perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down.  You are familiar with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:2-3)
• "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
• “I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

We want closeness

• "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

We want a helper, someone who will encourage us when we aren’t confident

• “The Lord is with me. He is my helper” (Psalm 118:7)
• “Surely God is my help. The Lord is the one who sustains me.” (Psalm 54:4)

We want to feel loved

• “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

We want someone to always be there all the time and never leave us alone

• “The Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
• “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2)

"For this world in its present form is passing away." (1 Corinthians 7:31)

Remembering what's important today...we are not here for long!

Gavin

"There's nothing like the warmth of the one who has put in the time and you know is gonna be there."

Tonight I saw the show Fiddler on the Roof! Great show with an unexpected ending, and I'm still unsure as to why it's called Fiddler on the Roof (although I also couldn't follow a minute of The Dark Knight Rises at the drive-in last night, so maybe I'm just having an off weekend). Anyway, lots of Old Testament Biblical references in the show, which I loved. I decided to re-read the story of Jacob and Rachel and Leah tonight before bed after it was mentioned in the play.

"So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her." (Genesis 29:20)

Love does not make sense. It does not tell time or keep records. And the greatest of these is love.

Secret Heart

"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." (Psalm 51:6)