Spiritual

Broken. Isolated. Alone. Disconnected.

vs.

Together. Restored. Supported. Purposeful.

Which one do you want to be a part of? What sounds more inviting? I definitely think the latter, but why do we so easily play into the broken and dysfunctional tug of wars of this world.  We put ourselves on these little islands trying to reach these levels of success by being self-sufficient . We do it to ourselves. We get stuck in survival of the fittest mode of our culture. We lose ourselves in comparing ourselves to others. We forget who we are because we are so caught up in what we are not or what we don’t have.  We are missing it.

We were created in the image of God to be a part of his family. We were meant to be on this journey most importantly together with the Lord, but together with the body of believers. We were designed to be united in a purpose bigger than ourselves. We were shaped to be a part of the purpose of the Lord. We were formed to be United with Christ. Not separated. Not on our own.  Together, in unity, in love, and whole in the Lord.

Our world screams at us to fit this mold.  But that mold is broken. It is never going to fit.  It isn’t what we were created for. So why are we trying so hard to put a piece of the puzzle into the wrong picture. We need to get our picture right. Are we living out the qualities and pursuing characteristics that are a part of unity of Christ, or are we just trying to get one step ahead of the rat race. The right race is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and the journey may look a whole …

A commitment person is someone who says what they mean and means what they say…a promise keeper.

Two weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending a 60th birthday party for a dear friend (like a sister to me). I was so blessed by the focus of the party-celebrating the life of a truly amazing woman. The word used to describe her as we began a time of tribute was “BRILLIANT”. The dictionary definition of brilliant is having or showing great intelligence or talent , distinguished, illustrious, shining brightly, sparkling. She is the epitome of all those things but SO much more!!! She brightens up every room she enters. She shines her vibrant personality onto all who know her and when you are with her, you feel like the most important person in her world at that moment. She is a shining star and she shines from the inside out. She has a contagious love that demonstrates compassion, kindness and grace overflowing from her deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ. But what I love the most about her is she is a commitment person!

Have you ever experienced a friendship with someone who is truly committed to you? A person who wants to see you strive for your goals and helps you achieve them and then celebrates with you? Have you ever been that kind of friend for someone else? What characteristics do you cherish in a deep abiding friendship? As you think about the people who have come into your life, which friends have been the “stick with you through thick and thin” kind of friends?…

Have you seen Jesus today? What if you were to take some time every day to recognize Jesus. To see him in the little things, in the routine of life, in daily activities, in small wins. Do you think this may change your perspective? It would be hard not to have it change your outlook right? If you were trying to see Jesus in everything, you would see things through a completely different lens.  So why isn’t seeing Jesus a normal thing? Do we set out to do it in the morning, then the day just gets away from us? If he is our everything, do we see him in everything?

I don’t want to live just for myself or just to exist.  Can I look through my eyes with a lens of Christ, not just look with my own eyes. I want to see more in others. I want to see more in myself. I want to see greater potential. I want to see more depth. I want to see growth. I want to see goodness. I want to see purpose. I want to see hope. I want to see him. And in that, I want to experience the fullness and the abundance that Christ has for me.

So you want your life to be different this year? Then you have to live different.  You have to think different. You have to act different. Your new years resolution may be to add something, it may be taking something away, but don’t forget the most important piece. Bring Jesus into every little thing in your life.  He is always with you, so why not recognize him, live in him, and strive to reach what he has for your life.

So here’s your homework, or call it your reflection time or …

This past Sunday at church, our pastor spoke on Santa.  What?  What pastor devotes a whole Sunday to Santa?  Well, ours did. But it opened my eyes and my heart to new thinking. It was a change in perspective in the focus of Christmas, the attitude of my heart, and the way I spend my time this season. Now I am not going to give an opinion of believing in Santa or not, that is not what this is about.  I just want to help us focus on the true and full meaning of Christmas.

I know the season is crazy, and the time to sit down and read a recap of a whole sermon is hard to come by.  So let’s quickly compare the Christmas season according to Santa and according to Jesus in just one category.  Santa Claus is works based Jesus is grace based. Santa is all about recording all the things we have done to put us on the naughty or nice list.  Jesus is all about loving us for who we are, right where we are. Santa gives us things we earn.  Jesus gives us undeserved grace. Santa gives us stuff if we are good. Jesus saves our life regardless. Santa comes to bring things. Jesus came to sacrifice himself. Santa gives us coal if we mess up. Jesus puts his hand out to pick us up and gives us an extra big hug. Santa brings stuff that does not last. Jesus gives us eternal life that lasts forever.

Don’t you want to live a grace based life?  Don’t you want to focus your time on things that bring hope, peace, and purpose rather than things that remind us we are never good enough.  Basing your life on grace means you understand you are a …