Trying to define God by our life experiences is like trying to fit the ocean into a thimble.*
I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smells, the saltiness, the currents, the whitecaps, the splashes, the squishy sand, the windy breezes. I love it in the morning as the sun rises over it and I love it in the evening as the moon glows on it. I love it all day long.
Most of all, I am captivated by the size of it. It stills my little heart every time I look at it. I suddenly realize how very small I am and how very large God is. All things are instantly in perspective as I allow it to absorb me.
He loves me this much.
Further than I can see to the right.
Further than I can see to the left.
Further than I can see over the horizon.
How wide? So wide, it knows no end.
He loves me this much.
Nearer than I can see to the right.
Nearer than I can see to the left.
Nearer than I can see on the horizon.
How near? So near, it knows no beginning.
Living our best lives is letting go of the thimble and throwing it into the ocean. It’s allowing our life experiences to be absorbed by a God of love. Suddenly we find the things we once held so dear are lost in the movements of his love. And suddenly we are found. Free. Playing in his love.
How wide. How near.
*Loosely adapted from Eat this Book by Eugene Peterson
Life is about using the whole box of crayons.
It's the beginning of the school year. If you're a lucky kid, you are going to start it with a brand new set of Crayola crayons. You are super duper lucky if your parents bought you the box of 120 with a built in sharpener on back.
Those first coloring projects are amazing, aren't they? Every crayon fits in your hand and has a beautiful point. And then October rolls around, and your favorites are well-rounded down. By May, you're left with a few nubs of crayons that you work at unwrapping the paper so you can use them. All the while, the four ugliest colors in the box remain untouched and pristine in point. Colors like suntan, yellow-green, and brick red.
Life's a little bit like that. We tend to pick our favorite things and stick with them. Which is great, but can be somewhat boring and predictable.
Living our best life is exploring new things. Taking a class. Trying a new hobby. Meeting a new friend. Who knows what all awaits us?
Possibly, our favorite things are yet to be discovered. Go ahead. Open the box and try something new.
Enjoying a weekly Sabbath has been a process for me. At first I had to realize that it wasn't a reward you earned for finishing all your work for the week. The true gift of the Sabbath was stopping with the work yet undone and recognizing that the world is not going to end. Learning how to rest with a list of things calling out and demanding my attention was a spiritual discipline. It was a weekly lesson on surrender and trust. The universe and my life is held together by One other than myself.
Next, I had to learn what to do with a Sabbath. What are the things that truly bring rest and delight to me? How am I best replenished? Depending on the week, it can vary. With some experimentation I've found a few of my favorite's are: worshiping at church, going to the lake for a walk, eating dinner with family and friends, gardening, napping, playing piano, and reading. Listening to my underlying needs has made the Sabbath a real joy.
Recently, I read this quote and now I find myself stretched in my Sabbath practice again.... "The Sabbath is not just a break in the pattern of daily life but the whole meaning it." Margaret Silf
I think I have still viewed the Sabbath as the one day created to serve the other six days. You know, the days where we do the important stuff we call work. It's like the purpose of the Sabbath is determined by the work of the week. I think it's nice of God to give me a day off so I can work harder the rest of my week.
What would happen if I saw the Sabbath as the most important day of my week and let the other six days find their meaning and purpose out of the one? What if this day set aside for enjoying a relationship with our Creator is the essence of life and not our work?
I am challenged. I think at the end of the day, I still identify a lot with my work and the little world I think I control in daily life.
I am also invited. To a new way of viewing the source of my life and identity. To understand what is really living and to let everything flow from this space called the Sabbath.
Living our best lives is freedom to live as children cared for by a Heavenly Father and to understand our destiny in his presence. The Sabbath is a gift that gives us both.
A couple of nights ago, Natalie and I took our dog Leia for her evening walk. This aspect of life is so routine, even Leia knows which streets to turn at. As we strolled along, Natalie and I enjoyed our time of simple banter mixed with the comfortable quiet you share with someone you know well. My thoughts drifted in and out as I relaxed into the cadence of each step.
“Is that the sound of a cricket?” asked Natalie breaking the silence.
As I awakened myself to hear what she was listening to, my ears were filled with a cacophony of nighttime sounds. It was a concert of what seemed to be a million insects, amphibians, and birds. I could not even pick out the sound of the cricket at first because nature’s ruckus was literally that loud.
Sharing that with Natalie, she noted, “Yeah. Isn’t it amazing we walked all this while and didn’t even hear it?”
Yes. And now we can’t hear anything else.
This reminds me of God and his love. His presence is this enormous hug of love all around us. His song of rejoicing deafeningly loud in the silence. It’s so amazing. And we often don’t hear it.
May we be awakened in His love today so that we can’t hear anything else.
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17
He will teach us one thing, perhaps in a thousand ways: "I am forming Christ in you." Dr. J. Robert Clinton
As I read this sentence, it causes me to catch my breath. I hardly can contain the emotion that wells up inside of me in this beautifully intimate and powerful statement.
I think he is right.
It's amazing to hit 'play' on the movie in my mind and be brought back to all the lessons he has taught me over the years. All the ways he has been by my side: calling my name, forgiving my shortcomings, healing my pains, redeeming my losses, choosing me to be his very own dwelling place. Christ in me. One thing in a thousand ways.
In return I offer to him, one thing is thousand ways. Me.
Living our best lives is often not what we think it is. We get sidelined and distracted by so much stuff. May we be brought back to this simple truth today and everyday... I'm my beloved's and he is mine.
