It’s all about me . . .
How many times have you had conversations with someone where it was like . . . I know I just met them, but I really like them. Where you could talk forever with them. Like you are long lost friends. What is it about them that makes that experience so special?
I would say one reason is because that person is interested in you. They ask you questions and draw things out of you. They inquire about you and your family, and they are truly interested in what you have to say. Do you know what people’s favorite subject is? It is themselves. What their favorite word is? It is their own name.
So if two people get together and want to talk about, let’s say . . . themselves. Well, they both stand there with nothing to say. So the conversation drifts to safe subjects. The weather, sports, or anything that is not directed to the other person. It is indicative of the drift to self-centeredness we have become in the 21st century.
Technology has helped to accelerate this. Technology isn’t the big bad guy, but we have to be purposeful in how we use it. We have websites dedicated to ourselves such as Facebook and MySpace. We Twit about . . . you guessed it, what WE are doing. Aren’t you fascinated with the most mundane aspects of my life? “I just had a piece of toast”, “I love the color green”, “Going for walk outside”. Come on!
We should be more purposeful in what we do. Make everything we do count. I hope we start putting others ahead of ourselves on a more frequent basis. That we reach out and make difference in other people’s lives. That we encourage others, share in their joys and sorrows. A fulfilled life is one shared. A life lived for God is extending that hope that He gives into the hurting world around us.
Jesus gave us one commandment in the New Testament. To love one another as He has love us. I pray that we all find ways to extent that love into the lives of those around us.
John 13:34 (NLT)
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
Are You Moved?
A couple of weeks ago, I had heard some unexpected negative news concerning our Senior Pastor’s health. It was hard to believe. Here is a man who has instilled such great faith in all of his congregation. He is a military man, a rock, and a fighter. With all that he has taught and imparted to us about health and healing, it was stunning. Hello? How could this man, our pastor, be fighting something like this? Well, the fight of your faith commences.
My mom passed away a year and a half ago after battling cancer. She never gave up hope. She was believing for her healing up to the end. So, if she had such great faith and passed away, and now your senior pastor has a health related issue, what are you suppose to think.
So this week, our pastor was going to take some time away to aggressively treat it. Then the news last night, after preliminary testing to determine his treatment, they can’t find anything. Um, what? Nothing? Clean bill of health? Yes, that’s the deal! Great News! God gets all the glory!
So now where is my faith? Do I add up all the people with great faith that didn’t make it and all of the ones that did? I guess I am at 50/50 then. Is that what we are suppose to do?
I don’t think so. We are not suppose to be moved by circumstance. The “news” on the economy is not good. Should I be moved? So and so had a strong marriage and now they are getting a divorce, should I be concerned? My father in-law committed suicide at 50, does this mean our family is cursed?
If my eyes were on other people or circumstances for my faith, I would be toast. That is not your gauge. Some people disappoint, some people are great examples. Circumstances are always in flux. The only true measure is the hope and promise that can only be found in His word. That is your measuring stick. By keeping my eyes on the what He has to say, I find myself breezing through those stormy days. I find myself more grounded and less likely to be blown off course. So, may you find yourself relying on His promises as you navigates the waters of your life.
Backyard Therapy
Now I don’t know about you, but this time of year for me brings renewed hope and excitement as I am finally unlocked from winter’s grip and I am able to get outside. The outdoor season started a little earlier this year because we ventured into syrup making in mid March. This weekend, the weather got into the mid 50′s and the March winds had finally subsided. It was also busy; the Masters was played (a sure sign of Spring), we had commitments on Saturday and Easter was Sunday. Hope and promises were on display all around us in the midst of it all.
Earlier in the week, I picked up seed potatoes for the garden. Now last year, when I got ready to get plant the garden, I waited too long and the seed potatoes were all gone. They sell faster than anything else because they can be put into the ground as soon as the frost is out. Also, the year before, we went on a trip out west and came back to a garden that was lost to the weeds. So, needless to say, I was a little stoked about getting the best of the potatoes, earlier than usual.
I tilled the garden on Friday and I am thinking I can get some cold weather plants in a little early (lettuce, carrots and potatoes). I hacked the raspberry bushes to within a foot of the ground. The trees I trimmed this winter were still on the ground, so I brought those to the composting place. Is everything ready to go? No, but I can feel it. I can see the grass turning from brown to a light green. I can see the buds on the trees plump and full, ready to burst open.
We typically do not take a vacation in the winter so this time of year is especially gratifying. I absolutely love it. In the upcoming weeks we will be moving some shrubs, planting some trees, vegetable garden, and our annual garden, rearranging and expanding our perennial garden, and enjoying every minute of being that much closer to God in the process. We still have a lot of “work” to do, but I cannot wait to get my hands dirty.
With all the changes happening in our lives and the technology world that I live in, this is the best and most satisfying thing that Spring brings. It is theripudic to my soul. This spring, may you also find the time to get your hands dirty and breath in the rich smell of the earth as you plant your own garden.