So I just got home for the holidays, leaving one family to enjoy time with another. But what's strange is the family I left I had only known for a few way-too-short months. I love these people. It's a tremendously powerful thing to be as humbled, as loved, as moved as I have been by these brothers and sisters; my friends.
Jesus said that we could move mountains with the faith of a mustard seed, which is only a little bigger than a strawberry seed. In these past months, I have come to know and love people that have the faith to dedicate their lives to a higher calling; one that is in no way certain and in every way adventurous. Imagine the faith of a person that is truly willing and ready to give their life to find it. Such a faith is probably a lot bigger than a mustard seed.
Jesus also said to His disciples, in reference to His ministry and miracles on earth, that someday His followers would do things "greater than these." What?! Greater than the amazing stuff He did during his time here? I never got why He said such a thing. Then I met the people that would become the family I've been talking about. There is not one doubt in my mind that even one of my newest family members won't do something amazing with their lives. Because you see, each of them has found the beauty of giving their lives to something bigger; and perhaps it's because they have that faith of something bigger than a mustard seed. I don't know if any of them plan on moving a mountain, but with their faith, they can move hearts -- and I like to think it's the same business God's been in for years.
So consider me moved. I love you and miss you all.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Lovestruck
It's funny how such an essential thing as love is the probably the hardest to understand. We need it more than we need water, but yet you can never perfectly define it; and we certainly don't understand it as much as we claim to. It's a lot like lightning, actually.
Did you know that modern science still doesn't understand how/why lighting even exists? We of course know what it is, and we know its effects (and side effects) on weather, humidity, climate, electronics, and other things, but we don't know how it happens or why. We just don't. We have theories, we have folklore (THOR!); we even have measurements and data showing what happens. We can even replicate it in a lab. Yet, we cannot, with the combined knowledge of the histories of science, global climates, and freaking NASA know how or why lightning exists. Yet in the time it's taken you to read until here, lightning has struck around 300 times around the world. And that's just lighting strikes; not even the majority of lighting that lasts for minutes on end bouncing around in the clouds. Striking the earth more than 5 times a second, it's probably the most common force of nature we experience in our lives. It's a lot like love, actually.
We spend most of our lives trying to figure out the how's and why's of love only to come up short. How could I possibly love that person? Why doesn't she love me? There seems to be no formula, no definite definition, no rhyme or reason to any of it. It happens a lot more than 5 times a second all around us, but let's face it: most of the time we don't know how to handle it. So what if we focused on the what? Because if we at least have some idea of what it is, maybe the why's and how's would just fall into place.
But then, we have to be careful where we look. Because what some people will tell you is love is certainly not. And what some will tell you is just kindness, or mercy, or laughter is just unaware of how much love they are capable of giving. Paul defined what it is beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13 (how many of you just thought of a wedding), and I'm not going to quote the whole thing here because I want you to find it and read it. Really read it though. Because his explanation of the what of love, when fully considered, could perhaps be the most beautiful thing you could ever hear. Because when you flip that little switch to live exactly what love is, the why's and how's are not only revealed, but they become synonymous with the what of love. Go, live, love, and find out for yourself.
I love lightning, and I don't care if I can't explain to you why.
Did you know that modern science still doesn't understand how/why lighting even exists? We of course know what it is, and we know its effects (and side effects) on weather, humidity, climate, electronics, and other things, but we don't know how it happens or why. We just don't. We have theories, we have folklore (THOR!); we even have measurements and data showing what happens. We can even replicate it in a lab. Yet, we cannot, with the combined knowledge of the histories of science, global climates, and freaking NASA know how or why lightning exists. Yet in the time it's taken you to read until here, lightning has struck around 300 times around the world. And that's just lighting strikes; not even the majority of lighting that lasts for minutes on end bouncing around in the clouds. Striking the earth more than 5 times a second, it's probably the most common force of nature we experience in our lives. It's a lot like love, actually.
We spend most of our lives trying to figure out the how's and why's of love only to come up short. How could I possibly love that person? Why doesn't she love me? There seems to be no formula, no definite definition, no rhyme or reason to any of it. It happens a lot more than 5 times a second all around us, but let's face it: most of the time we don't know how to handle it. So what if we focused on the what? Because if we at least have some idea of what it is, maybe the why's and how's would just fall into place.
But then, we have to be careful where we look. Because what some people will tell you is love is certainly not. And what some will tell you is just kindness, or mercy, or laughter is just unaware of how much love they are capable of giving. Paul defined what it is beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13 (how many of you just thought of a wedding), and I'm not going to quote the whole thing here because I want you to find it and read it. Really read it though. Because his explanation of the what of love, when fully considered, could perhaps be the most beautiful thing you could ever hear. Because when you flip that little switch to live exactly what love is, the why's and how's are not only revealed, but they become synonymous with the what of love. Go, live, love, and find out for yourself.
I love lightning, and I don't care if I can't explain to you why.
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