“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? (Job 11:7 NIV)
This is the week traditionally set aside in the Christian church to reflect upon the Holy Trinity. We accept the Holy Trinity as a mystery that cannot be humanly explained. We have our incomplete comparisons. Some like to use an apple - the core, the meat and the skin and their different functions - to explain the Trinity. Some use human relationships - I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, but still only myself - showing how we use different aspects of our personality in our various relationships. But no matter how we try to explain it, the explanation falls short of the real mystery. And as Christians we simply accept that.
So why then, do we feel the need to de-mystify and humanize God in other aspects of our relationship with him? We put him in boxes that give us a better understanding. Many give "him" a gender and totally freak out if someone prays to "our Mother who art in heaven." I don't know how he is viewed in other nations, but some Americans see him as totally American and rooting for the American way of life, even taking our side on our favorite sports teams. Or we may view God's eternity as an endless linear line of time instead of a totally mysterious absence of time (who can figure THAT out?).
Our instance in understanding God is what give us a very narrow view of life and an intolerance of others who believe differently. Creating God in our own image gives us license to ostrasize and marginalize others. It frees us to oppress those who we believe God "hates" and leads us to condone "righteous" war.
God is a mystery. We can't put him in a box anymore than we can figure out what eternity really feels like. If we can admit that we don't have a handle on the whole truth of God any more than any other religion, we can be free to love. And guess what... more than anything else, God IS Love. That is making ourselves more into God's own image.
Father God, Mother God,
You are indeed a holy mystery. Help us to love and worship you even though we can never know all of who you are. May we love others as you love them. Amen.
Joys: My oldest baby boy's birthday!; Looking forward to seeing Cecelia today; a successful project well received.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Fast-Walking
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV)
We spend a lot of time these days on living longer. There is a lot of information out there on how to do so. Our doctors advise us on how we may. And we spend a lot of time at it. We eat better food, often even growing our own so we know it is healthy. We get all kinds of preventive tests searching for cancer cells before they find us. We join gyms, buy workout videos and walk, walk, walk.
I read about a woman (Laura) who heard that people who walk faster live longer. So she decided she would be one of those fast walkers. But she had a two-year-old. Two-year-olds like to walk fast and even run a lot, but they stop very frequently... to check out the cool bug, or pick a dandelion, or do an emergency summersault in the grass. Laura's child grew so she thought she could finally be a fast walker, but breast cancer stopped her. Between the chemo and the emotional effects she just couldn't walk very fast, and then when the treatments were over and she had been cancer-free for a while, she just didn't WANT to walk very fast. It was now she who wanted to watch the bugs and smell the flowers and be a little silly. But even that new joy of living wears off after a while and Laura once again sought to lengthen her life by walking fast. But in the meantime, she had taken in a teenager with medical issues that didn't allow him to keep up with her fast pace. At first she felt frustrated, but slowed down to walk with him and talk with him and learn about him and his life.
We may never know if Laura's lack of "fast-walking" had any effect on the length of her life, but we do know that she got to really experience life. Don't get me wrong, we need to take care of ourselves and we should give good ear to the advice of our doctors. But we have all either known or heard about people who spend all their days focused so heavily on good health that they had no time to enjoy life only to succumb to a terrible accident or heinous disease.
The thing is, we need to do the best we can with our health without limiting our journey. If we walk too fast, we will miss the best reasons for living. What good is a long life if we don't live it? Don't outrun the people who want you to walk a little more slowly next to them, for they are the reason you want to live. Fast-walking may lead to a longer life, but make sure it also is a full life... full of the people you love and the use of your talents and gifts.
Lord,
Guide us in the best ways to keep healthy and strong as we take the fullest joy in the gift of life and serve you and one another in the journey. Lord, we lift to you this morning the people of Moore, OK. We pray that those who have not yet been rescued will be found safe. We pray for healing and comfort for all those who lost loved ones and homes. Guide us in any way we can help. Amen.
Joys: Got to babysit Emma for a little while. We had fun!; baked a homemade cheesecake for Daniel's birthday tomorrow; Kevin and Chelsea's wedding only a few days ahead
We spend a lot of time these days on living longer. There is a lot of information out there on how to do so. Our doctors advise us on how we may. And we spend a lot of time at it. We eat better food, often even growing our own so we know it is healthy. We get all kinds of preventive tests searching for cancer cells before they find us. We join gyms, buy workout videos and walk, walk, walk.
I read about a woman (Laura) who heard that people who walk faster live longer. So she decided she would be one of those fast walkers. But she had a two-year-old. Two-year-olds like to walk fast and even run a lot, but they stop very frequently... to check out the cool bug, or pick a dandelion, or do an emergency summersault in the grass. Laura's child grew so she thought she could finally be a fast walker, but breast cancer stopped her. Between the chemo and the emotional effects she just couldn't walk very fast, and then when the treatments were over and she had been cancer-free for a while, she just didn't WANT to walk very fast. It was now she who wanted to watch the bugs and smell the flowers and be a little silly. But even that new joy of living wears off after a while and Laura once again sought to lengthen her life by walking fast. But in the meantime, she had taken in a teenager with medical issues that didn't allow him to keep up with her fast pace. At first she felt frustrated, but slowed down to walk with him and talk with him and learn about him and his life.
We may never know if Laura's lack of "fast-walking" had any effect on the length of her life, but we do know that she got to really experience life. Don't get me wrong, we need to take care of ourselves and we should give good ear to the advice of our doctors. But we have all either known or heard about people who spend all their days focused so heavily on good health that they had no time to enjoy life only to succumb to a terrible accident or heinous disease.
The thing is, we need to do the best we can with our health without limiting our journey. If we walk too fast, we will miss the best reasons for living. What good is a long life if we don't live it? Don't outrun the people who want you to walk a little more slowly next to them, for they are the reason you want to live. Fast-walking may lead to a longer life, but make sure it also is a full life... full of the people you love and the use of your talents and gifts.
Lord,
Guide us in the best ways to keep healthy and strong as we take the fullest joy in the gift of life and serve you and one another in the journey. Lord, we lift to you this morning the people of Moore, OK. We pray that those who have not yet been rescued will be found safe. We pray for healing and comfort for all those who lost loved ones and homes. Guide us in any way we can help. Amen.
Joys: Got to babysit Emma for a little while. We had fun!; baked a homemade cheesecake for Daniel's birthday tomorrow; Kevin and Chelsea's wedding only a few days ahead
Monday, May 20, 2013
Courageous Action in Love
"Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than it is courageously and actively doing God's will." -Deitrich Bonhoeffer
What a great quote. Avoiding sin is so unproductive. The phrase alone makes us believe that sin is doing things we shouldn't and makes us forget that sin is also in not doing what we should. If we focus all our energy on not doing sinful things, we then end up sinning by not doing the wonderful things God has planned for us to do.
So lets quit worrying about sin so much... our own, and our neighbors'. I think that's what has many of today's churches stuck... worrying about the sin of others. Do we really think that minimizes the look of our own sin in God's eyes? We may fool ourselves, but not our God. Do we really think the whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" thing makes us superior to the sinner we supposedly love? Let's just love the sinner and don't worry about the sin. Love will eventually take care of that for us.
Every godly person that I've ever held high regard for has been about love, not about avoiding sin. It is through the actions of people like these that I have seen God at work. There are a lot of people who who criticize "feel good Christianity" because it "doesn't tell the truth about sin." But the truth is that we who are sinners know sin. We need to know more about real love. God's kind of love, because few of us really know about that. And yes, it makes us feel good. So good in fact, it makes us want to make other people feel good. So we find ways to do that, by seeking God's will. And then there you go, without even thinking about it, we manage to avoid a lot more sin!
Father,
It doesn't take much courage to point fingers at others. It takes much more courage to love. It means giving more of ourselves. Give us courage, Lord, and direct us in using it. Help us to win hearts for you through love. Amen.
Joys: Fun weekend with Richard and friends; Wedding countdown... 5 more days!; quiet mornings.
What a great quote. Avoiding sin is so unproductive. The phrase alone makes us believe that sin is doing things we shouldn't and makes us forget that sin is also in not doing what we should. If we focus all our energy on not doing sinful things, we then end up sinning by not doing the wonderful things God has planned for us to do.
So lets quit worrying about sin so much... our own, and our neighbors'. I think that's what has many of today's churches stuck... worrying about the sin of others. Do we really think that minimizes the look of our own sin in God's eyes? We may fool ourselves, but not our God. Do we really think the whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" thing makes us superior to the sinner we supposedly love? Let's just love the sinner and don't worry about the sin. Love will eventually take care of that for us.
Every godly person that I've ever held high regard for has been about love, not about avoiding sin. It is through the actions of people like these that I have seen God at work. There are a lot of people who who criticize "feel good Christianity" because it "doesn't tell the truth about sin." But the truth is that we who are sinners know sin. We need to know more about real love. God's kind of love, because few of us really know about that. And yes, it makes us feel good. So good in fact, it makes us want to make other people feel good. So we find ways to do that, by seeking God's will. And then there you go, without even thinking about it, we manage to avoid a lot more sin!
Father,
It doesn't take much courage to point fingers at others. It takes much more courage to love. It means giving more of ourselves. Give us courage, Lord, and direct us in using it. Help us to win hearts for you through love. Amen.
Joys: Fun weekend with Richard and friends; Wedding countdown... 5 more days!; quiet mornings.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Do Not Exploit the Poor
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, (Proverbs 22:22 NIV)
You may have seen this story in the various media lately... Recently, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch said in an interview that he only wanted “thin and beautiful” people to wear his clothes, which is why the largest woman’s size their stores carry is a 10.
People have been vocally critical, and rightly so. I defend this man's right to sell what he wants and to sell it to whomever he wants. But to say the things he said just makes him sound like a bully. That there is somehow something wrong with any woman over a size 10. I could picture him in high school laughing with his group of rich jock buddies at the overweight girl in her gym clothes trying to participate with her class. Yeah, I know the type.
One filmmaker thought a good response would be to find all the old A&F clothes he could find... from his closet and friend's closets... he even bought them from secondhand stores like Good Will and them gave them to homeless people on the street to wear. That ought to show the jerk CEO, right? Give his precious clothes to the poorest, ugliest, uncoolest people to wear. Wow. Not good.
All I have to do is imagine if that guy knocked on my door and said, "I want to teach the A&F CEO a lesson about his remarks, so how about wearing his clothes for me?" Geesh! This guy is just as bad. It is never okay to stigmitize people in order to promote a cause no matter how just we feel it is. It's just not okay to use poor people, or fat people, or disabled people (yeah, there was another story in the news about that!), or sick people, or USE people at all.
Really, the whole issue is so condescending and so superficial on both sides. Maybe if we just ignored it and went on with more important things in life like housing the homeless, and feeding the hungry, and giving love and compassion and a helping hand. Jesus never said, "when you disagree with someone, make them look like a fool." I don't think he would have had time for that. He was too busy helping and healing and comforting.
Lord,
When we are outraged, help us to be outraged at real injustice. And may our outrage move us to real, productive action. Amen.
Joys: Picking strawberries with Cecelia; looking forward to a weekend away; so much excitement coming up.... Kevin and Chelsea's wedding, a trip to the mountains with my Florida family, time at the beach with my boys and their families. A great summer ahead!
You may have seen this story in the various media lately... Recently, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch said in an interview that he only wanted “thin and beautiful” people to wear his clothes, which is why the largest woman’s size their stores carry is a 10.
People have been vocally critical, and rightly so. I defend this man's right to sell what he wants and to sell it to whomever he wants. But to say the things he said just makes him sound like a bully. That there is somehow something wrong with any woman over a size 10. I could picture him in high school laughing with his group of rich jock buddies at the overweight girl in her gym clothes trying to participate with her class. Yeah, I know the type.
One filmmaker thought a good response would be to find all the old A&F clothes he could find... from his closet and friend's closets... he even bought them from secondhand stores like Good Will and them gave them to homeless people on the street to wear. That ought to show the jerk CEO, right? Give his precious clothes to the poorest, ugliest, uncoolest people to wear. Wow. Not good.
All I have to do is imagine if that guy knocked on my door and said, "I want to teach the A&F CEO a lesson about his remarks, so how about wearing his clothes for me?" Geesh! This guy is just as bad. It is never okay to stigmitize people in order to promote a cause no matter how just we feel it is. It's just not okay to use poor people, or fat people, or disabled people (yeah, there was another story in the news about that!), or sick people, or USE people at all.
Really, the whole issue is so condescending and so superficial on both sides. Maybe if we just ignored it and went on with more important things in life like housing the homeless, and feeding the hungry, and giving love and compassion and a helping hand. Jesus never said, "when you disagree with someone, make them look like a fool." I don't think he would have had time for that. He was too busy helping and healing and comforting.
Lord,
When we are outraged, help us to be outraged at real injustice. And may our outrage move us to real, productive action. Amen.
Joys: Picking strawberries with Cecelia; looking forward to a weekend away; so much excitement coming up.... Kevin and Chelsea's wedding, a trip to the mountains with my Florida family, time at the beach with my boys and their families. A great summer ahead!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Laugh!
Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:6 NIV)
I've been reading about laughter this morning. Laughing has so many benefits for us... physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It lowers your blood pressure and releases endorphins.
God intends for us to be happy and healthy. When that doesn't happen it is in some way the work of Satan, or the brokeness of this world or however you want to view the opposite of God and his Kingdom. Satan is a big vacuum that longs to suck everything good out of our lives. The believer has tools to fight. Among them, faith, prayer, scripture.... and laughter.
Many medical doctors and psychologists say that we should have a good belly laugh each and every day. I think our pastors should recommend it too! There is even a yoga practice called laughter yoga where you take about 10 minutes each day to breathe in and breathe out and then just laugh. Experts (I'd love to be a laugh expert!) say it doesn't even have to be sincere laughter... just start laughing and you will get all the good stuff it offers. Of course it is much more fun to laugh because we find something funny!
Here is your laugh perscription for the day: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=RP4abiHdQpc
If that doesn't make you laugh out loud, the devil's already got your heart.
Father,
Thank you for the gift of laughter. Help us to learn to laugh at ourselves more than anything else.
Amen.
Joys: Time with Emma yesterday; a great day to go pick strawberries with Cecelia today; laughter
I've been reading about laughter this morning. Laughing has so many benefits for us... physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It lowers your blood pressure and releases endorphins.
God intends for us to be happy and healthy. When that doesn't happen it is in some way the work of Satan, or the brokeness of this world or however you want to view the opposite of God and his Kingdom. Satan is a big vacuum that longs to suck everything good out of our lives. The believer has tools to fight. Among them, faith, prayer, scripture.... and laughter.
Many medical doctors and psychologists say that we should have a good belly laugh each and every day. I think our pastors should recommend it too! There is even a yoga practice called laughter yoga where you take about 10 minutes each day to breathe in and breathe out and then just laugh. Experts (I'd love to be a laugh expert!) say it doesn't even have to be sincere laughter... just start laughing and you will get all the good stuff it offers. Of course it is much more fun to laugh because we find something funny!
Here is your laugh perscription for the day: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=RP4abiHdQpc
If that doesn't make you laugh out loud, the devil's already got your heart.
Father,
Thank you for the gift of laughter. Help us to learn to laugh at ourselves more than anything else.
Amen.
Joys: Time with Emma yesterday; a great day to go pick strawberries with Cecelia today; laughter
Monday, May 13, 2013
Freedom In Christ
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
Last night I watched the movie, "As Good As It Gets" in which Jack Nicholson plays a guy who could say the most unbelievably mean things to people, but... and at first simply to serve his own purposes... begins doing the most amazingly kind and generous things for a couple of people on the outskirts of his life.
It reinforced Pastor Chad's sermon yesterday morning. We are free in Christ. We can use that freedom to serve our own desires no matter who it hurts, or we can use that freedom to reach out to others. And like so much else God tries to teach us, there is a great paradox here. When we use our freedom to serve our own desires, we find ourselves prisoners of our desires. But when we use our freedom to serve others, we find all the joy and peace and happiness that true freedom can give.
I love when the Gospel message runs so opposite the messages of the world. I love the numerous, wonderful paradoxes found in the Gospel message. If only we had the courage it takes to tell the world to "take a hike." If only we could trust the Truth enough to believe it as truth. If all of us Christians who are supposed to live these paradoxes actually lived them, we would find God's kingdom right here on earth.
Lord God,
Help us to live free... really free; not the freedom the world offers, but the freedom you teach us. Amen.
Joys: Family cookout on Saturday; my sisters and their families coming for a visit in July... I can't wait! I miss my sisters!; fun weekend planned with Richard and some friends next week
Last night I watched the movie, "As Good As It Gets" in which Jack Nicholson plays a guy who could say the most unbelievably mean things to people, but... and at first simply to serve his own purposes... begins doing the most amazingly kind and generous things for a couple of people on the outskirts of his life.
It reinforced Pastor Chad's sermon yesterday morning. We are free in Christ. We can use that freedom to serve our own desires no matter who it hurts, or we can use that freedom to reach out to others. And like so much else God tries to teach us, there is a great paradox here. When we use our freedom to serve our own desires, we find ourselves prisoners of our desires. But when we use our freedom to serve others, we find all the joy and peace and happiness that true freedom can give.
I love when the Gospel message runs so opposite the messages of the world. I love the numerous, wonderful paradoxes found in the Gospel message. If only we had the courage it takes to tell the world to "take a hike." If only we could trust the Truth enough to believe it as truth. If all of us Christians who are supposed to live these paradoxes actually lived them, we would find God's kingdom right here on earth.
Lord God,
Help us to live free... really free; not the freedom the world offers, but the freedom you teach us. Amen.
Joys: Family cookout on Saturday; my sisters and their families coming for a visit in July... I can't wait! I miss my sisters!; fun weekend planned with Richard and some friends next week
Monday, May 6, 2013
Do You Want to Be Healed?
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6 NIV)
"Do you want to get well?" That is the question we must all ask ourselves. We all need healing of some sort. But many of us hold on to our maladies whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual, and refuse to let go. We let them define us. The become a convenient excuse for failing... for not being all we were created to be... the reason we are not as awesome as those we admire.
"Do you want to get well?" That is the question we must all ask ourselves. We all need healing of some sort. But many of us hold on to our maladies whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual, and refuse to let go. We let them define us. The become a convenient excuse for failing... for not being all we were created to be... the reason we are not as awesome as those we admire.
I often wonder about those Jesus healed. The man who had been blind all his life... the only thing he knew how to do was beg. What did he do when he could no longer use his blindness as a reason to beg? What about the woman who bled for so long? Did her family and friends suddenly take her in again or was she still ostracized, if only out of habit? And the man in the scripture above? Did he really want to be healed?
Jesus didn't wait for a real answer from the invalid by the pool. He healed him. Took away his excuses. Took away his very self-given identity. By healing him, Jesus told him God did not see him as an invalid, but a child of God every bit as valuable as anyone else. He was now going to have live life fully.
When, through no fault of our own, we are thrown out of our comfort zones, we have in reality been healed of something. It means God has taken away our excuses and we find ourselves faced with having to face life without a crutch that we had become used to. It can be really difficult. We may wish we could take back that infirmity and curl back up on our mats in a corner. But we can't. God says, "This is NOT who you are. You are amazing and talented and MY CHILD."
Father,
Help us to accept your healing so that we may move from the comfort of our infirmities into abundant life. Amen.
Joys: some one-on-one time with Cecelia; how much my preschoolers enjoyed making their prayer books in Sunday school; a warm, dry home
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Quoting Scripture
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23 NKJV)
Choosing the right words to convey exactly what you want to say can be tricky business. For instance, "read" and "peruse" generally mean the same thing, but "peruse" means to read with more attention to detail. You could use the words interchangable if you wanted to, but if you wanted to convey a more specific meaning, you would probably choose differently.
Imagine the job that those who translated the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek had before them. All those words that maybe had very nuanced meanings that the the translators might have missed. It can make for some serious mistranslations!
Take the verse above. "He will keep my word" is translated in the NIV as "He will obey my word." There is a very nuanced difference here. Does the "obey" translation want us to believe that if we don't follow God's laws... if we break even Jesus' commands to turn the other cheek and walk the extra mile and sell all we own and give it to the poor... does that mean God will not love us and make His home with us?
Whereas, "he will keep my word" has the nuanced meaning of treasuring and holding fast to God's word. Treasuring God's law doesn't mean that we won't fail miserably, it just means that all that is within us strives toward it. It's an important difference and it is a difference that might not be noticed if we simply pick and choose verses rather than taking scripture as a whole to know the nature of God. We know from the entire sweep of scripture that God will not reject us for not keeping the law but that he wants us to strive to keep it... for our own good, not his.
Be careful about quoting scripture. If you have some favorites, study them. Study their context. Study them in historical context. Study what the original words meant. Study scholars arguments about what they might mean in English. You may find that the original intention might not have been what you believe it means.
Father,
You have given us this awesome gift of your word in the Scriptures. Help us to be responsible with it. Help us to study it beyond the surface of our favorite translation. If we are to use it as a sword, we must be very careful. Amen.
Joys: Facebook and the ability to keep up with family through pictures, videos and updates; Emma crawling... sort of... she can at least get to where she wants to go!; 32 years of marriage today and a husband I love more today than on our wedding day.
Choosing the right words to convey exactly what you want to say can be tricky business. For instance, "read" and "peruse" generally mean the same thing, but "peruse" means to read with more attention to detail. You could use the words interchangable if you wanted to, but if you wanted to convey a more specific meaning, you would probably choose differently.
Imagine the job that those who translated the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek had before them. All those words that maybe had very nuanced meanings that the the translators might have missed. It can make for some serious mistranslations!
Take the verse above. "He will keep my word" is translated in the NIV as "He will obey my word." There is a very nuanced difference here. Does the "obey" translation want us to believe that if we don't follow God's laws... if we break even Jesus' commands to turn the other cheek and walk the extra mile and sell all we own and give it to the poor... does that mean God will not love us and make His home with us?
Whereas, "he will keep my word" has the nuanced meaning of treasuring and holding fast to God's word. Treasuring God's law doesn't mean that we won't fail miserably, it just means that all that is within us strives toward it. It's an important difference and it is a difference that might not be noticed if we simply pick and choose verses rather than taking scripture as a whole to know the nature of God. We know from the entire sweep of scripture that God will not reject us for not keeping the law but that he wants us to strive to keep it... for our own good, not his.
Be careful about quoting scripture. If you have some favorites, study them. Study their context. Study them in historical context. Study what the original words meant. Study scholars arguments about what they might mean in English. You may find that the original intention might not have been what you believe it means.
Father,
You have given us this awesome gift of your word in the Scriptures. Help us to be responsible with it. Help us to study it beyond the surface of our favorite translation. If we are to use it as a sword, we must be very careful. Amen.
Joys: Facebook and the ability to keep up with family through pictures, videos and updates; Emma crawling... sort of... she can at least get to where she wants to go!; 32 years of marriage today and a husband I love more today than on our wedding day.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
You're My Best Friend
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29 NIV)
About a year ago, Cecelia became familiar with the concept of "best friend." Imagine my joy when snuggling on my lap one day she said, "Kaymee, you are my best friend!" Well, it was only minutes later as we were talking about the fun she had with a little girl at church that she announced that "Raleigh is my best friend!" Haha... that knocked the wind out of my sails, but I recovered quickly and teased, "But I thought I was your best friend." Cecelia: "You are!" Me: "But you just said Raleigh is your best friend and you can only have one best friend." Cecelia: "Na-uh, Kaymee... EVERYBODY is my best friend!"
As I have watched her become more and more social over the last year, I believe it. Whoever Cecelia is interacting with, she treats them like the most important person in her life. She's attentive, she shares her feelings and wants to know how the other person feels. She is happy when they are happy and sad with them when they are sad. She loves to help her best friends and she misses each best friend when she hasn't seen them for a while... and when she does see them again, she shows her excitement.
I love this concept of treating everyone like our best friend. And isn't that what Jesus really asks of us? "Who is my neighbor" would translate in Cecelia's mind as "Who is my best friend?" Whoever we are interacting with... whether it be family, friend, co-worker, client, person serving us or complete stranger, we should be excited to see them and want to know how they are doing and in what ways we can help. We should be happy in their joy and share their grief. We should be attentive to what they say and how they feel.
Some people, like Cecelia, are just born with the tendency to be "best friends" to everybody. With some of us who are more introverted, it takes a different approach, and "best friends" may look a little different. But we all know how to care for one another... and that really is all God wants.
Father,
Help us to make everybody our best friend. Amen.
Joys: Lessons learned from watching children; a great shower for Chelsea last night; a little extra Emma time this week.
About a year ago, Cecelia became familiar with the concept of "best friend." Imagine my joy when snuggling on my lap one day she said, "Kaymee, you are my best friend!" Well, it was only minutes later as we were talking about the fun she had with a little girl at church that she announced that "Raleigh is my best friend!" Haha... that knocked the wind out of my sails, but I recovered quickly and teased, "But I thought I was your best friend." Cecelia: "You are!" Me: "But you just said Raleigh is your best friend and you can only have one best friend." Cecelia: "Na-uh, Kaymee... EVERYBODY is my best friend!"
As I have watched her become more and more social over the last year, I believe it. Whoever Cecelia is interacting with, she treats them like the most important person in her life. She's attentive, she shares her feelings and wants to know how the other person feels. She is happy when they are happy and sad with them when they are sad. She loves to help her best friends and she misses each best friend when she hasn't seen them for a while... and when she does see them again, she shows her excitement.
I love this concept of treating everyone like our best friend. And isn't that what Jesus really asks of us? "Who is my neighbor" would translate in Cecelia's mind as "Who is my best friend?" Whoever we are interacting with... whether it be family, friend, co-worker, client, person serving us or complete stranger, we should be excited to see them and want to know how they are doing and in what ways we can help. We should be happy in their joy and share their grief. We should be attentive to what they say and how they feel.
Some people, like Cecelia, are just born with the tendency to be "best friends" to everybody. With some of us who are more introverted, it takes a different approach, and "best friends" may look a little different. But we all know how to care for one another... and that really is all God wants.
Father,
Help us to make everybody our best friend. Amen.
Joys: Lessons learned from watching children; a great shower for Chelsea last night; a little extra Emma time this week.
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