Today was one of those lazy days for me. Even though so much happened, I let it slip right past me and before I knew it, the day was over. Do you ever let that happen to you? Any way’s; Even with all the stuff going on though out the day, I had this feeling, deep inside my gut. It’s kind of a nauseous feeling, but I know that I’m not sick. It always happens to me on days when I am just beat, and I decide to do absolutely nothing but be lazy. I don’t know why its there, or what its there for. All I do know for sure is that when I let life slip by and be lazy for a day, it comes. I’ve been thinking all night about this “feeling”, and about all my decisions I made today concerning my actions and my thoughts. See; I love to ask questions. And I believe that all followers of Jesus Christ should be asking question after question, day after day. Questions are good. They are not scary. What is scary are people who don’t have any. And like Rob Bell says, “what is tragic is faith that has no room for them”. The reason why questions are so beautiful is that they give us freedom. Freedom that I don’t have to be God and I don’t have to pretend that I have it all figured out. I can let God be God. Remember that “when everything gets answered its fake. The mystery is the truth.” – Sean Penn. I am not afraid to ask questions, and I was asking them all night long. I started to think about everything I’ve been learning in the past few months. I thought about everything from getting in tune with perfect reality, to learning how to spend my quite time. And just then it hit me like a ton of bricks; a slap from Jesus if you will. I asked myself this one question, “What have we been grateful for today?”
WOW. How could I have been so blind? Just realizing all the amazing things God as put in my life today, and I just looked right past everything. Even the little things that occur everyday; but I never think of them. Why don’t we go through my day together so we can both see how stinkin’ blessed I am (and I’m not trying to brag. Most of us in America are guilty of blindness towards our blessings. It just feels really good to start realizing your own.).
Here’s a short list of things that went on in Chris Ward’s life today….
1). Woke up with two of my best friends. (Yes, we had a sleep over)
2). My sister came down from Anthem for the day to hang out with me.
3). I got to play amazing, glorifying, and really loud worship for my church.
4). I got to hand out with a group of my best friends after church.
5). I went swimming with everyone from church and with all my roommates. (We love to jump off the roof. And for all my Oregonian friends back home, yes it’s March 12th and I’m already swimming.)
6). Went to practice for a big Easter recital at my church. (Recital isn’t always a great word that makes you feel excited about anything, but I got to play the drums. And not matter where, when, or for what; if I’m playing the drums, I’m content.)
7). Hung out and relaxed, played ping-pong, shot some pool, watched movies, played video games, and took a nice nap.
What a day! And there is so much more that I am thankful for. But when I was going over this list I was thinking about a lot more things. I started to ask even more questions. Doesn’t this look like the typical American list of blessings to be thankful for? It’s always a list of everything that we DON’T take for granite. What about all those small things that happen every day of our life. See we have convinced our selves that they are going to be there tomorrow. But isnt that just defying God? Isn't our confidence of what will come tomorrow kind of an open invitation for God to come and take it away? THANK GOD for a roof over my head. THANK YOU JESUS for shoes on my feet and something in my stomach. Aren’t these just as much, if not more of a blessing then the list above? I don’t know though, you tell me what is more important; a swimming pool or food in my stomach? A drum set or a roof over my head? Everyday I look past these things because I always think of them as these little blessings. Just like everyone else, i look past them beause i am confident that they will be there tomorrow. But who am I to test God’s power? How do I know for certain that all these things will be there tomorrow? I don’t; and neither does anyone else on this planet. But now I do know to thank God for everything I have, while I have it. Even those little things in life. My shoes, my shirts, my jeans, my toothbrush, my running water, my crappy old car, my cellphone. How could i have ever been so selfish? Think about your life, and your blessings. What are you thankful for; and what should you be thankful for?
It’s kind of funny though, now that I understand; because that feeling I had in my stomach all day, just seemed to disappear……
Remember to keep asking those questions.... they will help you grow.
.......thank you Jesus.........
Monday, March 12, 2007
Friday, March 9, 2007
Open My Eyes
Love people even in their sin, for that is the semblance (appearance) of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all of God’s creation, the whole and ever grain of sand of it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants; love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
Once some one told me, “all truth is God’s truth”. Many people believe in many different religions around the world, and say that they believe in different things then us “Christians” do. What we as Christians need to understand is that we don’t know it all. Nor will we ever know it all; until we ascend into heaven. But if we realize this (that we don’t know everything), and believe it, that will set us apart from others. If we understand that there is no way to know every truth about God, or every truth about life, then we will be able to see truth all around us. You can even see truth through the eyes of an atheist. Love everything around you, and God will show you his truth. Center your whole life on love, and you will see Jesus. Because he told us that he is the way, the TRUTH, and the light. All truth is God’s truth, no matter whose mouth it comes from.
Most of us believe that there is some secret to God. That one day we are going to dig something up, or read something new in the Bible, and all his secrets are going to be revealed to us. Some people believe that you need to do good deeds to understand God. Or that you need to pray every day, and he will reveal himself to you. What these people don’t understand is that there is no answer. What they don’t understand is that this reality that we are living in, this “life”, is God. It’s not a matter of problem-solving; it’s a matter of consciousness. Open your eyes, and enjoy the NOW, because that’s God. Understand that you can’t earn God. You can’t prove yourself worthy of God. Feelings God’s presence is simply a matter of awareness.
This is a conversation between a Zen master to his disciple…. Listen to this truth.
“Is there anything I can do to make myself enlightened?”
-“As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.”
“Then of what are the spiritual exercises that you prescribe?”
-“To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.”
Father, help me open my eyes. Help me love my life; because love is the core of happiness. Love is the center and circumference that makes this pitiful world spin. If only we all knew that, think of how fast it would twirl with your truth. God I pray that I become more aware and more in tune with the reality around me. Then I will be able to see you with eyes that are my own. Eyes that shine light through the soul of my body, and reflect on my heart. Because when I am full of your light, I am full of love; I am full of you. I love you father, thank you for my life…..
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
Once some one told me, “all truth is God’s truth”. Many people believe in many different religions around the world, and say that they believe in different things then us “Christians” do. What we as Christians need to understand is that we don’t know it all. Nor will we ever know it all; until we ascend into heaven. But if we realize this (that we don’t know everything), and believe it, that will set us apart from others. If we understand that there is no way to know every truth about God, or every truth about life, then we will be able to see truth all around us. You can even see truth through the eyes of an atheist. Love everything around you, and God will show you his truth. Center your whole life on love, and you will see Jesus. Because he told us that he is the way, the TRUTH, and the light. All truth is God’s truth, no matter whose mouth it comes from.
Most of us believe that there is some secret to God. That one day we are going to dig something up, or read something new in the Bible, and all his secrets are going to be revealed to us. Some people believe that you need to do good deeds to understand God. Or that you need to pray every day, and he will reveal himself to you. What these people don’t understand is that there is no answer. What they don’t understand is that this reality that we are living in, this “life”, is God. It’s not a matter of problem-solving; it’s a matter of consciousness. Open your eyes, and enjoy the NOW, because that’s God. Understand that you can’t earn God. You can’t prove yourself worthy of God. Feelings God’s presence is simply a matter of awareness.
This is a conversation between a Zen master to his disciple…. Listen to this truth.
“Is there anything I can do to make myself enlightened?”
-“As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.”
“Then of what are the spiritual exercises that you prescribe?”
-“To make sure you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.”
Father, help me open my eyes. Help me love my life; because love is the core of happiness. Love is the center and circumference that makes this pitiful world spin. If only we all knew that, think of how fast it would twirl with your truth. God I pray that I become more aware and more in tune with the reality around me. Then I will be able to see you with eyes that are my own. Eyes that shine light through the soul of my body, and reflect on my heart. Because when I am full of your light, I am full of love; I am full of you. I love you father, thank you for my life…..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
