Selflessness.
Its the core to every emotional response. How deserving is another of your grace? Are they so conscious about others that your heart reaches out to them?
Gratitude.
The neighbor of the selfless. Those who appreciate. How are the two different? One has the presence of mind to be grateful and give thanks. The other is responding to self-defeating acts. At a time when someone was left in despair, they still had the consciousness and piece of mind to again think of others before themselves.
The two go hand in hand, the underlying meaning always being love.
How can one live in such a present state of mind that both are the essence of yourself? You can’t, only Jesus did that–so don’t feel bad :)
Speaking of JC, he and I connected in a whole new way this week as a result of a recent service at Flatirons Church. For you readers out there who have been following my journey for a while now I’ll catch you up… I’ve finally begun to establish some roots!
Along my journey I’ve been told several times I needed to establish more roots, they all knew it and so did I. I should comment though how courteous you all were about telling me! Truth is, I wasn’t ready to settle, not until I’d made a larger leap of faith I felt destined for.
Arriving
A typical Saturday–yes I attend service on Saturday now (I know weird right?). I’m volunteering to help set up signs for the college ministry students to know they have the balcony reserved for them. The 6:45 night service is technically the service for the college ministry–because awesome.
The Sermon
We’re starting a new series today, coined “Imagine.” The service starts with John Lennon’s “Imagine” performed by the church rock band.
Pastor Jim had his own reservations toward the lyrics (i.e. “Imagine there’s no heaven” didn’t sit well with him), but fully agreed with the vision of and trending thought pattern. I’ll explain why from my own point of view.
What really stuck out to me? Bluntly put, “Our Father.”
During service we broke down the Lords prayer. Pastor Jim stops reading after only reciting “Our Father” and talks to us about the significance of the way Jesus referred to God whilst praying. In biblical times it was improper to ever speak about our Lord as anything but “The Father,” and for Jesus to say Our Father was a big deal. Jesus was answering questions, he was teaching us how to pray and he was speaking as if God actually were his father–and he could speak to him that way.
Bring it back… so lets imagine…. if God actually were Our Father?
Think about the barriers you would have to go through to talk to the most powerful being in the world. For example the President of the United States. There are two girls, the president’s daughters, living in the white house that have access to speak with their dad any time they want. They don’t have to go through all the checkpoints you or I would have to go through to have a word.
Our relationship with God is the same way. He is the Almighty. The All-Powerful. He Is Our Father…
and we can talk to him any time we want.
We don’t have to hide, he wants to hear from us. When we have no one to listen, he is our endearing ear.
The same week I receive this message from Pastor Jim I received another message from a great from of mine, Rachel Jones (she reads a lot). I believe the message she sent aligns with my new view on how anyone can communicate with our father in heaven. I’m going to leave you with this message, as I feel it sets a new stage for us all. Until next time, farewell friends :)
He is your Father, and His role is to protect you; He will comfort you and guide you. He will feed you; He will carry you when you are weak. He will seek you out when you go astray; He will help you in times of trouble. He will not let your enemies go unpunished; He will cherish you like a father cherishes his daughter. When you fall, He will pick you up; when you don’t understand, He will always understand.
When you feel like life is weighing you down, He will lift you up. When you feel like giving up, He will encourage you to keep going. When you are sad, He will lighten your spirits. When you need advice, His line is open 24-7. When you feel unsafe, He will be your safety; when you are worried, He will be an ear to your concerns. When you feel burdened, offer your burden to Him and He will take it. Where you have been burnt, He will make you beautiful; where you hurt, He will heal. Whenever you feel lonely, He will always be with you.
Where others have not supported you, He will support you. When you feel discouraged, He will be your encouragement. Where you don’t know, He will tell you when the time is right. When you feel unloved, remember that He has always loved you.
You see limitations; God sees opportunities. You see faults; God sees growth. You see problems; God sees solutions. You see limitations; God sees possibilities. You see life; God sees eternity.
–Corallie Buchanan