Losing Your Life

blood_16
Originally uploaded by andebos.

There is such pain in the lives of people around me - it's so evident...I know I quickly go through my life focusing on the daily ins and outs of life that I forget to just stop and see the tears in the eyes around me. I noticed this today as I caught Claudia crying - I still do not know why...she didn't mention why when we asked. But the point is this - are we so busy keeping our own lives that we miss others lives? and in so, our own? I stayed up until four in the morning talking with a friend the other night - she was in excrutiating pain (as was I went to teach my 5th graders in the morning) but we spent the whole night discussing the pains and hidden spots of pain in her life - and though it was completely focused on her...I related and understood my own pain through our discussion, even though we never talked about me. This truth is amazing - we worry all the time about what's going on in my life - we focus so often on our own pain, circumstances, problems, successes, whatever...and in the end we miss ourselves.

Jesus nailed it when he said " Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self." (Matthew 26:24-25 Message) I worry sometimes about the things I focus upon, even in my christian walk. There is an awakening inside me that, though I focus on Christ, it's only Christ in me. And all around my life there Christ is working - and as I join Him there, I see Him there...and finally understand Him in me. I've wondered a lot about John 5: 39-40. " You have your heads in your bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want." Convicting words - and I finally think I understand it. Christ is doing miracles all around - and I'm NOT seeing it, are you? I do believe it is possible to be focused on where we think God is and what he's doing...and totally miss Christ in our midst because I've defined God in a way that limits his true identity. Not only that - but I'm missing the places where God wants me to help him work...the spaces and people he has reserved for me. Maybe it's just late night ramblings, or maybe it's a wake up call. I have some reflective questions but I'll pause on them until I can get them more clearly written.

One last thing to mention, I was checking out Tim Keel's blog (pastor at Jacob's Well) the other day when I noticed a link to an article he wrote in Leadership Journal. It's worth a read about preaching - though it's a style of preaching I believe it represents a way we should relate in everyday life. You'll have to do a double click - once to the blog then to the article...here's the site name

http://dougsdigs.blogspot.com/2005/02/naked-in-pulpit.html