Lately I've felt that I'm fighting time. Being a college student at the end of another semester time always seems to slip away, making it impossible to do anything productive or worth while. It is interesting to see how people behave when it comes down to crunch time. While many people will have there own version of freaking out: crying because they are overwhelmed, screaming because they don't understand or becoming hermits because they need to figure out exactly what the text book is saying. In the midst of all these kinds of people you will find those who are relaxed, laid back and acting the same way they would if they were on a vacation in the Bahamas.
Usually I'm one of those in the latter group, but this semester I've found myself locked in my room screaming at the text book and on the verge of crying and just giving up. What changed? Why all the sudden am I freaking out and not my usual laid back self? I let life take me over. I'll say it again, I let life take me over.
Instead of living life I became one who was knocked over by it. Rather than making everything I do a decision I instead fell into letting life throw me for loops that ended up going nowhere. Now for those of you thinking "Aren't you supposed to be surrendered?" I'll say one thing, yes. I, like the rest of us, am supposed to be surrendered to God. I feel like so many people skew this notion of being surrendered to God into something that makes them a prisoner of the world, rather then a fugitive of it. We are fugitives aren't we? According to the dictionary a fugitive is "a person who has escaped from a place." If we are believers, if we are saved, we are those who have been broken out of the prison which is the world.
So if we are meant to be surrendered doesn't that mean letting go and just moving with the flow? The answer is yes, and no, we must remember that if we are fugitives we are working in opposition to the rest of the world and its practices. We do this is by LIVING ON PURPOSE.
When we LIVE ON PURPOSE we don't just get caught up with the world, instead we do everything for the specific reasoning of serving and bringing glory to the original jail bird, Jesus Christ. When we LIVE ON PURPOSE every thought, decision and action should be running through the filter that is servanthood. When we live our lives through the perception of serving others, through the act of freeing others from this prison, everything else that we do; school, work, conversations, driving, eating, sleeping, buying clothes, going to the movies, hanging out with friends, all of it, will be for a reason. If we are able to live lives on purpose, an believe me its not easy, but if we are able to even do it for a matter of minutes why would we ever let ourselves get caught up in the endless spin cycle of this world's worries.
My friends, live on purpose, move for a reason, be fugitives to this place which is temporary.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
The ride
Have you ever been on a roller coaster?
I know a lot of people are scared of them, I definitely get freaked out before I hop on a little cart on a rickety track. It is so cool though, as soon as I'm in line I go from being scared to being anxious. They aren't the same thing.
Fear keeps us away from things while being anxious gives us that boost to push through.
From the time I get in the seat to when I'm about to go down that first hill my anxious emotions turn into excitement.
Right before the first drop, hands go up, why, who knows.
Maybe because we are so excited we can't control ourselves, maybe it's because of the feeling we get as we go down the hill not holding on to anything.
That's it, the excitement of letting go.
Once we let go, we go down the hill, around a bend, up another.
first time on the ride, everything is new, everything is exciting, scary.
Second or third time on the ride, we think we know what is next, but there are different jolts, different bumps.
The cart slows, comes to a stop, exhale, THAT WAS AWESOME.
We were scared, excited, bruised from our knees hitting the seat in front of us, but at the end of it the ride was amazing.
Every single one of us is on a roller coaster, all the time.
For some they are just walking by, looking at the others, scared to see what it is about.
That is a tragedy.
Some take the walk over, confuse being anxious for being scared and back out at the last minute.
Some are confident, take the walk, stand in line, sit in the seat but turn into scared kids on Halloween when the first drop comes, too afraid to look at what comes next.
Others are curious, scared at first, anxious while on line, excited throughout the ride, even when it is broken by moments of fear.
Ever go into a church?
If you have what did it look like.
Maybe you walked in to a church, heard some song, felt some weird emotion or nervousness. Then you looked around and tons of people had their hands up, reaching towards the sky.
Looks really weird right?
Maybe you've seen it on tv and wondered why these people are insane, I know I have.
Welcome to the roller coaster. What you are seeing is people excited and passionate about the ride they are on. Even if the ride is interrupted by dips, dives, jolts and bumps, they are still excited enough to lift their hands.
This ride doesn't have a height requirement, it doesn't even have seat belts.
It is all about letting go of what is safe, and reaching to the sky because it just seems right...
I know a lot of people are scared of them, I definitely get freaked out before I hop on a little cart on a rickety track. It is so cool though, as soon as I'm in line I go from being scared to being anxious. They aren't the same thing.
Fear keeps us away from things while being anxious gives us that boost to push through.
From the time I get in the seat to when I'm about to go down that first hill my anxious emotions turn into excitement.
Right before the first drop, hands go up, why, who knows.
Maybe because we are so excited we can't control ourselves, maybe it's because of the feeling we get as we go down the hill not holding on to anything.
That's it, the excitement of letting go.
Once we let go, we go down the hill, around a bend, up another.
first time on the ride, everything is new, everything is exciting, scary.
Second or third time on the ride, we think we know what is next, but there are different jolts, different bumps.
The cart slows, comes to a stop, exhale, THAT WAS AWESOME.
We were scared, excited, bruised from our knees hitting the seat in front of us, but at the end of it the ride was amazing.
Every single one of us is on a roller coaster, all the time.
For some they are just walking by, looking at the others, scared to see what it is about.
That is a tragedy.
Some take the walk over, confuse being anxious for being scared and back out at the last minute.
Some are confident, take the walk, stand in line, sit in the seat but turn into scared kids on Halloween when the first drop comes, too afraid to look at what comes next.
Others are curious, scared at first, anxious while on line, excited throughout the ride, even when it is broken by moments of fear.
Ever go into a church?
If you have what did it look like.
Maybe you walked in to a church, heard some song, felt some weird emotion or nervousness. Then you looked around and tons of people had their hands up, reaching towards the sky.
Looks really weird right?
Maybe you've seen it on tv and wondered why these people are insane, I know I have.
Welcome to the roller coaster. What you are seeing is people excited and passionate about the ride they are on. Even if the ride is interrupted by dips, dives, jolts and bumps, they are still excited enough to lift their hands.
This ride doesn't have a height requirement, it doesn't even have seat belts.
It is all about letting go of what is safe, and reaching to the sky because it just seems right...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Crazy
I know this blog seems weird, hey I might be insane, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Through conversations and actions I know people seek things which our society has placed value in. But if these values, and no I'm not just talking about money, or drugs, or any of those other things we see many around us doing, I'm talking about all those and the general lack of care we seem to have for anyone or anything outside our own personal bubble.
But if these things are all we are meant to live for then what would we die for? Would we die for a chance to make an extra buck? Would we die for the things we are already surrounded by? Of course not, that's irrational. We already have these things so why risk our lives for them?
So what do people chose to die for? Countries, religions, friends, family. When people die for those they don't know we call them heroes, when someone dies in a failed attempt at more money we call them fools.
Is anyone seeing a problem here? If we die for the things accepted by society we are fools, if we die for things outside ourselves we are heroes, so why do we still yearn for the things of our cultures?
My friends, life is full of questions, but most get too caught up in living to ask why they are alive.
But if these things are all we are meant to live for then what would we die for? Would we die for a chance to make an extra buck? Would we die for the things we are already surrounded by? Of course not, that's irrational. We already have these things so why risk our lives for them?
So what do people chose to die for? Countries, religions, friends, family. When people die for those they don't know we call them heroes, when someone dies in a failed attempt at more money we call them fools.
Is anyone seeing a problem here? If we die for the things accepted by society we are fools, if we die for things outside ourselves we are heroes, so why do we still yearn for the things of our cultures?
My friends, life is full of questions, but most get too caught up in living to ask why they are alive.
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