I love this message. The first time I heard/watched this sermon I couldn't get it's gospel truth out of my mind. It does an incredible job at bringing to light a powerful glimpse into an overlooked part of the Easter story!
HAPPY EASTER! He IS risen. I love this message. The first time I heard/watched this sermon I couldn't get it's gospel truth out of my mind. It does an incredible job at bringing to light a powerful glimpse into an overlooked part of the Easter story!
1 Comment
I'm sharing this blog post because I think it might be one of the most beautiful things I've read in a very long time. The words, it's powerful message, struck a chord in me that needed played desperately. I pray you too will be moved, inspired, and filled with hope about the greatness of our God after reading this. ~ Sarah Sometimes I imagine I’m going to walk into a hotel elevator and meet someone during the trip to the lobby who will end up playing a role in the rest of my life. It’s as though the encounter is seconds away from willing itself into existence at any given moment, and had I a digital countdown, I could lean against the wallpaper and let the elevator doors open and close while I watch the second hand tick its way down to my rendezvous with destiny. On one hand, I’d have all the vernacular ammunition I’d ever need for a straight shot of eloquence, but to somehow convince myself that such a sacred encounter happening this way would be “theoretically ideal,” that would be like training my voice to speak with a harsh accent that hurts my ears. It’s not about destiny at all because Darth Vader ISN’T MY REAL DAD!!!!!!!!! The bleakness of such a habitually forgetful/inattentive disposition unnerves me but it’s also what keeps me remembering where I am and what I’m supposed to be doing. So in a way, musings like these have purpose. Or at least challenges I can benefit from. Twenty years from now I imagine I’m going to feel like I missed out on something profoundly heartfelt when I look back on this pivotal scenario and the way it played out. Even if I loosen my grip long enough to steal an introspective moment out on the balcony, somehow I believe I’ll catch myself thinking, “I wish I’d been more assertive!” instead of idly letting life play out scene-by-scene in front of me. Maybe that’s just pre-concerted apathy but my brain tends to harbor some deep-rooted necessity to keep reminding me that this fateful meeting could happen at any moment (and of course it could) but more importantly, that I be ready and waiting in the wings to handle it the way I’ve already anticipated. It’s annoying but I’m so glad it doesn’t work like this. The caveat is that there’s NOTHING to be ANTICIPATED, or rather, it’s not my job to worry about it. Call it the common dwellings of reticent people but at the end of the day, it’s all smoke and mirrors. My mind is a house standing against a background of sheltering trees that cannot protect it from every whip of wind that bends quasi-romantic intellectual faculties into deviations of straight lines; rigid projections of backbones that show signs of curving or arcing over time. But I don’t worry about it. But more than this, I’m deeply comforted to know that no amount of absentminded woolgathering can reconstruct “the plan” into something that I must practice or rehearse for, even if I wanted to. It will be unplanned, unpremeditated, extempore, unconstrained, unforced, and the thought becomes more beautiful the more I think about it (or perhaps the more I try not to). Above and beyond all of this, I take great joy and comfort in knowing my Savior has it all blueprinted and planned down to the tiniest detail, and that my job isn’t to blubber and worry about the design – but to hush. To be concerned with the principles of morality, servanthood, discipleship and character, and ultimately, to trust. For what is faith without trust? "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." PSALM 33:4-6 In the same way that all good parents enjoy embarrassing their children, this teacher is always looking for ways to surprise and embarrass her students. I adore making my kids laugh. OR! Something I truly love is getting muffled head shake and hidden grin out of them. The video below is a direct example of all of the above (and maybe I wanted to know what it feels like to be a rock-star, even for a moment). I hope it makes you laugh, too. "Choreographed" by yours truly.
Song mashup edited by this gal, as well. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 The one thing I knew for sure when I graduated from college and moved out on my own was I wanted to get a dog. I wanted a dog more than I wanted a smart phone (I didn’t have a cell phone in high school and got my first dumb phone for university), more than I wanted brand new grown-up clothes, or even more than I wanted to have the opportunity to buy and make my own food (Goodbye cafeteria food!). As a result of this incessant desire for a dog, I was constantly checking local shelters’ adoption pages, trying to find my “perfect” dog. I moved into the first house I was renting at the end of July 2014 and a week later, I came home from a trip up north to PA to find a small rough looking stray tied in the outdoor runaround pen behind my house. Upon my arrival home, I texted my landlord asking, “Who is that cute little dog out there?” Now, at the time, calling this dog “cute” was really just being nice because in reality the dog was a mess. Its grey and black fur was so long and matted all over its body that you couldn’t even tell its gender. It walked with a limp in all four paws, was unbelievably thin and malnourished, and was covered in fleas and ticks the size of a push pin. Gross. Undoubtedly due to the fact that I’m an animal lover, when my landlady explained that our neighborhood often gets strays dumped by irresponsible owners, I couldn’t help but pity this sad dog she had saved from getting hit by a car. Consquently, I called my friend Brittany and we decided we would take an afternoon to clean up this very friendly, but unbeautiful little dog. It ended up taking us over three hours to hand cut out mat after mat entangled in the dog’s long fur. Boy, were we surprised what we found underneath the nastiness. It turned out the dog wasn’t limping because he was old, but because the fur on his paws was so matted that he was literally walking on burs. Underneath the filth and grime was a beautiful crème and red colored Lhasa Apso puppy barely a year old. Never have I seen a dog lay so incredibly still as we spent hours clipping out burs, pulling out ticks, and bathing him for fleas. This puppy was so starved for attention he was happy to let us poke and prod at him. Once he was roughly clipped and clean he was the happiest, most content puppy ever. He immediately began running and jumping and playing. He loved attention from people and animal alike. His tail, ugly and chopped super short after all the knots were cut out, always continued wagging incessantly. Despite his awful condition, I was convinced someone must be missing this pleasant little dog. It took about a month of searching the area for missing dog posters, examining local lost dog forums online, and even taking him to the vet to check for a micro-chip… before I realized I had fallen in love with this energetic and joyful pup. I gave him the name Benji after the famous canine movie star, due to his likeness in coloring to a life-sized stuffed animal I have that once belonged to my mom as a teenager. I didn’t realize how much of a blessing Benji would be. He’s so well behaved, content, and friendly. I’ve taught him over fifteen complicated tricks and there is nothing more encouraging than coming home to someone who is always happy to see you (no matter how late you are or how bad a day you’ve had). It was wonderful to have someone to care for and depend on you. Benji is not a large dog, he weighs a little less than 20lbs, but he has been perfect for my lifestyle. He’s never had an accident in the house, doesn’t destroy things, doesn’t eat much, and is the perfect travelling partner for all my adventures. Brittany says Benji is pretty much my personality embodied in canine form. However, I don’t think I realized how perfect Benji is for me until very recently. My friend Brittany, the same one who helped me clean up Benji at the beginning, recently adopted her second dog (Shout out to Echo and Montie!). Brittany and I have many things in common; one of them being we both really adore big dogs. When she was thinking about getting her second dog I started looking with her. I realized all the dogs I liked were massive animals. We’re talking Huskies, Labs, Shepherds, Dobermans, and Retrievers… BIG dogs. I really love big dogs! One afternoon after skimming through page after page full of big dogs, I turned to Brittany and said, “It’s a good thing that God brought Benji right to my backdoor, because if he had been in an adoption line-up I probably never would have picked him.” And what a loss that would have been for me! If you’ve met Benji, you know that God really knew the perfect dog for me. After having this thought I wondered... how often this is true in other aspects of my life? In my life, I often have this determined idea of what my “perfect” anything would be… I know what I like and what I want, but my preferences are always warped by selfishness and human error – the wrong perfect. God, on the other hand, always knows what my true “perfect” looks like. God knows the things that will bring me all encompassing joy and fulfillment because they come from Him. Sure, you’re saying, it’s just a dog, Sarah. But really when you break it down, it’s about more than just a dog. I’m sure that there have been countless moments in my life when God has given me the Perfect “perfect” and I haven’t even realized it. It’s a lesson not easily learned in this culture full of self-centeredness and instant gratification. Yet now, every time I look at my happy little dog I’m reminded how mindful the Lord is of me… even in the moments when I fail to be mindful of Him. A fresh goal I have in this New Year is to stop worrying about achieving what I, or the world, see as “perfect”… no longer is my definition of right and perfect going to be end-game. Instead, I desire to depend fully on God to always provide the truly PERFECT “perfect” for me in my life. The rewards are far sweeter and more abundant. "God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true." Psalm 18:30a
|
If you have any thoughts on any of my blogs please comment!
I love to get feedback! Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|