(Source: jazzica-rabbit, via love-loss-and-dreams)
(Source: jazzica-rabbit, via love-loss-and-dreams)
(Source: myheadisreeling, via tenthousandangels)
Walking
As I watch my 12 month old toddling around the house, with sheer joy written across his face, I can’t help but smile. He is so proud. He is so sure of himself. He stops mid stride to get his balance, teetering from one side to the other, on the verge of collapsing to the floor. I say to him “Your doing so good D! Good Job!” He looks up from the precarious situation and smiles at me. Then with renewed focus he steadies himself and heads off again at break neck pace. He reaches a wall and tries to turn around gracefully only to tumble into a chubby pile. Then without hesitation he plants his feet, pops his head up to see if I’m watching and stands straight up to do it all over again. He has no clue that he’s not good at walking. There is no right or wrong way to learn to walk. You just keep trying and falling down and then trying again.
God gently gave me this thought while watching this today: Often people look at churches and “christians” and they think “You are such a mess. You say one thing and do another. Why would anyone chose to follow your God?” But I think it is often like watching a child learn to walk. You can’t judge my character as a parent by how well he walks, that would seem absurd. He is doing the best he knows how. He is a child. He is not complete is his formation. He is still learning. That is the same as most churches and Christians. They are children learning to walk. Only human in their understanding of Jesus. They can only comprehend so much of their Father. They are limited in their limited abilities by their humanity. They are growing, albeit a messy uncoordinated growth. And, as is often the case with children, they don’t necessary make the best choices. They often don’t consult their parents on the best approach. As with children, they go out into the world representing some facet of their parents but not a full image of who made them. They can go astray wreaking havok on the reputation of those who made them. They can even do horrible unthinkable things all while still using the name of those who made them. If you are to try to determine who someone’s parents are simply by watching their actions and listening to them speak, you might get a rough idea of who made them, but it certainly would be contradictory and definitely incomplete.
So often churches and christians think to they are fully complete in the Lord. They determine that they understand God and how he wants them to live and they go out into the world proclaiming and living from that belief. When in reality they are still children. They are still developing. There is still a lot that God needs to teach them and that they need to understand. They are falling down and getting up to try again. They are making a mess of Gods message at times but as a Father, God does not hate them. He does not smack them. He reaches down and helps them back to their feet, knowing they will fall again. Knowing they will use his name and make a mess of his reputation. He does this tirelessly because they are His children. Because they are still learning, because they are precious to Him even when they make Him look bad. God is hoping that you can see beyond His children. That you can forgive them for being uncoordinated and arrogant. That you can see beyond the mess they have made and see that He is not them. He is so much greater, so much stronger, so much more forgiving and loving than even the best of His children. And most of all……..He loves you exactly the same way!
The trouble is that rich people, well-to-do people, very often don’t really know who the poor are; and that is why we can forgive them, for knowledge can only lead to love, and love to service. And so, if they are not touched by them, it’s because they do not know them.”
Mother Teresa (1910-1997);
Mother Teresa (1910-1997);
Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ”
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968);
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968);
Helping, fixing and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.”
Rachel Naomi Remen -
Rachel Naomi Remen -
“Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
(Source: angielovesowls, via wordslessspoken)
not fair
I was at a friends super bowl party with both boys in tow. Trying to chase a one year and keep an ear open for the 4 year old. Carrying on conversations and being social with the rest of the freinds at the party. I guess my phone was on silent. I didn’t realize that. In the demands of the moment I forgot to check it for about two hours. At 7:30 I was sitting next to the diaper bag when I heard it softly ringing. I answered. You barked “Where the fuck are you?” “I’m at the superbowl party that I told you about.” “Why the fuck didn’t you answer your phone.” “I’ve been running around after the baby all night.” “SO thats your excuse? You were running around after the fucking baby? whatever g’night” Phones goes dead.
The rest of the story: I waited all day yesterday for you to call. Nothing. Nada. Not even a text. I stayed up late thinking you might just call to say goodnight but no you didn’t. Did I get mad? Not even a little bit. Because I knew you were taking care of things. I knew you were busy. It hurts my feelings that you don’t contact us at all one day then expect me to live by my phone the next.
The first half of life is invariably about creating identity, finding some boundary markers (traditions, trustworthy authorities and structures), making some money, getting an education, marrying, and raising children—which we then must defend for the rest of our lives. Most of us are so invested in these first answers by the age of 40, that we can’t imagine anything more—not realizing that “It’s still all about me!”
Christians in the first half of life became obsessed with dying a happy death and going to heaven. Even religion became a rather privatized evacuation plan for the next world, and the clergy seldom recognized that much of religion was trapped at the individualistic and egocentric level. No actual love of neighbor, outsider, the poor, or even God was really necessary. This is “garden variety” first half of life religion, and it has passed for the real thing for much of the Christian era.
– Richard Rohr, from “Loving the Two Halves of Life” (via wordslessspoken)
how to make my hair look like this…i’ve got the length and texture but I wonder if her hair is just naturally ringlet wavy???
(via my-heart-skips)
(Source: myreasontoexist)
Biirffday!
It’s my birfday! What a fun weekend we have had. Relaxing in the mountains, blue toenails, hottubs, and way yo much food and drink. I couldn’t have asked for more. I came home to candles and singing boys and birthday cards…. I’m one lucky woman. Grateful for a God that lavishes me with simple things.
(via love-loss-and-dreams)
