December, 2003
“There is no greater invitation to love than loving first.” St. Augustine
Dear Friends and Family:
Many people agree that Christmas is about “love.” By this they might mean the love of presents or big fat men in red suits or time off from work. They might say that you can’t have Christmas at all without the love of a mother for her child or a husband for his wife or a family for their friends. And they’re right. Christmas is about love.
But this love is not cheap or simple or plain. If we think of the Christmas story itself, we will realize that the love God demonstrated when He sent Christ to the world is not merely warm and fuzzy or sentimental or weak.
God chooses to give the kind of love that is
fierce and full of Himself and wild and courageous and risky and dangerous and merciful and REAL.
So many of you have been my examples this year. You live out this kind of love. You have demonstrated right before my eyes how to give more of yourselves to Christ and to others. I have been with you—celebrating miracles, counting tears, laughing, seeking God’s will, getting to know you better, deeper, WELL. It has been quite a journey and here are a few things I’ve learned over the past 12 months that encourage me to praise Him more. These are evidences that God is LORD, in the Christmas story, and in my own life. Look at what He has done with his real, true, pure love:
God’s love is not predictable.
What do you do when God completely surprises you?
God chose a few lonely shepherds on a hillside to be the first to hear of Christ’s birth. What if they had said, “God, this is not the Savior we have in mind—send Him back and we’ll wait for the one we want?” I’ve learned this year in new ways that I never know what God is going to do tomorrow, who He’ll bring into my life, or how He’ll make use of things. What God desires is for my heart to be open to the amazing gifts He wants to give in my life—He will make me ready for the changes He ordains. One of many surprises is that in January I moved in with a new roommate, Christi Childs (TU ’97). We got reconnected after some years out of touch and she’s one of my greatest unexpected blessings this year! We have a beautiful townhome that’s often full of new and old friends, laughter, and late-night talks.
Another experience I didn’t expect this summer was the chance to travel to France! My sister Tiffany was a student there through an IU honors program. My mom had the opportunity to learn about the high school program overseas and I very quickly hopped on the plane with her! It was a three-week adventure: visiting the students, speaking the language, getting lost driving through miles of countryside, sitting on the rocks on the coastline at sunset…but the French people were my favorite part. We dove into their culture and got “out of our comfort zones.” I wish I could tell you about the whole trip. From café owners to cathedral visitors, from pedestrians to Parisians—we met so many incredible people. It was as if God was saying, “Look beyond what’s happening in your little corner. Open your eyes wider to see what I’m doing all over the world. I’ll show you step by step where I want you to go—in Indy, Chicago, overseas, or just next door…Participate with eagerness in the larger plan I have for you. GO! Give me glory wherever you are!”
God is not afraid to live, or to love.
What do you do when God says,
“Go! Love the way I ask you to! Live the way I want you to?”
At just the right time, God conceived a son in Mary. I’m sure she didn’t fully comprehend what this miracle would mean. But God’s plan is not dependent on our understanding. Mary’s answer was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). Oh, that we all might live with the kind of courage that is free to trust in God completely!
I am in my 5th year working at Traders Point Christian Academy, my 2nd year as the school counselor for students in preschool-8th grade. It’s a ministry that requires a lot of me and I’m learning all the time. Some days I’m reluctant and feel ill-equipped to involve myself in the children’s pain and trouble…I feel the weight of the responsibility of this type of ministry. Other days, I am ready to dive in because I recognize that God is working in me. I have so many stories of the things He has done to bring healing in students’ lives. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to record the growth I see in them daily, and to disciple them in their new faith.
I love getting down on the kid level, looking them in the eyes, and saying in different ways, “Getting better is going to be a lot of work. We’re going to cry and pray and wonder and wrestle with hard things. But we’re going to do this together. I’m not going to leave you when you’re hurting. It’s going to take a lot of time, but you are so worth it!”
God would do anything just to be with us.
What do you do when you realize His sacrifice?
When I consider the way God loves, I am in awe. He never gives up. He is unafraid. He loves until it hurts, then loves some more. He doesn’t think about what He will lose; His only thought is for His people. He gives up his most prized possession. Think about that. He didn’t send His son to simply visit us. He sent Christ to die for us. He wanted us to do MORE than exist. He wanted us to really live. His birth, His death, His Spirit left behind, His return someday for those who have given their hearts to Him…it’s all God’s way of saying, “I want to be with you.”
When I consider the way God loves, I am challenged. I want to really live, not for myself, but for God. I want to be OPEN to the plan of God—even when my heart is broken, as it has been this year. When I love, I want to give my whole self, patiently and purely. I want to stop counting the cost and start loving. I want to be found with my arms out-stretched, ready for all the joy and all the pain involved in people’s lives…Through Christ, I want my imperfect love to be fierce and full, wild and real, merciful and courageous, and so complete. Christ is the only true example of that kind of dangerous, honest love.
When we follow Him, we get it. We understand that real love is never simple, but it’s worth all the hard work. We understand that God gets the glory when we love well. And, we know that when we turn the next corner, God will surprise us with another chance to LIVE, to LOVE, to GIVE.
“Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us something we don’t want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Bible’s idea of sacrifice is that I give as love-gift of the very best thing I have.” Oswald Chambers
“There is no greater invitation to love than loving first.” St. Augustine
Dear Friends and Family:
Many people agree that Christmas is about “love.” By this they might mean the love of presents or big fat men in red suits or time off from work. They might say that you can’t have Christmas at all without the love of a mother for her child or a husband for his wife or a family for their friends. And they’re right. Christmas is about love.
But this love is not cheap or simple or plain. If we think of the Christmas story itself, we will realize that the love God demonstrated when He sent Christ to the world is not merely warm and fuzzy or sentimental or weak.
God chooses to give the kind of love that is
fierce and full of Himself and wild and courageous and risky and dangerous and merciful and REAL.
So many of you have been my examples this year. You live out this kind of love. You have demonstrated right before my eyes how to give more of yourselves to Christ and to others. I have been with you—celebrating miracles, counting tears, laughing, seeking God’s will, getting to know you better, deeper, WELL. It has been quite a journey and here are a few things I’ve learned over the past 12 months that encourage me to praise Him more. These are evidences that God is LORD, in the Christmas story, and in my own life. Look at what He has done with his real, true, pure love:
God’s love is not predictable.
What do you do when God completely surprises you?
God chose a few lonely shepherds on a hillside to be the first to hear of Christ’s birth. What if they had said, “God, this is not the Savior we have in mind—send Him back and we’ll wait for the one we want?” I’ve learned this year in new ways that I never know what God is going to do tomorrow, who He’ll bring into my life, or how He’ll make use of things. What God desires is for my heart to be open to the amazing gifts He wants to give in my life—He will make me ready for the changes He ordains. One of many surprises is that in January I moved in with a new roommate, Christi Childs (TU ’97). We got reconnected after some years out of touch and she’s one of my greatest unexpected blessings this year! We have a beautiful townhome that’s often full of new and old friends, laughter, and late-night talks.
Another experience I didn’t expect this summer was the chance to travel to France! My sister Tiffany was a student there through an IU honors program. My mom had the opportunity to learn about the high school program overseas and I very quickly hopped on the plane with her! It was a three-week adventure: visiting the students, speaking the language, getting lost driving through miles of countryside, sitting on the rocks on the coastline at sunset…but the French people were my favorite part. We dove into their culture and got “out of our comfort zones.” I wish I could tell you about the whole trip. From café owners to cathedral visitors, from pedestrians to Parisians—we met so many incredible people. It was as if God was saying, “Look beyond what’s happening in your little corner. Open your eyes wider to see what I’m doing all over the world. I’ll show you step by step where I want you to go—in Indy, Chicago, overseas, or just next door…Participate with eagerness in the larger plan I have for you. GO! Give me glory wherever you are!”
God is not afraid to live, or to love.
What do you do when God says,
“Go! Love the way I ask you to! Live the way I want you to?”
At just the right time, God conceived a son in Mary. I’m sure she didn’t fully comprehend what this miracle would mean. But God’s plan is not dependent on our understanding. Mary’s answer was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). Oh, that we all might live with the kind of courage that is free to trust in God completely!
I am in my 5th year working at Traders Point Christian Academy, my 2nd year as the school counselor for students in preschool-8th grade. It’s a ministry that requires a lot of me and I’m learning all the time. Some days I’m reluctant and feel ill-equipped to involve myself in the children’s pain and trouble…I feel the weight of the responsibility of this type of ministry. Other days, I am ready to dive in because I recognize that God is working in me. I have so many stories of the things He has done to bring healing in students’ lives. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to record the growth I see in them daily, and to disciple them in their new faith.
I love getting down on the kid level, looking them in the eyes, and saying in different ways, “Getting better is going to be a lot of work. We’re going to cry and pray and wonder and wrestle with hard things. But we’re going to do this together. I’m not going to leave you when you’re hurting. It’s going to take a lot of time, but you are so worth it!”
God would do anything just to be with us.
What do you do when you realize His sacrifice?
When I consider the way God loves, I am in awe. He never gives up. He is unafraid. He loves until it hurts, then loves some more. He doesn’t think about what He will lose; His only thought is for His people. He gives up his most prized possession. Think about that. He didn’t send His son to simply visit us. He sent Christ to die for us. He wanted us to do MORE than exist. He wanted us to really live. His birth, His death, His Spirit left behind, His return someday for those who have given their hearts to Him…it’s all God’s way of saying, “I want to be with you.”
When I consider the way God loves, I am challenged. I want to really live, not for myself, but for God. I want to be OPEN to the plan of God—even when my heart is broken, as it has been this year. When I love, I want to give my whole self, patiently and purely. I want to stop counting the cost and start loving. I want to be found with my arms out-stretched, ready for all the joy and all the pain involved in people’s lives…Through Christ, I want my imperfect love to be fierce and full, wild and real, merciful and courageous, and so complete. Christ is the only true example of that kind of dangerous, honest love.
When we follow Him, we get it. We understand that real love is never simple, but it’s worth all the hard work. We understand that God gets the glory when we love well. And, we know that when we turn the next corner, God will surprise us with another chance to LIVE, to LOVE, to GIVE.
“Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us something we don’t want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Bible’s idea of sacrifice is that I give as love-gift of the very best thing I have.” Oswald Chambers
No comments:
Post a Comment