Just being..

Life is about just being, and loving, and doing, and watching. It is largely a human invention that we much make or accomplish something..Nike says "just do it" but as powerful as doing is...I think I can accomplish very little without help. Even the great man that ever lived.. spent most of his time loving... Even then, people wanted him to do.. Jesus mostly just loved people and taught, yet his every statement changed his world. from John 15 "apart from me you can do nothing"... so if you believe that it doesn't really matter what Nike says... :)

Psa. 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My essence, my soul, is unique. I am special.. but I am not better than others. I am here to love and be loved. I thank God for that tremendous gift. Christ redeems me, and allows me to be his. My music, my skill is all a gift that I am bound to use to help towards the ultimate salvation of the entire world.

Galatians 3:22-28 Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Any significant discussion of doing always ends up with a judgement of those who "obviously" aren't doing enough, or are doing the wrong things. Breaking the rules, not living up to expectations.. I love to judge just a much as anybody else, but it feels wrong... It is up to me to find ways to include not exclude those different from me... I ask for God's help in doing this. I try so hard not to judge..

My desire and ambition sends me down the road to excluding others, and showing that I am better than other.. by the world's standards of course... What a waste of energy. This hierarchy that we create for ourselves is at the root of our inability to embrace one another... We have to focus on our God, our savior.. and then we can figure out a way to live together.. My kids do their best, when they clearly understand what their focus should be.. They still stray, but they need me to guide them at the right level. I present a guiding principle and they find their way within it.. When I start making little petty rules, we all get in trouble...

So we are like the kids.. we must submit to the instruction of God, but we cannot deny our own ability and give up our unique value to support some institutional mold.. God didn't institute the hierarchy.. man did...

Lord, I release all my hopes and dreams to You this day. If there is anything that I am longing for is not to be a part of my life, I ask you to take it away the desire for it so that what SHOULD be in my life will be released to me. I lift up to You all that I desire, and I declare this day that I desire You more. I want the desires of my heart to line up with the desires of Your heart. I now take each step with the light of Your presence as my guide. AMEN
Jeremiah 23:16