the Word

My soul makes its boast in the Lord. What is it? What is it about these precious words written thousands of years ago by a young king writing psalms to his divine lover. How is it that it soaks so deep into my spirit when I let it. These words are just different. They aren't like anything else I've ever read. Magnify the Lord with me. Lets not worry about how or when but just join and magnify him. The world may be magnifying Christmas trees and Walmart deals and final exams, but there is only one who is above and beyond and better than this world, and that is our Jesus. I was afraid I didn't have anything to write about again and Paul's words rose from within: we have nothing to preach but Christ and him crucified. We're not coming with fancy words or shiny presentations or crafted arguments. Just a people crying out to Jesus, knowing that we have found refuge in Him. Nothing else brings refuge. Maybe my only regret from a really lovely time home with the family is that I didn't take time to hide in Him. As if I thought I should spend all my time with seeing people. The catch is that I can love only when I am loved first. I'm learning that spiritual growth isn't like world growth where you grow and then you just kind of stay at that point. I  have not become more loving or Christ like. I simply have submitted more to Christ and leaned into Him an awful lot more on a daily basis. But if I wake up in the morning and rely on my own strength and love then it will fall pitifully short no matter how beautiful yesterday or the week or the month has been. Its not that my love is growing it is that Christ's love is growing in me. I'm just as human as I always have been. I don't have time not to be with Him for an hour or two, just us, because its all about him in me. When its just me then of course I'll act the way I always have and it will be like traveling back in time to before college. Just like I keep telling people how much I love college but really its Christ that I love. Not college at all. I mean college is where and how I am with him but college without Christ-I cant even imagine it. Not just in the direct sense, but it would be college without community, without worship, without heart to hearts, without entering into brokenness of my own life and the brokenness of others and knowing that there is restoration and all restoration is in Him. College without Jesus would be college without light. And home without Jesus would be home without light. But the crazy beautiful thing is that light comes barging in even when we forget to open the door. Being home has been treasure. Decorating, eating together, laughter, family movies, wyldlife girls, seeing old friends, being loved and cherished. Luckily for us, Jesus lets himself in. So even when I didn't rest in Him because I was too "busy" or it was too hard to find a space, or whatever other reason, He came. And he continues to come. Jesus is alive. And those who look to Him are radiant. They become alive as well. I met two homeless men yesterday whose radiance only belonged to Christ and it hit me again that pure radiance, full life, is about Christ. There was far more light in those standing outside on a cold morning, in hands joining in prayer, in family in Christ, than in the craziness of black friday shopping and spending hundreds and maybe saving hundreds too. But full shopping carts offer no radiance. Not that shopping is bad, I had the best time doing it with my mom. Shopping and all these other cultural-societal things can certainly be great and even honorable to God. It just promises life and can't deliver it. But if we come to Christ first we can fully enjoy all these other Christmasy things knowing full well that our life rests in a different kingdom all together.