Love Powerfully Simplifies

I sit on a wooden swing alone, surveying a glassy lake surrounded by tall green trees and matching the grey-blue cloud filled sky above in color and calmness, though as always the water is not fully still. An expanding ripple seems to constantly be in motion in the water nearest to me, and as I look further out I can see the methodical movement with the imperceptible breeze, that though I can feel I can hear it whisper through the leaves. And as I sit I am reminded of God. Always Him. The one who brought me here. The one who owns my life. The one who knows me in a way that no one else ever has or ever will. The one closer than the breeze that blows the little wisps of hair and far greater and grander than all the things that I have seen on this incredible journey-all this is is only a millimeter of His handiwork. There is much to be said. About camp. About the drive from Montenegro to Finland. About the work that has been done in my heart and the hearts of those around me, about things that have been learned, joyfully and painfully...but to speak of anything other than Him-it would be irrational. Like asking someone to look at a little pebble at the Grand Canyon. My experience here has been more than I could have hoped or imagined, but it (and I) am only a pointer to the Great One, to the Alpha and Omega. He really, really loves us. God really loves people. All of them. Every last one. From the most spectacular to the most detestable. And if anyone saw my soul, they would know that I am among the detestable. I was written to by someone very, very wise who said that they were praying that I would find as much contentment in the day to day life given the dramatic and rich experiences I have had-knowing my temptation and my sinfulness so well. It would be just like me to go home and be unsatisfied with "normal" life, to forget that the JEsus that I follow and give my life to here is the same Jesus I will follow and give my life to every single day in the states or wherever I am. Life is made of the hum drum. Disciples are made in the hum drum. Death to self occurs in the valleys where there is little emotion and little excitement and little "spiritual high." Christianity is all about death and resurrected life. It is what Christ did for us-and the weight of that we must dwell on more, lean into more, seek to understand more and more. How tempted I am to let it become old when it is new everyday-his putting on of my sins, paying my punishment, and giving me his robes of righteousness. Its also about participating in BOTH the death and resurrection ourselves. We die with him-dying to our needs, our desires, our searching for the spectacular, our endless seeking of affirmation and compliments and value from people, our selfishness, our pride-dying over and over again to these-while setting our hopes on the Risen One, who will raise us with Him, seat us in the heavenly places. "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." How do we do this? How do we, little worms of humans that we all are, seek the things that are above, where Christ is? Daily, we put to death everything that is earthly in us-put all of it off-and put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Above all, we put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Ah and here is the part I must preach daily to my anxious and turbulent soul-let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Listening to Elisabeth Elliott as we drove through country after country, I remember one of the many wise things she said-
"Love powerfully simplifies"
She is right. It does powerfully simplify things. And as Christians we are invited into simple lives. Lives that are filled to the brim with just a few things that we count as infinitely valuable-most of which was in the passage I wrote in above from Colossians 3. I have learned more about the life God invites me to in this trip. Far more prayer. Communal and solitary conversations with, intercession before, childlike praise to the Father. Knowing that praying is one the best things I can do because only what He does (nothing, really nothing at all, that I do) will last (psalm 127-unless the lord builds the house the builders labor in vain, unless the lord watches over the city the watchmen stay awake in vain). The Word. Being in the written word as much as possible for the Word (Jesus Christ) to be formed in us, reading the truth so that we may know Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life-knowing that our bibles are worth more than all the treasures of the world as the word of the lord endures forever, and will teach us and work in us (as Colossians said-let the word of christ dwell in you richly). With these two, we are able to carry out the greatest commandments-loving God and loving one another. We are able to carry out the great commission-going, making disciples of ALL nations, teaching them to OBEY all that Christ has commanded and baptizing them in the SPIRIT. We are able to live lives of worship that glorify God because the world sees how we treasure Him. And these things can be done ANYWHERE. They are in no way bound to foreign cultures and mission trips and times of year and any of the other things that I always think are part of the recipe for life being this rich, this full, this stunningly beautiful.