Your love is extravagant,
Your friendship is intimate,
I find I'm moving
To the rhythms of your grace.
Your fragrance is intoxicating,
In our secret place
Your love is extravagant...
How much of my life would change if this continued to reverberate inside me. Lately I have felt extreme highs and lows in the emotional department. Financial stress, global support anxiety, power-trip frustrations, and despair. It is such human nature to think that "some day when this situation blows over than my life will calm down." But time reveals the truth about that statement; Satan's distractions will replace themselves. One day you will wake up noticing that your life never slowed down and that situation never really "blew over," it simply morphed.
Two weeks ago, Mike Erre, made a profound statement that shines light in many more aspects than the dating context he said it in. He said, "You must learn people's names, the ones that identify their character (as opposed to the spoken name that gets their attention)." The time, effort, patience, and dedication it takes to learn these names bring intimacy and an honest understanding of who that person is. Last week the speaker related this back to our relationship with GOD; there are people who have spoken the name of JESUS and proclaimed HIS love who will not be welcomed by JESUS because "HE doesn't know them."
Well, I am inclined to expand things because I do not see life as a compartmentalized ball of multiple personalities and a schizophrenic juggling of masks. This idea, of identifying a person's character-name, is also true of myself. How many times has my name been, "flaky," "too busy," "distracted," "rude," "self-centered," "money-crazed," "arrogant," or "sneaky?" Too many times.
HIS love is extravagant,
HIS friendship is intimate,
I find I'm moving
To the rhythms of HIS grace.
HIS fragrance is intoxicating,
In our secret place
HIS love is extravagant...
As our relationships with GOD differ, and our personalities and gifts, I can imagine that everyone identifies a unique part of GOD's character. And what a beautiful thing because as we interact in community with each other more and more of HIS heart comes to life in the faces of those we meet.
I have been reading Anne Lammott's newest book, Grace Eventually (so get ready for LOTS of quotes from my favorite author), and she said "I knew that if you had eyes to see, there was beauty everywhere..." At one time I was able to do that; I would people watch for hours, spend time getting lost at the beach or swap meets, and the colors of GOD would come out. As with most AMAZING things, it feels like that was a large part of my life, but I bet in reality it was a sweet drop in my life. I bet that my character-name would be different if that activity was more common than my stresses, frustrations, anxieties, and power-trips. I bet my character name would be something more flashy if I trusted more, worked on my faith consciously, and decided to actively protect my purity.
INTENTIONAL love is extravagant,
INTENTIONAL friendship is intimate,
I find I'm moving
To the rhythms of HIS grace.
INTENTIONAL fragrance is intoxicating,
In our secret place
INTENTIONAL love is extravagant...
I have no idea how many times I have said this, in similar words, but I am hoping to revolutionize the way I see GOD. This is one of two, maybe three, summers that I will be in the continental US all summer, and I am really hoping that during this time I can get to know GOD under new lights, and the integrity HE ordained in me long ago would take precedence over the "distracted" label I have now. Maybe I should go to an AA meeting...we'll call it DA-distraction addicts. It can meet in a home, with many people striving to live above the influence (b/c MTV's add for living above the influence applies to the very culture it projects as well). And we can share testimonies like a Life Group, and be accountable like the Body of CHRIST. We can call each other during the week, and email regularly like friends intentionally lifting everyone up. My quiet times can include praise for these people, and requests for personal improvements.
Oh wait...those require daily decisions.
GET IT.?!
I have to choose these things everyday!!!
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