(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehz6PKArk0A0o5Bq7Zu7pkJgEAR2e_ZTcfd8x1p5WtBfcW44cqL5EagXRsWYbeZQ4xVdgV6V0vKcm1nyaHrVzcxIM75Z74ddPu25lUFhHwGD_MBsFh1G6jRcE1XFVlDhV1nLaJ7d2Z9b-/s640/christopher-robin-forget-love-pooh-bear-winnie-winnie-the-pooh-Favim.com-48542.jpg)
Not Even when I'm a hundred.
Howdy all! Thank you all so much for the overwhelmingly positive feedback! You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that I'm making a difference. You guys are wonderful, and you make all the effort I put into this worth it.
I was surprised, particularly, at how excited everyone was for this series. I knew that it would be important, but I didn't quite realize what an impact it was going to have. After all of the events that have happened in my life as of late it has become abundantly clear that this post series might be the most important thing I've worked on to date. I sincerely hope that it helps you all grow. You are the reason I do this. If my experiences can help even a single person grow closer to God, then every single second will have been worth it.
So anyways...
Last time we talked about seeing others, really, truly seeing them. We talked about how it feels not to be seen, and concrete ways to see others. We also discussed that it doesn't mean we aren't being seen even if we aren't acknowledged. Small pebbles can make large waves.
Tonight we are going to talk about seeing someone else we don't always see: God. So often we focus on all the little details that we miss the point. If God is the source of our worth, how will we ever see how much we matter if we don't see Him? With that we begin part 2...
--------------------------------------------------------------
I was surprised, particularly, at how excited everyone was for this series. I knew that it would be important, but I didn't quite realize what an impact it was going to have. After all of the events that have happened in my life as of late it has become abundantly clear that this post series might be the most important thing I've worked on to date. I sincerely hope that it helps you all grow. You are the reason I do this. If my experiences can help even a single person grow closer to God, then every single second will have been worth it.
So anyways...
Last time we talked about seeing others, really, truly seeing them. We talked about how it feels not to be seen, and concrete ways to see others. We also discussed that it doesn't mean we aren't being seen even if we aren't acknowledged. Small pebbles can make large waves.
Tonight we are going to talk about seeing someone else we don't always see: God. So often we focus on all the little details that we miss the point. If God is the source of our worth, how will we ever see how much we matter if we don't see Him? With that we begin part 2...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Infinite Worth:
Look Up
Growing up I always loved Winnie the Pooh. The Silly Old Bear had me going on adventure after adventure with him, and I loved it. I loved none more so than Winnie the Pooh's Most Grand Adventure. Christopher Robin goes missing so Pooh and the gang set out to look for them. As things are looking their bleakest Pooh Bear goes off by himself and sings a song (it's a Disney cartoon, of course it's a musical!). Watch it here.
Pretty tough stuff for a kid's movie, huh? I've always loved this song, because I think that many times it describes my relationship with God. "I'm out here in the dark all alone and wide awake, come and find me. I'm empty and I'm cold, and my heart's about to break, come and find me! I need you to come here and find me, cause without you I'm totally lost. I don't know what else to do, except to try and dream of you, wherever you are."
So often I feel like He's completely left me, or abandoned me entirely. I know in my heart that's not true, but sometimes it's hard to believe that, you know? I know I'm not the only one. Sometimes we think that maybe He isn't even there. Sometimes we get so down we doubt our core. Sometimes our impossible (see previous post) weighs us down so much that we forget to see the good in the world. Sometimes our hurts and sufferings blind us to all the beauty in the world. Sometimes we just get so caught up in our lives that we walk around with our head down and miss all of the gifts that God wants to give us. And sometimes we get thinking that we are so sinful that we don't deserve the love or even attention of a God so good. We doubt our very worth. And we miss Him.
"I'm out here in the dark, all alone and wide awake, come and find me."
It's in times like the one above that I start to pray that line. I feel like I'm left in the dark, and I have no way to go. I want to see God. I want to see the good in life, in my situations, in even the bad, but I just can't. And that's ok. Sometimes we just can't. We are human, and we have limitations. But that's where God comes in. We live in a world made by a limitless God. He gives us the strength to do all things (Phillipians 4:13). That's why that desperate prayer is not only ok, it's great! God wants a relationship with us, and that means sincerity. Come and find me God, because I don't even have the strength to take one more step. I want to see you, but I just can't.
"I'm empty and I'm cold, and my heart's about to break, come and find me."
It's funny that the time that most of the time people think about God it's when things are going bad. This often turns our image of God into a genie, but He's not a genie. He's not a vending-machine. He is a Lover who wants to Love you. Not looking for God because we feel unworthy is exactly what the devil wants, not God! God, to prove how much He loved us, died. He subjected himself to the wages of sin so as to overcome it. Not because He had to, but because He loved us. This was over a thousand years before you or I were even a thought! So to say that we are unworthy to talk to Him because of sin is nothing short of rediculous! That's what confession is for! He has already forgiven us. It's just up to us to accept it. We aren't called to be empty and cold. Lord, heal my wounds. Come and find me.
"I've hung a wish on every star, it hasn't done much good so far. I don't know what else to do..."
Sometimes we miss who God is, or miss seeing Him because we get so caught up in the world. What tests do I have to do? When's my next shift at work? How long do I have to sleep? What else do I have to get done today? When's my next meeting? We keep moving, moving, moving, and never slow down to take a breath. Time and time again in the Bible we see that God speaks in the stillness and the silence. We miss Him completely if we never take time to see Him. He places Himself in our lives in small ways, just so we can see Him there. If we never look up, we'll never notice the breeze on our face, the beautiful clouds, the blooming of the flowers, or the kind smile of a stranger. He shows Himself in small ways like that each and every day.
Sometimes we hang our wishes and hopes on other things, like our majors, our work, our organizations, or our friends. But these things can falter; they can waver. Then when they do, our entire world is shattered. God is the only one who will never let us down. Wishes on a star might not come true, but God is always there. Lord, help me to trust more in you and your goodness. Come and find me.
"I need you to come here and find me, cause without you I'm totally lost.... wherever you are."
When we feel like we're lost, all we have to do is start to see Him. To see Him, all we have to do is ask. "Lord, come and find me. Help me to see you." And He will. Our Lord, the gentleman, is just waiting for you to ask.
------------------------------
So if that song describes my relationship (and maybe yours) with God sometimes, and the obstacles we face, how do we see Him? The first step is realizing that we are missing something, and trying to right it. We talked about those obstacles above. Next, we've got to do what I said earlier: look up.
So often think that God is going to speak to them in actual words. Big and booming. Or actually out loud. For some people that happens. And to them I say congratulations that you are blessed with such beauty. Most of the time though, at least in my experience, God doesn't work like that. All we have to do to see Him is pay attention to what's going on around us. He's talking to us all the time. In the beauty of the sunrise He says "I love you." In the cool breeze on a hard day He says "I'm still with you." In the stillness and the silence He says "Here I am, talk to me." If you listen He even speaks to you through other people. You know, when someone says exactly what you needed to hear? Or when you have that crazy chance encounter with a stranger? He talks to us through the Bible, The Word of God. God is crazy talkative! All you have to do to see Him is look up. Look up from your problems, worries, cares, worldly things, and see the world around you. Watch, and listen.
And then Go to mass and See Him in the bread and wine made into His divine Body and Blood.
When we do these things we begin to see Him. Once we see God and hear Him talking to us in our lives He can begin to reveal to us just how much we mean to Him, and our true worth can be revealed.
------------------------------------------------
The song for tonight is "You Speak" by Audrey Assad.
You liberate me from my own noise and my own chaos
From the chains of a lesser law You set me free
You liberate me from my own noise and my own chaos
From the chains of a lesser law You set me free
In the silence of the heart You speak
In the silence of the heart You speak
and it is there that I will know You
and You will know me
in the silence of the heart
You speak, You speak
You satisfy me till i am quiet and confident
in the work of the Spirit I cannot see.
You satisfy me till I am quiet and confident
in the work of the Spirit I cannot see.
In the silence of the heart You speak.
So often I feel like He's completely left me, or abandoned me entirely. I know in my heart that's not true, but sometimes it's hard to believe that, you know? I know I'm not the only one. Sometimes we think that maybe He isn't even there. Sometimes we get so down we doubt our core. Sometimes our impossible (see previous post) weighs us down so much that we forget to see the good in the world. Sometimes our hurts and sufferings blind us to all the beauty in the world. Sometimes we just get so caught up in our lives that we walk around with our head down and miss all of the gifts that God wants to give us. And sometimes we get thinking that we are so sinful that we don't deserve the love or even attention of a God so good. We doubt our very worth. And we miss Him.
"I'm out here in the dark, all alone and wide awake, come and find me."
It's in times like the one above that I start to pray that line. I feel like I'm left in the dark, and I have no way to go. I want to see God. I want to see the good in life, in my situations, in even the bad, but I just can't. And that's ok. Sometimes we just can't. We are human, and we have limitations. But that's where God comes in. We live in a world made by a limitless God. He gives us the strength to do all things (Phillipians 4:13). That's why that desperate prayer is not only ok, it's great! God wants a relationship with us, and that means sincerity. Come and find me God, because I don't even have the strength to take one more step. I want to see you, but I just can't.
"I'm empty and I'm cold, and my heart's about to break, come and find me."
It's funny that the time that most of the time people think about God it's when things are going bad. This often turns our image of God into a genie, but He's not a genie. He's not a vending-machine. He is a Lover who wants to Love you. Not looking for God because we feel unworthy is exactly what the devil wants, not God! God, to prove how much He loved us, died. He subjected himself to the wages of sin so as to overcome it. Not because He had to, but because He loved us. This was over a thousand years before you or I were even a thought! So to say that we are unworthy to talk to Him because of sin is nothing short of rediculous! That's what confession is for! He has already forgiven us. It's just up to us to accept it. We aren't called to be empty and cold. Lord, heal my wounds. Come and find me.
"I've hung a wish on every star, it hasn't done much good so far. I don't know what else to do..."
Sometimes we miss who God is, or miss seeing Him because we get so caught up in the world. What tests do I have to do? When's my next shift at work? How long do I have to sleep? What else do I have to get done today? When's my next meeting? We keep moving, moving, moving, and never slow down to take a breath. Time and time again in the Bible we see that God speaks in the stillness and the silence. We miss Him completely if we never take time to see Him. He places Himself in our lives in small ways, just so we can see Him there. If we never look up, we'll never notice the breeze on our face, the beautiful clouds, the blooming of the flowers, or the kind smile of a stranger. He shows Himself in small ways like that each and every day.
Sometimes we hang our wishes and hopes on other things, like our majors, our work, our organizations, or our friends. But these things can falter; they can waver. Then when they do, our entire world is shattered. God is the only one who will never let us down. Wishes on a star might not come true, but God is always there. Lord, help me to trust more in you and your goodness. Come and find me.
"I need you to come here and find me, cause without you I'm totally lost.... wherever you are."
When we feel like we're lost, all we have to do is start to see Him. To see Him, all we have to do is ask. "Lord, come and find me. Help me to see you." And He will. Our Lord, the gentleman, is just waiting for you to ask.
------------------------------
So if that song describes my relationship (and maybe yours) with God sometimes, and the obstacles we face, how do we see Him? The first step is realizing that we are missing something, and trying to right it. We talked about those obstacles above. Next, we've got to do what I said earlier: look up.
So often think that God is going to speak to them in actual words. Big and booming. Or actually out loud. For some people that happens. And to them I say congratulations that you are blessed with such beauty. Most of the time though, at least in my experience, God doesn't work like that. All we have to do to see Him is pay attention to what's going on around us. He's talking to us all the time. In the beauty of the sunrise He says "I love you." In the cool breeze on a hard day He says "I'm still with you." In the stillness and the silence He says "Here I am, talk to me." If you listen He even speaks to you through other people. You know, when someone says exactly what you needed to hear? Or when you have that crazy chance encounter with a stranger? He talks to us through the Bible, The Word of God. God is crazy talkative! All you have to do to see Him is look up. Look up from your problems, worries, cares, worldly things, and see the world around you. Watch, and listen.
And then Go to mass and See Him in the bread and wine made into His divine Body and Blood.
When we do these things we begin to see Him. Once we see God and hear Him talking to us in our lives He can begin to reveal to us just how much we mean to Him, and our true worth can be revealed.
------------------------------------------------
The song for tonight is "You Speak" by Audrey Assad.
You liberate me from my own noise and my own chaos
From the chains of a lesser law You set me free
You liberate me from my own noise and my own chaos
From the chains of a lesser law You set me free
In the silence of the heart You speak
In the silence of the heart You speak
and it is there that I will know You
and You will know me
in the silence of the heart
You speak, You speak
You satisfy me till i am quiet and confident
in the work of the Spirit I cannot see.
You satisfy me till I am quiet and confident
in the work of the Spirit I cannot see.
In the silence of the heart You speak.
If we look and listen, God is there, always speaking to us. If we but listen and look we encounter our Lover. He just wants to Love you. Look for Him.
The verses for tonight are 1 Kings 19:12-13:
"After the earthquake there was fire - but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. / When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave..."
Look for the Lord. Just as sometimes we have a hard time seeing others, or feeling seen, so too do we often miss seeing God.
--------------------------------------------------------------
That concludes part 2 of this series. Next time we'll talk about Who God is, and that will bring us into a discussion about who we are. I hope you'll stick around!
As always, I love you, and I'm praying for you!
~Wanted~
The verses for tonight are 1 Kings 19:12-13:
"After the earthquake there was fire - but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. / When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave..."
Look for the Lord. Just as sometimes we have a hard time seeing others, or feeling seen, so too do we often miss seeing God.
--------------------------------------------------------------
That concludes part 2 of this series. Next time we'll talk about Who God is, and that will bring us into a discussion about who we are. I hope you'll stick around!
As always, I love you, and I'm praying for you!
~Wanted~
That song choice, though :')
ReplyDeleteYou're so talented, Greg. Praying for you always! Love you!