9/3/2017
Oh man, the Race has just been a long learning process; which, as a lover of school/learning I have grown to appreciate immensely. I honestly believe that the Race was EXACTLY what I needed WHEN I NEEDED IT!
*I have learned to love myself, pretty much for the first time; therefore, am able to love others even better AND RECEIVE LOVE better!
*I have learned that I can just “be” me – I don’t need to “do” anything for approval.
*I have found redemption in teaching – it is a very special gift that God has blessed me with, I cannot take that for granted. I must rely on the Holy Spirit to further practice my gift. Accepting it was the first step.
*Relationships have been redeemed; I have forgiven people that I have held grudges against for years.
*I realized that I place unrealistic expectations on everyone I meet; therefore, have found disappointment from practically everyone at one point in my life. I am now working on not putting expectations on people that are unrealistic and/OR catching myself in the process of placing those expectations.
*I have learned that my identity is ONLY in Christ and ONLY COMES FROM CHRIST!
My most recent lesson that I am making a priority thanks to many books and conversations I have had with people on the Race is: choosing time and intimacy with God (prayer life, what it looks like).
I have been slowly reading the book, “The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News For The Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out,” by Brennan Manning (great book – everyone should read it – highly recommend, 10/10). There is a lot to process and think about as well as all of the other books I have been reading. Anyway, this morning a specific section stood out to me from pages 154-155:
“A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off her toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, her attention flitting from one thing to another, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with her father, confident of the love, the care, the security that is hers in those arms. Our prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father’s arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we might even fall asleep; but essentially we are choosing for this time to remain intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens us out to all the delights of the kingdom.7
Jesus’ tenderness is not in any way determined by how we pray or what we are or do. In order to free us for compassion toward others, Jesus calls us to accept His compassion in our own lives; to become gentle, caring, compassionate, and forgiving toward ourselves in our failure and need.
Compassion for others is not a simple virtue because it avoids snap judgments of right or wrong, good or bad, hero or villain: It seeks truth in all its complexity. Genuine compassion means that in empathizing with the failed plans and uncertain loves of the other person, we send out the vibration, ‘Yes, ragamuffin, I understand. I’ve been there, too.’ ”
Gosh – how GREAT are those 3 short paragraphs? I mean don’t they just make you want to go spend time with Our Father somewhere and just bask in His presence? Doesn’t it make you feel great that among ALL of the people in this world; HE SEES YOU AND WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU?!? That’s amazing and incredible that the Creator of the Universe loves and cares for you SO DEEPLY; He just wants to spend time with you; He wants MORE of you! How hard is it to spend time with Abba? Not hard. It only seems hard because WE make it hard. God is constant, He does not change. We do. We tend to overcomplicate the most simple of things. What is more simple then taking some out of your day to sit on your Father’s lap?
If that’s not encouraging to hear then I don’t know what is! I’m going to go get ready for church now and continue to just be awed by God, experiencing His Presence by spending time with Him! I hope this encouraged someone today to seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with our Papa!
