An addendum to what I said on loneliness last night, Daniel. I realized today driving to church that loneliness in the midst of crowds is completely
new to me. God bright to mind sophmore year right around now when I struggled with loneliness.. and then went to aacf's winter retreat to lead a small group. We talked about loneliness there. And the loneliness I had felt became a blessing, because I could relate to those in my small group-- all of them feeling very much alone & unsupported, far more than I had known. And we were able to share.. and God brought to me a new understanding of how all suffering we feel, (when we stop being all self-absorbed about it) is a way of us being able to share in the common pain of mankind.
When we are happy & free and things are great, it's much harder for us to be compassionate and feel the cries of those around us. But when we are hurting too, we are distinctly more alert to those around us in the plights much more grusome than our own. I guess today has just been a "same lesson, but deeper" moment.
dude, it's like i'm on fire
, or something. ri-vet-ed..
a million realizations that just keep coming and coming.. daniel.. we're the OLDER son!!
in the GIG last night (God Investigative Group) we looked at the passage of the Prodigal son.. and just dialogued about it.. and the part about the older son wasn't on the paper, but it didn't matter.. God was showing me anyway... the younger son seemed to forfeit his rights as son by leaving & being a rejecting loser.. but dude, both sons forfeited their sonship.. it's just that the younger one was bold enough to act on it and have his outer life reflect his inner rejection of the Father who loved him. and the older son.. he rejected the Father too.. he just lived outwardly like "the good son".. but when he said those things to his dad, it revealed that he knew nothing of the position he really had as a son.
and that's the thing.. the story of the prodigal son is actually just proof of the Father's character. no matter what the sons stinkin' do,
who the Father is doesn't change one bit. He cares more about the sons being with Him, than He cares about what they do. and they don't have to
do anything to be His, the just have to
beHis.
i mean, the story was meant for Jesus talking about the Pharisees as the older son.. which seems to be always the category in which we are most prone to falling.. we've been with the Father for such a long time.. since early childhood.. but when we lapse, it is not in outer stuff, because we can seem as though we've been "good kids" all along. but when we reject our "sonship" we miss out on.. dang, on everything He's already given to us...
what is that life? i think that's the elusive "kingdom of God" deal again! the kingdom of God is how those sons would really be living if they accepted & embraced their positions as sons of that loving Father, with all rights, priviledges, and even responsibilities (the suffering your dad told us about on Sunday).. dude, all of it.. it leads to glory...
hey daniel.. just remember the percentages...
if He wills it for you.. 100% chance of having the One..
if not, then you're scuh-rewwwed.. with 0%..
(ok, so vulgar.. but that is not what i got on here to talk about..)
plus, daniel, you taught me the most important lesson on that whole issue.. no girl or guy can ever be the One anyway.. we already got the One. He came to us --
the very image of God -- to walk on this earth as a man, to die, to conquer sin & death, so we could be with Him.. in love.. forever. God's our One, dude. i am convinced of that.
(still not what i got on here to talk about..)
Thursday, December 05, 2002
Sam, yes I've always had a hard time conceiving of paying so much money for anything. The problem is, again, what will the wifey wifey think. Hahah.. you girly girlies always say, well wait for the right one to come along. It only takes one right? Hahah well ... that is if you believe in THE ONE... which is still a mystery of how the one applies to our lives. Anyway, hopefully I'll get away with something that costs less than that price, but if she really wants it, and I am really in love (I'm very easily manipulated) I might try to get that for her...e ven though millions of children are starving. I have one weakness... that is THE ONE. THE ONE is my weakness Sam. THE ONE is the thing I worry about the most. Everything else is set. I guess I gotta trust God on THE ONE. hahah.
