I have a destructive story about myself, and I keep repeating it. There's lots of ways to describe it psychologically, but I'm a writer, so we'll go with a narrative. I'm narrating a story about me (think Stranger than Fiction), and in that story, I consistently fail to meet expectations. I am a failure.
I'm done with that story. And I'm done with striving to meet other people's expectations. As a Christian, there is only 1 thing that matters: that I meet God's expectations. Not in order to be saved, but in order to live a life that is full, a life that is restorative and loving and joy-filled.
So I'm seeking to discover God's concrete expectations for me. I know the big picture: love others, live justly, worship God. But what is the nitty gritty? How does that look in the daily routines of my life? As I seek the concrete expression of living a God-centered life, I will be fasting from all TV except for Fringe. That's potentially 15 hours a week that I just freed up. (Shocked? Yeah, I was too).
Keep me honest, y'all.
Showing posts with label Christians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christians. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Being kind
I watched Ellen at some point this week and when she ended the show she said, "be kind to each other." And I know that's probably related to the Trevor project, etc., but you know, I think it's really great advice in general. It would be a great church benediction - be kind to one another. Kindness is highly underrated.
In my daily prayer book, the morning prayer ends with the statement: "we go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and to live our lives so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in us generous friends."
We need to be kind. I'm not just talking to Christians, but I do think that as a group, Christians (including myself) need to take this call very seriously and prioritize it. After all, kindness is fruit of the Holy Spirit - evidence that God is working to transform you.
In marriage, too, kindness goes a long way. We so easily forget to be polite and friendly to our spouses, but simple kindness, a thank-you, a smile, the word please (NOT spoken sarcastically) - these little things smooth life's daily speedbumps.
A lot of Christians like to point fingers and talk about sin. That's not kind. It's just not. It's also not proof that you're a Christian. Evidence of your faith comes from seeing the fruits of the Spirit, and as far as I know, Paul never mentions calling out someone else's faults as a fruit of the Spirit. Can we as Christians find a way to speak out against injustice and immorality with kindness? I think we can - we just aren't trying to.
So today, let's be kind. It'll be a challenge for me, I know. But it's worth it.
In my daily prayer book, the morning prayer ends with the statement: "we go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and to live our lives so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in us generous friends."
We need to be kind. I'm not just talking to Christians, but I do think that as a group, Christians (including myself) need to take this call very seriously and prioritize it. After all, kindness is fruit of the Holy Spirit - evidence that God is working to transform you.
In marriage, too, kindness goes a long way. We so easily forget to be polite and friendly to our spouses, but simple kindness, a thank-you, a smile, the word please (NOT spoken sarcastically) - these little things smooth life's daily speedbumps.
A lot of Christians like to point fingers and talk about sin. That's not kind. It's just not. It's also not proof that you're a Christian. Evidence of your faith comes from seeing the fruits of the Spirit, and as far as I know, Paul never mentions calling out someone else's faults as a fruit of the Spirit. Can we as Christians find a way to speak out against injustice and immorality with kindness? I think we can - we just aren't trying to.
So today, let's be kind. It'll be a challenge for me, I know. But it's worth it.
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