Live!

Hello bright world! 

Tonight I am writing to you on my couch. It is 11:30, and for most college students I have about three more hours before bed time- but for me, it is already an hour past my bed time.. and I'm awake. I just finished a very long and terrible and grueling assignment (I'm being a drama queen), and my mind wont quit. So, I figured I might just try this out :).

Today I had a revelation. .. a seemingly familiar revelation (the epidemic of spiritual amnesia might be to blame for this re-revelation) about the power of words. Written, spoken, sung, rhymed, prayed, thought. It is the words of this world that cause movement in our lives. And as it is so with most gifts, we can use them for good or for bad. They can be lovely songs, or they can be noise. But more specifically- they can be empty or they can offer life. 

I have found myself all too often faced with the fear and shame of my mere adequacy in this life. Fearing that my actions, my thoughts, or my WORDS are simply not enough to make a difference, and to be quite frank, my fears are spot on. It is absolutely true: in my own flesh I offer no good thing. It is true:  nothing of value can escape my tired self... that is, nothing unless it is the overflow of something greater than me. Something greater and untainted by the flawed nature of my skin. This, I am confident, has a name: the Spirit of the Living God, Jesus Christ! It is only by overflow of His Spirit within me that any good or like-able thing might be escape me. And with that knowledge and that hope, I can speak and think and pray with boldness words that offer up life. I can sing, trusting and expecting the Lord to breathe His song out of me, and with that very breath, to fill with life the souls around me. It is true that mere words have no meaning. They are only sounds and clicks and inflections that we spit out in hopes to create something worth while. Something worth loving- but it is only with His life that those words take shape. And it is only with His promise that our empty hearts are filled. It is by Him alone.. and nothing else. 

And so, with a veil of sheer white over me, I can let go of my fears, and all my sorrows that hold me back from living this life of JOYFUL ABANDON! This life that we were each called to live wonderfully and BRIGHTLY because of the Hope that we find in our Lord, Jesus Christ!  I can let go of the burden of my sorry adequacy and I can live GREATLY! Because, you see, it is underneath this veil of sheer white that I am living- covered over and wrapped up in a glowing wonder. And although I still find myself looking at the same skin I was born in, the Lord looks at me and sees a bride. A pure and righteous and lovely bride- something I would never, and could never amount to on my own. Something that all my adequacies would never allow me to be. On my own I am a girl, and maybe even a woman, and then someday an kind old lady- but it is only beneath this veil that I find my self as a bride. It is only beneath this veil that I am freed to live in the greatness that I was called to live in! 

So world, live! Live brightly! Live freely and be a bird! Embrace this joyful abandon that you were made for! Lay down your fear and your shame and your worry and cling to the Truth that is this: God is bigger than you!.. and even more than that- it is not about you. It is about Him. It is ALL about Him.  So speak! Speak up and speak Truth! Live in overflow! Live in overflow of hope and peace and love and all things Great! He is our Good and He loves us- so let Him. Let Him love you, and it will be okay, I promise :)