Wellspring of Life

My mind tells me I am finite,
Though physically I am, my heart longs for that which is Infinite.

Life has broken my understanding of Love,
Though broken, my heart desires to be loved.

I desperately long to be accepted,
But money, success, and material nothings still leave me rejected by many.

Why do purpose and significance feel so far from me,
Is it because I pursue the dreams of others, and if I continue will I ever find them?

False pleasures and instant gratifications have a hold on me,
Superficial relationships and artificial highs have broken me in every way.

Why do I refuse to learn from life’s lessons,
Must I break myself one more time?

Can love, acceptance, and purpose be found,
Or does my finite humanity refuse to let me truly live?

If physically I remain finite, and the heart full of infinite potential and desire,
Might I let it lead me towards abundant life.

For this I believe,
From the heart springs wells of Life.
If one fails to lead with their heart,
One will fail to live.

Pursue Life then,
Search deep within the wellspring of your heart.
For that which is Living,
Will not be found among the dead.

Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

That He may put sin to death...

It only seems right to journal about the season of thanks…  I love the sentiment, and the opportunities to tell others just how grateful you are for them, but I feel the most thankful when I see others using this season to slow down enough to remember that which they are thankful for.  This “slowing down” from the busyness of our day-to-day lives has to be the greatest thing about Thanksgiving.  Let us not forget how important it is to slow down, reflect, and give thanks.

I finally found my time to do a bit of reflecting after a very busy few weeks, and it would take much more than one blog post to write all that I am thankful for in this moment.  The lengths that my friends have gone to encourage me in this last week have been humbling: letters, “goodbye” gifts, hugs, prayers, emails, beard jokes, and free coffee and food.  While I will miss my home in Nashville, I was encouraged to see God at work when I left and am excited to see how much more at work He will be when I return.  Words truly cannot express how encouraged I have been by you all.

After all of the craziness of moving away from Nashville for a while, I spent about 24 hours, over the course of three days, in a car driving across the country with my new friend from Columbia.  It offered the perfect opportunity to think about all which God has done in my life in the last year, and what exactly I am grateful for this holiday season.

Here it is:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. –I Peter 2:24

This verse has absolutely wrecked me.  While I am thankful for many other things… the joy that comes from a life in Christ, and the protection and provision that God has promised me, I cannot find anything more worthy of my thanks that Jesus bore my sins, so that sin may be put to death in my life!  Maybe this finds a few of your heart strings the way it has found mine, maybe not.  But as those created in God’s image who are in constant struggle with selfish desires, pride, hatred, and all other forms of immorality, Christ promises us freedom from this so we may live as true image bearers of God. 

I am not saying that from now on I will remain without sin, even though that is the goal.  It is my hope that in revisiting this promise we are reminded that with Christ, we can put sin to death; and when people see us they see a glimpse of who God really is and just how much He loves his image bearers.  Maybe, just maybe, if we focused a little more on this promise, and actively desiring to put sin to death and live for righteousness, people will understand that what they desire is not to be around us, but to be closer to the love that comes only from God.

Friends, in this holiday season may we remember this…

We no longer have to live in sin.

We are the image bearers of true, unfailing love; and God has given us His son, Jesus, not only to bear our sins, but also to show us how to live in righteousness.

We have been healed of our sin, by His wounds.

We have been given the honor and responsibility of sharing this love with everyone.

Grace, Love, and Thanks.

I Peter 2:24-25

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.