SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: Love

  • Divisive?

    Divisive…that’s the word that came to my mind as I was running this morning.  It all too often describes our world.  It is true that I prefer love and encouragement and peace.  I completely understand the need to take a stand or knee for what you believe.  I am extremely grateful for the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. and his unwillingness to accept that things had to be the way they were.  But I don’t see Martin Luther King Jr as divisive.  I don’t see Harriet Tubman as divisive.  I don’t see Rosa Parks as divisive.  I don’t see Jesus as divisive.  I see a drive to bring people together and a refusal to accept the divide.  The willingness to risk their lives to bring people together in love is beyond comprehension (and many more like them). 

    So what do I mean by divisive?  I mean those that purposely put their agendas ahead of people.  I mean those that aren’t willing to hear anyone else…it’s my way or the highway.  I mean those that post hateful comments to “prove their point” or to inflate their ego.  I mean those that could find common ground with others, but instead choose to find fighting ground.  I find this mostly on social media.  There are short, quick snapshots (memes, gifs, etc.) that are meant to be jabs at other that have a different opinion.  I suppose they are “meme warriors” because that is what you see constantly.  Those do not help start a conversation but are great at starting an argument.  They also are wonderful at finding out who thinks your opinion is just the best (insert eye roll here).  In school, these may have been bullies…or at least it feels like bullying… 

    So, what is the opposite of divisive? 

    Listening (really listening to those that differ in opinions, lifestyles, politics, beliefs, or anything)…

    Loving (even loving those that we see as unlovable…you know…loving like Jesus)…

    Respecting (offering respect to others because…I don’t know…they are people)…

    These are places that I choose to start.  I am grateful for the opportunity to voice opinions…I just think there is a better way…and I don’t think that divisive is the way to do it.  Just my thoughts on this day when we remember the contribution of a Baptist Preacher that refused to accept the divide.

    IMG_1197

  • Just ONE

    Sometimes it all seems too much…all of the devastation, the hurt, the pain, the hate.  It can all seem like just too much.  When we look at the tragedy of what is happening in Texas, the amount of destruction is overwhelming.  When we consider those who are starving all over the world (including right in our own part of the world)…when we think of the amount of people captured and imprisoned in the torment of human trafficking…when we see the amount of hate and despair all over our world…it just can all seem that the problems are insurmountable.  It can easily cause us to not do anything for the problem of not knowing what to do.  How can we make a difference when the problems are enormous?  What will our small contribution do in the overall complexity of the problem?  Since we don’t know what to do, we are frozen in fear and desperation.  We long for God to act, yet we are not willing to move our own feet.  We want to be the hands and feet of Christ, but we don’t know what that looks like in a world so in need.  What do we do?

    As a child of God, I am called to love others.  If I love, then I cannot sit by and do nothing.  I cannot watch all of the tragedy and sit by while others suffer.  I cannot do NOTHING.  My fears and my despair cannot trap me into a place of immobilization.  I must love.  And if I am to love, what does that look like?  I think it is about loving just one.  My response should be:  In a world that is so in need, I will love just one more person.  If I have a dollar above what I need, I send that dollar to someone who does not have…even if it is just one.  If I can support a cause that is being good stewards and really reaching out, I do that.  If I can provide for one missionary that is serving, I do it.  If I can provide support for one child that is caught in a cycle of poverty, I do it.  The point is not to allow the enormity of the problem to deter our ability to act in love.  We are to love others…one at a time.  When we offer our love to one other, it begins to spread.  One at a time, we really can make a difference.  It all starts with one…will you be the one?  I will stand up and love…and I will love the next one….and the next…and the next.  Love just one today.

    IMG_0877

  • The Dream Job?

    Can you imagine this job posting?  You begin your search online looking for just the right position.  You know your qualifications…you know your education level…you have a good feel for your abilities.  You search like you have done so many times.  Only this time is different…there is a very different position that causes you to stop and ponder…your eyes can’t leave the screen…you can’t even move on.  There it is…Executive Assistant.  It’s not that this is a unique position.  It’s not that this is something you have never considered before.  It is the boss that catches your eye…the ‘executive’ you would be assisting.  You would be the right hand to this person who is famous…and well known… People read all about him.  When he speaks, people listen.  It’s not that they always do what he says…but they at least listen, they can’t help it.  He has that spark.  He captivates when he gives speeches.  His stories are riveting.  You can’t believe that this is actually an option…so you apply…and you hold on…if you get this position, you know your life is about to change forever…

    Driving to work a couple of days ago, I was listening to a podcast as I often do.  This particular segment was focused on what people think would make them happy…dream jobs and such.  There was a survey conducted that asked respondents if they would rather be the president of Harvard or an executive assistant to someone famous.  A large majority chose executive assistant.  When they were asked who they would like to be an executive assistant to…the first person was Je-Lo (Jennifer Lopez).  The second was Jesus.  That caught my attention.  I was not surprised that people would want to be Je-Lo’s assistant.  She’s famous and seems to have a lot of redeeming qualities of someone you would like to be around.  But then to hear…Jesus.

    What might it look like to be Jesus’ assistant?  To be an executive assistant is one who plans trips, takes care of speaking engagements, makes sure the logistics from one place to the other are taken care of.  A really good assistant would know what the person needs and wants before they even speak.  They would be right there for it all…at their beckoned call…to assist in any way possible.

    I’m not sure if the respondents considered what it might be like to assist Jesus.  He wouldn’t want to be booked at a large speaking venue.  He wouldn’t want to have his face plastered in Times Square.  I can’t imagine that he would want to be interviewed by the Today Show.  It seems to me that he might have his assistant book him a flight to the poorest parts of the world…the forgotten places…the places where no one would go.  I think he would want to go meet people who are out fishing or in the middle of the field…people in prison or in the middle of a board room.  You might have to spend time in places where there was no bathroom or houses or even quality food.  This is where I am sure we would see Jesus.

    But, isn’t the Executive Assistant Position really what we should have as Christians anyway? Isn’t that already our position? Following Jesus…watching him work…going where he tells us to go…reaching people he wants to reach…feeding people who are hungry…going to the places that no one else would go…doing the dirty work…loving the unlovable…going out into the world to show his love to all you meet.  That sounds like the call to be a Christian to me.  So maybe we already have the call to be an Executive Assistant and we don’t even know it.  Maybe we have that dream job and we just haven’t accepted it.  Maybe it is time we actually started following Jesus and reaching…the least of these…

    least

  • There is another way…

    Why do we say hurtful things to other people?  Why do we use words that demean, belittle, and discourage?  What is it that saying things negatively does for us?  What are we trying to accomplish?  What are we hoping will be the outcome?

    Sometimes, we just want to hurt people.  We are in pain and we want to see others in pain.  Sometimes, we feel bad about ourselves and we think that in order to feel better, we tear someone else down…supposedly lower than ourselves.  When we are threatened by someone else, it is easier if we can find a fault or an open wound and beat into those wounds.

    It also sounds so harsh…so evil…so vindictive.  You may be thinking that this doesn’t happen.  But take a moment and observe.  Watch a person that doesn’t get what he or she want at a restaurant…when it is wanted…how it is wanted.  Watch what happens when one person pulls into a parking space that someone else was trying to get.  Watch what happens when there is a long line to check out at the grocery store.  Watch what happens when two people are sitting together and someone else’s name is mentioned and the gossip begins.  Just watch…just keep your eyes open.

    It doesn’t have to be this way.  Bad doesn’t win.  Evil doesn’t prevail.  Gossip isn’t just a part of life.  Anger doesn’t control us.  Words don’t just slip out.  Being hateful doesn’t just happen.  There is another way.  There is another option.  And that is love and kindness.

    To have love and kindness doesn’t mean you won’t ever say anything wrong or you won’t get caught up in gossip or you won’t lose your temper.  What it does do is lessen the chances and opportunities.

    -Love and kindness don’t participate in gossip, rumors, lies.  They cannot go together.  They cannot show up in the same place.  If you gossip, you are not loving.

    -Love and kindness allows us to see others…really see them.  To “see” someone means that we don’t let what is happening in this moment define that person forever.  What the person may be saying in anger to you may be because of something completely different.  Your ability to offer love and kindness in these moments can completely change things.

    -Love and kindness gives you the opportunity to look around for ways to give and share.  So if you are waiting in line and someone behind you is struggling, you can help.  If someone takes your parking space, you move on (letting that ruin your day is just ridiculous).  If something is said harmful, respond in kindness.  It can diffuse a situation.  It won’t fix everything…but it can begin to change dynamics.  You might find that there are more opportunities to be kind and to show love…continue to reach down deep.

    What might it look like if you and I choose to go the other way…the way of love and kindness?  What kind of difference might that make?  Let’s try it and see…

  • Gift of Gratefulness

    I love the early mornings…when I sit in my living room, smell the fresh brewed coffee that calls out to me, listening only to the sound of the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of the clock.  I think about the day…what is ahead…what needs to be done… Some days, it all seems too much and I just want to go back to bed.  I don’t want to go to that meeting or take care of that task…I don’t want to talk to anyone today…I just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head and call it good.  My mom always said that if you are in bed when the sun comes up, you are missing out on your day…wasting precious time.  I thought that was a bunch of bologna when I was growing up.  I was fairly sure she was just saying that so I would get started on the chores she wanted done.  Now her words actually ring true.  There are things to do…people to see…tasks to accomplish while the sun is up.  We are given this day as a gift.  Many days don’t feel much like gifts…they feel more like gag gifts…joke is on me.  But I think that is because I don’t really appreciate what I have been given.  I am reminded that those are the days I approach with a sort of smugness…like I deserve better…like I am not getting what I think I should…and it ends up being a wasted day that could have been appreciated.  But then I think…can’t I just go back to bed and appreciate that?!

    Over the past couple of months, a constant theme has been running through my life…I hear it in conversations…I see it in the pages of the books I read…I feel it in my life when I really sit and listen and pay attention…It is in the sound of the rain and in brightness of the sun…in the smell of coffee and in the stress of everyday life…it is in the sounds of my children’s voices…and in the quiet of the morning run…it keeps following me and reminding me and bringing me back… it is GRATEFULNESS.

    I’m fairly hard headed…stubborn…determined… whatever you want to call it.  So it takes hearing things over and over before it begins to sink in.  This idea of gratefulness is powerful, though.  I find that when I am grateful, I see things around me completely different.  When I am grateful, I may still want to pull the covers over my head – but I realize that in being grateful for the gift of this day…I have to move forward and see what joys and challenges are ahead.  I realize that even though there will be stressful moments and encounters I would rather not have, gratefulness reminds me that God is shaping me, strengthening me, and guiding me to something better.  Gratefulness reminds me that even when life is really tough and I just don’t feel like it…the gifts that I have been given are held in this day…and I don’t get this day again.  If I eat in gratefulness, I really appreciate the access to food that I have…if I exercise in gratefulness, I am not suffering – but growing and getting stronger through it all…if I do my job in gratefulness, I begin to understand that this is a gift that allows me to use my talents and give back from what I have been given…if I am grateful in this moment, I treasure the good and the bad – for I am becoming a little bit closer to that for which I was created.  As Mother’s Day is approaching…I realize how grateful I am for my mom and all of the wonderful women who have been such a powerful, influential part of my life…helping to shape and mold me.  What are you grateful for today?img_0623

  • Breath and Life

    It just doesn’t seem fair…this whole death thing.  It doesn’t have favorites.  It isn’t particular to a group or even an age.  Death comes and takes those we hold so dear right from our arms…even as we cling to them trying to hold on…to their very last breath.  I read about a  16 year old that breathed her last breath after a brave fight with cancer.  I can’t help but think how unfair that is.  I think of a couple who recently lost a newborn…he didn’t have a chance to make his mark on the world.  I think of people around the world that are starving and thirsting to death…young people who deserve to live just as much as anyone else.  It just seems so harsh, cruel, and unfair.  And, honestly, it hurts.

    It is true that the sting is a little more noticeable this week than usual.  My Grandpa passed away almost one week ago.  He had lived what we consider a long life.  He had lived life well.  He was a wonderful example of a man that loved God and loved his family.  Personally, for me, he is an even better example because he didn’t pretend to be perfect.  He knew he didn’t always get it right.  But, he did the best that he knew how…and as it turns out…he did some pretty incredible things.  He loved others…he cared for others…he shared his gifts…he did what he was called to do.  And, he was okay with breathing that last breath.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.  It doesn’t mean I was ready for him to go.  But it at least seems to make some sense in my small, finite, time bound mind.

    So, I hold all these things in perspective.  A young lady who experienced 16 years on this earth…an older man who experienced almost 88.  Both have breathed their last breath.  Life as we know it has left them.  As I looked at my Grandpa after he breathed his last, his body changed.  His body changed because the very life that God had breathed into him was now gone.

    This reminds me that God is still breathing life into me.  He is still breathing life into you.  As long as God is providing life to us…as long as we continue to breathe…we have a life to live.  I’m not talking about a sentimental hallmark card moment with fields and flowers and a theme of “Go live your life…”  I’m talking about taking a moment to feel your breath and realize that you are given this breath so that you truly experience life.

    How many of us have breath…but we are not experiencing life?  How many of us go through our day…the same old patterns…the same work…the same scenery and miss the life we are to experience?  How many times do we miss a sunrise or not hear the birds that sing?  How many times do we fail to tell someone we love them with the idea that they will be here tomorrow?  How many times do we dread our day or resent having to get up in the morning…AND YET WE HAVE BREATH…

    I am jolted awake with a reminder to live life…to appreciate the gift of breath…the opportunity to live…the joy of a new sunrise…the beauty of a day…the song of a bird…and even the struggles.  For there will come a day when my breath will be no more.  I will value the gift until then.

    vinsonfamlake09-043

  • Why aren’t you here?

    My Dad has been on my mind a little more than usual lately.  Here are my struggles with his loss…even now.  I hope that this helps someone else that may be struggling this Christmas with the loss of their loved one…

    Why aren’t you here?  My heart asks…as I search deep for answers.  I see struggles and conflicts…things you would have resolved.  Where are you with the advice that I seek and need?  Where are you with the help that I look for?  I miss the directions when I am lost (which still happens all too often).  I miss you being here to check out the boys that my girls bring home…to give them your third degree and harassment as you had planned.  And although it didn’t seem like I followed what you said (because you know I like to blaze my own path), I really did always listen.  When I see a picture or think of something you did, my heart aches a little.  Why aren’t you here?  You should be here.  I struggle sometimes because I think there is still work that you were to do and now you are not here to do it.  I see things left undone that you would have tackled and I wonder…am I really suppose to take care of that?  The thought of “God needed you more than we did” really doesn’t bring me comfort because I don’t believe that.  You are needed here…still.  I miss making fun of your sometimes tacky apparel (even though you were trying to be stylish).  I miss your denial that you were losing your hearing…knowing all the time you didn’t hear half the conversations that were going on.  I miss your kind heart and your gentle spirit…with a fight that never gave up.  It would be comforting to hear you say that you are proud of me…knowing that if you said it, you meant it.  We rarely saw eye to eye and disagreed about most everything.  But, we both enjoyed the challenge – and in the end, I grew because of those debates.  And my heart screams…WHY AREN’T YOU HERE?

    I don’t know the answer…I guess I never will.  What I do have though are the memories.  I have the advice that you did give stored away in my heart and yes, I even use it sometimes.  I see the fruits of your labor all around me.  I still talk to people who had their lives changed because of something you said or did.  I enjoy shocking people by how much I look like you.  I am trying to pick up where you left off…yet in true “Brad style”…you know the style that drove you crazy.  That makes me laugh a little…or a lot.  I love to talk about what a great man you were…and I even get a little enjoyment when my girls make fun of the way I dress.  While I will never be you…nor would you want me to…I want to continue on the ministry…blazing that trail…and thanking God that I am privileged to be a Mitchell.  I don’t know why you aren’t here…but I am sure glad God saw fit to send you here for the years that you were.  I am the man I am because of you….Thank you.

    dad-brad

  • Cloudy Mirrors

    Mirrors can be powerful instruments.  They can help us to see ourselves as we get ready to meet the world.  They can help us to identify our “trouble areas” and see where we might need to work on things.  There is a problem though.  It would seem that too many of us have cloudy mirrors.  We do not actually see our real reflection.  We instead see what we want to see staring back in the mirror.

    How can that be?  We seem to have no trouble seeing others.  We seem to have no problem making judgments about other people…the way they dress, the way they did their hair, the way they carry themselves.  We have no trouble identifying others imperfections.  And often, we wonder if they looked in the mirror before they walked out of the house.  We wonder if there mirror was more than cloudy.  After all…we would never leave the house looking like THAT.

    But maybe it’s not our mirror at all that is the problem.  I don’t think it is our eyesight.  That can be a problem as we age, but I’m thankful for glasses to help us along.  I don’t think it is the size of our mirror or where it is in our house.  The problem is with us.

    There is a Bible verse that has always been difficult for me.  It is in the book of James, chapter 1.  James is writing how believers should be people of action, be a part of the game…not just sitting on the sidelines waiting for others to do the work.  That’s a difficult enough statement.  But, he continues to say that those who sit on the sidelines are like those who see themselves in a mirror.  When they walk away, they immediately forget what they look like.  As I have read this scripture, I always thought…how does someone forget what they look like.  Sometimes we might want to forget what we look like…we all have those “rough” days.  But, how do we forget?

    And it dawned on me…That’s the answer…that’s how our view in the mirror becomes so skewed.  We can be so focused on what other people are doing (or not doing)…we can be constantly criticize or judge…we can point out the faults of everyone else… That we forget who we are…or we create this image of how good or bad we are that isn’t even real.  We forget that we are to be people who are of action.  We forget to take a good long look at ourselves and what we are doing.  If we, as Christians, spent as much time working for God…focusing on what he wants us to do…rather than being critical of everyone around us…we might actually see change happen.

    That image in the mirror might actually become clearer.  We might see the beautiful creation made and fashioned by God staring at us in the mirror.  And that beautiful creation is not only fashioned by God, but created for a purpose.  Our purpose is not to judge everyone else…but rather to do as we are called and created.

    It is true that we can only change ourselves…and to change the world, it begins with me.  Maybe today, I wipe that mirror clean and begin to take a long, hard look at me.  How has God created and fashioned me to do his work?  What am I doing for him?  How am I living?  What message am I sending?  How am I loving my neighbor?  How am I living out what Jesus taught?

    May we stop at the mirror today, truly see ourselves as beautiful and created by God, and walk away serving others… Loving God and loving our neighbor…regardless of what they look like.

  • Even in the storm…

    As I sit here by the light of my oil lantern, I am reminded of my childhood.  When the lights would go out, my mom would light the lantern and that light would fill the whole room.  As a kid, it was kind of exciting to have a house without electricity…at least for a little while.  It was like an adventure – something completely new…sleeping bags and all.  As an adult, it’s not as fun as I remember it.  Today, I sit here without electricity by that same oil lantern – flickering and filling the room with valuable light.  But, today I think about the storm that is raging outside.  I think of the groceries in my refrigerator and freezer that will go bad in a few hours if the electricity doesn’t come back on.  I think of the damage that is happening as the hurricane sweeps over our land.  I see the spot on my ceiling indicating that I have a leak in my roof.  I am reminded of many of my church members that are alone, in the dark, without family.  I am reminded of those who are experiencing flooding in their homes and all of their belongings being destroyed.  And I sit here helpless.  I can’t do anything about any of it.  The excitement of an adventure of my childhood has become a nightmare of my adulthood.

    As I sit here by the flicker of the light, I am reminded that God is still in control.  In my fears, in my worries, in my disappointments…God is still God.  As I sit here, I realize that the things of this world are always fleeting…they are always wasting away.  Nothing is forever that is material.  My home, my belongings, my yard, my cars…all wasting away.  The storm doesn’t change that.  The storm does remind me that the one thing that doesn’t change is God’s love for me.  He is still watching over me.  He is still providing for those scared church members.  He is with those who are working in these dangerous conditions.  Where I am at a loss, God is not.  There are no surprises to HIM.  So, tonight, as I put out the light that I have remembered since childhood, I do so to rest knowing that God’s got this.  I may not understand it.  I may not be able to fix it.  I may be without the material things that I have come to find comfort in.  But, in all of that, God has not left me.  He does understand it.  He is able to fix it.  And, he reminds me that just like he provides for the sparrows, he provides for me.  Tonight, I lay my head down peacefully – even in the midst of the storm – hearing HIM say, “My Peace I give to you…not as the world gives…do not let your hearts be troubled…do not let them be afraid. (John 14)”

  • Not a “know it all”

    Some things are just hard to explain.  They go beyond words.  I can tell my children I love them, but in reality, how much I love them goes beyond explanation.  People ask me all the time why I enjoy running so much – that it seems like torture.  I can’t really explain it except to have you actually start running.  I have found that there are experiences in my life that I have had that go beyond explanation.  Something as simple as watching a sunrise to eating a fresh tomato grown in a garden to listening to birds sing in a world of chaos.  There are so many experiences that we can’t really explain…but when we have them, we just want to show somebody and have them experience it too.  Sometimes we may try to capture those moments in pictures – but a sunrise never looks the same through a lens like it does through the experience.

    In our lives of faith, we have feelings like that…I feel like God is really working on me or I feel like I am not doing what God has called me to do…or I know God is with me and I can feel his presence.  All of these are really indescribable experiences – we just know them and we don’t know why.  We want to hold on to them…we may write about them, we may take pictures, we may tell someone – but nothing really captures the essence of what is going on.

    Jesus seems to be telling the Jews that had gathered with him that day something along those lines.  They want it plain and simple.  They want it the way that is easiest for them.  Jesus has something to say about that.

    John 10:22-30

    They want to know if Jesus is the Messiah – plain and simple.  Give it to us, Jesus.  They could have been curious or could have been looking for something to accuse him.  That would have been considered blasphemy – and remember that is brought back up at his trial.  Jesus doesn’t give them a simple yes or no answer though.  Why?  Because something this big – something this powerful goes beyond explanation – it isn’t as simple as they want – and even if he gave it to them, they wouldn’t get it.  Jesus doesn’t answer many questions directly, though.  His call and what he is all about is so much bigger than words.  He points them to his actions.  He does what he does because that is what the Father has called him and sent him to do.

    This should have been enough for them – but wasn’t.  Jesus tells them that it is because they are NOT his sheep.  His sheep know his voice and follow him.  He has already said that he is the good shepherd.  His sheep follow him.

    That could seem like a harsh statement – except keep in mind that there were many during Jesus’ time that didn’t want to be part of his sheep and didn’t care what kind of shepherd he was.  They didn’t want to know him or follow him.  He is revolutionary.  He isn’t comfortable.  He isn’t what they have been doing when it comes to religion.  He breaks the rules – he makes people squirm – he completely changes everything they have ever known.  He has statements that include loving God and loving others – these are statement that they knew really well and thought they knew how to follow.  But, Jesus is showing them that they don’t.  Jesus shows them that loving others includes feeding and clothing and caring for and visiting.  He shows them that loving others is not about condemnation but about outreaching arms.  He makes them uncomfortable.  They probably could care less that he says they aren’t his sheep.  They think they are good just the way they are.

    But, for those who are his sheep…he has something for them.  This loving and caring business…this getting uncomfortable and going against the established religion…this doing something completely different…all leads to something extraordinary.

    Jesus says that his sheep…they hear him, they know him, and they follow him.  None of these things are simple to grasp.  None of these things are plain or easy.  All of these are indescribable.  If I ask you if you have ever heard Jesus, I will likely get a variety of answers.  Some of you will say…well not audibly – but yes.  Some will say, of course I have.  Some might say they don’t know what in the world I am talking about.  If I ask someone outside of the faith, outside the church, they may think I have lost my mind…do I mean Jesus, a person they go to school with?  If I tell you I have heard Jesus calling – I can’t describe that.  I just know it.  I can’t explain it – can’t tell you what his voice sounds like – can’t tell you why – all I can tell you is that I have.

    We have the opportunity to know about him because we have the scriptures.  The Bible is a window into who he is.  This doesn’t describe God fully.  It doesn’t give us complete explanations of anything.  I can tell you to read and you can read all about him.  But that doesn’t mean you know him any more than when you started.  That takes faith.  It takes a faith that God inspired this Word and that it is for our instruction and direction.  It is alive in that it is still applicable today.  But, it doesn’t answer all of our questions.  Some things are left to faith and knowing the Shepherd.  The more I hear him, the more I know him.  How is that possible?  Well, that’s not easy to explain.

    It also says that his sheep follow him.  Following Christ often means making some really difficult choices.  It often means leaving behind the comforts of this world to really love.  It often means leaving behind familiarities to follow.  Being a follower of Christ may mean pushing you to your very limits…and then beyond into the realm of where God works.  I can’t tell you what your calling is.  I can possibly tell you what gifts you exhibit if I spend time with you.  But, I can’t tell you how God wants to use those gifts.  I can’t tell you how that will look in the future.  I can’t tell you anything except what it means for me to follow.  I know what that looks like for me. I can’t explain what following is except to say that I follow because I heard him call.

    Now for the good news…For those who are called by him…for those who hear his voice, and know him, and follow him…there is great joy.  He promises eternal life – never perishing.  He promises that he has a grasp on us that is an eternal grasp.  No one will be able to snatch us out of his grasp.  We may not grasp him, but he sure has a grasp on us!  As if that is not enough, to be grasped by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is to be grasped by God the Father.  Jesus and the Father are unified…in words and deeds.  And God has a hold on us with a mighty grip that will carry us through the most difficult storms and lift us up in the most terrifying times.  His grip isn’t there because of who we are but because of who he is.  Praise him that his grip is forever.

    How do I know?  Jesus says it.  You may say that this is not enough explanation.  I will remind you that we are but humans…we are loved, we are held…but we don’t have to get it.  We just have to live it.  May we live it together.