Love your neighbor

So, this whole business of loving your neighbor as yourself. Why do we make it so hard? This morning in that interim state of being between awake and asleep I started thinking through what "loving your neighbor as yourself" looks like. It was so enlightening yet so basic. I remembered seeing a neighbor across the way spreading grass seed and putting up ropes to protect his seeds a couple days ago and that image raced (more like crawled because I was in that groggy place) into my mind and I thought if I was working in the yard and was feeling warn out what would I want others to do? I should have walked over and offered help rather then make a friendly comment across the street about hard work. The next image that entered my head was my neighbor to the side cutting his grass yesterday morning (yes Sunday morning and I was home). At the time my first thought was judgement, it's Sunday man what are you doing. The next thought was poor guy doesn't have Christ. But it never entered my mind to go over and say hey you want some help or where is the weed eater let me get the edges as you finish with the mower. This morning it seemed so basic so instinctual so clear yet it never does at the time. Why? Why do we make it so complicated?

I think I may make a bracelet "What would I want you to do for me?" the WWIWYTDFM bracelet. That way every time I look down at my easy to remember acronym "WWIWYTDFM" I will be reminded to love me neighbor as myself.

Galatians 5:14

Work...what's that?

Good morning big bright world. I am alive and well.


Why am I so jolly this crisp cold morning? Because I am not working. I stayed home and snuggled a little longer, sat and sipped my morning warmth a little slower and am relaxed enjoying my family a little fuller.

Why is it that we think that we have to do things the way they have been done (not always but since we have known about it). I mean who says that a work week should be 9-5 M-F or 7-3 or whatever. Why can't it be a means to the end? Why do we think that we have to love it? I mean if ultimately everything I do I should do unto the Lord and trials develop good things in us (Jam 1:2-3) then wouldn't it make more sense to work at something you hate so that you can face the trial of giving it your all even though you don't like it? Perhaps I am just twisted.

I wish that I had a clear map that allowed me to see exactly where and why and how I should be but I don't so I am bumping my shins and twisting my ankles and scraping my knees along the way. It seems like such a fight to not feel guilty that I am not working the normal American schedule. That I do not work in a field that epitomizes my desires and longings (my soul mate of jobs).

I am trying to figure out instead how to love what I do love and am called to love more fully rather then my job. I mean Gal 5:14 doesn't say love your job but love your neighbor. So, if I learn to use my job to make money that allows me time to love my family and neighbor more fully then doesn't that make sense? My motivation to make more money should be to give more away not buy more stuff right?

I don't know... There just seems to be a lot of backward ideas and ways we have always done it. If we have always done it and it doesn't work then why keep doing it?

Freedom!!!

I think that I may be getting addicted to the idea that you (the empty space that makes up the Internet) are listening and care to hear what I think.  

Or maybe the freedom to write whatever comes to mind and not have it lost in the back of an old note book makes this more appealing.  Although all of that was true when I first started trying to "blog" and was unsuccessful do to lack of interest.  So, what has compelled me to go on?  I think that it is a....healthy understanding that it is OK to be confused or ignorant or lost.  The idea that I don't have to have it all together is a fairly recent understanding that I have achieved.  I like it here because it is not my responsibility to know all or be "good" it is my job to let things happen and respond as my playbook shows me to.  I like leaving it up to the coach (that really dumbs down His role but you get the idea).  I am free.

Focus

I don't know what is compelling me to write here... I have never fully understood the idea of a "blog". So, what is this about?

I guess it is because I am weak and everyone else is "doing it". :)

I have recently attained some goals that were set years back and were anticipating a different feeling. I was expecting to feel as if I had "made it" or something and was disappointed to get "there" and realize that it was not really a place but a pit stop (not even) on the way. Why do we (as people) do that? Why do we think that some meaningless (perhaps that is a bit strong) milestones will have some great significance because we set them? I think that the only thing that this has taught me is that if I make sure that my eyes are set on something visible but far enough off in the distance to keep my head up that I will continue on but that if I allow my focus to be reached or attained as an end then I find myself arriving to find that I haven't arrived at all and felling as though I must fumble around until I refocus on that not so distant blip on the map that I can start trekking once again. Perhaps that is part of the idea with 1 Cor 9:24 when Paul states that lots run but only one wins (or gets the prize)... Perhaps the idea is to figure out how to find that blip to refocus on and then the next blip before you reach the first until we finish the race (whatever and whenever that may be). Or perhaps that is bologna and I am just rambling. Isn't that the idea of a blog though?