Wednesday, May 16, 2007

still learning

found this article a while back on relevantmagazine.com. i keep coming back to these written words every now and then and they are STILL saying something to me each time i read them. here is the article. hope you like it as much as i do:

A King and a Kingdom
Rachel Wegner

Wind and waves. Force and motion. Roots and trees. Creator and creation. One cannot exist without the first. It gives meaning, substance, depth and even sustenance to the other.

So many days, I focus on one half of that equation. I forget why and busy myself with things that kill my spirit. I forget Who and lose sight of the One I truly love. My meaning, substance, depth, sustenance ... every part of me is wrapped up in Him. The words echo in my head:

If there is a Kingdom, then there must be a King. The Kingdom implies the King.

In the midst of a result-driven culture, a convenience-addicted generation, a living, breathing disparity to reality, I struggle to find my roots—my cause; the One who began it all. I wonder who I have become. Piece by piece, He shows me who I really am. And I find myself in this place once again, where He quietly speaks to me and asks me to trust Him ... not just today, but every day. Not just with my future, but with my present.

Life in this Kingdom is upside down. Paradox is the basis for most things Godly . Think of the concept of grace, revealed in its very meaning: unmerited favor.
If we ever received what we truly deserved, we would burn for eternity in a lake of fire. Our hands are filthy with blood and dirt.

But we were washed. We were sanctified. We were justified. Set free by every drop of blood that poured from His body, every excruciating step He took toward that dreadful, beautiful hill, every belabored breath He took as He clung to life—the whole exchange was a perfect paradox.

And yet we take it so lightly.

I can scarcely express in words how vital it is to understand that we are not here to bide our time with games and competition. Comparison is a silent killer. Laziness is a comfortable friend. Complacency is a numbing drug. We cannot continue like this any longer, friends. Please, believe me when I say this:

Grace abounds. Take it while it might be found.

relevant magazine link