Rest

In my small group we have been discussion rest.  It is one of those concept that everyone seems to agree is important and vital to a healthy life, but very hard to implement.  Rest is a discipline, a practice.  Rest is not just disengaging and relaxing, but creating the space to hear from Him.

I am not very good at resting.  I live in a city with 23 million people who are eagerly striving for more. It is very easy to become so busy and worn out.  Practicing rest is countercultural.  The principle of Sabbath called the people of Israel to rest one day at week.  Sabbath teaches us to rely on His provision in our lives.  It is easy for me to always be thinking about other people, checking email, or worrying about a problem.  In learning to rest I am learning to trust His provision and power in these situations. It is not very easy to do and I have to admit that I have not been very successful so far in making rest a regular pattern in my life.  I hope to grow more in this area so that I can grow more in Him.

Thanksgiving

I had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner last night with members of my Beijing community. I made mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole. Here is a picture of the feast we had that included a large turkey!

In the spirit of giving thanks, I wanted to take a moment and share some of the many things I am grateful for this year.
~Being able to be His light in one of the biggest and most important cities in the world.
~Supportive and encouraging friends back in the States
~His timing.  Though things do not always happen like I planned, His timing is perfect and things
 work out much better with Him in control.
~The great progress I have made learning Mandarin this year.
~For a group of friends who constantly amaze me with their ability to love and serve those around them.
~That I am put in situations outside of my comfort-zone which causes me to grow.
~Skype and the internet which allows me to easily stay connected with everyone across the globe.
~Being able to learn something new everyday.
~Growing in my relationship with my Father and learning to hear His voice in new ways.

And I get to have another Thanksgiving meal tomorrow with another friends! I so thankful for the blessings of good food and fellowship.

Community

Living life in community is a wonderfully messy thing and I recommend it for everyone!  Intentionally sharing life with people challenges, grows , matures and humbles you in the best possible ways.  There are times when it brings me nothing but sheer joy to share life with great people here, to be readily available for others, to invest in them and have them invest in me.  I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that living in community has irrevociably made me a better person. I am more attentive to other's needs, more reliant on the HS for wisdom in how to respond, more careful with my words, more supportive, and a more caring human being.

However, there are times when being in a covenant relationship with people is also draining.  Sometimes I feel too tired to actively engage other people. There are things that I need to get done:  assignments, emails, running errands, focusing on the people around me....wait, in my desire to serve people I can easily ignore the person in front of me.  In my selfishness I can choose to not engage in a conversation that will push me out of my comfort zone by using the excuse that I am "too busy serving people" or "focusing on my min."  And that is what it all boils down to in the end, selfishness.  I am a selfish human being that must daily fight the urge to look out for myself, to put my needs first, to make sure I am taking care of and comfortable before I focus on others. 

Life in community is showing me just how deep this selfish root goes.  As the Body we are called to serve one another, to regard others more highly than we regard ourselves.  This is a hard thing to do because it directly counters our innate self-centred nature.  Living life in community daily provides me with the opportunity to consider others more highly than myself, to put my own needs on the back-burner to listen to someone else's heart.  And getting a glimpse into the heart of another human being gives you a glimpse into the heart, personality, and creativity of our Father.  Every time I talk with a member of my community I am reminded of His astoundingly diverse characteristics: joy, patience, diligence, sensitivity, careful planning, creativity, burden for the lost, truth, encouragement, and justice just to name a few.  

Choosing not to press into a situation or not fully investing in a relationship denies me the opportunity to experience my Father in a new way. So, in the end, not fully engaging is the most selfish thing I can do because I am ultimately denying myself the opportunity to connect to the heart of my Papa and missing out on experiencing His love in new ways.

Psalm 23

This week at small group we read Psalm 23 from a variety of translations. Meditating on the famous psalm, I was once again struck by the powerful prose. While listening to verses I wrote down the promises contained in the passage. In Him I am:
   resourced
   anointed
   protected
   faithfully remembered
   given rest
   provided for
   restored
   made righteous
   disciplined in love
   surrounded by goodness and mercy
   home

I am thankful for the space to focus on the words that we all know so well and see His loving promises in a new light.  This passage provides hope in the midst of life, knowing that we are provided for and resourced by the Creator of the universe who only has good things in store for us.