Monday, October 22, 2012

day 15

what if.

what if we took the truth seriously, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you?" not just in the negative context we typically use it in like- don't hit your brother because you wouldn't want him to hit you. what if it meant that when i buy myself lunch, i buy it for my neighbor as well. when fill up my non-eco friendly gas guzzler tank, i fill up the car beside me as well.  or if i buy myself those questionable skinny jeans, buy a pair for my friend too. i mean really, like what if that is what this verse meant? what if it meant that if i am going to take care of my needs then i better darn well take care of my neighbors needs too. and after every thought i have about this idea, all i hear are excuses spilling out everywhere.... after our backyard gets done, once sam gets a raise, when i can work more, when the kids are older, sure, one day we will do this. what if everything we had, we gave. what if i really trusted God. what in the world would my life really look like. because i really don't think that giving is a matter of how much or how little i have. i think it is a trust issue. a matter of the heart. what is my heart attached to that i need more than the love of God? what else satisfies, what else fills, what silences guilt and shame and anxiety but the complete goodness of God? and every gift, every good and perfect gift comes from Him.
i thought about this at my sink today. looking out over the earth from my window.  stacking dishes into their designed slots. exhale. what if i were different. what would that even look like. what if?