I Choose the Steps.

Life is a journey. A life can be mapped out in steps, perhaps a step is a day, an hour, an event... But there are two ways we can live this journey: we can take each step, or we can leap to the end point.

Now the "end result" seems to be a debatable topic in the world of modern thinking... what happens when we die? That is a question for another day, but everyone would agree, I think, that we die. The form in which we currently exist is altered or erased.

And like just about any other journey, the journey has some sort of end or destination. Life's end point seems to be death. But even if you shrink down the time line and only look at age 15-25, you have journeys and end points. Perhaps you graduate high school, college, maybe you get a job. Whatever you do, there is a journey to get you there. You take multitudes of classes to end up with a degree, you interview for numerous jobs before you get one. In life you take multitudes of steps.

You can look at the journey as a starting point and end point, or you can look at every step in between.

I choose the steps.

In this way of viewing life you get to have multitudes of end points: every step is another end point. And you begin to see this bigger picture, you begin to see that life is not about "getting there" or finding the end point. You begin to see that life is about every step. You wake up in the morning and think, I get to take this next step. You suddenly have optimism of the step you are on rather then only having a longing for the end point.

So as I take this step I will look around. As I take this step I will observe Beauty. As I take this step I will Love. I will not worry about the step tomorrow.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day (each step) has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6: 34

Grace and Peace,

Ben

For Every Burden

For every burden we carry, one more person will not have to carry that burden. So should the strong not carry the burden? I am given a burden, and somebody else is relieved. perhaps somebody who was being crushed.

Has not God removed a burden from you? Through what vessel?

You can be that vessel.

I can be that vessel.

God calls for that purpose.

We are given opportunities to carry the weight that was presumably crushing someone else.

So do not mourn for the burdens you carry, but rejoice for the opportunity to remove those burdens from others.

Lament

Maybe it is Ok for "it" to not be Ok.

Maybe it's fine for life to suck.

Maybe it's Ok to be honest about it.

Just read the first chapter of Lamentations. Here are a few exerpts

"The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to crush my young men. In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah."

"See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed."

"People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress they rejoice at what you have done."

Lamentations is a book of lament. Mourning. Pain. Groaning. Distress. But most of all that first chapter breathes honesty into my heart.

How often do we have our cities crushed? How often do our dreams crumble? How often do our loved ones die?

How often do we tell people how we really feel?

How we are suffering?

It IS ok to be suffering. It IS ok to be in distress. What your heart feels should not be hidden or suppressed. We trap our emotions and feelings, and we are tormented by them from within. We long so desperately for somebody to care, somebody to come to our aide. Then somebody asks us, as they so often do, "how are you?" We smile and lie. Even in a situation when we know that that person truly cares, would really listen to all of your pain and sit with you like Job's friends sat with him. We smile and lie, because we believe that it is not Ok for it to not be Ok.

I am suffering. I am processing pain. I am being tormented. There are numerous things in my life that are not ok.

But that's ok.

Now I offer this thought, and do not be so naive to disagree with me. Nobody reading this is truly 100% OK. I believe that we are all suffering. I believe that we all are crying on the inside. I believe that if that mask were to be removed we would find pain. We would find unresolved conflict. We would find anger towards God.

So please, retreat to that safe environment and take off that mask. Remove that person that the world thinks you should be and cry show them who you really are. Take off your mask for God. Do not sugar coat your prayers. If you have doubt then tell God and those dear to you about your doubt.

It is Ok to not be Ok. It is fine for life to suck. And it's Ok to be honest.

In Christ,

Ben

When Was the Last Time You Worshiped?

When was the last time you worshiped?

And don't think that just because you sang the song or went through the motions meant you worshiped.

When was the last time your heart was in a place of real worship?

What keeps us from worshiping? Why is it that for months worship will be great, but then one day, it just...

falls

apart?

Because worship is not about a song! Worship is not about a day. Worship is not about a service, or a praise band. It is not about your voice or your dance skills (yes, we can worship through dance).

Worship is a way one lives their life.

We often express this when we come together and sing songs. Many people see that specifically as worship time, but even that time is about so much more. Worship comes from the heart. I've heard it put that worship is the reflection of ones week.

I have no conclusive "how to" on worship. If you read this, just take some time to think about it.

Answer this question, then look deeper into the why...

When was the last time you worshiped?

In Christ,

Ben