God has this wonderful way of resetting my perspective. As you may have noticed, I currently have a little blog obsession -- I am not only writing more on my own, but also investigating a myriad of other people's blogs.
Yesterday, I was reading one such blog, written by a one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. And she was decked out in beautiful, interesting clothes. I started to have a little pity party about how I will never be able to shop at Anthropologie (but really ... who can?) and got frustrated enough to navigate away from the page. At the time, it seemed totally rational ... what woman doesn't wish she had more money for clothes and shoes?
And then I went to church in the morning.
12Stone is adopting the unemployed in our area by committing to feed 5,000 families for Christmas. That is around 20,000 people. Awesome. We watched a video of some families in our congregation who are struggling with unemployment, and I was astounded by their trust in God despite seemingly dire situations. And then God said to me, "Hey, remember that time that you were petty and selfish? Ya ... me too." Instantly reset. Thus Josh and I had a conversation last night about how we can use our 5 loaves and 2 fish to be a part of the generosity of Christ this season.
I was at work this week, and there was a woman sitting in the middle of the "Careers" aisle at Barnes and Noble, books strewn around her, voraciously writing on a notepad of hers. I asked her "Are you finding everything ok?," she said yes, and then muttered something under her breath as I walked away. I walked back, and asked her what she said, and she replied, "Everything except a job." I haven't really stopped thinking about our very short interaction -- you have to be pretty desperate to admit that you're floundering to a random stranger. I ache for her, and pray God's provision for her and her family. And I would love it if he would use me!
How do you need to be reset?
I came across this quote in my favorite book of all time, Orthodoxy. Chesterton writes, “To modern man the heavens are actually below the earth. The explanation is simple: he is standing on his head; which is a very weak pedestal to stand on. But when he has found his feet again he knows it. Christianity satisfies suddenly and perfectly a man’s ancestral instinct for being the right way up; satisfies it supremely in this; that by its creed, joy becomes something gigantic and sadness something small and special.”
Stop standing on your head, allow God to rightsize you, and watch as joy becomes gigantic in your life!
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