Show and Tell

I feel strongly called to speak life and encouragement into the lives of those around me. I understand the power of words and how they can transform lives, but I think that words without actions are the easy way out. It's harder to show someone you love them than to say it. Showing involves pursuing.

Lately, I have been obsessed with the notion that I am called to pursue others. According to my dictionary app, one definition of the word pursue is "to attend to." I love that definition because the definition of the word attend is "to be present." So to pursue others, essentially means to be present for them.

For me, pursuing doesn't have to be this grandiose gesture. In fact, little things often stand out more in my mind than the big things. But, pursuing does require you to pour yourself out for the benefit of others. And because it's costing us something, we naturally want to get something back. And when we don't, we become defensive. We decide we're done. And we stop pursuing. We stop being present.

They never want to hang out.
Their phone always goes to voicemail.
They never ask me how I am doing.
They only ever reach out to me when they need something.
Where's my thank you?

And so on and so on and so on. We get tired of being present for people more than they are present for us. And sometimes, you should. Friendships shouldn't be one-sided. Either should dollar bills. That means they're fake. No one should be used or valued only when they are of convenience to others. But a lot of the time, we're just not operating in the grace that is so often extended to us.

I don't know about you, but I am certainly glad that Jesus doesn't stop pursuing me all of the times I fail to pursue Him. All of the times I fail to be present with Him. All of the times my effort in our relationship pales in comparison to His, which is and will forever be, always.

I think that in pursuing others, we somehow lose sight that it's not always about us.
It's not always about MY time, MY efforts, or how I'M pouring into others. Pursuing shouldn't be about me and about what I'm not getting out of it. Pursuing is always about the other person. Pursuing requires action.

So Stop. Stop giving up on people. Stop being done with people. Stop being lazy with people. Stop saying words you never intend on acting on and start acting on words that you've said. Start extending grace. Start speaking words of affirmation and life. Start being present. Start pursuing. Starting loving the way God loves us.

"Our God is not patiently standing by and waiting for us to offer love. He is actively and vigorously pursuing us...He is the father running down the trail to embrace the prodigal son even before the boy can speak his act of contrition. He is the mad farmer showering a full day's wage o men who hadn't even worked. He is Jesus forgiving the sinful woman even before she spoke her sorrow. He is the king lavishing a banquet on beggars....God is not the sort to casually murmur, "Well, sure I love you." He constantly shows how much"- Andrew Greeley.

To pursue others or to be present for is to show how much. I challenge you to operate in the simple elementary school principle: show and tell.

Road Signs

Last week, as I was praying about what to share at a retreat for my internship, an image/experience kept coming to my heart. The image: Driving behind a Semi.

When you get into your car to head somewhere, you typically know the destination. You know the roads that you need to take to get there. You know the stops you need to make along the way. You know the direction you're headed. And then, you get stuck behind a Semi. A semi that constantly is stepping on the brakes, a semi that is driving 15 miles below the speed limit, a semi that is randomly stopping and going, and you can't see around it to see as to why. A semi that is now preventing you from seeing what is up ahead.

In that moment, if you're anything like me, you start focusing on the Semi. How come it's slowing down? Enough with the brakes! Pull over, already! What the... And for the sake of a blog that is public, I'm going to stop my train of thoughts right about there. No one needs to meet the road rager in me.

But in focusing on the Semi, I'm forgetting that I am still on the same path that I was  when I started the drive. If I look back, I can still see all the turns and stops I've made to get where I am. I'm still headed to my final destination- whether the Semi is in front of me or not.

In Psalm 119, the psalmist writes "Barricade the road that goes Nowhere; grace me with you clear revelation. I choose the road to Somewhere. I post your road signs at every curve and corner. I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me. God, don't let me down. I'll run the course you lay out for me if you just show me how (29-32 MSG)."

How many times do we stop focusing on the fact that we are on the road to Somewhere when we find ourselves behind a Semi? How often do we lose sight of the dream because someone tells us we can't? Or the obstacles seem impossible to overcome? Or the doors keep shutting? Or the process is taking longer than we wanted? How many times in the midst of all of this, do we forget to look back and remember where God has shown Himself faithful. Where God has proven He is for us.

There's going to be some bumps in the road. We're bound to hit some monster pot-holes. Heck, there might even be some ridiculous detours, but if we're posting road signs at every curve and corner, when a Semi comes and we can no longer see what is ahead, we can look back on the road signs that we have posted and declare that we are still on the path to Somewhere. And that even when we can't see the end of the road, we can rest in the fact that we know where it ends.

I think sometimes we get so caught up on where we want to be and how come we aren't there yet, that we forget where we have come from and where we have already been. Jeremiah 31:21 reminds us to "set up road signs, put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take." I love this idea of setting up road signs because to me, it brings perspective to a journey. I love knowing that even if you're stuck behind the biggest, most inconvenient semi to ever drive, you can look back and realize that the semi hasn't changed where you're heading. It might have changed the rate in which you get there, and increased your levels of frustration, but you're still heading to the same place you set out for at the beginning of the journey. Road signs enable us to stop looking at the Semi long enough to look back on all that's already been accomplished by the grace of God

"Once again, I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished and give a long, loving look at your acts. Oh, God! Your way is holy. No god is great like God. You're the God who makes things happen, You showed everyone what You can do" (Psalm 77:11-15).