.: heeding the call ourselves :.

We are so far removed from the practice of self-care. We have forgotten what it looks like to nurture our inward heart and life. We have allowed ourselves to put on a "holy performance", all the while drying up inside. We need fresh words spoken to our souls. We need new life ushered into the spaces of us that are dull or have grown apathetic. We need a transforming work that continually takes hold of us and removes all hidden agendas of building our own temporary kingdoms. The Spirit of God longs to bring that new life into our hearts, to breathe that new life into our lungs. He desires for us to be in the sort of place where we are filled with new songs of praise in response to His ongoing acts of redemption. Unfortunately, we have learned to no longer be fully present. We have grown used to simply not being ourselves. Maybe because we have been burdened with the directing forces of those who claim to have all the answers. Maybe because we have failed to keep that vision of our life - who we were, who we now are, as well as who we have been called to be - before us always. Maybe because the work of restoration does not happen naturally. And maybe it is purely because the routines of our lives consist of what needs to be done rather than what ought to be done... what we have to do to stay plugged into the truest source of real life. Have you and I forgotten how to live? I am not talking about just existing, but rather living the sort of life that is filled and taken up with the passion of offering that life to others. But that must begin with us. We need the ground below our own heels in order to have the required position to draw others away from imminent danger. That calls for a vitality about our spiritual life that burns within us week/month/year-long. Are we committed to something deeper than just our own survival? We need real life, the kind that lies beyond getting caught up in the supposed promises of career advancement. We need genuine love and intimate connections that unite us with the unending movements of the Living Spirit. We need to incessantly be renewing our vision for Christ and His work within us. We cannot give ourselves permission to grow cold - that is nothing less than a life from the Enemy! I guess that begins with me. That begins with my choosing to recklessly throw myself before the throne of God. That starts with my making the time to discover Him in new ways, rather than merely waiting for it to happen to me. The dawning of that new life that stands ready to burst within me only originates from the fresh seeds that I plant within me. And that only works when I participate with the Father, when I remain committed to what He is doing (even beyond the things I see that may cause me to mistrust His heart), and when I look and linger for what He has been waiting to bring greater growth to in terms of my faith and life. But until that becomes a concern of mine, I will continue to move forward on the fumes of works done so long ago. His work remains a new one... one that extends rich joy into our hearts and light into our eyes.