Even though I have a hidden electronic counter, I actually stopped keeping track of my post tallies awhile ago... for me it's more about the conversation and less about the stats. That's the only way you can tell if you're making a difference in cyber world versus just getting endless visits from the automatic posting programs that are really interested in spamming your site with viagra ads.
It's kind of like church, you know? You can have a roomful of people and keep growing in size every year yet be empty beyond measure internally. Then one day - like a decaying tooth - you realize what's really been going on beneath the surface.
Beneath the surface...
Hmm... maybe it's more than just like church. Maybe it's like what happens in our individual lives sometimes when everything on the outside seems to have the signs of life. And on the inside... decay. We find ourselves relationally empty, trying to reconcile the appearance of the life we lead versus the one we're actually living. In this sense, we become experts at impersonating ourselves.
Perhaps this is where God comes in. He seems to be in the business of resurrecting things that die. And since we can't fool him and he loves us anyway, that seems to say something about the things he sees within us.
Recently I put my oldest son down to bed and we read the story of how God created Adam from dirt. The Bible speaks of how the Lord actually formed the dirt and breathed into it... and then mankind woke up to see the face of the Creator. As I shared this story with Joshua, he asked, "Dad - didn't God's lips get dirty?" I laughed at first, but then I thought - "WOW! Maybe they did... and maybe God was okay with that... and how amazing it is that even though God loves us in our sin he was willing to love us before that with the foreknowledge that we would reject him... and he'd actually stoop to kiss us and get his lips dirty to do it!"Anyway... I'm not sure what any of that means or how it relates to the original post.
But maybe we all need to remember that life isn't about the appearance of life. Rather, the breath of God transmitted to us skin-on-skin reminds us of the abundant life he brings to dirt-clods like us.
The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
6 comments:
I don't drop in a lot. I generally read every post through Bloglines so that won't show up in your stats unless I click through to your site to leave a comment ..... like I just did. :)
Proving once again that numbers don't matter but connections do. :)
Once again it is the questions of your sons (and obviously the impact of their daddy in their life) that makes me take a closer look at God.
Simple, perfect, and seen through eyes that actually look, ears that really listen, ahhh to have the faith of a child. That is what it is all about.
Tony,
This whole thing reminds me of Portage. More importantly it sometimes reminds me of me.
Glad to see you're back. I feel like everything's going to be ok now. :)
Oops I forgot to copy the paragraph I was talking about. I'm a novice poster. :)
"Hmm... maybe it's more than just like church. Maybe it's like what happens in our individual lives sometimes when everything on the outside seems to have the signs of life. And on the inside... decay. We find ourselves relationally empty, trying to reconcile the appearance of the life we lead versus the one we're actually living. In this sense, we become experts at impersonating ourselves."
Cory: I'm with you, bro...
Katie: No doubt - those boys teach me more than I teach them everyday.
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