Beautiful Balance

God is the King of Kings. As a Christian, especially growing up as one, I hear this all the time. But I cannot let myself grow numb to it. God sits on a throne with almighty power. To be worshiped and feared for all of eternity. In perfect holiness He rules over our lives. He is the definition of righteousness. He demands our whole lives. We are to surrender our whole selves. He is the master to our servanthood. He reigns in power and holy perfection. 

God is our good Father. Our intentional Creator. We can't let ourselves forget the intense significance this has in defining who we are. Jesus is the healer to our brokenness. He is the Savior to our sinful hearts. He offers the most precious relationship we could ever be a part of. His character is so sweet and restful. He reigns in love and grace. 

Take one of these paragraphs without the other and you miss who our God is. What a beautiful Father and Friend and Savior we have in Jesus! He comforts us and makes us burst with love. What power we have living inside of us through The Holy Spirit. How aware His holiness makes us of our dirt. He convicts us so that He can make us new. He makes us new so that we can continue to grow closer to Him. He gives us the most redeeming and powerful and beautiful kind of love. 

There is a necessary balance to be found in the character of Christ, and how we as messengers must portray Him to those who don't know Him. It is the most beautiful balance there is. It is the balance that frees me from the world. The balance that causes me to completely surrender who I am to Jesus over and over again. 

Forgiveness

Working with kids never fails to teach me endless lessons. Today I admire their ability to so quickly forgive anyone and everyone. 

Almost everyday one of the kids doesn't give their friend the piece of candy they wanted or doesn't choose them to be on their team. That then results to pouting or tears and that's when I get to involve myself in the situation. Almost daily I get to hear an, 'I'm sorry' and an, 'I forgive you' just moments after the conversation even began. Then five minutes later I get to see the same two kids playing together. It's so refreshing. It's so inspiring. 

Imagine a world where we forgave like this. We would be spared so much hurt, as individuals, as a nation, as a population. It's easy to write all of this off as kids being kids and getting upset over small issues, and in the past I have. But the longer I've been around these kids and observed them I've come to the realization that to them these are some of the things that matter most. To them when a friend flippantly says they don't want to be friends anymore because they didn't get candy is a huge deal. To them they are losing a friend and it's hard to see passed that in second grade.

Picture a world where people so easily forgave the things that hurt them and so easily made amends with the people who did it to them. The way Jesus forgives you and me time and time again. 

Today I am so inspired and challenged by the way seven year olds live their lives, I hope you are too. 

Luke 18:17 

Our Passion

 

Interestingly enough this big and God filled passion did not begin with the Dalits or with India, and even today it doesn't fully lie there. Each of us have always been filled with a curiosity of the world and a desire to serve in it, everywhere and anywhere. Neither of us can fully answer when people ask us what we want to be or do when we grow up. Teaching, nursing, evangelizing, counseling, holding babies in orphanages all day, taking care of the old, sick and disabled- or maybe even the perfectly well. There are so many countries and so many things to do, sometimes it is extremely overwhelming. We pray and believe that God will direct our steps and we will end up exactly where He wants us, doing exactly what He wants us to do. Right now that's in high school in California. Right now that's serving in our schools and church and writing about a people group in India on a blog called Namaste.

There is not one doubt that all of this came from God. The passion, the desire, our broken hearts and our frustration with this broken and hurting world. God started it and He fuels it daily.  We are constantly rediscovering that the closer we get to The Father, the more we feel for this world. The stronger we grow in our faith, the deeper the hurt is for injustice, but also deeper is the love for God who in every situation is good.

Jesus is constantly inspiring us and challenging us to rethink the way that we love and serve others. His standards of love are perfect and holy. We will never be that, but His example is beautiful and we will strive for it. Just looking at the way Jesus lives makes both of us giddy. He serves humbly. He's authentic. He's hilarious.  He's present. He is good. He equally loves the outcast, His friends and family, the Pharisees, the people that nailed Him to a cross, and everyone in-between.

We are so excited to see where this crazy and wonderful God takes us and this passion He's given. We are so excited to be right here where He has us now.

Amazing Grace

The way Jesus loves is incomprehensible and I am definitely unable to put it into words. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Words to a song that reminds me of the heart of our Savior.  At the end of the day Jesus loves massively and fiercely, but He brings stillness and peace. There is rest in King Jesus's spirit. 

Our Father is love, truly. We are made to be his hands and feet. And though we fail, His love for us will never. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. A sinner who tries everyday, too hard. Our Father knows we aren't perfect, that's why we have His Son. To be saved and made clean and made free of our burden. 

Jesus is a good Shepherd to us. I once was lost but now I'm found. Jesus makes me found. Jesus gives me a home. The identity of a child of a King and Creator, and a cherished and loved one at that. 

Jesus is a healer. He heals everything He touches, I cannot help but believe this with everything that I am. Was blind but now I see. Jesus makes me able. He has wiped the dirt that this world piles on and has made  me able. He can now use me to work for His great kingdom. 

What a good good Savior and Father and Shepherd and Healer. What amazing grace. 

Thank you, Jesus, in humility we bow.