A friend once told me that I spoke with a lot of ‘loose spiritual analogies.’ By this she meant that she often heard me telling stories from which I had derived some sort of spiritual meaning, but that the connection wasn’t all that clear from the story itself. I can’t quite remember my reaction to her comment at the time, but I have come to actually really appreciate it…
I think we should be able to see God in everything… because in some subtle and mysterious way… God is in everything…
So my personal story is one of learning what it means to be able to recognize God, who is already here and there, in my everything… and as my everything…
My story isn’t pretty or neat or tidy. In fact, its pretty messy, and the closer I get to God the more messy it seems to become. I tend to have grand ideas about what my life should look like. I should be happy and healthy… I should be able to determine with precise accuracy exactly when the seasons of my life will change… I should have enough control to get what I want, but not so much that I don’t have to give God some credit every once in a while.
The reality is that God is far more holistic than to be reduced to such mundane terms. God’s thoughts and plans for us have a lot more to do with what LIFE can look like. He is unwaveringly intent on moving in our lives down paths that will allow us experience the Way, the Truth, and the Life within the context of His original plans for this world.
God is writing a Story in the world and we are all a part of it. Our acceptance or denial of God’s Story has absolutely no effect on the Truth of the Story.
The Story is about Truth, Love, and justice… about grace, forgiveness, and mercy… about brokenness being healed and made whole. At the innermost foundation, this is the Story about what Jesus of Nazareth did and is doing in the world. The Story told through prophets, poets, seasons, and sunrises… through birth, life, death, and resurrection… through men, women, and children… through tragedy, heartache, and celebration… through silence and shouts… through an endless array of possibilities all fueled by the love and grace of God.
It’s the Story that God is inviting everyone to take an active role in as we follow Jesus and partner with Him in seeing the “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9-13).
theCanvas is about journeying together to become the type of person who invites the kingdom of God to earth. It’s about participating in the kingdom that is breaking into our experience right here and right now. It’s about growing in our openness to the Spirit who guides us into Truth so that we may have “eyes to see and ears to hear” (Matthew 13: 1-23).
I want to be this type of person… good and fertile soil for the very Word and Life of God to be planted in…
peace,
giff
