Where am I? Sometimes in the mad rush of life I realize that I need to pause for a moment and just figure out where I am before I jet off to the next thing.
Lots of questions it seems are running through my head these days, and I don't often get to dwell on them long enough to figure out what the answers are, but sometimes being able to articulate what it is I am seeking is enough.
How do I love the people God has placed me with? I want my love for others to be pure, not steeped in having my own needs met, but truly as a gift to the other, possible only through God's grace.
How do I truly reach out to my neighbors, breaching cultural barriers that sometimes seem insurmountable? I want to build relationships, become a real part of this place, and help meet needs where I can.
How do I build community with other like-minded folks without excluding those who are different? Is community the end in itself or should we be striving for a certain vision or goal? How does this play out practically with busy schedules and other commitments?
What is it that I am meant to do vocationally? How can this collection of experiences, passions, and gifts be best used to advance the Kingdom?
How do I live fully and with abandon, obedient always to living out God's deep love and never being controlled by fears or insecurities?
How can I cultivate a lifestyle that is fully in the present, focusing on precisely where God has placed me in the moment and who with? How can I learn the art of being, rather than be a slave to my schedule and to-do list?
How do I make God my number one priority, focusing on spending time with God and having an attitude of constant openness to the movements of the Spirit?
So many questions! It can get overwhelming when they're all flying around in my head, but then I remember. Part of the answer, I think, is that "I" cannot do any of this. I need my sisters and brothers, and most of all my God - otherwise none of this is possible.
Amidst all of these questions, I have been encouraged by the people in my life who remind me of what is important and who are figuring out this thing called life together with me. Cooking and conversations late into the night at my house. Burritos and talk about community organizing. Coffee and conversation about hospitality and rootedness. Exciting news about new communities forming on the Hill. Corn mazes and pumpkin carving with children I love. Handing out candy and talking about life on the stoop. Play-dates with the little boys next door. Hot drinks with an old friend in a new city. Dear friends returning from far away places.
I am so blessed by the people who journey with me, as we live these questions...
