Thursday, March 4, 2010

It's All About Relationship

I've typed...backspaced (I'm still old-school IBM Electric trained)...typed....backspaced, at least a half-dozen times over the past few minutes. There's something I want to say. Something I must say. But for one of the few times in my cyber-life, I'm nearly speechless.

What my fingers and mind are attempting to do is splatter this page with the joy welling up and overflowing in my heart and emotions right now. But each time I try, well, it falls flat. So, I'll just tell you what has happened and leave sentence structure and threads to another post.

Yesterday I spent the better part of six-hours scanning and posting photographs from high school days as well as college. Dozens of confirmed "friends" posted comments and more than a few sent an invite. I was about to wrap things up when a high-school friend's name popped up in the IM (Instant Message) FB window. This was a girl who could make me laugh so hard I'd nearly get kicked out of class or be given a death-ray stare from basketball coache who didn't appreciate my inattentiveness to the zone defense at hand.

I hadn't spoken to or with Tracy since 1983 and there she was in front of my screen.
So we began conversing while I clicked over to her Wall. Her status garnered my attention and I thought, "I bet she's a Christian." It didn't take us but 20-seconds or so into our conversation when she confirmed just that and told me about her desire to "run hard after Jesus," too. Well, I was over-the-moon thrilled and before the night ended we exchanged emails and I've no doubt we'll keep in touch.

That was great yet better still while trolling through her friends list I came across the brother of one of my high school friends who I've been trying to get in touch with for years. I sent a friend request and e-mail message and hoped Doug would forward his sisters contact information to me. Sleep beckoned so I shut down both the computer and my brain and waited until the following day or so for his response (if any).

Small group bible study kept me active until early afternoon today and then travel details for an event this weekend. At last, I was able to plop down in my favorite chair and head directly to FB. Weeding through comments and tackling some "I'm-not-a-Ph.D-but-I'll-sure-listen-and-pray-for-you" counseling, I then saw he had clicked "Accept."

Quicker than a scrolling heartbeat, I picked up on a Wall post he had written and thought, "That sounds sorta Jesusy." A few more clicks here. A blog-post reading moment there. And sure enough this young man whom I remember as an adorable 6 or 7 year-old, is now a "running hard after Jesus" with his Jesusy wife right there beside him.

Amazing.

And all together humbling.

You see, I'm sitting here with my eyes closed typing because I want to feel...FEEL...the magnitude and ferocity of God the Father's love and pursuit of those He created. I'm also closing my eyes and shaking my head a bit back-and-forth a bit as I can do nothing but confess, "Lord, I know I've pridefully thought my beloved hometown and those I have cared about for so long somehow required me to really get it...to really get You."

Nope. That's not the case. Jesus seems to be doing just fine with the Father and the Spirit. As well as countless individuals strategically placed in each of our lives to shape us and lead/point to Him.

Tonight something has happened in my faith, to my faith, and for my faith that I can't begin to articulate. A weird lesson in humility cloaked in joy. There's a sense of release, while at the same time, a re-inforced urgency to stop dinkin' around with that which is holy...eternal...and relationship.

"For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." ~Philippians 2:13

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