. . . is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Author, John Piper, modifies this tenet slightly yet powerfully: the chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.
Whether you believe this or not, consider YOUR LIFE- right here, right now.
Are you living one of significance and meaning, however you define that? Do you have gratitude for this moment and this day, despite the excruciatingly difficult circumstance you may be undergoing? Do you feel that gratitude can trigger joy and comparison with others, rob you of it? Do you have a death grip on the outcome of a certain situation? Several? Are you living life in resistance or surrender?
Are you real and vulnerable? Or are you pretending and ‘strong’? Are you burying grief, shame, anger, fear? Are you living, as per Socrates, an unexamined life? Or one that is in the light? Is your vocabulary full of shoulds and supposed-to’s ?
How about your children? Are they reflected glory? Can you utter these six words after one of their games or recitals, “I love to watch you play” and then, stop talking? Are you loving as well as living the questions in your life, especially the unresolved ones? Are you seeking only answers?
Would you like to hole up and disappear, maybe for a really long time? Do you think you might be willing and able to embrace the mantra of Momastery’s Glennon Melton? “Just Show Up. Be Brave. Be Kind. Rest. Try Again.”
This pretty much sums up my approach to Haiti, and I’d like to leave you with words from my publisher, Stuart Revercomb, as they relate to the chief end of many of us in Western society: “Yes- money rules…doesn’t it – and the consistent lesson it teaches is that striving for it with everything we’ve got at the cost of time for genuine and real relationships with others is what we should do every waking moment of every waking day…”
Relationships – pure and simple. They are why I ‘just show up.’ Unless you have a strong aversion to Justin Bieber, by the way, please take a few minutes to watch the slide show below. In my humble opinion it’s worth a second look even if you’ve seen it before. It will give you the essence of why I go – that is, if you’re curious. And you know what? It’s not about me anyway – it’s about God . . . and you . . . and them.
This reality is NOT air brushed, friends:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a63774d4455304e6a453d0d0a&blogview=true
PS. If you’re of the praying persuasion, please uphold us this coming week, June 22-29. (Three of my children: Ellie, Will & Sarah, sister Clissy, teams, translators, missionaries, skilled laborers, bus drivers. Yay Maxim! And, of course, 180+ precious orphans.)
– Caroline Watkins
