I've never really had any life-changing experiences. Or at least I don't think I have (I feel like people who know me would tell me differently). I've never done drugs and then realized that I had a larger calling or been in a car accident. I feel like my life has been made up of smaller things.
I can pinpoint a few moments in my life journey that have changed me, but they always seem so little that it's almost ridiculous. And they have always been words.
I figured that I'd share two with you.
I was sitting on the subway, the 1 train, to be exact and it was SO full. I don't remember where I was going. Maybe I was on the 3 train on the weekend and I was going home and it was running local. But that's neither here nor there. There was a woman reading a religious pamphlet and I remember it saying, "Love is a VERB" across the top.
And that's it. But I felt like I had just discovered something important.
The other time is nearly the same thing. I was on our church's Stewardship Committee. A Stewardship Committee essentially helps convey the idea of why the church needs money and how they use it and how we donate our time and talents as well as our money. The visiting pastor (who was going to give the sermon the next Sunday) handed out sheets of paper with 1 Timothy 5-6 on it. I remember reading it and here's the part that knocked me over:
Now, I think it's important to say that this is The Message version of the Bible. I've never been entirely fond of it. In the NIV, Jesus always says "Truly, I tell you..." when he speaks and I LOVE it and I have a hard time with translations that don't say that. But the word that hit me hardest was "extravagantly."
What do you think of when you hear the word "extravagant"? Do you think of others or of yourself? It's a word, for me, that has always conjured up an image of women in furs and diamonds. Extravagant. To be extravagant in our giving...I think that's beautiful.
Do you have any moments, little or big, that have changed the way you view the world and your place in it?
I can pinpoint a few moments in my life journey that have changed me, but they always seem so little that it's almost ridiculous. And they have always been words.
I figured that I'd share two with you.
I was sitting on the subway, the 1 train, to be exact and it was SO full. I don't remember where I was going. Maybe I was on the 3 train on the weekend and I was going home and it was running local. But that's neither here nor there. There was a woman reading a religious pamphlet and I remember it saying, "Love is a VERB" across the top.
And that's it. But I felt like I had just discovered something important.
The other time is nearly the same thing. I was on our church's Stewardship Committee. A Stewardship Committee essentially helps convey the idea of why the church needs money and how they use it and how we donate our time and talents as well as our money. The visiting pastor (who was going to give the sermon the next Sunday) handed out sheets of paper with 1 Timothy 5-6 on it. I remember reading it and here's the part that knocked me over:
Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous.
Now, I think it's important to say that this is The Message version of the Bible. I've never been entirely fond of it. In the NIV, Jesus always says "Truly, I tell you..." when he speaks and I LOVE it and I have a hard time with translations that don't say that. But the word that hit me hardest was "extravagantly."
What do you think of when you hear the word "extravagant"? Do you think of others or of yourself? It's a word, for me, that has always conjured up an image of women in furs and diamonds. Extravagant. To be extravagant in our giving...I think that's beautiful.
Do you have any moments, little or big, that have changed the way you view the world and your place in it?
We should have "extravagant" faith, giving, loving, etc!
ReplyDeleteNo moment is too small that changes our lives. I, too have lots of little moments...each making me who I am, today. I praise GOD for your "little" moments that are "BIG" in HIM who loves you most because they created the heart of the friend I know here!
Hugs,
andrea
This is going to sound lame, but I was reading Oprah magazine today and there was an article in it about how awe can change our lives and make us think about the world and our place in it differently. Anything can give you awe, but they offered suggestions on how to feel it (and ultimately change your viewpoint) and one of those ways was to stand in a crowd. I had to laugh at that because I'm always in a crowd here in NY and I HATE IT. Nothing about it fills me with awe. It makes me want to crawl in a cave.
ReplyDeleteSo this comment started off having something to do with your post and ended up being random. Sorry.
Haha! No worries, Laurie. Are you going to try it now?! ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, it truly is beautiful!!! I am impacted by words many times too! It's like some words are not only alive but they jump right at you telling you something special... something you didn't know before! Like they carry a message! I wish I was extravagantly generous.... I guess when we "feel we already are extravagantly generous" we already stopped being generous.... If that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that you embrace these written messages. I can't say that words have affected my life that deeply, but I do have daily word experiences. On our last trip we started off each day with a devotional from the "Jesus Calling" book. One word on the page jumped out at me, and I determined to remember that word as often as possible throughout the day. The word was "permeate." The devotional was about letting God permeate your being. Whenever that word came to my mind, it was as though God was hugging me.
ReplyDelete