Centered

Not sure how many people still check this blog.
Just wanted to share some thoughts if I can manage to put them into coherent words.

The earthquake in Haiti has become another thing that has impressed upon me how short our life is and how great our responsibilities are while we are here. Thoughts of how many people's lives have been affected by this disaster and how it affects us, have been running through my head. We are so far removed from it and yet we're not. We have huge responsibilities around the world. Not just in caring for physical needs, though those are at the forefront of our thoughts as people are in great need in the midst of a crisis, but also for spiritual needs. How many of those people who were killed in the earthquake knew Jesus? In a country where voodoo is still the national religion, I would say that many of those people are eternally separated from God. Yes, the people who are alive and suffering right now are the people we are trying to help.

Please God, help us keep them alive long enough to give them the only message of hope!

I can't even come close to comprehending how much it hurts God's heart to see people dying without Him.


A song that has been stuck in my head for the past week is by David Crowder Band "How He Loves"

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.


What an incredible love! A jealous love that is angered by all the things that keep us from Him. A compassionate and love as he sees the hurt. A merciful love as he continually intervenes. Knowing that he has that kind of love for us, for me, makes me want to do whatever I can to make sure that my life is only for the purpose of furthering His kingdom.

I am encouraged by what I hear of all the different countries doing whatever they can to send relief to Haiti. If only there were that sense of urgency for saving people throughout the world who are dying without hope, the hope that is the assurance of being with Christ forever.

It is so easy for us to allow our worlds to become smaller and smaller, shrinking around us until all we see is what is going on in our little lives. 'gotta re-shingle the roof, gotta clean up the house, gotta work, busy, busy, busy'. Yes we are busy, and day to day life is necessary, but where is our perspective? What are we doing in our prayer lives? Are we taking the time to make sure we are available for God's work? Are we making our lives count in his kingdom? Are we giving until it hurts?


Another song that has made an impression on me is by Reinstate "Need to Give"

Worlds apart from the start
you were dreaming of a life to live for
I am here without fear
dreaming of the day I make it to the top

But love has spoken
Hearts been broken
We are all the same
It does not matter
What we have in this life
Only that we give it away

So much pain suffering
On your side of the world where dreams don't come true
Here are we happily
Meeting all our needs without a second thought

While parents dying
Their children crying for love
And we all turn our backs
And we don't attack the pain
That we all see

It's time to give our lives
It's time to give our lives
It's time to give our lives away

Parents dying
Their children crying for love
We all turn our backs
And we don't attack the pain

If we'd open up our eyes
Look outside our lives
We'd see the needs, the hopes, the wants, the dreams
Of those with not enough
Whose hopes have turned to dust
While we have lived our lives so selfishly

Enough is all we need to live
It's time for us to give
Let's drown out the doubt
That we can live without
One day we'll stand before the throne
Of the King that I adore
We cannot afford
To ignore the need anymore


Now if I had just put those lyrics up to begin with, I wouldn't have needed to write anything else. It says it all right there. Let's all get some perspective shall we? Where are our lives centered? Please take this as a challenge not only for you, but also for me.