change your life

There are a few things I might start working on with the dawning of a new year. I am not one to really make “resolutions” - I think I get intimidated to stick with something if it is a RESOLUTION (!!!!) but I do okay if I think of little ways I can live and feel a healthier, fuller and well-rounded life. So for now, I am trying to be more thankful and drink more water.

But one other thing I am trying on is not being so picky, over-analytical and perfectionistic about my blog. I think the reason I don’t write on here very often is because I feel like I have to have some amazing, thought-provoking insight to share with the world. So for now, I’m going to be content in just sharing what I’m thinking about (and hope that every so often it might touch on something slightly resembling a profound insight).

I was reading Matthew 3 yesterday in The Message and two phrases stuck out to me:

“Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”

And

“It’s your life that must change, not your skin!”

I do not often enough live in the reality that God’s kingdom is very much alive and present and at work. It is easy to live into the “not yet” realities of God’s kingdom - because it is easy to see how much is missing, how much oppression there is, and how much I wish things would change. It is a lot harder to see what goodness there is, the progress that takes place on a daily basis, and how I am called to participate in and advance the already present kingdom. Change your life! Don’t just sit idly by and wait for the coming kingdom - it is already here. Take part!

And “it is your life that must change, not your skin.” It is so much easier to focus on our outward appearance - how to change our skin to look good and make it appear as though we have our shit together. Right? I often wonder what would happen if just for a day our inward appearance was reflected on the outside. If my self-pity and bitterness and apathy showed up as pimples and obesity and the stomach flu - how AWFUL would that be? I would certainly pay more attention to my body and try to “fix” it. But we can’t “see” those things as tangibly so they are easier to ignore. Our bodies are there, in front of our faces everyday - so that’s what we pay attention to. And I understand that our bodies are deeply connected to every part of us and taking care of them is necessary - but I wonder what would happen if I took just as seriously changing my heart and mind as I do my body. Perhaps I need to give as much attention to the unseen as I do to the seen - just because it is hidden away does not mean it is healthy.