Are Spiritual and Physical Health Separate Entities?

I'm always ranting about how Christians focus too much on sin: trying to overcome it, avoiding it, encouraging others to stop it, etc. So, again, I was ranting this morning to a friend of mine (I'm always unsure if people really want to hear my rants... so I try to keep them in my blog). I started talking about how my husband and I keep each other accountable in different ways, saying things like, "Are you resting?" or "How are you feeling?" and trying to take care of each others' needs, rather than asking each other about sin areas. I said to my friend, "If you're healthy, you're less likely to even want to 'sin'." and she thought for a moment and replied, "you mean, if you're spiritually healthy." I responded, "yes."

That got me thinking. When I said "healthy" I meant, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It never occurred to me to specify "spiritually" because I don't separate these from each other. They are simply four areas of our overall health. I suppose you can separate those things in your mind. Yes, its possible to be spiritually healthy and physically unhealthy. And yes, it's also possible to be physically healthy yet spiritually dead... But in my mind, lacking health in any of the four areas means you're just not healthy.

Each aspect of health (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental) affects the other. I talk about the effects of stress quite a bit, because I feel people dismiss it too much. When you are sleep-deprived, overworked, stressed out, and tired, you literally are blocked from some ability to engage in higher brain functions. When you are in that unhealthy state, your brain focuses its attention to the impulsive, instinctual part of your brain, and leaves the frontal lobe with less function. Your intuition, moral judgment, self-discipline and self-control are all managed in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe enables you to override impulses and base desires. When that is weakened, of course you're going to struggle more with "sinning". You've put yourself at a disadvantage.

Now, I understand there are times in which we just have to work hard, and sleep gets put on hold. I'm in that state right now. I'm not condemning anyone here. I'm simply pointing out that good physical health puts us at an emotional, spiritual, and mental advantage, and bad health puts us at a disadvantage. There is a direct correlation between our spirit, mind, and body.

When I'm tired or stressed or emotionally spent, I eat more, do less, and that which I do is of less quality. Plus I don't care about the quality so much because I'm just plain tired. I love my philosophy class, but I do not care about what Euthyphro said to Socrates when it's two in the morning and I just want to sleep. When I'm depressed, I'm not thinking about how I can be there for my loved ones, I'm thinking about how I want them to be there for me. I'm a vortex rather than a wellspring. When I'm hurting, I tend to build up walls and I'm mean to others, snappy even. After a week of constant sleep-deprivation, I start to get in this survival mode in which it's easy to prioritize tasks because I only do the things which are absolutely necessary at the moment. Laundry piles up, dishes get crusty, and I start getting sick. The mess makes it more difficult for me to focus. Then when I finally get a full night of rest, I don't have a constant headache, and I almost don't know what to do with my time. But it takes a bit to get back into the swing of things.

When I'm well-rested, I'm productive, positive, and what I do is quality. I am able to get ahead, cook delicious foods, prioritize and manage my time, get things done and enjoy doing them. I feel good about myself, and I look better. More than that, I have the capacity for self-control. I don't sit on the couch and veg-out watching TV shows because I have too much energy. I am nice and thoughtful to my husband and my friends. I find myself able to focus. And I don't gain weight so easily

There is no sin where there is no need. When we have needs, we seek them out. Without our higher brain function, we can't override base impulses. And those impulses become stronger when those needs become greater.

That is how Dustin and I keep each other accountable. We help take care of each others' needs, and we trust God to fill those spiritual needs that we can't fulfill for each other. And I feel it is really the most effective way.

I used to be that leader who would ask about all the trouble areas in a person. I have seen for myself that it simply doesn't work. Once in a while it can be therapeutic--sometimes we need to get stuff off of our chest--but week after week? There are some things you can encourage a person to do, and you can even find fulfillment in it, but it's a slow and painful process. Years of confessing sins and praying for strength... And there's always a sense of condemnation or depression, even the temptation to feel superior to someone who struggles in  an area you don't. Focusing on the failures just brings out the worst in them. Only when I began to encourage those people did I see true growth. When they believed they were a son or daughter of God, they acted like one. When they believed they were a sinner, they acted like one. And as I encouraged them, I was able to see them in a more positive light.

One encouraging word has infinitely more effectiveness than a hundred corrective words.  If someone is able to overcome sin, it's because God did it. Why should I continuously put that burden back onto the shoulders of the one from whom God removed it?

I have a huge beef with the idea of "accountability" partners. If a friend became my accountability partner and always asked me, "how are you doing in 'that' area of temptation?" (with the best of intentions) it would change the dynamic of our relationship. I would be vulnerable and open at first, but the longer I struggled with that thing, every time she asked, I would be tempted to lie, or after a while I just stopped saying anything because, gosh-darn-it, I should be over this by now. Isn't accountability supposed to help me? I'd start focusing on that area of temptation and how badly, or how well I was doing. And I'd be more likely to keep thinking about those things... And I'd associate that sin with that friend, because she was always asking about it. Then I'd stop wanting to be around her. Why have an accountability partner who is only going to remind you of your struggles? Many a deep friendship of mine has slowly disintegrated this way. That question, "How are you doing in 'that' area" carries with it the power of suggestion. What you focus on becomes your reality (I credit George Lucas for that quote from Quigon Jin in Star Wars). If I'm focused on sin, well, I'm going to struggle with it. "What a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7) And then if I find that the sin stops becoming a struggle, I might be tempted to take credit for God's work in me and become proud of myself. I might be tempted to think I've earned something. Who needs Jesus, right?

But back to health... (see, I really am always ranting about how we focus too much on sin). Be healthy. Don't neglect your physical health (people tend to do that). It affects your mind, your emotions, and your spirit. They are not separate entities, but parts of the same. It doesn't help to separate them. You only have one body. Take care of it.

Now that I've said all of this, remember that it is Christ who does the good in us. Trust Him. We must take care of ourselves, but we are never able to do anything righteous without God Himself moving through us. Give Him your burden of sin, and stop carrying it.

Singing "Be Lifted Up," and My Post-Worship-Contemplations

Though I sang it many times last night, "be lifted up, be lifted higher," I now realize I cannot lift God up any higher than He already is.

When we think of kings on earth, we think of an authority that is ascribed to them by men. We can venerate, elevate, and even magnify the person on the throne, only because he is a human being. He was born of dust just as we were, and therefore, we can raise his status. Perhaps he was born into a royal bloodline and was already born into position: this is only possible because at some time his blood ancestors were given that right by others.

When we think of government, as the Western culture, we think of democracy. We think of our leaders as being in a position that was voted upon by men. Of perhaps we think of corporate giants having power and authority because they have money. We think of leaders as being in authority because they had some sort of quality that leadership needs, otherwise, we will seek out a better, more qualified leader. Those men can be taken out of leadership whether legally or illegally.

In any case, leadership on earth is ascribed by men. In the strictest sense, we put those people in position. And if it was possible to have authority ascribed to a person by God (a.k.a. King Saul and David), it was only because the people asked God for it. God put them in position as a response to the peoples' groaning. They wanted a king like other cultures had. Saul was killed, David was attacked, and new kings took their place.

Contemplate God's actual position--his kingship--over the universe. It is static. It is an authority not ascribed by men. He is king whether we acknowledge that fact or not. And He is at the highest point any being can be. There is none higher than Him in the physical sense, and in the figurative sense. To "lift Him higher" is to what? It is no more possible for an ant to lift me higher than I myself can stand, or even jump. Or perhaps on a flat plane a million ants together can lift me up... But that analogy breaks down because it is an attempt to understand a God that inhabits dimensions we cannot even comprehend. How can we lift up a God we cannot physically perceive? And how can we lift Him up in a spiritual sense if our essence is one with Him?

Perhaps then, I should look at it differently. Perhaps by singing, "be lifted up," I am only referring to our perception of Him; in a way saying, "let our perception of you be lifted up," or, "let your authority be more evident to us, or more important to us," or, "let us value you more." In that case, I can contend with it... But then it would be better for me to just say those things instead.

To say, "be lifted up," is misleading because it gives the impression that we ourselves can lift God to a higher position by praising Him. It implies that we have a part in giving Him authority.

And though it would not be wrong to say, "let me value you more, God," there is a danger that I might think His actual ability to work in my life depends on me, or how  much I allow Him. BUT, His authority in my personal life does not depend on how much I allow Him to have. He has authority despite me. It is better to contemplate Him in the reality of His character than to contemplate Him in relation to me. When I only do the latter, I am diminishing His value in my mind already. How? By thinking that His authority depends on my allowance of it!

I may be asking Him to help me value Him more, but I am already defeating my own purpose if I think I am in control of His authority in my own life. That is not trust/faith. It is self-reliance.

The good thing is that if I am unknowingly in that state, He can show me the way out of it.

His exercising of authority does not depend on me, but He allows me to engage in it with Him because He is loving. He allows me to have a say because He is a gentle God and wants relationship with me. He values my relationship with Him more than He values my perception of Him (though if you read the Bible, you will see that He wants to be perceived [Hosea 6:6], and is the reason why He manifested Himself in human form as Jesus on Earth). When I see Him in that light, my appreciation for Him is intensified because I know what He is capable of, and yet I know He wouldn't harm me because I know how He feels about me. That understanding makes me feel loved and appreciated and it draws me to Him. Because of His restraint, He is irresistible to me.  His power sustains all of life, and His glory is fierce and dangerous, yet in His heart is where I am safe. Because of that, I feel infinitely valued, and utterly fulfilled.

I am in a state of ecstasy when I contemplate Him in His reality as opposed to contemplating Him in relation to my abilities.

Men who have the ability to harm, yet show restraint have always been the most attractive to me and I realize now it is because that is the character of God.

The moment we think we have control over when and where He can operate, God begins to lose His appeal [in our minds]. It becomes a one-way relationship because His actions on earth now depend on us. We become the only one who initiates any interaction. Then after a while we get tired of it, bored, even. We are always the one who must make an effort to engage in the relationship. That is burdensome. God seems uninterested in us. We lose motivation and then our devotion time becomes an obligation, which sucks out all intimacy and life (the same can be applied to marriage). That's when it becomes a religion. Then we see everything in terms of what we are doing as opposed to what God is doing. "Look! I prayed out of desperation as a last resort, and God answered my prayer! Faith means taking action... I took action by saying a simple sentence." The focus is on the fact that you prayed, and not on the fact that God did something. You're now trusting the prayer you prayed--the fact that you said a prayer "that worked"--rather than actually trusting in God. In a sense, you're learning how to "manipulate God" (not that He can be manipulated).

See it for what it is: God loves you as His child and wants to give you whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm your soul. See God's grace in the event, not your effort. But now I am getting off track...

Now that I've said all of this, I must make a disclaimer: I have not said it is wrong to sing, "be lifted up." [I myself sang it wholeheartedly] I have also NOT said that people who sing this are totally misled in their thinking. I am merely pointing out the dangers of what can be perceived and how those perceptions affect us.

Let us desire to know who God is. And may He reveal that to us more fully than ever before.

Self-Imposed Misery. Stop That!

She dragged herself into class and slumped down in her chair. "Why am I so tired?" she whined.
     "Didn't get enough sleep?"
     "No. Ugh. It's work. I work forty hours a week."
     "And how many credits are you taking?"
     "Eighteen" (college students truly know how much work an 18 credit load is: it's more than a 40-hour a week job). I felt very sorry for her.
     "Whaaaat? And you're a vocal major? How...." I thought about how bad my voice sounds when I'm sleep deprived or stressed...
     "I know. And last night I just didn't go to sleep. So I guess that's my own fault."
     "Oh. Sorry. Are you trying to graduate at a certain time? Is that why you are squishing it all in?"
     "Yeah. Next Fall."
     "And you're working a forty-hour a week job? Why?"
     "Gotta pay bills."
     "I see."
     "But, I should be thankful that I have a job. It really is a blessing."

I didn't appreciate her last sentiment, though I offered empathy. I don't like it when people are thankful for dreadful situations. I get it. They are trying to have an attitude of gratitude. But all that does is allow us to accept things that shouldn't be; it keeps us from making changes for the better. There's got to be a cheaper way to live. Get rid of the phone. Sell the car. Get a job downtown. Do something to make your life better. You only have one body. Take care of it! Is your career worth your health? Mine isn't, at least not anymore. It used to be. And that's why her statement bothered me. I refuse to live that way anymore.

It's difficult for me to hear people be thankful for things that are causing them to lose their quality of life. If it is out of their control, I understand. But when it is in your power to make your life better... then make it better! Complaining is bad enough... but being thankful?! Stop enduring self-imposed misery and stop being thankful for it! Make decisions that improve your life. That is my rant for the day.

Am I Irreverent?

I love my new class "The Christian English Scholar." So far this class has had the most relevant discussion concerning Christian art that I've engaged in since I've been in college. Since the students are all upper class-men, the discussion has been very deep and opinionated, which, as my friends would know, I LOVE! Deep opinionated discussion that is intellectually stimulating, and is open to new perspectives is where I come alive.

Today, the last opinion stated bothered me. We were talking about the commercialization of Jesus (selling crosses, paintings, T-shirts, etc.) and asking the question, is this an insult to the religion. The last student pointed out that the Jews don't say the name Yahweh out of reverence for God. They have upheld that tradition for so long that they aren't even sure how it originally sounded since vowels were only added to the language later. His point was that we have lost that reverence for God and he wishes that we would have it back.

Why should that point bother me? Shouldn't I want us all to revere God? Well, yes, but not in the same way. I believe there is a reason we can now say His name, and that it is a good one. That's the beauty of what Christ did for us on the cross: he made himself accessible to all of us. He made a way for us to come back to Himself. He made it possible for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him, and thus we now know Him. That reverence has changed from a distant, law-conscious, impersonal relationship to a close, intimate, grace-conscious relationship. Jesus said, if you know me, then you know the Father. God told Moses his name because they had a personal relationship. Others only knew this name through Moses. Knowing a person closely means knowing his or her name; knowing them deeply.

Furthermore, restoring that kind of reverence highlights God's holiness without acknowledging His love. In His Word, God clearly says, He wants us to know Him more than He wants us to sacrifice, or follow the law (Hosea 6:6). I want God's people to understand His love more than anything else. That is His essence; that is who He is. God is love.

There are reasons why the scripture is not revered the way it used to be: because we have the Word inside of us, namely, Holy Spirit. We worship God, not His word. The value is in the relationship, not the formalities. Yes, I revere God. Yes, I value the scriptures. Yes, I am hurt and insulted when others insult Him. But is God actually insulted? How can He be insulted by a people who can't even love Him without His help to begin with? And if He is insulted, His love transcends it, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While we were screaming curses in Jesus' face, while He was dying in the most painful and humiliating way, while He was positioned in the most vulnerable place possible, He looked up and asked God to forgive us, "For they know not what they do," He said.

That God is accessible to each of us is a beautiful thing. Taking His name off of my lips just isn't going to happen.

Perhaps I'm irreverent. Perhaps I'm wrong. Forgive me if I am.

Thoughts On What's Going On In the Middle East

In Israel, I met a lot of young adults who were politically informed. One such friend who was only seventeen wrote a lengthy, easy-to-understand synopsis of the situation in Israel from her perspective, complete with research and historical back-story on her blog. I have to say, I was impressed. This is in direct contrast to my American counterparts who have no interest in politics whatsoever. When I came home and talked to some of my college peers about my summer, I got a lot of, "Oh, yeah, how are you? I read your posts on Facebook about bombs and missiles and sirens or something. Where were you again?" And when I mentioned the Iron Dome, they were clueless, and furthermore, when I mentioned that Hamas has been streaming rockets into Israel constantly in the last few months, they were shocked with no comments to add. Everything I said about the situation seemed to be new information to them.

[To be fair, out of concern for me, some of my friends decided to study and research and become experts on the situation in the Middle East when I started to post about the sirens.]

I don't know why this ignorance surprised me. Just four months ago I was just as ignorant. I had no clue what was going on in the world. A few years ago, during a random conversation with a business man, he said to me, "You don't have a political bone in your body, do you?" I felt I had no right to have an opinion about politics since I knew so little. I still feel inadequate to share my perspective, but I also feel compelled to bring things to light. The compulsion is stronger than my feelings of inadequacy, so I will press on...

Click HERE to watch the video. Start at 13:30

This video is a presentation made by Chris Mitchell of CBN at King of Kings community in Jerusalem, Israel. It consists of a montage of different news stories that paint a fuller picture of the situation in Iraq. He also opens it up for Q & A at the end.

I met this man this past summer and was impacted by his energy and excitement about life. I asked him what it was about his job that he liked the most. A smile came over his face as he described the fulfillment he gained from keeping people informed about what's happening in the Middle East. He said that this is his way of sharing with people how to pray concerning these situations even though he doesn't directly say, "pray for these things."

There was a news clip in Mitchell's above montage (35:20) in which Senator Ron Johnson claims that what is happening now is a result of Obama pulling the troops out of Iraq. I have wondered that very thing myself, but was never bold enough to actually cast blame. Is this war the fault of American involvement? What if the troops had never been sent there in the first place? Would this still have happened? How much did the US presence in Iraq affect what is going on now?

With that in mind, why in the world were they sent there anyway?

Was ISIS a pre-existing monster in hibernation?

Perhaps the United States' involvement merely delayed the inevitable. Or perhaps it caused frustration which spurred Muslim radical thinking, leading to the development of ISIS. I choose my words carefully when I say "spurred" because ultimately no one can cast blame on the US (unless of course Bush or Obama knew something we all didn't). The people of ISIS must be held responsible for their own actions.

Interestingly enough I saw this recent news clip about Obama. He is making a fool out of himself when he denies that it was his idea to pull troops out of Iraq. It was one of his big promises during his campaign: to "end the war" in Iraq.  Either he was taking credit for other peoples' decisions in congress, or he now doesn't want to own up to his own ideas. Certainly the idea didn't originate with him--families were aching for their sons and daughters to come home from Iraq the minute they were deployed--but he was the leader and catalyst for making it come about. What kind of leader denies his actions when they are clearly documented?! Does he think we are stupid?



If he's not insulting Americans nationwide, he is at least making himself seem stupid. But I don't believe he is. I think he is playing stupid. For what reason, I don't know.

So the ISIS crisis (hey, that rhymes!) is happening right next door to Israel.  And Israel has been clearly declared one of ISIS's next targets (along with the United States). Some even believe that ISIS is helping Hamas.

This CNN report below focuses on Netanyahu, making him seem rude, and paints the picture that the US and Israel are still on good terms, even implying that Netanyahu is walking on thin ice concerning his relationship with Obama. Yes, the US still officially supports Israel. But I heard many statements by various people while I was in Jerusalem that they believe the relationship is waning... Whatever the official stance is, Israeli's don't believe it. They have a different perspective.



Note the slant here. CNN is one news station with an agenda. I hope that your idea of the situation doesn't only come from one source. American media often makes Israel look like the bad guys. What they report is often true, but it's easy to make the truth look like something it's not. It's all in the presentation of it. They've said nothing about Hamas and the brutalities they've committed to their own people, using them as shields against Israel's military reactions. CNN calls it "Israel's offensive" but in reality it is a move in response to the hundreds and hundreds of missiles that are being fired into Israel from Gaza constantly. [For some comedic relief, here's a funny video that basically illustrates how every Israeli suffers from PTSD from the constant rain of missiles and sounding of sirens!]. Israel may not have done everything perfect, but they do have a right to take action against Hamas. CNN fails to explain that (for more explanation, read my friend's blog mentioned above).

If you are truly "Pro-Palestinian", you can't be in favor of Hamas. They are oppressive to Palestinians. While there may be racism in Israel, Palestinians are not oppressed by Israelis (well, they weren't until the war. Then far right Jews became violent and started rioting, but that is only one group of radicals. The rest of them are peacefully co-existing). I met several Palestinians living peacefully in Jerusalem.

One Israeli man told Dustin, "He is American, but his heart is Muslim!" He was referring to Obama.

The idea we got while we were there was that the people of Israel are no longer looking to the US as an ally. Netanyahu obviously appreciates the support that is currently being given, but the feeling of the people is that all of their allies in the world are turning their backs on them. It is a heavy feeling that they carry with them. They have been a hated people for generations. I sensed a very, "it's us against the world," mindset. It is a sad one indeed.

Right now, Israelis love Canada because of the emotional support and encouragement offered to Netanyahu by its prime minister Stephen Harper. I banked on the fact that I am a Canadian when it served my purposes (haha). A French-Jewish couple who lived down the hall greeted Dustin and me as we entered the elevator. Their demeanor changed from stand-off-ish to warm and genuine upon learning that I am Canadian.

So what is my point in writing all this? Partly to get some things off of my chest; mostly it is to tell people that things are not always as they seem. Even though I have presented my thoughts here, I acknowledge that my perspective is incomplete and biased. It is largely based on my experience. There are things at work behind the scenes that perhaps none of us will know about. Don't blindly trust everything you hear on the news. If you want to be informed enough to have a right to an opinion, get your news from a variety of sources, and from other countries. And make sure your sources are at least reputable. Or, go there yourself. See first hand what is going on in the world.

The real threat to the world is ISIS. It seems like the world (particularly the US) was so focused on Israel that they weren't seeing the atrocities that were happening right next door; atrocities that are far more relevant to them. We cannot let ISIS take over the Middle East, and we cannot let them take over Israel. Israel has one of the most advanced militaries in the world. That advance in the hands of ISIS means danger to us. They have clearly declared the US as a target. They might already have infiltrated many US cities (see this article).

Let the Holy Spirit guide you in these matters. Don't take them in and simply give in to discouragement. But don't ignore them either. God is with us. He has a purpose for us. If we have the means to do something about it, we should.

A New Perspective

       "There is wisdom in reducing your schedule to make it easier on yourself."
       "Well," I explained, "the funny thing is that the past two years I could barely handle fourteen [college] credit hours per semester. Everything scheduled was a dread. It was really difficult for me to do anything. It's because of what I went through before. My life revolved around the schedule, so after that I couldn't even think about plans. I mean, you probably saw some of my frustration when I talked to you last year. Every prospect was just misery..." He laughed at my dramatic words, "But now, after having been in Israel, it's different. I feel like I can handle more this year, and I'm excited even. And there's no dread or stress at all. It's strange."
       He shook his head and gave me a knowing glance, chuckling to himself as he responded, "You know, someone should do a study on the psychological effects that ministry can have on a person. That would be interesting."
      "Yeah."
      "I think it's something about feeling like all your time is owned by someone else. I've definitely been there. Even the small things feel like huge burdens. When I was going through it, my wife would say something like, 'oh there's this wedding we've been invited to...' and even just that would make me think to myself, 'oh no'."
      "I know! And then you feel selfish for not giving your time for small things, but you just can't function any other way."
       "Exactly... You just can't."

       This was a conversation between my adviser and me earlier today. It felt good to talk to someone who really understands what I went through. It was validating. We helped each other put into words things not often articulated. The sad thing is that your typical twenty-seven-year-old hasn't felt the pain of ministry burn-out yet. But I have. And my adviser is probably in his early fifties. I honestly relate better to my teachers than I do to my fellow students. Most of the students here are all fresh out of high school ministries, ready to take on the world, willing to do whatever it takes... when I left his office and went to practice piano, I couldn't focus. I only thought about our conversation and how well he related to me. I think he was even shocked at how similarly we had both felt from our experiences.
       My vocal teacher was hurt by a church as well. She wasn't overworked, but she was wounded in a way that took years to recover. Her and her husband ran a very successful passion play for many years until one day she saw people moving all the props out of the prop house. The pastor had shut down the drama department without even telling her. We bonded over our stories of pain. I spent many times in her office crying because I was such an emotional mess. It was singing. That was one of the main ways I served my church. Music is the language of my heart. So when she would try to get me to actually connect emotionally with the music, I would feel this swell of hurt rising up. Most of the time I could fight it, but on occasion I just couldn't and I would burst into tears. She was just the perfect person to help me through it.

       I often feel like I'm an outsider; like because of what I went through, I see things others just don't see. It has been frustrating. I feel old inside, already tired of life. But then I come here to a place where many of my teachers are former pastors and ministers who have been through it all. They see things the way I do. It helps.

       I'm just glad that I have a deep well to draw from, and glad that I have a new perspective from having been away. It was exactly what I needed.

Love is Power

I believe love is stronger than hate.  It is a  slow, consistent power like the small streams that carved out the Grand Canyon.  For those of you who have seen the Canyon with your own eyes, you know the sheer magnitude of it--the bone-chilling depth of it.

Compare it to a famous volcano eruption.  While it was powerful enough to change an entire ecosystem in a matter of days, the result of it was devastation.  The display was no doubt magnificent--quick and efficient--but it caused much death and destruction that can only be healed over time.  The Grand Canyon was carved slowly, allowing time for the land to adjust, and the result was a rich and thriving ecosystem full of beauty beyond description.

That's the difference between love and hate.  With hate or anger, pressure builds up under the surface, not accomplishing anything until the build-up becomes so strong that it needs release.  And while its expression is powerful and feels gratifying, it is short-lived, and destructive, the damage is often irreparable, and the one who expresses it is left with an even larger gaping hole than before, never truly satiated.  With love, there is always peace even though change is happening.  The moments seem powerless as they happen--a smile, a friendly greeting, a hug--but over time these things change a person.  They break down hard rock and smooth out sharp edges.  Those small things are the real power.  They are the strongest power.  They break down anger and hurt and strengthen weak mindsets.  They soften the hardest hearts, changing an angry response to a friendly one.  Love chases away fear.

Never underestimate the power of a smile or a word of encouragement.  Never underestimate the effect of a heart understood by a friend.  The judgment-free acceptance of another human being alters a life for the better.  Love is the cool, refreshing stream in a dry place.  It seems pitiful, vulnerable, even weak, but it is a great power that brings life if you remain consistent.

When you look at a person, what do you see?  The cuts on her arm?  The scowl on his face?  The piercings and tattoos?  His sexual preference?  Her daddy issues?  His drug problem?  Her mini-skirt?  Or do you see a person?

Hateful, fearful, and angry people are merely dry soil full of seeds that have the potential for great beauty.  They are people who are the most thirsty.

Be that love in someone else's life.  And if you find yourself a little dry, there's no better place to find love than in Christ Himself.

"...whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 NIV)