A LITTLE LIGHT

All God asks of me is to be a little light in my corner of the world.

I have never had any desire to be different than everybody else. Fitting in was perfectly okay with me. Now, I see being a Christian as being an odd person who thinks differently and tries to act differently. I realize that Christian beliefs are ancient and Christians are disliked because they are seen as narrow-minded and hypocritical, but conservative when it comes to political change.

I am learning to see how others view Christians and it has been a challenge.
I love to hear stories of real Christians who have faced rejection and fear and have experience God's love in life-changing moments. Talking about Jesus as if they really know Him. Jesus offers us new life and it is life-changing. Faith is a spiritual reality and Jesus works in all our lives in different ways. The world has a rhythm that is loud and disturbing; so that to hear the faint note of a different tune we turn off what we have been told and start to learn for our selves. I wish all Christians were wonderful examples of love and compassion but Jesus is the one to whom I look for answers.

Last night as I enjoyed gluten-free chocolate cake and we read the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead; I realized how close God was to each of us and even as Jesus wept for his friend He also weeps with us. We live in a broken world where we all have experienced brokenness but from our experiences there has come this deep joy.

In "Blue Like Jazz" as Don shares with his friend he writes "When Tony said that, it was as if truth came into the room and sat down with us. That describes how I felt last night.

"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live,
though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"

Yes, I say to myself as I read these words and hear what others have experienced.
There is something strang about talking to God; some people can feel very emotional while others feel a deep peace.

I look at the notes on the page of music and they mean nothing to me and yet I believe that beautiful music can come from them.

"Silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz." - Donald Miller