Bond of Love

A wonderful elementary school principle reminded me in her blog today, "A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God." (Thomas Meron)

That is so true. This training is challenging me to be all that I dreamed of being: someone who abides in Christ daily; someone who takes care of her body; someone who knows how to love. So, I am learning how to live as a saint. Not in that cloistered, non-human perfection kind of way, but simply someone who has been radically changed by what she has realized about herself, the world and her God. But as importantly, she has chosen to act according to that realization. It's that choice to act that has caught me up and has kept me from living that abundant life that Jesus Christ said he became human to give us. Again and again, I have chosen comfort food over health, entertainment over wisdom, and self-obsession over love. How do you break away from such well worn paths?

I told about two hundred of my closest friends yesterday that my habit is to look at the world through atheistic - or at least or at least a Deist - state of mind. But yesterday, Christ gave my eyes a little glimpse of the world. We had three hours of silence so that we could settle in and seek God in all this mayhem that we have been handling since - well, for some of these parents - for a while.

I read from the Scriptures and I was surprised by how fresh the Exodus story was to me. I could see how God called Moses out through his curiosity and so many other things. I also spent an hour in prayer to confess myself before God everything that was going on inside me. I prayed for each of us who are going to embark on this journey. And I prayed for my team in Vienna. I prayed that God would strengthen our bonds of love so that people could see that we were more than friends; that they could see God with us.

During the gathering at the end of the time we shared, "what the Spirit said." And my teammate Christina got up and read of Exodus three, applying the passage as her call to the Viennese to bring them out of spiritual oppression. Of all the passages in the scripture we had chosen the same passage. I could hear the Spirit say, "I did this so you would know that the same Spirit that is in you is in Christina and other your teammates. I will do mighty things through you as a team." Talk about a bonding moment! And what an answer to my prayer. I know that He is going to use us to show His love and power to the people. And, this also reminded me: we are not going to share a philosophy or religion. We are going to show people how to connect with the Living God. The thought takes my breath away.

I wish that we could all take two months out of our lives to examine ourselves, learn about truth, and get equipped to live in the world. Of course, this is not even the end of week one! (Our weeks start on Mondays.) I can't imagine how my life and perspective are going to be different in seven weeks. And, how different again when all these fine ideas are challenged in real European life. But, for today, I am set on being the woman God created me to be. I want to molded to His image. I want to be in communion with Him and his people. I want to reach out and help others to do the same.

Let it be, Lord. Let it be.