Every Last Thing
In Blog, wholeness 7 commentsDec 21
There is that moment in time when words meant to inspire in mass feel inexplicably personal.
It was how things felt on Sunday, when my pastor said this:
“Our purpose here on earth is to give our life away.”
The 11 words hit my ears and all-at-once I felt like a hoarder…of the parts of me that rest in comfortable piles I keep close.
It was a call most personal…to be willing to sort through the piles and give every last thing, every last piece of me…away.
I admit that the thought of choosing to give away more of me makes me feel like the older-and-more-female-version of the little drummer boy, knowing that there are but meager offerings this flawed vessel has to present.
But all of it…any of it…every of it…is still not mine.
It is His. And the offering starts, today, with those in my closest circle of influence.
Today…
I will give me to my husband…knowing how I forget to laugh with him when I feel weary and how much he needs me to stay present.
I will give me to my children…respecting their need for me to look into the whites of their eyes…offering tangibles that make words about their importance not feel idle.
I will give me to my close community of friends, old and new, and the family I will soon see but haven’t seen in years…knowing that taking time with them for granted is not only foolish, but costly.
I will not wait to give me, lest I take back what has been determined to no longer be mine.
And so…this will be my last blog of 2011. I’ve loved every minute of this past year we’ve shared in thoughts, questions and pursuit of our Savior. But for the next week and a half, I need to give me to those who know and love me most.
I leave you with this charge, that I pray for this entire community of friends, may ring true.
May we finish this year strong, resting in the good work that God has begun in us, eager with hope for the things He still has to do.
May we offer ourselves fully, without needing to know how we are useful.
May we give our lives away in ways we were never meant to keep.
See you in 2012.
Be well.
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Merry Christmas, Lisa! Thank you for sharing your heart and life with us… May you and your family experience Jesus in an incredibly special way this year!
Paula…Merry Christmas back to you, my friend. May 2012 bring a wellness that only God can, Himself, ordain.
Merry Christmas, Lisa! So glad to have read your words this year, for they have made me long to be better.
Tamara…this blesses me more than you know. Jesus, help us all long to be better. Amen.
Love the reminder to give ourselves away… so He can refill us better for the next day.
Thanks for your heart and willingness to be real. I’m pretty new to your blog and looking very forward to 2012!
What a way to end a year…and to start a new one!