care

CBG: Immanuel

April 25, 2020 — Leave a comment

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:23

God with us.
God with us.
God with us.

I was recently in an amazing virtual artists gathering. We had a beautiful deep question for the night that we all took turns responding and revealing. I left with better knowledge and a more clarified language around my current situation. The following day I was in my virtual acting class. It’s not my favorite and feels irritating at times, however, I’m grateful for the adaptation of an offering I need. During one of our exercise where we were simply talking about what we see, whether physical or emotional in the other, and how we feel, I tapped into a softness that I’m always striving for in my work and in my life. A softness that lets my armor down for a moment. A softness that taps into my fragile beautiful heart full of sadness and hope. And it makes me wonder why some conversations leave me softer while others attempt to but don’t.

Immanuael.
God with us.
God with us.

Jesus in the human form was not a cerebral solution. We had enough scriptures and words, beautiful, beautiful words, before this human. Jesus wasn’t about giving us more knowledge or something new. Jesus in the human form, Immanuel, was about a visceral, emotional, heart to heart, hand to hand, in your space kind of connection. It was about giving us room to be us, messy and all, sinful and all, emotional and needy and all. His response was not more knowledge, his tales of wisdom, but rather his presence. God’s greatest solution for us was and is his presence.

May we connect with each other as if we, our presence, is enough. Less words. Less advice. Less stories to show you understand. Being there without judgement and making room IS the way to show you understand. May we tap into Immanuel for our friends and family, for this world.

Prayer: Lord help me to speak less and listen more. Help me to respond instead of react. Help me to figure out solutions. Help me be present.

Creative: A letter — to yourself, to someone else, to the world?

Brave: Practice breathing into any emotions that come to your awareness.

Generous: Ask 2-3 people if there is anything that could make their days lighter.

Day 25: Move your body

January 10, 2019 — Leave a comment

Exodus 25-27; Psalm 25

The tabernacle is REAL specific. Parts have to be an exact length. Materials need to be of a certain kind. It’s like building the Star Wars or Harry Potter sea of LEGO’s. The place where God dwells isn’t a haphazard place. It’s a unique, specific, sacred space that requires awareness, care and a vision of what’s to come. Thank Jesus we don’t have to make tabernacles to have the presence of God among us. Because of Jesus and his love, we get to have the Holy Spirit that can dwell in us because we are the temple.

Do we treat our temple with as much care, awareness and vision of what’s to come? Is our temple in constant process? Is it already perfect for God to dwell? It’s both. We are already holy to host God in us, yet have room to keep becoming the holy place where God dwells. How can we treat our bodies, our minds, our souls with a celebration of what is present and a desire for growth to what will come? May we know our bodies, all its specifics and sacredness. May we honor our bodies and see its power and beauty. May we bring our temple to places to make them radiant and not make the place worst. We don’t do that by doing, but by being whole and loved without pushing the place where we’re at to love us. If we can act and live as if we are already enough and holy and loved, how much less will we take and demand of everyone and everything and how much more will we simply want to give of ourselves?

Treat your body like a temple. Nothing that comes in it will defile it. But don’t be taking that for granted. Don’t devalue it by disrespecting it. You know that ick feel when you do that. Or when others so unjustly do that to you. But what can your body do for others?