I love how I can be barefooted most of the time during the summer. I love this time of year. Walking around barefooted has an effect. I am grounded again. Grounded means that I get reconnected with God, myself, the earth, and people I love. While that happens, I am restored.
But, I am not able to settle. Nope, it doesn’t take long until little Gospel-living questions become exposed like insects. They land and tickle my skin, they buzz in my ears, sometimes they land in my mouth; bratty little bugs! I could swat them out if I wanted, I could ignore them, or run away. Naw, instead I am trying to let these questions have a life of their own.
Here they come, those wild creatures: can I live more simply? Can I be stripped of privilege? Am I really sharing the love of Christ? Is it obvious I am a Christian by the choices I make? What is God calling me to do today so that I grow? Am I happy? Is this the life I want to live? Am I living like Jesus?
I’m not sure. I am praying for guidance on all that stuff right now. I am also learning to befriend these questions. It might be a bit like playing with my Bug Bottle when I was a girl. I would capture creatures from the wild, put them into a container, observe their life and learn all I could. A lot of discovery can happen when we sit still and pay attention to things that squirm or bother.
There’s one little question that seems to stick out in the swarm: How can my attempts at Gospel living bring me closer to the types of people who Jesus was most scrutinized for hanging out with?
Again, I feel a bit stumped. But, this little video inspired me to remember I must cross lines, even poverty lines. It’s sort of like going on an adventure; heading off to explore the woods like a kid.
Wow, I wonder what I’ll get to see during these summer adventures! May God bless all of us in our deep exploring, Amen!
