"on the day of judgement, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived."
thomas a' kempis, if you were alive i'd give you a hug and a very platonic kiss.
as we start searching Jesus' life for joy, and as we start specifically looking at the ways he loved the people around him i'm struck with a paradox. this jesus says such difficult things sometimes. "whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." seriously?? lose your life to find it? he might has well have told me, "hey austin, crawl to be taller." or maybe, "eat your bebe's bacon sandwiches to get thinner."
but i think there's something intrigueing here. i don't remember who, but i heard someone say there's an art to losing your life. an art to finding a life thats sorta hidden, one thats under the surface of the noise around us. the kingdom of heaven. and this life Jesus is offering, i want it. and to have it i have to lose my life.
so here we go. learning a new way to live, learning new acts that identify us, learning new disciplines to live by. we have to have our lives reinvented and for some of us it means starting all over. the disciplines of selfishness, of retaliation, of greed, those have to be lost so that disciplines like loving the poor, helping the widow, and seeking peace can be found.
another quote from mr. a' kempis may help us here...
"we must be ones who uproot vices and implant virtues..."
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