Spaciousness

I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! (2Corinthians 6:11-33 Msg)

The beginning of a new school year and an over-abundance of tomatoes and green peppers has led me to some serious self-absorption. The number of things that I need to accomplish on any given day has increased two-fold in the last three weeks and all the while I'm still feeling the pressure of the daily 'should-do's' (exercise, structure activities for my toddler, pray more, organize this, sort through that, etc.). I'm feeling as though I've left the narrow way (or the ancient path) and have run smack into a tree.

But God's word, the always living and active, double edged sword, has exposed my rebellion, shown me the truth, and is continuing to train me to live God's way. "Chin up," the Spirit says. "Way up." Normally I would respond with furious list-making activities, attempting to force myself into some kind of pretzel of self-discipline. This time I'll try quiet contrition and refreshing intimacy with my God.

This is me in my 'thinking pose'.*

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1-2 Msg.)

*I found it quite difficult to put a (not very good) picture of myself in this blog entry. I generally don't like posting images of myself anywhere, and certainly not in entries on the topic of upheaving self-focus. In the end I decided to go with it because 1) Chase said I should, 2) I was contemplating a more spacious life around the time the photo was taken and 3) I really like my green shirt.