Seeing the pieces…

“Sometimes in life you have to learn that there are many colors. Some you like and some you don’t, but all of them, my dear friend, are part of the artist’s masterpiece…

Do not look to what you do not have, enjoy what you have right now so you’ll feel content. Enjoy wherever you are, because God is with you.” –DM

This quote was shared with me, by a wise friend, a few days ago here in Flamingo, Costa Rica after I lamented my heartache in leaving my Tuis family and feeling discouragement in unfamiliar, and frankly, rather undesirable surroundings.

I’ve been meditating on it all week. He’s right. It IS possible to be in the midst of sandy beaches, palm trees, melodic oceans, tiki bars, and exotic fruits and yet feel so alone, out of place, unknown, misunderstood, without purpose, and like a minority. No matter your location, you always bring the same person there. Sunny Costa Rica, cold and snowy Canada, busy and loud New York, the local little league game, a bustling classroom, the comfort of home, room full of children, a cabin in the woods, or a café with Wifi. No importa.

Whether you expected to find sunny skies and a dark thunderstorm came instead, or walked out the door bracing yourself for torrential winds and got a gentle breeze with warm sunshine on your face, take comfort in knowing that life is ever changing. And it is a good thing. Because God is with you.

“…We also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perserverance; perserverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5: 3-4

Being a perceptively visual person, I’ve desired to find a visual manifestation of this thought. Unexpectantly, on my way to the café to post this thought, I passed a building that encompassed, grandiosely this wonderful encouragement. Thank you Lord, for speaking in so many wonderful ways.

Maybe your color feels really dark right now...

But when one sees from a step back...



Yet another step...




Or maybe red better describes life right now...










Or perhaps there's a bunch of colors in one...




But after a step back...




Even further...

What masterpiece are your colors making?

out of darkness... into light.

In the midst of Holy week here in Costa Rica, a very special and celebrated Semana Santa, I was touched with the lyrics of this song by Charlie Hall. I’m humbled by the realization that without the events of this week 2,000 years ago, I would have nothing. I’d be a shadow of myself, if I’d even still be here.

Did you know that God became man to restore a broken bond between the two? That life doesn’t stop when a person prays the “sinner’s prayer”? That we’re not meant to “bide time” until we get to heaven, if we believe there is one or that we’ll go there?

Life’s about stories.
Sharing, laughing, crying, and living… truly living.

Marvelous Light

I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope;
Your kindness wakened me,
Awakened me, from my sleep

Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life.

Sin has lost it's power,
death has lost it's sting.
From the grave you've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

My dead heart now is beating,
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I'm free. now I'm free!

Lift my hands and spin around,
See the light that i have found.
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

Lift my hands and spin
See the light within...

"Neighbor"

"The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”
Mark 12: 32-33"

"Y el escriba Le dijo: "Muy bien, Maestro; con verdad has dicho que EL ES UNO, Y NO HAY OTRO ADEMAS DE EL; Y QUE AMARLE A EL CON TODO EL CORAZON Y CON TODO EL ENTENDIMIENTO Y CON TODAS LAS FUERZAS, Y AMAR AL PROJIMO COMO A UNO MISMO, es más que todos los holocaustos y los sacrificios."
Marcos 12:32-33

When you think of the word "neighbor" what is the first thing that pops into your head?

As a child growing up, I've always looked at this term literally. My neighbor is the person who lives next door to me. Or in my "neighborhood". Or Mister Rogers'. :)

In church growing up, I've always struggled with this term, because they were trying to teach me that "neighbor" meant something bigger. It meant all people. But the literalist in me was never at peace with this exhortation, although I wholeheartedly believed in its message. It leant to the belief and focus on loving the people around me, immediately, locally, but also over the world, because I knew God loved them even though they weren't my immediate "neighbor".

Then I stumbled upon the Spanish version of this verse amidst my studies here. Expecting to see the word "vecino" for "neighbor" (aka someone in your neighborhood), I found the word "projimo."

Projimo? What's that?

Prójimo: (noun, masc) fellow human being.

“It is important to love Him… and my fellow human being as myself.”

I don’t know if it speaks to you like it spoke to me. But as a literalist, this speaks volumes of the limitless demands our love. To love all fellow human beings with the energy, passion, and generosity that we love ourselves...

Pensamientos...

~Thoughts and reflections from my latest email update~

"¿Si Dios está conmigo, quién contra mi?"
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

If the Lord desires to give us good things, why can’t we believe that they will come? If God desires to bring healing in our lives, why can’t we believe, have hope, and run the race to that end?

They say that living in another culture exposes things inside of you that you didn’t realize were there (much like marriage, living with a roommate, or working with someone).

I’ve had such beautiful affirmations in my spirit here – realizations of how I truly love to worship and connect with God best in the cathedral of the great out of doors, how sometimes authentically “showing up” is what is desired, and cherished, in times when I feel inadequate and ill prepared, or the how the mystery is unveiled when I let go of the wheel and expect it to spin out of control, and yet it mysteriously stays on course and navigates into waters and encounters I never could’ve planned or foreseen.

On the contrary side, I’ve had to come to terms with insistence of my need for control, predictability, and comfort. I’ve had to get on my knees and repent of a stubborn selfishness that echoes a small child having to leave an ice cream shop. I’ve have to surrender dreams and hopes that I’m not sure I’ll ever get back. I’ve had to wrestle with the definition of “purpose” and what defines us outside of our materialistic and egocentric worldviews. “Balance” is the banner that’s been placed over my life for the past two years. Consistently, I teeter-totter between success and failure, as I seek to learn this art in many cultures.

But if the God of the Universe is emphatically for me, who can be against me? The people living in my home? Nope. The people I interact with at work? Nope. My difficult neighbor? Nope. My critical boss? Nope. The strangers on the bus? Nope. The expectations of my friends? Nope. The ignorance of the well-meaning person? Nope. The criticism of imperfection? Nope. The fears of “I can’t…I’m not…I’ve never…”? Nope. (insert person or situation)? Nope.

Their streams from a water pistol are nothing compared to the Tsunami of love… joy… peace… patience… kindness… goodness… faithfulness… gentleness… and self-control… that are in & surround a person wholly surrendered to following and loving Jesus Christ himself. (Gal 5:22)

Selah.

Gringo Pinto!

If you're wondering what it's like to live and learn a foreign lanugage abroad, let me introduce you to my Gringo friend who's discovering the wonderful world of Spanish idioms!

Idiom (noun): a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in 'keep tabs on.'

For example, in English "it's a piece of cake" is not literally "it's a piece of sweet dessert sitting on the table over there ready to be devoured." Just like "ir a pata" doesn't mean literally "to go over there traveling by duck", instead it means "to go/travel on foot, walking."

Is it as confusing in real life as it sounds on this video??? Yes!!! ;-)

Enjoy! Disfruta!

He gives, and takes away.

I took part in my first funeral here in Costa Rica. A very dear friend of the mission died last Sunday. His presence, love and friendship here have touched the lives of countless people. Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of meeting or knowing him, for he was hospitalized right as I got here a month ago. People have shared how instrumental he was in beginning the ministry with our indigenous friends in Chirripo whom I will visit next week. And though I did not know him in this life, it is always sad to lose a brother whom you know has loved and impacted so many others.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the familiar realization that our time here on earth is so limited. While I emphatically believe that we should live daily with the awareness of our finiteness (of the fact that our very lives are in the hands of God and could end in an instant), the truth is that most of us don’t live with this in mind.

To pause, and reflect, in the midst of our crazy, and loud lives at times, can be so difficult. Will I take some time to stop and reflect on my life today? Right now? To see what things are most important to me? Whether my life reflects that? Is it God? Is it myself? Am I living my life the way I’m “suppose to”? Because it’s safe? Secure? Comfortable? Am I open to taking risks? For the sake of the kingdom of God? To be stripped of all the control in my life and surrender it to the One who gives me life in the first place? Have I told someone, that need to know, that I loved them? That I appreciated them? Have I shown them? Am I living for tomorrow? And therefore missing the beauty of today? Of this moment, no matter what the circumstance? How about you…

I wish it didn’t take the death of another person to beckon us to consider our living on this side of eternity. However, I’m thankful that it does. And I dream of being a person who isn’t afraid to take risks in this short life she’s granted, that I may see my Jesus someday, tired, but full of joy that I have no regrets in this life, and that I truly, truly lived.

Gracias, Filemon, for sharing your joy and life here. And for touching hearts even after you’ve gone. Muchas gracias.

“Only in a life lived following Jesus can you feel more peace and confidence with Him, trudging through the fear, confusion, and inadequacy of self, than in defaulting into a lackadaisical comfort where you know His presence won’t linger and miracles fade.”

Piropos!

For all you love birds out there who want to take your poetic ramblings to the next level in the romantic Spanish lengua, or you just want a good laugh!, enjoy these Piropos! (By definition, a piropo is a friendly Spanish compliment, flattery or a flirtatious remark. Also seen as street poetry that men say as a beautiful lady passes.)

Quisiera ser tus lágrimas para nacer en tus ojos, recorrer tu cara y morir en tu boca.

I would like to be a tear to be born in your eyes, to run down your face and die in your mouth.

No importa ser esclavo si fueras mi dueña.

It wouldn’t matter to be a slave, as long as you were my master.

Tantos años de ser jardinero y nunca había visto una flor más hermoso que tú.

All these years working as a gardener and I have never seen a flower more beautiful than you.

Bienadventurados los borrachos, porque ellos te verán dos veces.

Drunks are lucky since they see you twice.

No camines al sol, que te vas a derretir.

Don’t walk under the sun or you will melt like a piece of candy.

Si tu cuerpo fuera carcel y tus brazos cadenas, sería un bonito sitio para cumplir mi condena.

If your body was a jail and your arms chains, it would be nice to serve time in jail.

Vos con esas curves y yo sin frenos!

You with curves and me without brakes!