Godly Worldview

God has been breaking my heart more and more. And I am thankful for it, because it is something that I have asked for. I have been praying for God to give me a Godly worldview. I want to see the world as He sees it and love people as He loves people. I find myself looking at faces more and more, wondering what their stories are, what their struggles and pains are, what brings them joy, and above all, I wonder if they know Jesus.

When I was in China, my heart was broken many times for the people there and their blindness to truth. Its especially sad, because they are searching for that truth and searching for peace and joy but they are looking in all the wrong places. These are some photos I took to remind me of this. Because my heart needs to be broken. That is the only way I will be inspired to do something about it. What I can do for China, at this point, is pray. I pray for these people who are obviously hurting and needing Jesus but only finding a ritualistic religion that offers no hope.

The pain I could see on the many faces was heart wrenching but none compared to this woman, and as she continually banged her head while praying to the temple statues, I said a prayer for her. God is incredible and can work in an amazing way. What if she ran into believers on her way home and they introduced her to true peace? God can work miracles. This statue can not.

These are things that I have been thinking about a lot as I prepare to go love on the people of Spain, who are constantly fighting against religion. I hope to join in on that fight, and introduce them to a God who cares. I came across a song called Hosanna by Hillsong United. The bridge reflected my thoughts exactly:

Heal my heart and make it clean.

Open up my eyes to the things unseen.

Show me how to love like You have loved me.

Break my heart for what breaks Yours.

Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause.

As I walk from earth into eternity.

That is my prayer and as I head off to Spain in a few weeks, I pray that God continues to break my heart and teach me to love like He loves. That is what the Christian walk is.

Stop and Listen!

I was so encouraged and blessed by the message at Nexus on Monday that I wanted to share and also just document it so that I remember. Its something I have been thinking a lot about lately, so the message was perfect timing too. I love how God does that.

The Washington post decided to do an experiment. They put a man in L'Enfant Plaza, the hub of subways stations in DC, to play on his violin for 43 minutes. In those 43 minutes, 1097 people passed by. Of those 1097 people, only 7 stopped for longer than one minute to listen. In those 43 minutes, this man made $32 from 27 people. Most of the givers just threw in the money without stopping to listen. When he would finish a piece, there would be no clapping, only extremely awkward silence. Who was the man? Joshua Bell, one of the nations greatest musicians. He had been playing some of the most difficult pieces to master on a 1710 violin worth about $3.5 million.

There were a lot of people who were so busy and in such a hurry, that they missed this great opportunity of experiencing this incredible musician. By the way, Joshua Bell will be performing in a couple nights in DC and the only seats available are behind the stage and very high up for $95.

Our lives can easily become that way. We can get so busy with life, that we often forget to stop and reflect on God. We forget to thank God for the beautiful day. We forget to thank God for His saving grace, for His salvation, for His unconditional love. We neglect to see God's fingerprints in our everyday, not because they are not there, but we are too busy to pause and reflect. I'm reminded of the verse, "Be still and know that I am God." God's fingerprints are everywhere. They are in the smile of a baby. They are in the sunrises and sunsets. They are in the gift of waking up everyday. They are in the encouragements from friends and family. They are in the quietness after a snowstorm. They are in the exquisite and tiny flower that you would miss if you are hurrying by. I am convicted and encouraged to stop and be still, to reflect on God in my everyday life, to include God in my everyday life. I heard of someone who starts their day with prayer, but doesnt say "Amen" until the end of her day, because she is bringing God into her entire day and praying all throughout. I love that.

So, Joshua Bell is playing in the subway station and no one is noticing this amazing talent right before their eyes. But one lady does recognize him. She had seen him the day before as he tested violins in the Library of Congress. She stopped and listened. She stayed until the end of the song and then talked to him. That is how I want to be. I want to stop and listen. I want to recognize my Savior throughout my entire day. I don't want to miss what He wants me to see! Because why else am I here on this earth, other than to glorify God?!! AMEN!