This morning I am sitting in our
dining room, Pandora rocking on the headphones, and a fresh French press of
coffee by my side (though it doesn’t taste nearly as good as what Jeff usually
had waiting for me those Kenyan mornings). We have now been back in the
states for a full week. So I wanted to ask you: How is it
going? How has re-entry been for you? How have the story-sharing
sessions been? How have the reflection times gone? How has the
photo sorting/deleting/publishing worked out?
OK…now that we have that out of
the way…let’s get to the real intent of this message. How is your “Thin
Life” different this week than it was before Kenya? Let me refresh you a
bit on what I am talking about here. When we were together in Kenya, I
shared the idea that Celtic Christians had about certain places on the planet
being “thin” – meaning, they thought they were closer to God (the distance
between themselves and God in these places was “thinner” than it was at other
places). This idea seemed to resonate with several of you. In fact,
several of you expressed a desire to join me in the journey of the thin
life. You wanted to join me in seeking after God’s will, in what He was
doing daily, in your life and in the world around you.
Let me assure you that I am no
expert in living the thin life. It is a journey. It is sometimes a
struggle. But it is a desire. It is something that I want to
experience more fully. It is something that, like the Olympic athletes
that I have watched intermittently this week on TV, requires training. It
seems to require me to intentionally challenge myself to stop and think about
what God may be teaching me in any given circumstance. It seems to be
tied up in my ability to see life through different eyes than my own
fast-paced, self-centered, lenses. It seems for me to realize that my
life is not my own…to remember than when I was baptized I died. I died
and now Christ lives in me. It is His life I now live. Imperfectly.
And yet, I live.
So let me ask you again:
how is your “Thin Life” different this week than it was before Kenya? I
want to encourage you to keep going. It is OK for the “Kenya Buzz” to
fade. It is OK for each of us to reengage the rhythms of daily life in
the states. But…I would encourage you not to go back to being the “you”
you were before Kenya. Allow what God showed you there to change your
focus here.
As I asked a couple of you while
we were abroad, “How would your life as a ________ (police chief, doctor,
pharmacist, student, pharmaceutical sales rep, vicar, pastor, mom, dad,
daughter, person) be different in the states if you lived with the same
mission/focus/passion that you are showing here in Kenya?” Take a minute
to think about that question this morning. How would it look different if
we saw the goal of life as trusting in God and sharing about our life in Him
(witnessing)? I want to challenge you to see all of life as God’s.
Everything is His. We are His. I want to challenge you to strive
after the thin life by striving to see everyday events through the lenses of
faith. Consider how making pancakes for the kids can remind us of God as
the bread of life. Consider how that quick trip to the bank can challenge
where our trust is. Consider how a stroll through Wal-Mart can be an
opportunity to see into the lives of other people we are called to love in His
name. Consider how He made the beautiful sunset…and He made you!
For the same purpose! To glorify His name and to delight Him!
And, thanks for joining me in
the quest for the “Thin Life”. My life goal? To live out my
identity in Christ Jesus by growing in my love of God, my love of others, and
in the disciple-making process. After all…
…he who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world (1
John 4:4)
