Going Green

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about going green. I don’t know why, but it’s a tough choice for me to consider officially going green. Perhaps it’s the fact that I grew up in a mining town with an anti-environmentalist sentiment. Nonetheless, the thought of going green still plagues me. It’s not that I’m wasteful; I don’t go around leaving faucets running and making thousands of photocopies for every little thing. However, I see making this commitment as something big because it is a commitment. It is committing to a certain way of life, to a certain withstanding mentality.

With all that said, I’m making the choice. I’m going green. Will I still waste energy and resources? Probably. But I desire to consciously reduce my waste and my carbon footprint. When I think about it, I already have. I’ve become more mindful of turning off lights, unplugging unused charges, and using less paper. I want to continue growing in this area.

As I sit here typing I realize that choices are sometimes tough, and we often have to be intentional in following through and not just making an impotent statement. The same could be said in our walks with God.

“I’m going to follow Jesus.” Wow, that’s a big statement! When we say something to that effect, do we really mean it? Have we really thought it through? Are we really willing to commit to it? This, along with going green, is a life long struggle I challenge you to commit to.

Give Your Life Away

In the gospels Jesus tells the disciples that whoever loses their life will gain it. Part of this statement is a foreshadowing of Christ giving his own life up on the cross, but part of it is also a statement of how we are to live in relationship to God.

So what does it really mean to give up one’s life? I struggle with this all the time. Sometimes I feel like I’ve given God a huge part of my life (if not all) and sometimes I feel like I’m clinging to every little thing I can just to maintain what I perceive to be control. In reality, those moments are the times that I’m least dependent on God and also spending the least amount of time with Him.

Back to the question of giving up one’s life - I am not just talking about putting others first, but about something deeper. Of course it’s a good and nice thing to put others first, but this discussion isn’t about being good or nice; it’s about giving yourself to our Lord.

I leave you with this challenge: take a few minutes to reflect on what giving your life away might actually look like and how it might affect your relationship with God and others.

In the Wake of the New Year

The holidays are complete! Is this a relief or a time of sadness? For me, it’s honestly a time of relief this year. I am happy to be in the wake of the New Year. However, this realization is sad to me. When did I come to dread holidays? I’m determined to make the holidays next year a time of joy, celebration, and reflection on Christ taking on flesh to save me from my sins. The fruit of this goal can begin to grow now as I reflect not just on the recent holidays, but also on the last year and the year to come.

2007 held so many events for Liz and I from several cross county trips (one by car) to huge life transitions to celebrating our first year of marriage. I enjoyed great times with family, great times with friends, relaxing on the beach, contemplating the stars, watching snow fall, meeting my new niece for the first time, starting a new job, making new friends, participating in a new church…

God has blessed me with so many great memories from the year, and, perhaps even more importantly, so many lessons in His provision. As I look to the coming year I see many large decisions that I will be making. My shoulders tighten as I consider how things may, or may not, fall together, but then I remember last year and how God provided for me time after time when life appeared impossible.

So here I am in the wake of 2007 still feeling the ripples of the year’s passing. I wonder if I will drop the ball on life’s many choices after watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. Then I remember that life is about more than what I’m making it. Life is lived in both the loud, screaming moments and also the soft, quiet ones...the sun as I walk to work, the hug from the kid who always shies away from me, the smile of my bride from across campus. Perhaps these are moments I should be determined to view as significant when I stand in the wake of 2008.