Glory and Sacrifice

Glory is always in front of us. It's screaming out, whispering, dancing in our imagination. It haunts us with all the exoticness of circus acts and dark magic. Untamed--like a liquid-pure fire in the dusty, closet-corners of our hearts--glory lies dormant until a finger to the stove reminds us it's there.

You always hear those stories about that one kid believes he can fly because Spiderman does. So he puts on the halloween costume and nearly jumps off the roof, until his mom catches up with him in the nick of time and screams, "noooooo! Don't do it!"

When true glory comes to me, I wish I had the guts to be that stupid. When it whispers in my ear, "I'm worth it," I want to throw down everything and spend the next ten years chasing it. But people say, "No, that's ridiculous. Don't do that."

Glory is like excellence, but it's not just that. Good jazz bands, exquisite paintings, fast company businesses, even a espresso maker can be excellent. But glory is different. It soaks in truth and life; it seems to be young and old, never tired and never searching. It's depth is bottomless, ageless, and eternal. It just is. When you touch it, you know it, and your life is never the same.

I was driving to the recording studio the other day with my mom, telling her about how music is going with Mike. She said, "Oh you'll be touring before you know it." I said…"Really??? Sometimes I feel crazy pursuing music. Are you sure it's worth it?"

Music has never been my only dream, but now that I'm out of school I feel like I am sacrificing so many good things to do it. I can't live in NY with the people I love. I can't get married soon. Can't have kids. Can't take cool boring jobs that make a lot of money..

My mom got teary eyed. "Of course it's worth it Leah. It's the most profound thing you do."

I stared out of the window and watched the trees zip by. Even if it didn't work out, of course it's worth it to try. Everyone should do what makes them profound.

Everyone should pursue glory, even if it calls for sacrifice. I'm starting to think glory is born from sacrifice.

The Will of God

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Figuring out the will of God is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube. On a rare rare rare occasion you get all the colors on the right sides, but most of the time you're sitting there for hours thinking, what the hell. You thought God called you here and you want to be there...you thought God said take that job and now you are ripping your hair out...you thought he would have warned you about THAT curveball...

I get weary with the specifics. There are too many variables and outcomes to understand why things are happening and what God is up to--which is why I love that his general will is so clear. Always the same. The narrative of God's documented involvement with us (aka the Bible), spanning thousands of years and cultures, culminates in two hopes: good news has come into the world, and God is bringing His Kingdom here to earth.

God's kingdom is about healing, restoration, and fullness of life. His will is that we would partner with Him in bringing about his kingdom.

So wherever we have an opportunity to get alongside that vision and get our hands dirty, lets do it. Rubik's cubes are a waste of time.