"Progress"

Ya know what's crazy? That I feel like my biggest step forward in a long time is to take a step backward. I feel like my idea of progress has been shattered, and the more I try to over complicate it, the more simplified it becomes. God's been revealing the beauty of his kingdom and it looks nothing like the picture I had painted in my head. Not that it can't or won't, but I'm realizing I need to appreciate the intricate details of it if I'm ever going to understand the fullness of it. I've always been a "bigger picture" kind of person. When I think of slavery, I don't want to just help one person, I want to eradicate it. And when I think of the church, I don't want a handful of people who really understand the power of Jesus' message, I want our entire nation to be an unstoppable force of grace and love. And I believe I've been given that passion and vision because large-scale change is possible, but not before we learn to appreciate the small details of the kingdom.
Most of you know I don't have a job right now, and unfortunately I sometimes use such an insignificant detail to determine my success. So lame. But honestly, its given me the freedom to define myself by the kingdoms standards and not America's. And its helped me fall in love all over again with the simplicity of life and what we're really designed to do. So I figured I'd share some of the things that God has been helping me fall in love with all over again, with no pressure of societal "success" tied to it...

Jesus- I love him more with every single breath I take. I love him so much it hurts. I still can't grasp how life could instantly have so much depth and meaning and fullness once he's apart of it. And I still can't get over how thankful I am that I can't mess that up...ever.

Music- I love music and I honestly believe it is tied closely to the heart of God, because it has the ability to speak depths that you couldn't verbally communicate if you tried. I'm finding music says more about life than we'll ever be able to.

People- There's so much beauty in the ordinary things that people say and do and we miss it, all the time. People are the most beautiful creations of God and we pass them off as average. Humanity is God's masterpiece...sometimes I wonder how I could miss that.

Children- Whether they're 1 or 21 or anywhere in between, I'm realizing more and more how much they need someone...anyone to value their life and care about their brokeness.

Nature- The world we live in is stunning. I think we forget because it's easy to ignore something you've always had, but its beautiful. And the more I pay attention the more I realize God's insane love and attention to detail.

God's seriously re-defining progress in my life, who knew that sometimes what you need is to take a giant step back?