To be like children

I hadn't been to Alianza in about two months, so last Saturday I got a few bags of candy together and hopped on the bus. I took a friend along who said she wanted to see what it was like. We spent about two and half hours loving on kids and when we left I was thoroughly exhausted, not to mention dizzy. About half that time was spent playing soccer and having relay races, with about an hour set aside to spin kids around in a circle as fast (or slow) as they want to go.

I have realized that working in Alianza is just as good for me as it is for the kids. They teach me so much, whether it be about Spanish, Mexicans, or myself. Over the last eight months I have really grown to love them, and I know they love me too. Kids are simple like that. It would be nice if we adults could be as well. In Matthew 18, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." He calls us to become like little children, who love him and who let him love them back. It takes humility, but its worth it.

The Unknown

Earlier today I was thinking about how most people prefer the predictable to the unkown, even if they are not very happy with their stable, predictable lives. It is this fear of the unknown that keeps so many of us from trying something new, doing something different, and truly experiencing life the way God intends us to live it.

When I was a kid, my Mom used to buy me cool posters to put on the wall of my room. They had catchy quotes and sayings that have always motivated and inspired me. I will never forget one that said, "We will never discover new oceans until we have the courage to lose sight of the shore." I don't know who first said it, but it is so true.

That brings me to tonight, sitting in the library doing some work and listening to Lifehouse. A tune came on and I realized the words are so applicable to what I have been thinking about lately. I click on the I-tunes to see the name of the song, and ironically it is The Unkown. Below is the chorus.

And I am falling into grace
To the unknown to where you are
And faith makes everbody scared
It's the unknown
The don't know
That keeps me hangin on and on and on to you

So many times in the last year I have felt like I am in a boat in the middle of the sea. As I sail toward the unknown oceans that await, I am secure in the knowledge that the hand of God steers the ship, and it is that unkown that keeps me hanging on to His hand. God is in the unkown. He is already there, leading us by faith, and offering us his grace. Some people fear the unkown, but I wouldn't be anywhere else.

"Do not be afraid of death. Be afraid of the half-lived life." Get out of your box. Have some faith. Step into the unkown, and take hold of the hand that won't let go.