Look After It

"I put it to William, particularly, that if you find someone you love in life, you must hang on to that love and look after it...You must protect it." --Diana

Danke Schön

As the holidays slip by and I reflect on the challenges, trials, victories and blessings that the year has brought, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude. I'm grateful for my incredible family that loves, supports, and encourages me. I'm grateful for the kindest and most generous friends a girl could ever hope for. I'm grateful for the most incredible and fulfilling job in the world and that I get to serve with my best friends—really, my second family. I'm grateful for God's love, and that it's only by his grace that I am able to have a relationship with him. There is so much to be thankful for.

With all the busyness, frivolity, and fun that the season brings, it’s important to me to note the sacrifice, sharing, and service of the amazingly generous and thoughtful people I know. I love writing thank-you notes and love-notes, and my goal is to write 365 of them in 2011. What a simple note has the capacity to mean to someone—who feels unappreciated, undervalued, unloved, forgotten—is ridiculous in comparison to the time and effort it takes to write one. (And, I get to use all my pretty stationary, stamps, and stickers...bonus!)

Plus, writing a note every day will also foster a heart of gratitude in me and keep my eyes open and my mind aware of the people I am thankful for. I have learned that gratitude is the antidote to many things—greed, jealously, cynicism, selfishness, thoughtlessness, entitlement, discouragement. The enemy so easily gets a foothold into our hearts through these often subtle shifts in our attitudes.

My challenge to you is to express your gratitude to others in 2011. Have you ever thought about how much someone meant to you, but didn't bless that person by letting them know? I know I have let opportunities slip away. Maybe notes aren't your thing...what is? A phone call? A random text? A facebook wall post? Maybe you really want to mess with someone and buy them a coffee or a gift card or flowers...

"...let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24

"Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29

There shall be Eternal summer in the grateful heart. --Celia Thaxter

Always

Books just make the nicest presents, don't you think?

Big Brother, I'm Watching You

When you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they're strangers, you make the faith visible. 3 John 1:15

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Colossians 1:15

1 John 4:8 says that God is love. So, when we love people, we are showing them who Jesus is...we are making the invisible God visible to them. Wow!

Who in your life is God revealing himself to...through you?

My big brother, Kurt, worked at a daycare program for a school district for about four years. He loves kids and they love him. I think it’s because he’s a big kid himself. One of his favorite kids was a bit of an outcast…he had a tough time connecting with others and did not have many friends. Kurt befriended this little guy, but after he graduated elementary school, Kurt never saw him again...that is, until a couple of weeks ago when he ran into him and his mom at In-N-Out. The mother said to Kurt, “You were the only person who was ever nice to my son. I’m so thankful for that.” How simultaneously heartwarming...and heartbreaking.

Kurt is one of the kindest people I know, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother. He really makes the world a better place. I wonder if there’s someone in my life who can say, “Hey, thanks for being a friend to me when no one else was…you’ve made a difference in my life.” I hope so...because I want to seek to understand people, seek to be available to them, and seek to reflect Jesus to people...to make the invisible God visible in this world. My brother has a heart that does all of those things so naturally that I doubt he even realizes it!

I’m proud of you and I love you, Kurt!

Proof

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:35

Interesting. Jesus wants the defining characteristic of his disciples to be love.

But…

If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don’t know God are nice to their friends. Matthew 5:46-47

So, loving people who love us isn’t the kind of love Jesus is talking about. Convenient love isn’t what is going to mark us as followers of Christ.

It’s loving the unloving, the unlovely. It’s loving that requires risk and rejection and sacrifice that is a true mark of discipleship.

It’s doing things for the sole purpose of benefitting someone else…doing things for others when we don’t feel like it. It’s helping when it’s not convenient, giving when it hurts, devoting energy to others’ welfares instead of our own, making allowances for each others’ faults…love isn’t easy, is it? It’s risky…it’s radical…it’s dangerous…

And it’s beautiful. That’s why people will notice when you love them the way that Jesus does.

I'm Lovin' It

Saddleback Church is doing 40 Days of Love this fall and my small group is currently doing the study. Do you want to know what we're learning? Well, one of our group members, Brian, has started his own blog to aid in our study of learning to love like Jesus. (The domain name is abetterlover.blogspot.com...can you believe that wasn't already taken? Unbelievable.) Brian is an insightful person and our group has had some great discussions so far. I've learned that I'm really not as good at loving people as I thought. You should read his blog to see what our group is learning.

Love is the most important thing!!

Simple Blessings

Mark Twain once said he could live for two months on a good compliment. I know the feeling.

As I was working away on Friday, a friend of mine came into the office and brought me a gorgeous red rose for no particular reason. It’s still on my desk looking prettier than ever.

It’s such a simple gift, probably cost him nothing, took little time, but it was such a meaningful gesture and totally brightened my day, and continues to brighten my week.

Those little compliments, those little acts of service, those little gifts, encouraging e-mails, and notes…they’re so meaningful. As I look at this pretty rose, I am reminded to be intentional with paying it forward and blessing people in my life this week with random acts of kindness as well.

“I will bless you…and you will be a blessing to others.” Genesis 12:2

Love and Lost

When you fall in love, you change. Things that were once important aren’t such a big deal. Relationships and friendships fall to the wayside. Deadlines and priorities just don’t carry the weight that they used to. Nothing else matters anymore.

When you fall in love……or when you’re hooked on a TV show.

I just started watching the first season of LOST. I’m about halfway through (don’t spoil anything for me, or I will be so mad). Honestly, I was skeptical about starting it. All I heard for years was “24! 24! Best show ever. I heart Jack Bauer! Hey, did you watch 24 last night? Blah blah blah.”

I watched 24. Entertaining, but no big deal. In fact, it’s completely forgettable.

And I was expecting to be let down by LOST as well. But I wasn’t.

Now, all I can think about is...

What happened to Jack’s dad’s body? Was it on the plane? Why wasn’t it in the coffin?

What is up with the French woman? Why wouldn’t she go back with Sayid? Where are “the others” on the island?

Why the heck are polar bears on a tropical island?

When are Kate and Jack going to hook up?

When are Kate and Sawyer going to hook up?

Why is Sawyer so cool when he is so detestable at the same time? (Oh wait, I know this answer. His hair and dimples.)

When is Shannon going to die? She is so annoying.

Where the heck did Ethan come from and what did he do to Claire that she can’t remember anything?

What is in the hatch that Locke and Boone found?

What is the deal with Locke? He is such a weirdo. What was the secret he told Walt? What are the little black and white stones for?

AHHHH…………

Beautiful

Back when I was in high school, I went to Diedrich’s Coffee one morning to get a hot chocolate. It was the middle of summer but early enough that the morning was still cool. That morning started like every other weekday morning—with an early swim practice and a hot shower after. I threw on some too-big cargo skater shorts and a blue ribbed tank top and went to get my breakfast, with no makeup and my damp waist-length hair uncombed. I stopped in and ordered my drink. To my delight, they had put too much whipped cream on top. Actually, in writing that, I wonder if there really is such a thing as too much whipped cream. Either way, it kept me from being able to put a lid on the cup. I held it with both hands as I walked out to my car, pausing once to take a giant, unladylike slurp of whipped cream, trying to drink just enough to put the lid on. As I was walking, a couple in a classic red Cadillac was pulling out of their parking spot. The lady poked her head out of the car and said to me “You are very beautiful.” I remember almost turning around to see if she was talking to someone else. She wasn’t. Those were her exact words and I will never forget them. I had no makeup on, I was wearing nerdy shorts, and I felt like a dork trying to slurp down that ridiculous whipped cream, but in that moment someone saw that I was beautiful.

25 Days of Love

Today is my 25th birthday. My friends know how much I love my birthday, so for the last 25 days, they have celebrated with me by counting down to the big day.

Every day for 25 days I’ve received something special from a friend. I’ve been made lunch, treated to breakfast and lunch, kidnapped for a manicure. I’ve been given gift cards, stationary, flowers, books, chocolate, picture frames, journals, movies, even a platter of mini cupcakes. I’ve gotten a High School Musical 2 calendar, tickets to “Behind the Emerald Curtain;” a behind-the-scenes tour of Wicked, Aqua Net hairspray, and even swim goggles! I’ve been surprised with presents on my doorstep, left on my desk, and even in my (locked!) car. I’ve gotten encouraging phone calls, texts, and e-mails. I was given a scrapbook to keep all of my encouraging notes and cards. I’ve been lavishly showered in love and gifts…every day for 25 days. At times the attention was embarrassing, but a friend told me, “Just enjoy it and let us love you. It’s how God loves you…extravagantly.”

This has been the most memorable and meaningful birthday of my life. I cherish you, friends. “Thank you” just doesn’t seem like a big enough phrase to express my gratitude to you. I will never forget the “25 Days of Lisa.” Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me feel so special and reminding me of just how much we are all extravagantly loved and valued by God.