A Constructed Heart

As I was cleaning out my 1st grader’s backpack yesterday I came across this craft she had made.

I began to envision her creating this cut-out paper heart. Moving the scissors in a precise manner to give the heart its shape, intentionally placing two heart stickers on each side, and circling each word of a phrase she had memorized in her own heart and now wanted to share with others: “love god love people”.

There is a sweet simplicity to this piece, yet it came by way of a careful and deliberate construction.

May you find joy in living out this simple phrase. May you intentionally embrace all the depths of its practice in the midst of a complex world; always growing in a deeper love and obedience for the Creator and a more sacrificial love for your enemy. And may the heart that is constructed in you beat with such fervor that the hearts of others come alive with the simple hope that has found its home within you.

"Which Is the Greatest Law?"

I have read this passage over and over again. I am drawn to it. Not only is it beautifully simple, but it is the words of our Lord communicating the essence of following him. My familiarity with this passage makes it easy for me to miss the depth of what Jesus is communicating. Yet when I approach it in its original language it takes me outside of myself; to a place where I can't quickly read through it as if I "know it all".

Reading this passage in the original language places a distance between the Scriptures and myself. This is not a bad distance, but rather a distance that reminds me that I do not "own" the Scriptures. They are to be approached with humility and care...never for us to presuppose as if we have arrived, but to learn and remain pliable that we might be transformed through living out the greatest commandement of our Lord.