rubbings

A V.I.P. among the influencers of my life is having a birthday soon. I saw the reminder and began thinking of how my life would be different if I had never met this person. I would still have the same parents I had, and I would still have lived in all the places that I have lived while growing up. I would have worn the same styles, went to the same schools, driven the same vehicles, and been that same wild dorky kid. The trappings would all be the same. But because I met this person at just the time I did, it made such on impact as to result in a sort of delayed influence. There was an initial "Wow! Cool person taking an interest in me," effect. But there was a seed planted in the garden of my heart that grew into a passion that has become the most noteable color of my life. There was a gifting inside that 7 year old me, but it took a 17 year old kid and his musical, eternity focused family to expose and ignite that gifting.

There were others, progressively, through the formative years and into adolescence and adulthood, whose trajectory, focus, and passions rubbed mine and tinted the hue of the primary palette God is using in rendering this idea to the world: me. We are all His original ideas, you see, masterpieces.  I am but one among His host of masterpieces. There was a sunday school teacher at my grandma's church, Ms Linda, who took my questions, answers, and far-fetched rantings and somehow twisted them into the lesson she was teaching. Of all the adults in my early years, the list is short of those I felt at perfect ease around; she was one, as well as my kindergarten teacher, Ms Spencer. Grandma Burke was one, too.  

My 4th grade teacher, Mr Roberts' bible teaching has stuck with me and influenced my direction in life. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Stiller taught me to think about what it means to "not waste your life." I see now that some of her remarks, her "rubbings" came straight from some ancient Stoic philosophers, whom I read much later in life, which I value. Mr. Sigmund, my jr. high shop teacher told us to develop an interest in people.  I have worn the wheels off that one.  There were pastors, youth pastors, high school teachers, a close friend's dad, a close friend's mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, my parents, in-laws, my wonderful wife and sons etc. And because I spent time with these people, because they saw something worthy, unique, or lacking in me and encouraged me, and because they won my respect and admiration, rubbing shoulders with these masterpieces of God, I count it a blessing and a privilege. 

 Sometimes those meetings were uncomfortable, sometimes I flat got told! Sometimes they were so grievous God still has to do retouches. Sometimes, like that goofy song, they made me believe I could fly! But all of it was and is nourishment to my soul. I believe you were all God's very brush strokes upon this canvas. I want to say thank you all from the very bottom of my heart. This is not any kind of a deathbed declaration, I will continue being retouched by the Master for a while yet. But it is a public acknowledgement of God's beautiful handiwork, His idea of US, how He uses ALL things for good, how the Holy Spirit calls to the Deep in us that maybe we did not even know was there, how we call to the Deep in each other, how we impact and are profoundly impacted by each other, how we can lift, lift, lift and be lifted by another.  When we realize it and make it what we're about, we CAN fly, that's "nirvana," it is the eternity leaking out that God has placed in every one of us. 

It is also the deepest, most integral and powerful worship to YHWH, God, Creator, Father, because when we do what God does, what He teaches us to do consciously, purposely, and patiently, we are mimicking Him.  The gifting of that little boy me, music, that was sparked by that teenage musicician at youth camp, has led me to understand this definition of worship.  Its not the music.  Worship is doing, practicing, being what our Father is and what He does.  

So, be conscious of every soul that is around you. Never write anyone off. And when you feel certain someone is unredeemable or not valueable because they "rubbed you the wrong way," oh man! You better check yourself because it just might be God rubbing you the right way, the way you need!

In the spirit of this post, and to plop a big fat cherry on top, consider these words, an idea, the stroke of another one God has brought me very close to: He said "embrace everything." The implication is to extract soul nourishment from all you get to rub shoulders with and all experiences in life, good, bad, and ugly. At the core of perfecting this life stroke is the complete dependence and practice of Romans 8.28. 

My interpretation of this verse goes as follows: 

 Don't be afraid to "get some on ya."