A Letter from War

No, I'm not referring to Mark Schultz's Letters from War, although that is a good song. I just wanted to share and remember something I wrote to my roommate, who coincidentally is sitting 3 feet away from me as I write this, in a last ditch effort to get to him. You see, we have lived together for two years now and though we are alike in many ways, we are very different in many ways as well. I mean when you live with someone, you get to see a different side of them. My roommate and I have slowly grown apart, especially this year. Perhaps being at war is a bit of an exaggeration, but we are just two very different people with very different values and goals in life. So, this was my last attempt to try and present my faith to him. Take a look.

"Anyways, my prayer for you as you leave Taylor and move on with the rest of your life is simple: Live Everyday for Forever. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, actually, its not. Let me explain very briefly.

To live everyday for forever means that you never take one moment for granted. It means that you are completely aware that God may have something to reveal to you in this moment and you wouldn't miss it for the world. To live everyday for forever means that you don't just skate through life like it's compeltely up to you. Because ultimately its not. It means that you pray like it's all depending on God and live as if it's all depending on you. It means that you simply want a piece, a part in God's story so bad that you are constantly putting yourself in a position, a posture to be used by God in His grand story.

To live everyday for forever means that you have a view and a hope for the future glory that drives everything you do. It means that you realize that the new humanity is a body, a church, a people that are connected not necessarily by race, ethnicity, age, or language but by Jesus Christ who holds everything and everyone together. It means that because you believe in this new humanity, you are not remaining quiet. You are not staying silent. It means that instead, you are storming the gates of hell because you know that Christ has given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. It means that you know Christianity is a verb, not a noun and that this body, this church that you belong to is a movement, not an institution or building with a cross on top of it.

To live everyday for forever means that you realize that we are living in an incredibly fertile and opportunistic time because the glimpse of the coming kingdom of God has been brought down, it has been inaugurated with Jesus Christ. Because you believe this, your faith has moved from knowledge and trust to action. Why? Because you can't contain yourself. It means that you have to somehow let this energy, this potential, this inertia out of you that has been building up in you. It means that you have to do something about the relentless love, power, and revelation you have experienced. You don't have a choice, it's completely out of your hands now. You HAVE TO let it out.

To live everyday for forever means that you don't want to be caught just sitting around doign nothing because you know Jesus could come back at any minute. And you are so obsessed with Him that you would rather be with His people showing His love, being His body, or living out your faith or on your knees in concentrated, fulfilling prayer to Him than doing nothing. It means that your obsession with Him may lead to hardship and struggles, which may lead to lack o food and drink. But the amazing thing about our God is this: He has freely given up His body, the bread of life, and blood for us. He has even told us that if we come to Him, we will never thirst again. To live everyday for forever means that you are constantly remembering and taking part in the Eucharist because you need Jesus. You want His essence to be a part of your essence. You need His body and blood to satisfy you and wash you white as snow. Why? So you can live everyday for forever. Amen.