In this busy time of the year, I write with the most sincerity; that my life has not been defined by outward and physical strains, but by the eternal desires implanted within me, in which we all possess. "For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened -- not to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."[2 Corinthians 5:4] I am being satisfied "not to[by] the things that are seen, but to[by] the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal"[2 Corinthians 4:18] God is moving me to rejoice because he is good, not because my situations are always good, not because my genuine feelings are always of optimism, or that my thoughts are completely positive. I am building the kingdom in reckless abandonment, chasing after the unfading crown of righteousness. I am pacing myself in this marathon, but never walking, because I cannot possibly bring myself to walk.
In this journey, I feel the Lord enduring with me in my sprint, in stillness with me in my stroll, and rejoicing with me in my frolicking. And in the boast of the gospel, I remark, that God has shown me the body of Christ in the utmost measure of godliness -- though of course, still fallen in nature. My community is one of fallibility, but one who seeks the gospel. They have become the upholding church around me through the Spirit of the Lord; inviting before I request invitation, giving before I present my need for charity, embracing before I display my need for consolation, interceding before evident destitution, with a perpetual love of Christ, not a seasonal love of Christ. What a taste of the body of Christ in it's purest form. I am reaping bountifully, and the Lord has only shown a glimpse.
To God for his glory,
Amen
