Noise

Though my screen name on many forums is "Noize", and this blog is named Noize4, I don't really like noise.

I think life is so full of stuff that distracts us from what is important.  Junk like television, the internet, telephones, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I fully believe all three of these things have positive aspects, but they also have really negative ones.

The biggest type of noise that bothers me, though, is the noise of selfishness, the noise of myself.  Is is impossible to serve Christ and serve yourself, because they aren't really compatible.  If you find yourself tripping over that, check who or what you are serving.

I've had a distorted picture of love in the past, but the older I grow, the more it is becoming clear to me.  Real love is about denying self, putting others first.  This should extend everywhere, first to who we are in Christ.  Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness.  And all these other things shall be added unto you.  Amen.

There was an old video game I played called Jade Empire.  Its a bit of an open ended game where you have choices to make throughout the game.  There are two "ways" you chose: The open palm and the shut fist.  The way of the open palm is what I saw in your hands open in giving, loving, not taking stuff back for yourself.  The way of the shut fist is grabbing everything you can, holding it tight, and keeping it for yourself.

I think a lot of people want to act like they are the open palm, but they are really the exact opposite.  I had been the shut fist for years, and I am praying and working on getting out of it, because it is a picture perfect definition of the wide road that leads to destruction.  What junk can we grab?  What can I buy?  What makes me happy?  What do I need?  Me!  Me!  ME!  Do you do that?  Think about it a minute.  Because if you do, its really hard to love doing that.

Oh, I have loved, I have loved myself way too much.  But I am being called out of that.  I am learning about unconditional love and what that looks like.  How I can be transformed by the renewing of my mind, changed, hands open, holding nothing back.

There is no greater love than the God and Creator of the universe to give His only Son to die for us, to stand in the gap for our sins, being obedient to death on a cross and resurrection to wipe our sins away.

I am praying that I will love my Lord well, though I am unworthy.  I am praying that I will love my family much, much more than myself.  If you struggle with holding back stuff for yourself, I pray you will do the same.