From Conservative Christian to Extravagant Christian

con·ser·va·tive adjective \kən-ˈsər-və-tiv\
1: preservative
2a : of or relating to a philosophy of conservatism b capitalized : of or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism: as (1) : of or constituting a party of the United Kingdom advocating support of established institutions (2) : progressive conservative
3a : tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : traditional b : marked by moderation or caution : marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners
4: of, relating to, or practicing Conservative Judaism

ex·trav·a·gant adjective \ik-ˈstra-vi-gənt\
1a obsolete : strange, curious b archaic : wandering
2a : exceeding the limits of reason or necessity b : lacking in moderation, balance, and restraint c : extremely or excessively elaborate 3a : spending much more than necessary b : profuse, lavish
4: extremely or unreasonably high in price

For quite awhile I've been frustrated with the Christian community and the battles they choose to fight.  I remember as a teen ager hearing a speaker say that if we get busy doing all the things the Bible tells us to do we don't have time to worry about the don'ts.  Those things that are prohibited to us will fall by the wayside. 
What would happen if as a community Christians began to live the top two and that's all?  Just in case you need a reminder of the top two you can find them in Matthew 22:36-40.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

That's it.  Love God.  Love others.  What kind of craziness would it be if I began to just do these?  If I merely did, said, thought, acted in love?  How extravagant!

Of course, I can immediately forget about loving and get into theological discussions of what  loving means and who is my neighbor and how can I love yet still take a stand on the issues I hold near and dear to my heart.  That would be the sensible thing.  I can't possibly follow the simple instructions I am given.  There must be more to it than that.  I must make more of it than that because loving is truly too difficult for me to manage.  I'm much better at judging, rationalizing and justifying.  I've got the skills for that.  Loving, not so much. 

Today, I'm going to begin (or perhaps I'm really continuing) to do something extravagant.  I am going to spend my day loving God and loving others.  That's all.  It's going to be difficult.  I'm going to fail, repeatedly.  That's fine.  I can keep trying because the truth is that where Christ is concerned I am not conservative.  I am extravagant.

A New Direction

This morning I woke up and part of my life for the last 10+ years was gone.  It was a good feeling but also a strange feeling.  Last January I made the decision to resign my leadership position with a direct sales company that I loved.  Over the last 10 years my life has changed.  I've added a child, moved twice, made major lifestyle changes, and, as a result, adjusted my priorities.  While I loved building and training my team, my life was no longer such that I felt able to be a motivated and effective leader.  Giving up my team and leadership position was a big step.  While I knew I didn't want to be active in business. I also knew that giving everything up at once was more than I was ready to tackle.

Now, nine months later, I woke up and my business was gone.  The loss, long in coming, was freeing. Financially, we haven't missed the income from my former business.  When we moved to our new home, we made changes in our diet and lifestyle.  After Rob's surgery this summer, we made even more changes especially in our eating choices.  Moving even further toward whole food choices made my previous company something that holds little appeal.  Last night when I realized that I need to place an order or deactivate, I wasn't even tempted.  It's no longer a good fit.

I've already started to find activities that will use the time and talents that I developed in my business.  I am now a volunteer for Operation Christmas Child.  My job is to build a community relations team in an area where no community relations program exists.  I'm really excited about the possibilities and I'm excited to be using my talents.  I'm also excited at how this new adventure will involve my family. 

For so long my business has been about helping others by teaching them to build a business.  I set goals that moved me forward.  I helped others to get to my ultimate goal.  By sharing my gifts, everyone could benefit.  Now my focus is on Kingdom goals, sharing Christ with the world.  OCC focuses on high impact principles, in here, and out there goals.  This organization is about prayer and spiritual development.  It's about on earth as it is in heaven.

God's plan never ceases to amaze me.  As I read through the training materials I realized that I'd spent the last 10 years building skills that I would need for this new challenge.  As the team coordinator for community relations in a new area I get to build a new team and open up community partnerships in this area.  I can do this.  I know how to make presentations.  I have training in conference presentations and community event booths.  I have experience recruiting, training, motivating and leading a team.  I am ready for this.  God has made me ready for this.  I can't wait to see where this new direction takes me.

Moments Like This

Today on the way to church, I had one of those moments when the curtains are drawn back and everything becomes crystal clear.   In an instant, I found myself, for just an instant, able to see how divorce seems like an option.  My moment occurred when, on the way to church this morning, my beloved husband uttered the words, "Your van smells like cat piss."

For me, the comment about the smell of my van was a source of irritation.  I had to take a deep breath and then say a quick prayer that the Lord would help me find something to be thankful about in this situation. 

I was able to list:
I never have to worry about not being able to recognize a gas leak as long as my husband is around with his super-sensitive smeller
My stuffed up nose was a blessing if the car truly did have that odor
No one else was complaining or gagging
My well-used van was running and able to take us to church even if the odor wasn't desirable
The windows worked and the day was beautiful for a breezy ride to church
My super-sensitive smeller husband was going to church with me in my stinky van

Admittedly, the last one was a bit hard to come to.  And in that moment, the moment where I had to stop and search for gratitude for the man that I married, I realized that THIS is how divorce happens.

In my life, comment about the smell of my van, while momentarily irritating is, over a relatively short time, buried under positive interactions.  Those interactions happen with my husband, with my children, with the world around us.  I don't really have time to dwell on the smell because there is too much rapid fire good coming down the road.  But, if I didn't have all that good, it would be all too easy to dwell on the smell.

I am so thankful that my husband is loving.  I am thankful that his positive comments outweigh his negative comments.  I am thankful that I'm able to put the irritating comments into perspective and move on.  I'm also thankful that for just a moment I got a clear vision  of how important my reactions are in shaping my world. 

Please, don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that with a little positive thinking all relationship problems can be solved.  This morning, my choice to be thankful created a day for which I could easily be thankful.  I am thankful that, more often than not, the choice is mine.  I am thankful for the moments like this that remind me how important it is to be grateful for all good and to think on these things.