Loving Luxuriously
On the other side of Christmas I have been evaluating the memories I made this year. I love to give and give generously when the opportunity presents itself. I've been asking myself why.
I often think of Mary of Bethany, Lazarus' sister, whose example of loving generously is recorded in John 12. In the early verses of this chapter we see how Jesus' friends defied the command in 11:57 that "if anyone knew where He was, he should let them (the chief priests and the Pharisees) know, so that they might arrest Him."
The time is short, the cross is near, and we know that it is at great risk to themselves that Jesus' friends "gave a dinner for Him." At the dinner, Mary's devoted heart seized the occasion to express her overflowing love for Christ. In verse 3, we read, "Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
The passage relates that the amount of ointment was extravagant, as a pound is a very large amount of fragrant oil and perfume. In verse 5 we are given the value as three hundred denarii or the equivalent of a year's wages.
In verse 7, the dinner turns even more poignant, as Jesus tenderly reminds everyone, when they are tempted to be critical of Mary's luxurious display, that "the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me."
In this economic turn down, the new normal appears to be: Love cheaply! Ever anxious to understand as much as I can, I looked up the word "cheap" in the dictionary and it means to purchase below the going price or the real value. It is even often a competitive game to see who can get something for the cheapest price.
But I beg to differ. I say to myself, since I don't know what losses are around the corner, I don't want to use my valuable opportunity to send a message that devalues. I have an intense desire to highly value and honor those I love - even luxuriously - to communicate how deeply I care.
So, why am I about creating memories that revolve around generosity? I have spent some time pondering, and here are my reasons:
I want to love OPENLY - meaning, I desire, at appropriate times, to throw off the restraints and express the deep love and devotion of my heart. I want to love FREELY and SPONTANEOUSLY.
I want to love LUXURIOUSLY - meaning, I desire to spare no expense in revealing how much I value the person and want to honor them. The more pure and perfect the gift, the more honor it expresses. I want to love SUMPTUOUSLY and MAGNIFICENTLY.
I want to love INFLUENTIALLY - meaning, I desire to pervade the atmosphere with the fragrance of generosity so that others are blessed and inspired to let their love overflow. I want to love CONSPICUOUSLY and EXPANSIVELY.
Wisdom teaches me to seize opportunities to make memories and fill them with meaning, which I accomplish by loving in the moment and loving luxuriously. Long after the opportunities fade, the memories linger!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
I've been thinking about generosity...
THE LIGHT AND THE MUSIC
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10).
I made up a phrase for people who bless instead of curse as they pass by. I call them "the light and the music" people. These people are the pleasant, agreeable people who bring good energy to our lives - leaving a lingering memory behind that uplifts and elevates. We feel better after interacting with them and when we check our emotional gas tank - we find that we have received a free fill-up!
I once read a metaphor for measuring the influence of relationships using the banking terms of deposits and withdrawals. We know in banking that we need to make more deposits than withdrawals into our account or we will end up in the red. Following the logic of the metaphor, if we don't make enough deposits in relationships around us, the relationships will fail to show a profit.
Some among us make deposits so regularly that we begin to depend on them to be generous givers of their precious energy to our poor, beleaguered spirits. However, have you ever stopped to notice how valuable and rare these people truly are?
May I mention here that I am blessed to be married to someone who is filled with "light and music" and who is uniquely gifted in the art of passing on that energy in the form of humor? If laughter is the music of the soul, then I have experienced the sweetest music imaginable.
But, now I turn my attention to understanding this concept so that I can make my own generous deposits. How can I further define what I mean by using the phrase "the light and the music?"
I am using the term "light" in regards to how little energy someone requires from me because they are easily endured with little difficulty or discomfort. I am using the term "music" in regards to the energy that flows into me when I hear an agreeable sound that is pleasing to my mind and my senses. Both of these things become profitable deposits into my own spirit.
It is interesting to note that The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converted into matter and vice versa because energy cannot create energy.
I guess the only hope for those of us who don't necessarily carry around with us an abundance of energy, is to stay connected to the only true power source - God. His energy flows into us when we access His resources and then we have the amazing privilege of allowing His energy to flow through us into the lives of people we meet.
It has been said that there is a generous supply of heavenly light and music for those who are tuned in. Is it time to change your dial?
For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10).
I made up a phrase for people who bless instead of curse as they pass by. I call them "the light and the music" people. These people are the pleasant, agreeable people who bring good energy to our lives - leaving a lingering memory behind that uplifts and elevates. We feel better after interacting with them and when we check our emotional gas tank - we find that we have received a free fill-up!
I once read a metaphor for measuring the influence of relationships using the banking terms of deposits and withdrawals. We know in banking that we need to make more deposits than withdrawals into our account or we will end up in the red. Following the logic of the metaphor, if we don't make enough deposits in relationships around us, the relationships will fail to show a profit.
Some among us make deposits so regularly that we begin to depend on them to be generous givers of their precious energy to our poor, beleaguered spirits. However, have you ever stopped to notice how valuable and rare these people truly are?
May I mention here that I am blessed to be married to someone who is filled with "light and music" and who is uniquely gifted in the art of passing on that energy in the form of humor? If laughter is the music of the soul, then I have experienced the sweetest music imaginable.
But, now I turn my attention to understanding this concept so that I can make my own generous deposits. How can I further define what I mean by using the phrase "the light and the music?"
I am using the term "light" in regards to how little energy someone requires from me because they are easily endured with little difficulty or discomfort. I am using the term "music" in regards to the energy that flows into me when I hear an agreeable sound that is pleasing to my mind and my senses. Both of these things become profitable deposits into my own spirit.
It is interesting to note that The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converted into matter and vice versa because energy cannot create energy.
I guess the only hope for those of us who don't necessarily carry around with us an abundance of energy, is to stay connected to the only true power source - God. His energy flows into us when we access His resources and then we have the amazing privilege of allowing His energy to flow through us into the lives of people we meet.
It has been said that there is a generous supply of heavenly light and music for those who are tuned in. Is it time to change your dial?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
I've been thinking about Christmas...
"God, bless us, every one!" - Tiny Tim
When A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 it met with instant success and critical acclaim. Charles Dickens touched a nerve with his character of Ebenezer Scrooge who undergoes a complete transformation after supernatural visitations from his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future.
Apparently many people related to Scrooge. When his pinched, cold heart is restored to the innocent goodwill he had known in his childhood, readers jumped to their feet in their hearts clapping with abandon. And, before long, they were evaluating their own hearts and lives in light of the startling challenges found in the story.
The evidence suggests that Christmas traditions had been waning in England for some time and the reality is that this novella almost singlehandedly revitalized Christmas spirit. Did Dickens write The Christmas Carol to provoke a change in the barren attitudes that he witnessed?
Today, we need the same strong ideological, ethical and emotional transformation we see in Scrooge. Cynicism is once again creeping into our spirits and most of us have awakened to find ourselves in unpleasant places.
How can I return to the joyful enthusiasm of my own childhood in the celebration of Christmas? Joy returns when I fill the tradition with the truth, compare my attitude to the plum line of Scripture, and then let it transform me.
In Matthew 5:45 we read that our heavenly Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." God generously sprinkles common grace and care upon all of His creatures. And, therefore, because we call ourselves disciples of Jesus, we are to imitate God and love both our neighbors and our enemies.
This is only possible because we can clearly see in Scripture how God has made His will and His character known. It is the purpose of the children to manifest the nature of their Father and it is the nature of the Father to give common grace.
It may interest you to know that A Christmas Carol has NEVER been out of print. God's blessing rests upon the timeless truth of "Good Will Toward Men" that is found as a theme in the story because it is bathed in the truth of God's common grace falling on the just and the unjust.
So, Tiny Tim's prayerful benediction is indeed appropriate! God bless us, every one!
When A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 it met with instant success and critical acclaim. Charles Dickens touched a nerve with his character of Ebenezer Scrooge who undergoes a complete transformation after supernatural visitations from his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future.
Apparently many people related to Scrooge. When his pinched, cold heart is restored to the innocent goodwill he had known in his childhood, readers jumped to their feet in their hearts clapping with abandon. And, before long, they were evaluating their own hearts and lives in light of the startling challenges found in the story.
The evidence suggests that Christmas traditions had been waning in England for some time and the reality is that this novella almost singlehandedly revitalized Christmas spirit. Did Dickens write The Christmas Carol to provoke a change in the barren attitudes that he witnessed?
Today, we need the same strong ideological, ethical and emotional transformation we see in Scrooge. Cynicism is once again creeping into our spirits and most of us have awakened to find ourselves in unpleasant places.
How can I return to the joyful enthusiasm of my own childhood in the celebration of Christmas? Joy returns when I fill the tradition with the truth, compare my attitude to the plum line of Scripture, and then let it transform me.
In Matthew 5:45 we read that our heavenly Father "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." God generously sprinkles common grace and care upon all of His creatures. And, therefore, because we call ourselves disciples of Jesus, we are to imitate God and love both our neighbors and our enemies.
This is only possible because we can clearly see in Scripture how God has made His will and His character known. It is the purpose of the children to manifest the nature of their Father and it is the nature of the Father to give common grace.
It may interest you to know that A Christmas Carol has NEVER been out of print. God's blessing rests upon the timeless truth of "Good Will Toward Men" that is found as a theme in the story because it is bathed in the truth of God's common grace falling on the just and the unjust.
So, Tiny Tim's prayerful benediction is indeed appropriate! God bless us, every one!
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