#open hands

Gulf - Dive!

-

i didn't mean to feel

the way i felt

when i saw you—really saw you

through the ages, all my ages

all the ages of this world

-

i didn't mean to see you

somehow know you

without really knowing the You

who inhabits

THIS lifetime—THIS timeline

this version of the world

-

i never told my heart

to skip a beat (or two, or three)

but it did—

-

when you looked up

when you reached out

everything changed

every little thing

-

all i want now

is for this (and for you)

to be okay

-

The mad scramble.

If you’ve ever been at a parade where they throw candy, then you’ve seen it. The mad scramble of kids rushing to grab candy.

The moment candy gets thrown in the air, that’s the cue for every kid to take off like a rocket. Grabbing candy however they can.

Some scoop it up off the ground. Others yell at the people throwing the candy, to throw it to them so they can catch it.

One thing I’ve never seen when the candy gets thrown? I’ve never seen a kid just stand there. Hands at their side, watching it happen.

Which makes sense. Because you’re never going to get any, if you’re not trying to get any. If you don’t at least have your hands out to catch it.

I know what you’re thinking, “thanks for stating the obvious.”

And yet, it’s something that we struggle with. For some reason (outside of obvious moments like candy thrown at a parade), we forget that this is a principle that applies to just about every area of life.

Like with the people in today’s Gospel who are being healed by Jesus.

It can be easy for us to dismiss today’s Gospel as just another Jesus healing story. Or something that happened back in Bible times, but not today. Because we don’t see God moving like that in our lives.

If that’s how we see it, then we’ve missed the point.

Because the moment the people in the Gospel know that Jesus is in the area? They grab their sick friends and family, and rush to Him.

They’re trying to get help. Because they understand this principle – that you’re never going to get any, if you’re not trying to get any.

The truth is that God has great things planned for you. That God loves you more than you know. And part of that love involves respecting your free will.

Which is why God never forces things on you. God isn’t going to force you to receive His best, all the good that He has planned for you, if you’re not open to receiving it.

The reason that many of us don’t see God at work more in our lives? Because even though we may be doing all kinds of goods things, going to church, helping people?

We’re not living like we think God will actually do anything. We may be going through the motions, but in our hearts, we’re just standing there. With our hands at our sides.

Like our faith is just a bunch of stuff we do. But we don’t really mean it.

May God give you the grace today to start living today in hope. Secure in the knowledge that God loves you more than you know. With hands out to receive all that God has planned for you.

👊🏼 Clenched Fists, Open Hands 👐🏼 #Peacemakers #Defense #Reconciliation

Image Credit: Milada Vigerova As people who believe that all things are being made new, we can recognize – even in the brokenness of failure and in the hurt of people with whom we will never be able to reconcile – that we are not trapped in the worst things we have done. We can be better and are being made whole moment by moment. Reconciliation is in that hope of transformation. -Jeannie…

Tagged by @blackkatmagic

Plo was in the training yard with Bultar Swan, who'd be leading her own corps, and both their Commanders, Wolffe and Fil. They were watching a squad of troopers haul what appeared to be a heavy durasteel table through an obstacle course, while being harassed by a training droid shooting at them. 

"Good afternoon, Maul," Plo greeted, introducing Maul and Ahsoka to the Commanders. 

"There much call for tables in the field?" Maul asked dryly, half an eye on the troopers. At his side Ahsoka's lekku twitched with suppressed amusement.