Prize without the price.

A lot of people want the prize without the price. 

• We want to be an actor, but don't want to go to the audition.
• We want to be in shape, but don't want to go to the gym.
• We want to lead, but aren't all that interested in serving.

The issue with this is that no one gets the prize without paying the price.

Although some would say success can be boiled down to sheer luck. I strongly disagree and believe that most people who say such things are just excusing their own personal lack of motivation to work hard.

• You want to act? Take an acting class. Line up some auditions.
• You want to be in shape? Hit the gym. Get a trainer. Put the hamburger down.
• You want to lead? Serve someone. Get your hands dirty. Get in the trenches and earn it.

Those who wait for life and their dreams to arrive on a silver platter usually spend their whole life waiting. 

Leaders on the other hand don't waste their life like this.

They pay the price in order to attain the prize.

A key to contentment.

“He who expects nothing enjoys everything.”

— St Francis

Great nugget of wisdom from St. Francis that I wrote down in my journal recently. What does this thought look like fleshed out in your life?  

The Relatable God.

I am becoming more and more convinced when I read the Bible that the God of the Bible is a relational God. And when we remove this component we are tearing away the very beauty that makes the story of God so incredible. 

The Bible is ultimately a book about the creation of relationship, the destruction of relationship and the redemption of relationship.  

Christianity is fundamentally a dramatic love story between Creator and creation.  

Relationships are not a byproduct of his creation; they are part of Gods very nature (Genesis 1:26). What does this mean? If we are made in God's image then we are by nature relational, and by ourselves we are incomplete. "We" is a path to an inclusive wholeness, whereas "me" can all too often be an unfulfilling exercise in narcissism. We were made for fulfillment in something other than an individualistic lifestyle.

The truth is you don't have to be a believer of God to know or feel this. Intrinsically, we all know and desire for deep, fulfilling and meaningful relationships. Even those who claim they "don't need anyone," often keep a blind eye open in hope that, one day, love and relationship will find them. 

The question is "why" do we desire this and is the way of Jesus truly the best way to enter into this fulfilling relational life?  

I believe it is. 

And yet, for many, they see Christianity as simply a list of rules and regulations. For some, even those who claim faith in Jesus, would describe Christianity as nothing more than sin management. But this approach to God and spirituality still leaves a void in the deepest parts of our lives, doesn't it? 

Don't get me wrong. Biblical law plays an important role in the story of God. But it's a supporting role. Biblical law doesn't exist to simply manage your sin. It ultimately exists to support healthy relationship with God and others. 

Even the 10 Commandments are fundamentally about two things: loving God and loving people.  

Every law in the Bible is about one or the other. Why? Because God created man for the purpose of relating to him and to one another. The health of these relationships are the central concern behind every law.  

I believe it's when we come back to the heart of this relatable God that the "Good News" gets truly good  once again. It's while engaging in relationship with this God that we discover the beauty of His story that he has invited you and I, and made possible through Jesus, to be a part of all along.