One of my favourite sayings is: Live It. Breathe It. It stems from when I was a roommate with this camp directing friend of mine. We will call him “Bob” to protect his true super identity. Bob approached me one day wondering if I had some ideas for a slogan for his adventure camp in Oregon. After throwing around several lesser ideas… Live It. Breathe It…finally stuck with Bob. I like this phrase for my life. I’d like to think of my life as a journey, like an adventure camp. Its not just because I’ve already been to many countries in this world at my rather young age. Travelling is fun for me, and I guess adventurous. Live It. Breathe It. This journey or adventure doesn’t really have to do with what I do or where I go. What really matters is who I am living and breathing with. Is it with The Way or is it just some substitute “second best” stuff? (2nd best stuff means anything you can think of outside of being with Jesus). It really doesn’t matter what I do. It really matters who I am with.
I think my view of this supposedly adventurous life with Jesus is changing. This amazing, exciting, ecstatic white water rapids-like journey with Jesus, well, it really isn’t that adrenaline filled. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments when I feel really close to Jesus, and it feels really exciting. Other times I don’t feel close to Jesus. Again, there are times when I feel pumped about life. Again, other times I feel borderline bored. So, this is the adventure? This is living It and breathing It? Gosh, its rather ordinary.
I am reminded of when I worked at a daycare. Only working as a secretary in some small stuffy office-like hole would have crossed my mind as more pathetic place to work. This was my mind going into working with the little people. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. First day of work I broke up a fight. I quickly found out that chasing kids around, beckoning kids to unlock themselves from bathroom stalls, and the such, was all part of the job. Living everyday with Jesus is the everyday. I once heard that marriage is like that too. Everyday living. The best part is that you are just with the other person. He is there, and she is there too. Working at the daycare taught me that I have the potential to love kids where they are at. To this day, I miss that little squirt who called me some unmentionable names, but who was almost sad when I left the daycare at the end of my time there.
What if living it and breathing it means cleaning the toilet every week? Or making supper every night? Ordinary life. I sometimes wonder why I don’t see God moving in miraculous ways around me or through me. I have experienced some pretty cool “God moments” in my life, but they aren’t that frequent. I don’t think my lack of sight for God’s movements means that God is doing less miracles. Just because I fail to see or experience God everyday doesn’t mean the reality is not there. How do I see God in the everyday activities of real life? God doesn’t seem to be too interested in nice compartmentalized tangible results. Like I’ve mentioned before, God seems more concerned with relationships. He created us that way. I think I experience the living and breathing it in my relationships. I think I experience God’s “little” miracles in true community. I think when I can lay down my self for a brother or sister, or vice-versa, and there is a mutual embrace, that is a miracle and God is in the middle of that somewhere. Those times can seem rare, but they sure taste good. Bob, this Guinness is for you. To living It, and breathing It. The miracle of everyday living with Jesus, following Jesus…Cheers.