my purpose

I am on week 2 of reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and a couple of girlfriends are reading at the same time. These are some of the insights I've had.

1. "What could I start doing today as if I was doing it for Jesus"? is asked on Day 8. This may sound strange, but my ideal is that I interact with people as if I would if I knew that they had cancer - to be kind, gentle, patient, tolerant. I think that when I am impatient or rude - whether to frustrating phone service people, or kids or whoever - I am failing to do this (obviously). Another way to think of it is how would I speak if Jesus were visible and sitting right there? I think that in general I am pretty nice to most people most of the time, but I need to be more actively conscious of this "ideal" - especially with kids when we are running late for school or they are leaving their stuff everywhere! :) Phone customer service people are particularly frustrating to me... I need to be conscious to try to be a blessing to everyone that I encounter (and still be forgiving of myself when I make mistakes).

2. On that same question I got the insight that I need to actively do my writing in that way - as if for Jesus. I sometimes get a sort of writer's block which is not that the words won't come but that I procrastinate out of fear or something...I need to stop worrying about the outcome of the project and just do the work, do the writing and know that all I can do is the best I can do, and then God will bless the fruits of my labor in the manner He so chooses. I have such a desire to want to be a bestselling author, or to win a prize for the writing because I strive for personal best (not competition with anyone, just with myself) but I like the bible passage version of 1 Peter 2:11 "Do not indulge your ego at the expense of your soul." I am not here to win myself awards or bring myself glory but to bring glory to God through revealing his truths and making them more clear through my writing. (I know these things intellectually already of course, but it's becoming a more personal thing now).

On a separate note, check out this great website. The Hippie Christian. Or the Hippie Christian Blog. Cool beans! Groovy!