Now

I like the subtitle of one of my friend's books: it's "Following Jesus in real time." There's really no other way you can follow, except one step at a time. And there's really not another way to build a relationship with someone, including Jesus. We've all been with those people who never sit still or shut up long enough to get to know you. That's the same thing we do with God - we never give him a chance to speak.

God's hoping you'll just settle down and be. See, the goal is really just to know God, to be still until he comes to you and then you've found the greatest treasure that you will find - a God that loves you. Then, I promise, things will fall into place, but you have to be willing to be present in this real moment right here.

Trust

One of the greatest things you can learn, I think, is to trust people. It's funny because most of us are taught not to trust anyone. I mean, seriously, there are people out there who teach their children to trust only themselves. What a sad deal - it's hard to have a real relationship in your life if you don't trust anyone. Nevertheless, we're taught that as we grow and learn, we'll become more and more self-reliant and soon we'll be able to control ourselves, do what's right, and make good decisions alone. Then people will trust us and we won't really need to trust anyone.

I don't know if you've noticed this, but I don't know everything. And I don't think I ever will. There are some people who think they do, and they're the people we call lonely. The nice thing about being in a family is that when I don't know something, then it's not the end of the world. I can just ask someone who does. It takes a lot of pressure off, not having to know everything. It's relaxing...and there's a lot of freedom in trust.