How do you walk away from the mirror?

Half-hearted Christians. Christians who rely heavily on salvation to save them. Christians who tell themselves watching the rated R movie is ok, Jesus' blood will wash them white. Christians who cuss and blame it on the moment, Jesus will forgive. Christians who spit out hate filled words and walk away, Jesus will extend grace. Christians who pass by the weak, poor and lonely, and claim they didn't see Jesus in the bearded man, the staggering woman, the timid child. They didn't see Him standing there, Jesus will understand. Salvation will save them. They believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They believe His death on the cross will be their liberty. They have faith. They just don't see. They don't see the words written in the bible, the words to love, to cherish, to sustain and fulfill. They don't see the words that say love them. They only see the blood stained cross, the cross that will save them from eternity in hell. They see a ticket to heaven. That's all they want, that's all they think about. Themselves. They need salvation, but they don't need to waste time feeding the hungry, clothing the homeless, caring for the weak, loving the broken-hearted. That's not their job. They don't care. They label themselves Christians and walk away, no meaning to it, only the hope of heaven. I want to be something different, I want to become radical. I want a different label. I want to be a Christ-follower. Someone who follows in Christ's footsteps, someone who understands the needs of this world. Someone who loves, someone who doesn't look forward only to heaven, but also to seeing others there.

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25

Are you the Christian who looks at the beauty of the cross, the perfectness of salvation and walks away empty? Or do you find the freedom, the beauty and the perfectness everyday, all day? In every small thing? In every rain drop, every filled belly, every loved soul, every smile on the homeless man's face? Do you find the beauty in Christ or in the promise of forgiveness after wickedness?

September 11 2001

It's a day that is sketched into my memory. A day that changed America. I was only 7 years old that day, I remember it well, though I didn't understand the tragedy as well as I do now. We had just woke up when mom and dad found out about the terrorist attacks. We all went downstairs with plates filled with pancakes and dripping syrup. We watched the news, the towers and pentagon burning. The people jumping from windows...mom turned the channel. We watched in silence. We flipped through channels. We ate our pancakes. The door bell rang, my heart pounded wildly. We were living on an air force base at the time, which instead of reassuring it frightened me. Dad went upstairs. The ups man. We continued watching tv. That's all I remember. People screaming, jumping, watching in horror. The towers collapsing and the debris and dust engulfing the city. Then the news that followed days later of survivors, of heroes, of war. I'm glad I have memories of that day, of America on that day. I pray for America's future, that we may continue to be a resilient nation. One Nation under God. September 11 2011, marked the 10th year. Somehow it seems like not that long ago since the sticky fingers and fearful heart. I flew on the 10th anniversary. I flew across the entire Nation. I was safe, I was proud. On our descent a mother sang to her 10 month old baby girl, "God bless America, My home sweet home." The city lights and the huge moon, the baby with no memories of that day. The mother singing softly into her ears. I knew she would learn, learn of America's history, the tragic day in 2001, and be a proud little american girl. God bless America.