Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

So here's the deal: I've been thinking again. Sorry.
This WILL jump around all over the place. Fair warning.

Spirituality. What is it?

"Christian spirituality is not a journey into self as if spirituality is found in the deep recesses of our nature, hidden inside of us, waiting for release. No, true Christian spirituality is the embrace of Jesus, who, united to God, restores our union with God that we lost because of sin. This is how the ancient church understood God's embrace." -The Divine Embrace, 127

I will never complete myself. No matter how much I discover about me, no matter how hard I try, on my own steam I'll never be enough.

I think all too often we ask God, "What's in it for me?" We need to know how it will benefit me, and we won't take another step until we find it out. Do you see the problem here?

Real spirituality is not asking what I can get. It's asking "what can I give?" Instead of looking for what we can gain, it's looking for how we can serve.

It's not looking to me (or yourself) for the answers.

I'm human. I fail. I was created to be perfect, yet in my human weakness I fall down every day. I don't have the answers, I never will. I cannot make it on my own strength; I'm weak. I try to hide it, pretend like I've got it all together... but I don't. And I never will.

See, I can't put "it" together. I've tried, every once in a while when I'm not attentive I try again. And every time, it falls apart. Without fail.

But God has offered me His strength. How foolish I am to think that I could go for even one second without it! How can I forget that it's only because of Him that I'm here in the first place, that I'm breathing, that I can think, walk, talk... live! How selfish I am. As if it were all about me, my needs, what I want...

And yet, if (and when) I should falter, how selfish of me that I would internalize the guilt, focusing on myself and my sin and my failure and my pain and my sorrow. I fell; God will pick me back up, dust me off, dry my tears, embrace me once more, and whisper in my ear "I forgive you. I paid for your sin, you are pure and blameless in my sight. I love you my child. There is nothing you could ever do that would cause me to stop loving you." He loves me. A sinner. Incomplete, completely dependant, selfish me. And He will for always. And I cannot change that.

His grace covers me. I've been steeped in sin, yet I'm drenched in grace.

He is mighty, powerful, pure, good... and so many other describing words, I could fill up this page a million times and be nowhere near describing how awesome He is. He is worthy of my praise, worthy of my attention. Nothing else. Him. I have to wonder, what would it look like if I lived like I believe this at all times?