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The Great Escape



Yesterday morning, before waking, I had a thought about two contrasting ideas: one of restoration and one of escape. And this was the manner of the contrast:

restorative vs escapades

I thought that the terms themselves were illustrative. Restorative bears in it the sense of continuing, while escapade is singular, an event that happens one time.

In context of my life, I thought that I've been spending much time in escapes. My electronics, music, some of my bedroom tendencies. But maybe it's not just the escape aspect that's not good for me (we all have to escape bad things, right?), but the hiding that's associated with it. My escapes are "run and hide" events.

Restorative practices, on the other hand, restore what is there already, and for the purpose of going right back into the thick of things. Restoration is exactly what you need to live successfully in reality.

With that in mind, I need to get back to some basic principles I had a while back, even recently, but have gotten away from. One, I need to make sure that the things I am choosing to do are with others. When I am by myself I have a tendency to get lost in escape. No doubt there are things that I must do alone, and things that would be restorative for me to do alone. Which brings me to second, I must do things that are restorative to myself and others. Or perhaps I should really be intentional in writing that the other way, others and myself. Too often the things I choose to do don't have a high enough value. I'm choosing trivial things. I need to choose those things that have a high impact in the lives of others and my life. If I continue to choose small things then those around me will not benefit from me, and I will in turn become small-minded.

There is a lot more to say regarding these things, but for now, enough has been said. It is high time to be a doer of the word, and not a hearer only.

Heavenly Father, You have sent Your only begotten Son that we may escape the clutches of the world. But I have to admit that I look very much like the world. I hold grudges, I occupy myself with leisure, I am "absent" minded. Help me to hook up with You, to latch onto Your Spirit, to be one with You, to forgive, to be a doer of the Word, to being present in the moment. I pray for restoration of this broken down temple, for the Word to be proclaimed there once again.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

James 1:22
John 16:33

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