taking a moment

while reading Mark Yaconelli's book Contemplative Youth Ministry i was driven to spend a few moments in quiet... to become aware of surroundings... the colros, shapes & smells... to listen to the noises that surround my ears... to gently direct my attention toward God... so quietly i turned my awareness to the presense of God within all that i was able to see, hear and feel.

Without forcing anything - I spent just a few moments trying, as the book promted, to open up to the Divine Love within the reality of the moment.

As i was sitting there - resting... feeling a needed moment of rest, my eyes closed. As i was trying to 'take in' God my mind began to picture images... the images were scenes from a hospital... with those images the word RISK appeared in my mind.

My ears began to focus on the words of the music: my iPod was on shuffle. the song of the moment: Muse - Unintended from the album Showbiz.

The lyrics to the song began to resonate within me. was it a coinsidence that this song was playing? probably not.

Here were the lyrics that i heard (yes - i looked them up afterword):

You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You could be the one I'll always love
You could be the one who listens
To my deepest inquisitions
You could be the one I'll always love


I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken
Pieces of the life I had before


First there was the one who challenged
All my dreams and all my balance
She could never be as good as you
You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You should be the one I'll always love


I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken
Pieces of the life I had before


I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken
Pieces of the life I had before


Before you


Yeah, i am sure that this song is about a girl... but i couldn't help see the corelation between our relationships with other humans and our relationship with God.

don't we always feel like we need to get our life in order before we go to God? don't we feel like we have to fix ourselves first - and yet, God and God alone is the only one capable of fixing us, mere broken vessels with broken hearts that can only be mended by the Maker and giver of love eternal?

Shouldn't God be the one we'll always love? and even if we resist him He loves us still. Unconditional.

that is where Risk comes in to play. it takes risk for us to be fixed... because we become used to the pain... to the point that the pain gives us security... it's a trap... a deception...

were my images of a hospital tied to the word 'Risk' and the lyrics to that Muse song?

whatever it is or was - it makes me believe all the more that God can and will use any means to speak to us... He'll do anything to get our attention so that we may feel and experience his love. i think that this is all about LOVE!

"I love you without condition. come to me. my arms are open. a hospital can not fix you... I can! I can heal you. I can comfort you. It may seem like a Risk for you to trust in me... for you to see my Love for you... Believe it or not, I understand Risk. My son, i placed him up on the altar as a human sacrifice - so that you may get to know me... so that you may have life. fullness. happiness. joy. know this: my Love for you is more beautiful than anything in this created world. Don't resist..."
- God



Thank you, Mark Yaconelli, for this activity.