i woke up this morning at
around 7:45.
i talked to jesus about a dream i
had because it kind of freaked me out
a little bit and then grabbed my
phone to turn off the alarm that was
set for 8:15.
i had two new text messages from one of my
best friends, chris, both sent around 1:30 a.m. when
i was sleeping.
i think i muttered something about
"crazy college kids."
eventually (cough, like at 8:45), i
rolled out of bed.
like, literally, rolled off my bed onto
the floor.
this is pretty easy, because my bed sits
on the floor hehe.
anyway, rolled out of bed,
washed my face, brushed my teeth, the usual.
and then i
started a pot of coffee
threw away the trash on the kitchen counter
started a load of laundry
rinsed out the popcorn bowl that sat on the living room floor
made sure the cat got fed (even though
i hate cats with a fiery passion)
gathered up the pillows that
somehow always end up thrown anywhere
but on the couches
and i realized something.
i was pretending to be my mother.
(she's currently out of town for a few days).
i was doing all of the things i've watched her do
for the past 20 years.
and it wasn't like i planned to do it, either,
because Lord knows that i, jennifer noel, would
never get out of bed and think
to start laundry on her own.
but it just happened, because it's what
Moms would do if she were here, and she isn't, so
i just did it.
and it made me think about being observant.
i call myself an observant person.
i notice things about people that a lot of other people
don't notice.
i get great pleasure out of sitting in one spot for
an extended period of time and just watching
them.
but i realized that watching someone for ten minutes
doesn't show me who they are.
it can tell me a lot about them.
(especially in airports. goodness, the things
i have seen in airports).
but at the end of the day, watching someone for five-ten
minutes doesn't tell me who that person is.
i only know that Moms would do those things
in the morning because i've spent my
entire life
watching her do them.
i know Moms because of years of
observations and conversation.
(that was unintentional rhyming haha).
and as i stood in the kitchen, going
through the motions, i thought about jesus.
i stood there, putting half and half
in my coffee, and i teared up a little bit
and thought about my life.
because i'm so guilty of observing
and not acting.
see, we have the perfect role model.
we are to "be holy because he is holy.
but observation isn't enough.
you have to act based on your observations.
i like making people smile.
it's my favorite thing, i think,
and so i compliment people constantly.
and usually, i compliment them based on my
observations.
for example,
you can tell from a mile away if a girl has low
self-esteem. i target that hardcore and basically
give them as many compliments as i can without being weird.
i act, because i've observed.
and it should be the same with jesus.
i know about jesus.
i've read the bible through five times.
i've read the gospels countless times.
i can quote lots of things jesus said.
but do i actually know jesus?
has it just been a five-ten minute observation,
or am i actually pursuing the knowledge of
him and who he is,
so that i can act on those things?
at the end of the day,
knowing about someone isn't enough.
love is a choice.
action is a choice.
if we don't act, our observations
are useless and don't matter.
i think it's time some of us
(myself very much included)
stop just observing
and start acting.
"his divine power has granted to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him
who called us to his own glory and excellence..."
2 peter 1:3
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