Had a nice day of book browsing today and stumbled upon a used copy of "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. I've been wanting to read this book for a while, and have heard so many good things about it over the years, but just have never gotten around to picking it up.
After I purchased this book, I was pleasantly surprised to open it up and find that the previous owner had underlined a ton of their favorite passages and put notes and scripture verses in the margins. I love buying used books for that very reason...I love getting to see what another person got from the book, and what parts spoke to them, or even the interesting things that somehow seem to get left inside of them.
Kind of random, but I once bought a used Ted Dekker book off e-bay and discovered that the man I bought it from had left birthday cards & anniversary cards given to him by his wife and daughters inside. And let me tell you, it's really awkward to open your Ted Dekker book to discover a sort of... um ...personal shall we say...anniversary card that some man's wife gave him. ;) Don't know how those things would get left inside of a book but anyway...I'm getting off on a tangent.
I was flipping through "Velvet Elvis" a little earlier, reading some of the paragraphs the previous owner had underlined, and I came across a quote that really resonated with where I have been lately and just had to share it with you guys....
"I'm learning that very few people actually live from their heart. Very few live connected with their soul. And those few who do the difficult work, who stare their junk in the face, who get counsel, who let Jesus into all of the rooms in their soul that no one ever goes in, they make a difference. They are so different ; they're coming from such a different place that their voices inevitably get heard above the others. They are pursuing wholeness and shalom, and it's contagious."
... I think I must have read that quote at least 5 times. I think the problem I see in myself so often, as well as others, is that we're not living connected to our hearts and souls. We're so afraid to face the junk in our lives that we'd rather bury it all underneath the ghosts of this world. We don't want to let anyone into those rooms...especially not Jesus. So we live for all the temporal things of this world, trying to fill the gaping whole of our hungry hearts and souls up with things that could just never fill them.
But I want to be one of those few Rob is talking about. I have seen people who live this way, who let Jesus into those dark places and bring his light, life, and healing. I've seen people who are pursuing wholeness, they are different, they have made a difference in me. I've heard their voices above the rest... I want to follow in their footsteps to the foot of the cross.