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I sent out an update on my life to about 180 people this month and at the end I asked them to tell me what it means to them to live deeply. I asked that because I am thinking alot about what it means to live deeply. I have had a response from 6 people.
I wonder... is this because people do not read my updates? Or is it that they have never thought about what it means to live deeply? Or are they so busy that they cannot share with me what it means to them to live deeply? And if you are that busy... how can you live deeply?
No, I am not upset with those 174 who did not respond. I am just curious what would cause one person to respond and not another. And... I am sad that I have not heard from more people.
I am not doing a school assignment with this question. I am trying to learn more about living as God wants me to live. And I think we learn about living like Christ by learning from each other as well as other methods.
so, if you have not responded to the question drop me an email and let me know what you think it means to live deeply.
Next month I will share what I think it means to me.
I will e-mail you one of these days with my reply...do have some thoughts
ReplyDeleteMy guess... people read your request... and promptly forgot to reply. Or that's me anyway.
ReplyDeleteLiving deeply. Hmmm. People should put their thoughts HERE because then it can be more of a dialogue, and that's what I get the most out of, and what helps me think.
So for me to live deeply, I have to be in dialogue with other people. I'm not an analytical person who naturally does this. It would be other people (ie. Melissa) who would spur my thinking on.
If living deeply means being emotional and listening to music and watching movies that make me feel and think... then I'm there. But I'm not sure that's what LIVING deeply is.
For me it's relational, it's being in conversations I've never had before, about things that may have crossed my mind that I haven't ever thought all the way through before. These are the more difficult questions that aren't satisfied with a pat answer.
Am I on track with anyone else here? Are people still reading this comment? :)
Not sure where the request was...
ReplyDeleteread my comment on the last blog in... Looking at this picture of the mountain, It LIVES DEEPLY...
Foundations are DEEP, Broad, Wide!
ROOTED. Not given to light and fluffy changes. Not one who lives on WHIMS. STRONG. CLASSIC. as opposed to "every changing wind" being able to push it around.
The steadiness comes from within...not spider-web fine and easily broken. Sturdy stuff. A Keeper. Roots go down to underground sources of refreshment and hidden rivers. Love, always, MOM
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ReplyDeleteA worthy challenge to any believer. I will post my response on my blog.
ReplyDeletehmm... I like the comments! I bet people read the request and then forgot to reply. That happened to me a few times in NZ anyway. I look forward to hearing your response! love and miss ya!
ReplyDeletehey, mel! i'm with bekah ... i'll read emails at work, and think, "oh, i should do that later," and then forget to make a note.
ReplyDeletefor me, living deeply means growing in my faith in the context of community. at college group last sunday, john was talking a bit about spiritual disciplines and how we can be doing all these activities and still not enjoying an EXPERIENCE of God. then last night, dan touched on a similar theme. i want to be experiencing a relationship with God and others. the more i connect with His heart, the more He uses me in others' lives. i also see a direct connection between the amount of time i spend in the Bible and my experience of God each day. so there's my two cents, girl. :)
Awesome comments! To Live Deeply:
ReplyDeleteOften allowing ourselves to feel pain or suffering of any kind and allowing the Spirit of God to probe the heart and mind prompting us toward action or character in us that must be transformed for the eternal purposes of God and greater good of those around us.
I am sure there is more that could be said.
Right now in this season of my life?! Loving and encouraging my best friend = husband, tucking my little girls in at night..., lying on the bottom bunk with my three year old and listening to her nonsensical ramblings, nursing my 11 month old and running my fingers through her whispy hair, vacuuming up all the cracker crumbs they've scattered all over the floor, helping Alaina (3 year old) learn her first Bible verse for Awana, trying to enjoy every season of life for what it is! Not always trying to rush into the next season... When will you get married? When will you have a baby? When will you have #2 (they'll ask you this when #1 is 2 days old...)?! Life is very momentary...live it one at a time!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa, (From Alisha Erickson)
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to find your blog and have links to so many others.
Ah... the reflection of living deeply. I really like what your mom had to say. The question of living deeply seems to be really difficult. So many broken homes, so many broken roots, living in a sinful world, being a sinner and living with other sinners... I have actually been reflecting on this topic lately. I have been watching people around me as well as watching my 18-year-old step daughter and her friends. I have been overwhelmed by the number of people searching for depth. I think living deeply comes from within oneself and our relationship with God. Without God, I don’t think we can truly live deeply. That then raise the question of why aren’t believers living deeply. The answer seems to be where are my roots? Am I living deeply when I feel like my life is a pineapple upside down cake or is it just when things are good? I think it is both. These last few years of my life have been pineapple upside down cake and I am reaching a time of blessing. As I reflect on this, I think living deeply is when the soul finds rest in our Lord and trusts him. I reflect on the song, It is well with my soul. If I have my facts correct, the author wrote the song very soon after loosing his wife and child/children. Many old hymns with depth and reflection were written by those who did live deeply and were written in times of difficulty. The life of where our soul is at rest in who God is, who we are and who God has created us to be. The people I know who live deeply are those who have found this place with God. I think we make things too complicated. Life as God intended was simple and adventurous all at the same time. Simple living is living with roots that go deep into our Lord Jesus and communioning in relationships with others.
I see people and I have done this myself, striving to find a place of solace…oh is it just around the bend…when I get a better job, if I live in another country, if I get married, if I have children, if I get a better house…. The problem is that that the “only if” bend never ends. Once you reach one bend then the next one is there to haunt the chaotic soul. When the soul finds rest, then deep living occurs. A soul at rest doesn’t mean adventure, fun, or growth. I think those things only get richer because they can be experience more fully – in a deeper way.
Well, Melissa – I love you and miss you tons. God has taken us both on adventures that are full of intrigue and fullness. I’m blessed today because I have got to spend a little time with you if only through the computer. You are so beautiful and I believe a person who lives deeply.
By the way…I’m pregnant. I’m approaching the five month mark. We found out yesterday that we are having a baby (stop reading if you don’t want to know). We found out we are having a baby girl. Her name will be Grace Ruth Erickson. She is due to arrive on February 24th.
Many blessings to you, my friend,
Alisha Erickson