full life 101

Dear Candice,
I found myself reading in Isaiah again. I just can't get enough of it. Such an amazing book.
What I read really struck me. And when I get struck by a verse, there's only one thing I do- write about it.
Here's what I read:
"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourself to the down-and-out,
your life will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed life will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I will give you life in the emptiest of places."
{Isaiah 58:9-10}
Just sit on that for a second. Read it again if you want.
Soak up what God just said to Isaiah.
The current relevance of much the Bible is often questioned. Not many people think that what the Bible tries to teach us applies to life today.
I might be crazy but I think this is by far the most relevant Scripture I've read. I mean, think about it: this book was written over 2,000 years ago. But guess what. We still talk about everything that's wrong with other people. There are people who are still hungry. And the world is still a dark place.
As I read this I was thinking it wouldn't be that hard to stop gossiping about people, pointing fingers, and start pouring out my heart to the lowest of lows.
But then I really started thinking about it.
I point fingers every single day. Its completely normal to do nothing but talk about everything that people do wrong. Talking about so-and-so and what they did this weekend with their boyfriend is just typical lunch table discussion. I find myself in the middle of this mess everyday. And I bet you're not far from it either.
Then there's the second verse- giving yourself to the down-and-out. Think about it- it really isn't that popular of a thing to do.
So now when I back up and get some perspective, what God is calling us to do isn't something you see every day. But that's just how God works.
The great thing is though, that God promises us that if we start to do these things- for His glory- our lives will glow in the darkness and He will give us full life in the emptiest of places. That's something that I'm willing to devote my life to for. If the Creator of every single little everything in the whole wide world promises me full life for serving Him, I don't want to just pass it up. Pretty simple.
I'm ready to stop pointing fingers and start being generous.
Are you?
I love you.
Love,
Sara