First week of April my company was in Steamboat, CO for a mini conference we do every year for pastors to get away and enjoy the snow. I had a meeting in Denver and needed to take Ugly Mug Coffee Co. to the airport. On my 3 hour journey back I jammed my iTrip to the Fray and the Weepies. With about an hour and a half left on my journey through the snow I pass a guy wearing just a t-shirt with a card board sign that says “Steamboat”. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? I was not him, I kept driving. When all of a sudden the Spirit says to me, “Pick him up.” Which I ignore and turn up the music hoping to drown out any more whispers. I hear again, “Pick him up.” I pull into a parking lot and began to rationalize with God that He can’t really expect me to pick this guy up because I’ve never done this before and this is one of those get out of your comfort zone things that I don’t really want to do today. And as clear as can be God says, “Just share life with him.” So I pull out of the parking lot and look down the road hoping my soon to be new friend has disappeared. I get down the road and bust a u-turn and pull over. Roll the window down and say do you need a ride? That really was a dumb question but what else do you say?
The next hour and a half was filled with conversations about all aspects of life. The drug situation in Steamboat, CO, why Christians suck at being like Christ, and what Freedom of the Heart really means. My new friend shared with a me a motto that the good hippie folks of Colorado live by. “Just go outside, man.” It means don’t let life beat you down. If you start getting stressed out then go outside and soak up the beauty of creation. Enjoy the mountains and the flowers. Be amazed by the blue sky. Seems like a phrase we should all live by.
I learned a lot from my new friend. He shared with me stories about backpacking through Costa Rica and living life not being so worried about having it all together. I had the wonderful chance to share with him what Freedom of the Heart was. At least what I thought it was. I talked about how we all want it. Even if we don’t believe in Jesus Christ we all want to fill that void in our hearts. We may not know what it is and that’s why we try and find it in a better job or better relationships. But the truth is we’re all wanting to be freed. That’s another topic for another time…
So here’s to less stress. To feel the heat of the sun on your skin and to not let life just happen. Here’s to just going outside and noticing how beautiful God made things. Here’s to freeing our hearts and not letting the daily grind beat us down.
SB
