Introducing...! and Giving Back.

Well. I haven't posted in quite a while, folks, so sorry about that! This cat's been ridiculously busy. Work have decided to put me on five days a week, I have one play that's a month away from performances, another I'm the assistant director for which is a month away from auditions, and two youth groups and a bible study I'm helping lead. Oh, and doing songs more regularly at the morning service now.

And....I may have someone to introduce to you all as well :) Her name is Thalia. We've been dating for....about five weeks now. Yeah, it's a little bit crazy! I'm still regularly wondering whether I'm dreaming or not. But I'm fairly certain that I couldn't have made her up. Or at least, that if I had, she would have been very different. I think. Anyway! She's rather awesome (but also rather crazy, because she likes me), and we're - well, a bit keen on each other. Probably putting it rather mildly. But you get the picture ;)

Quick points out of the way - we met at church, she asked me out (told you she was crazy), our first date was a movie, and we've both met each other's parents (and it went fairly well!). But that's not so much what I want to talk about. I mean, I do want to talk about her, don't get me wrong, I could probably talk your ear off about her - but I had something in particular that I've noticed recently that I wanted to comment on.

I feel like Thalia has given so much to me, just in herself, and of herself. And that's very much a constant thing, which makes me rather grateful for her. But more than that, it makes me want to do something to give back. So I get her tickets to an event, or I give her flowers, and I plan these ahead of time. I start thinking about the different things that I could do for her, to give back a little of what she continually gives to me. (I can't say too much about the things I'm thinking of, or she'll read this and it won't be a surprise!)

But then I thought - hang on. What God gives me, and has given me (and knowing Thalia, she would completely agree with me here) completely surpasses anything that Thalia gives me, or anything that she could give me. And yet, I don't have this same attitude of giving back that I do with Thalia. And I think a lot of us don't.

We may know what God has done - we may be reminded of it regularly at church - but how do we show our thankfulness, our gratitude towards him for that? Do we think of ways that we can please him, give back to him? Do we invest our time, invest our skill, into doing something for him? Or do we just sing the songs on Sunday, and that's about it?

This is something that has really challenged me, and I hope it challenges you as well. At the same time, though, not trying to earn God's love through what we do - because that's not how he works - but wanting to do things to make him happy. I think. It's a bit confusing still for me, I think! Need to spend some more time thinking on it. But hopefully people can get something out of that reflection.