Mama Maggie

I attended the Willow Creek Leadership summit simulcast at Christ Memorial this past week. There are a number of contemplations rolling through my brain, but for right now, I'll concentrate on Mama Maggie.

I am struck first by the countenance of Mama Maggie. She is a woman who looks peaceful and content--she actually looks holy to me.

Mama Maggie gave up a cultured, elegant life to work with the children and people who live in literal garbage dumps in India. Children sleep in the garbage. They eat the garbage. . .

When she spoke about this choice, she spoke in a humble, unassuming way. Yet her first words, about the first thing to do, which is sell everything are powerful to me. I understand that not all of us are called to this extreme, yet part of me wonders, is that really true? This is after all what Christ asks of us when He says, follow me. . .

Some of my favorite bits from her talk:

• If you want to be a hero, do what God wants you to do
• Forgiveness is not between you and the other, it's between you and God . . He holds the account

and my favorite bit, about silence - she says "silence is the step to getting all the treasures . . . it is there we experience eternity". This is what she said:

1. Silence your body to listen to your words
2. Silence your tongue to listen to your thoughts
3. Silence your thoughts to list to your heart beating
4. Silence your heart to listen to your spirit
5. Silence your spirit to listen to HIS Spirit
6. You silence all to listen to the One.

This seems beautiful and desirable to me - but how to get there?

I think you must have to sell everything, including your husband and children if you have them. How else can you even get to silence?

As I was trying to have a little time of contemplation to write down these thoughts my husband (and I don't even have children at home anymore) kept bothering me - where are my shorts, what about that plant, etc. Right now I feel about as far from hearing God's Spirit as I can be, and I know there is no way I'm looking holy. . .

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