“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:22-25 Throughout breaks, periods of rest, or just our lives in general, there are occasionally flashes of emotional, physical, or spiritual “highs” that we strongly desire to take hold of, put in our pocket, and take a sliver of it back home with us, with the off chance we can experience “it” in our every day lives, as it’s a feeling that is too far gone in several of our daily experiences. Yet, when we return home and take a glimpse in the mirror, we see a different “us” that is broken, damaged, and riddled with sin, allowing the lie “we don’t deserve to feel this way” to creep into our minds. Amidst our brokenness, this spiritual feeling can feel so far gone. BUT THIS IS SO WRONG! We were CREATED for these moments of “high” just as James 1 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers...” showing how we are called to this feeling of spirituality, freedom, and community. This feeling we’re called to is to know & love & dwell with a God that is so good and full of sacrificial love for us, to us, and with us, to give us this sliver of hope in the form of our “spiritual highs” in communities like I experienced and found this weekend. These Christ centered communities serve as a glimpse of Heaven, that all we have to look forward to! So plot twist, this feeling can come back with us from the areas of our lives that feel so foreign, as this love, and desire for Christ is built on an eternal, everlasting, and all powerful word to create the strongest foundation of all. There is NO EXCUSE, lean on the community you found, bring this piece of the kingdom home with you, and push one another to grow and love one another as Christ has called us. Broken Bow ‘24, you have been so so good!