God on the radio

cbc radio has quickly become my livelihood while at work...I strangely work best when my attention is slightly diverted...and so it's become a habit for me to listen to 690AM online. this morning on "sounds like canada", I had to privilege to hear jean vanier speak. vanier is the founder of L'Arche, a non-profit organization that creates communities for people with developmental disabilities, where life can be shared with dignity and love. one other way in which you may know vanier is his friendship with henri nouwen, who stayed at L'Arche for an extended period of time, and whose life was heavily influenced by Vanier.

in describing people who struggle with disability and poverty, he said that their fundamental cry was not for money or power, but rather, for relationships. this longing for love, which can be voiced as "do you love me", is in fact the cry of God. God's cry for love isn't one of intervention, of knocking down doors, but rather, it is one of humility.

he spoke about how living with vulnerable people has been transformative and I was particularly struck by the when he said: "you can't love people unless you love them in freedom". love isn't forced or manipulated - it is shared with an willing heart. real love also spurs us forth to answer the cry, and say "I want to be with you".

it was strange hearing all of this on the radio...and it reminded me of the importance of action paired with words. a man like jean vanier is an excellent example of how christians should be living - looking to the Word for guidance and in turn responding to the world around them with great honesty and compassion. he said, near the end of the show, that the greatest theological question of our time is: "where is God speaking in the world today...and how do we respond?"