I spent the majority of yesterday watching Harry Potter...okay I spent ALL day yesterday watching Harry Potter. I had never watched any of the series before, but found myself engrossed in them this weekend. I found myself being caught up in though several times throughout the movies. One of my favorite lines came from the fourth movie: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Voldermort is coming back into the picture and the creepy one-eyed guy (I don't remember his name) is pointing out that he returned to his master and Voldermort retorts something to the extent of, "You came back because of fear, not because of loyalty."This line got me thinking of my motives for continually returning to my Lord.
Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Right there, it says that our path to God is not going to contain as many of the things that the world does...we are going to have to limit our activities. It says later on that we will endure persecution...that we have to love our enemies...that we have to pick up our cross. Who in their right mind would choose each of these things instead of enjoying the fun of life?
What are the motives for coming to Christ when there is so much of this torture promised to us? Do we come to Christ and continue to serve him out of selfishness when indeed, we are called to pick up our crosses. A main motivator to come to salvation is so we don't have to be damned for eternity. We can serve other people so that when we reach heaven we can hear "well done good and faithful servant." What are our motivators for asking for forgiveness and forgiving others?
So many of these motives can boil down to selfishness. I think it is important to continue to evaluate ourselves and what our motives for Christianity are. Christianity calls us to deny our human nature, to humble ourselves and live selflessly. Christianity is about caring for our neighbor, whether we like that neighbor or not. We are called to return to our master, not out of pure fear, but out of humility...out of a desire to rise above our tainted nature and strive for the way we were originally created.
So I ask you why? Why are you returning to your Lord? Check yourself.
Much Love and Prayer,
D
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
One Dress/One Month
Wow! It has been so long since I have written...my life has been so busy and filled with immense amounts of school work: aka. papers (10 page ones!) AND research. Any who, the month of April has been a trying one in multiple ways but one obvious one has been the fact that it kicked off the One Dress/One Month campaign for StreetLight Phoenix.
Streetlight is a shelter for child sex slaves in Phoenix that opened April 4. We often hear about sex trafficking in other countries but rarely hear of the impact it is having in America. So let me toss out a few facts:
1.) There are an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children at risk of entering the industry IN AMERICA.
2.) The average age of entrance to trafficking is 13...though girls as young as 5 have been found...IN AMERICA.
3.) These girls averagely sleep with around 1500 men each year...IN AMERICA.
4.) The biggest demand is for girls age 14-17 because they are innocent and clean and come with a sense of danger.
5.) For the many of these girls, sex trafficking is NOT an option...they are forced into it by pimps through an intense process of grooming.
6.) These girls are subjected to brutal abuse...sexual and physical...and are often tattooed or branded as a sign of belonging to their pimp.
StreetLight is opening to help save these girls...to provide them with Christian counseling, career counseling, education, food, clothes and shelter. On a side note, the cabins are beautiful! Streetlight will rewrite what love means in these girls' lives.
StreetLight is using the One Dress/One Month campaign as a fundraiser and a way to raise awareness to this often overlooked and unknown abuse. Many women have been wearing one dress or one outfit for the entire month of April because so many of the girls caught in trafficking are forced to wear one outfit...for the majority of their time. They don't chose this outfit...it is chosen for them...chosen so that they can attract customers.
This cause has broken my heart every since I have watched the documentary Branded (which I recommend), yet this month has drilled it into my head. Each morning I wake up and put on the same black shirt and jeans...I have had the privilege of washing it as much as I want and accessorizing as I please. However, after the 12 day...I was over it...the challenge was no longer exciting...I was tired of it. Then I remembered that I am doing this because thousands of girls my age are forced to do this very thing only they don't get to accessorize or wash their clothes as much as I. It is all chosen for them...they are owned.
As I fall asleep each night, my heart breaks for those who are just now beginning their night and will be forced to stay out until they sleep with enough guys to collect the right amount of money for their pimps. Some girls are forced into cages or inadequate living spaces after these long nights. They can no longer cry because they are numb and have cried every last tear they have. They look at their skin and see where it says that they are property of so and so. They don't have the freedom to do even the simplest of things.
I ask you to open your eyes to the injustices that are thriving in AMERICA right now...in your own backyard. Sex Trafficking isn't just in Arizona...cases have been found in almost every state. When you go to sleep tonight think about the girls who are out on the street being beaten, branded...having foreign objects inserted in places that they don't belong. Educate yourself.
Here is Streetlight's website...check it out: http://streetlightphx.com/
And if your heart is breaking and you are being urged to dig into your pockets, feel free to donate here: https://donations.towercare.com/StreetLight
Streetlight is a shelter for child sex slaves in Phoenix that opened April 4. We often hear about sex trafficking in other countries but rarely hear of the impact it is having in America. So let me toss out a few facts:
1.) There are an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children at risk of entering the industry IN AMERICA.
2.) The average age of entrance to trafficking is 13...though girls as young as 5 have been found...IN AMERICA.
3.) These girls averagely sleep with around 1500 men each year...IN AMERICA.
4.) The biggest demand is for girls age 14-17 because they are innocent and clean and come with a sense of danger.
5.) For the many of these girls, sex trafficking is NOT an option...they are forced into it by pimps through an intense process of grooming.
6.) These girls are subjected to brutal abuse...sexual and physical...and are often tattooed or branded as a sign of belonging to their pimp.
StreetLight is opening to help save these girls...to provide them with Christian counseling, career counseling, education, food, clothes and shelter. On a side note, the cabins are beautiful! Streetlight will rewrite what love means in these girls' lives.
StreetLight is using the One Dress/One Month campaign as a fundraiser and a way to raise awareness to this often overlooked and unknown abuse. Many women have been wearing one dress or one outfit for the entire month of April because so many of the girls caught in trafficking are forced to wear one outfit...for the majority of their time. They don't chose this outfit...it is chosen for them...chosen so that they can attract customers.
This cause has broken my heart every since I have watched the documentary Branded (which I recommend), yet this month has drilled it into my head. Each morning I wake up and put on the same black shirt and jeans...I have had the privilege of washing it as much as I want and accessorizing as I please. However, after the 12 day...I was over it...the challenge was no longer exciting...I was tired of it. Then I remembered that I am doing this because thousands of girls my age are forced to do this very thing only they don't get to accessorize or wash their clothes as much as I. It is all chosen for them...they are owned.
As I fall asleep each night, my heart breaks for those who are just now beginning their night and will be forced to stay out until they sleep with enough guys to collect the right amount of money for their pimps. Some girls are forced into cages or inadequate living spaces after these long nights. They can no longer cry because they are numb and have cried every last tear they have. They look at their skin and see where it says that they are property of so and so. They don't have the freedom to do even the simplest of things.
I ask you to open your eyes to the injustices that are thriving in AMERICA right now...in your own backyard. Sex Trafficking isn't just in Arizona...cases have been found in almost every state. When you go to sleep tonight think about the girls who are out on the street being beaten, branded...having foreign objects inserted in places that they don't belong. Educate yourself.
Here is Streetlight's website...check it out: http://streetlightphx.com/
And if your heart is breaking and you are being urged to dig into your pockets, feel free to donate here: https://donations.towercare.com/StreetLight
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Jesus Christ Dethroned?
Today in my World Masterpieces class, we were discussing Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Dostoevsky was a devout Christian, which showed through his writing. In this piece, there is a very cynical man who adamantly admits that he is the biggest jerk on the face of the planet. He meets this prostitute and tries to lift her up out of her current position saying that if she keeps on this road she is going to become a slave to other people. This same girl though is the Christ-figure. That can be taken in so many wrong ways...I have completely not meaning to draw a parallel between Christ and a prostitute. This woman, Liza, loves the Underground Man despite the fact that he is the biggest jerk on the face of the planet. She loves him through his faults. She becomes the redeeming hero of the story.
The Underground Man simply can not take the fact that she is becoming his hero. He can not take the fact that such a lowly person is leading him to redemption so he undoes everything that he had told her and gets her to sleep with him and then pays her. He dethrones his hero to his prostitute.
How many of us are doing in this with Christ? Sometimes it is so hard for me to humble myself before my hero. I want to be self-sufficient. I want to be able to save myself. I often times place human characteristics upon him in an attempt to knock him off of my throne. I want to think that I can not trust Him or that He doesn't really love me through all of my sins. I can't comprehend Him and that frustrates me. I want to fit God into this box that actually makes sense to me.
So this blog is a rather short one, but it is gorgeous outside and I want to go for a drive to take in my Hero's majesty. However, I ask you....Are you trying to dethrone Christ?
The Underground Man simply can not take the fact that she is becoming his hero. He can not take the fact that such a lowly person is leading him to redemption so he undoes everything that he had told her and gets her to sleep with him and then pays her. He dethrones his hero to his prostitute.
How many of us are doing in this with Christ? Sometimes it is so hard for me to humble myself before my hero. I want to be self-sufficient. I want to be able to save myself. I often times place human characteristics upon him in an attempt to knock him off of my throne. I want to think that I can not trust Him or that He doesn't really love me through all of my sins. I can't comprehend Him and that frustrates me. I want to fit God into this box that actually makes sense to me.
So this blog is a rather short one, but it is gorgeous outside and I want to go for a drive to take in my Hero's majesty. However, I ask you....Are you trying to dethrone Christ?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Bridgemaster Video
So a few years ago, I presented this sermon to my church back home. I have to admit I have not been a huge fan of any of the sermons that I have ever preached, yet God continues to do amazing things each and every time I stand to give a sermon. This sermon however, has gone down as one of my favorites. Today in church I began thinking about it again because they played the infamous Bridge Master Video.
The Bridge Master Video
December 27, 2009
LifeSong Church
Before I begin, I want to warn you that this sermon isn’t the kind that I usually do. Not very much of it is actually my own words, rather words that have captivated my heart in a way that I couldn’t retell. God is so good and I hope that this video and book captivate you too. For now, here is the ever-popular, bridge master’s story:
I had watched this video quite a few times before this year. It seems to constantly be one of those annoying forwards people are always doing through email-most of them I delete without even reading but this one captivated my heart each time I received it. Each time I watched it, I was filled with the love for me that God possessed, shown through his sacrifice. At school, I borrowed a book from a friend, God Came Near by Max Lucado. Lucado pointed out that even though there are quite a few parallels in the crucifixion and the bridge master video like God having to sacrifice His son in order to save humanity and some hesitation near the end, there was a very important, often looked over difference.
Lucado alludes to Acts 22:22-23, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through him as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and fore-knowledge; and you with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” There is one key phrase in this passage that the bridge master video neglects to show. GOD’S SET PURPOSE AND FORE-KNOWLEDGE! You see, the bridge master didn’t see it coming; he had no idea that his son was going to go down into that hole and that he would be faced with such a difficult choice. If he had known, he like many of us probably would have quit his job in order to ensure not having to make this choice. GOD KNEW-He knew from before Mary rode to Bethlehem on the donkey that His son was going to die on the cross. He knew the pain and the suffering that His son would have to endure and yet when weighing the cost with His children spending eternity with Him, we won. Lucado puts it in a way that I just could not captivate,
“Jesus’ death was not the result of a panicking, cosmological engineer. The cross wasn’t a tragic surprise. Calvary was not an automatic response to a world plummeting towards destruction. It wasn’t a patch-job or a stop-gap measure. The death of the Son of God was anything but an unexpected peril. No, it was part of a plan. It was a calculated choice. It was the Lords’ will to crush him. The cross was drawn into the original blueprint. It was written into the script. The moment of forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross appeared on the horizon. And between that moment and the moment that the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled. What does that mean? It means Jesus planned his own sacrifice. It means Jesus intentionally planted the tree from which his cross would be carved. It means he willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of the earth from which the nails would be cast. It means he voluntarily placed his Judas in the womb of a woman. It means Christ was the one who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem. And it also means he didn’t have to do it-but he did. It was no accident ---would that it had been. Even the cruelest of criminals is spared the agony of having his death sentence read o him before his life even begins. But Jesus was born crucified. … The ropes used to tie his hands and the soldiers used to lead him to the cross were unnecessary. They were incidental. Had they not been there, had there been no trial, no Pilate and no crowd, the very same crucifixion would have occurred. Had Jesus been forced to nail himself to the cross, he would have done it. For it was not the soldiers who killed him, nor the screams of the mob: It was his devotion to us. So call it what you wish: an act of grace, a plan of redemption a martyr’s sacrifice. But whatever you call it, don’t call it an accident. It was anything but that. “
I have read this expert from the book so many times since I have originally read it and yet each time it still captivates me. Do you realize how much God truly loves us? This is the season in which messages of his love are everywhere, but do you realize how much he loves us. He would have nailed himself to the cross! I can’t think of anyone or even group of people that I would pierce long dull pieces of iron through my body to save. We often see the cross as the end of the story but in all of reality, the rest of the story was written around the cross-it being present before the rest. Isn’t that radical to think about?! Like the bridge master, God knew the kind of people that he was killing his son to save. He knew he was being murdered for the lonely, angry, selfish, hurting and addicted. He was dying for the lowest of lows on the face of the earth and yet HE STILL CHOSE TO DIE! God’s love is amazing people…as if I sat at my computer for like half an hour just trying to put to words how amazing and I couldn’t come close. It is as if every good thing put together in a blender, mixed up and then multiplied about a bazillion. That just may grasp it.
One other characteristic that Lucado didn’t mention, but that bothers me is that every single person on that train goes on living their lives without even hearing of the sacrifice that saved their lives. They didn’t even know that they were in danger and about died. They never heard of the boy who died to save them and the tremendous father who made a tough decision just for them. Some of the passengers remained asleep while the entire video played out. WE, as the church need to make sure that this is one sad difference between the bridge master’s story and that of our Savior’s. For real, we have just come out of the Christmas season, one of the easiest seasons of the year to talk about our God and his sacrifice and yet how many of us filled conversations with Santa, where to get the toys on kids’ Christmas lists, Christmas lights and the annoying family that one must endure through family dinner? How many of us volunteered to say grace (I know I personally neglected the chore)? How many of us carried on a pleasant conversation with the people in the never ending line at the check-out, well how many, expect Mearl? How many of us invited someone to church with us through the holidays? How many of us told children the actual Christmas story and not just the one about visions of sugar plums?
Who are the sleeping passengers in our lives? Who are completely unaware of the price that was paid so that they can go on living their lives? Who are those ignorant of God’s set for-knowledge? My mission for each of you is to add to your new year resolutions part 2009, add waking up one of the passengers to your list. Tell someone of God’s unexplainable love-share the bridge master parable with him or her. Enlighten them to the fact that Jesus planted the tree that would be carved into the cross.
As we close in prayer, let God speak to each of you, He KNOWS the passengers that are sleeping in your life. He KNOWS the people that He has put in your life so you can wake them up. He knows the people that you have been sitting by all through life without ever bothering to show them the truth. Let God guide you to each one of these people. I pray that we don’t let God’s sacrifice go as unheard as that bridge master’s that day.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Convient Aquaintances or Real Relationships?
I had a great night tonight just playing Wally-Ball with some pretty cool and new people and then just hanging out with friends until 10pm. Seriously, it was a really good night and I am so fortunate to have these people in my life. However, the turning point of the night came when my close friend that I had been hanging out with decided it was her bedtime and that she was going back to her room. I had spent the majority of the night and afternoon with her so as I was walking back to my room I was trying to think of who may be available that I could hang out with.
As names of people and there whereabouts and current activities were skimming through my head, I began thinking about my relationship with each of the people. For the majority of them, I decided they were probably hanging out with some of their friends that I am never really around with or their "significant" others or are just people that I never really hang out with anyway.
I realize that any relationship is two-sided and that it is my duty to keep up on friendships, but I am not getting into that right now.
It is in my personality to always be second-guessing people's motives...seriously just ask any one of my close friends and they will tell you that I often even voice my insecurity. I have been thinking about how different my friend groups are just this year from last year and there are so many of them that have changed; some have disappeared all together, some have just changed and so many of them are completely new. Seriously, I have a handful of the same friends but even the majority of them have been altered in some way or form in the last twelve months. The question I think I am trying to get to through all of this is simply what motivates a friendship? More so what is the difference between a lasting friendship and one that is just here for a brief season?
I have realized that so many of our even close friendships are because of convenience. We live in the same building or same hometown: once we move to a new location, these friendships are often severed, ashes of memories only remaining. We have the same classes, we tend to make friends especially if the other person is better in the subject than ourselves. I have seen so many people hanging out in lounges all the time together for a mere semester because one of them has no idea how to do the homework: once that class is completed, the friendship fails. I am assuming these roles to be that of what is considered a friendship and not a mere acquaintance. Living close to each other and having similar classes often triggers the beginning of a relationship that morphs into sharing meals and going on random expeditions.
What causes the relationship to stall at the end of the semester? Why does moving to a new location even if it is on the same campus and just a different people constitute reason for so many relationships to end? If someone worked for an entire semester on a beautiful painting that they loved; it would be highly unlikely for the artist to take the masterpiece to the burn pile out back and watch it flare up in flames. Yet, this is exactly what is happening to so many relationships.
My main explanation is that we are a very lazy group of humanity. We are only willing to put into a relationship when there is some direct reward for us; like getting a better grade on a test or having someone to sit next to in a class where you know nobody. Once the relationship actually requires some for of work whether it be walking to the person's new room or calling them up once in awhile just to check in, we lose our motivation. It seems far more practical to just make friends within your new surroundings.
I realize the fact that each relationship has its own season; that it is natural for relationships to alter and even die off with time; I just think that too many times we are rushing the calendar. We are missing out on some fantastic relationships because they take work and we don't find it necessary to actually work for them. It is important to let some relationships die and even kill off some, but eventually we are going to have to make the choice that some of them matter enough to fight for.
As I have been writing this, faces continue to scroll across my mind; some of them bring tears to my eyes wondering what the friendship could have amounted to; others bring joy anticipating what is to come; even more bring fear, fear because I don't want to lose them, and am praying that the other party feels the same.
I guess in closing, I just want to ask you to evaluate your list of friendships, calculate your motives, I beg you to not be the lazy person merely seeking out convenient acquaintances, instead invest in some real friendships. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there; don't be selfish and expect something in return; just seek out truthful and meaningful relationships....ones that you want to keep.
<3
As names of people and there whereabouts and current activities were skimming through my head, I began thinking about my relationship with each of the people. For the majority of them, I decided they were probably hanging out with some of their friends that I am never really around with or their "significant" others or are just people that I never really hang out with anyway.
I realize that any relationship is two-sided and that it is my duty to keep up on friendships, but I am not getting into that right now.
It is in my personality to always be second-guessing people's motives...seriously just ask any one of my close friends and they will tell you that I often even voice my insecurity. I have been thinking about how different my friend groups are just this year from last year and there are so many of them that have changed; some have disappeared all together, some have just changed and so many of them are completely new. Seriously, I have a handful of the same friends but even the majority of them have been altered in some way or form in the last twelve months. The question I think I am trying to get to through all of this is simply what motivates a friendship? More so what is the difference between a lasting friendship and one that is just here for a brief season?
I have realized that so many of our even close friendships are because of convenience. We live in the same building or same hometown: once we move to a new location, these friendships are often severed, ashes of memories only remaining. We have the same classes, we tend to make friends especially if the other person is better in the subject than ourselves. I have seen so many people hanging out in lounges all the time together for a mere semester because one of them has no idea how to do the homework: once that class is completed, the friendship fails. I am assuming these roles to be that of what is considered a friendship and not a mere acquaintance. Living close to each other and having similar classes often triggers the beginning of a relationship that morphs into sharing meals and going on random expeditions.
What causes the relationship to stall at the end of the semester? Why does moving to a new location even if it is on the same campus and just a different people constitute reason for so many relationships to end? If someone worked for an entire semester on a beautiful painting that they loved; it would be highly unlikely for the artist to take the masterpiece to the burn pile out back and watch it flare up in flames. Yet, this is exactly what is happening to so many relationships.
My main explanation is that we are a very lazy group of humanity. We are only willing to put into a relationship when there is some direct reward for us; like getting a better grade on a test or having someone to sit next to in a class where you know nobody. Once the relationship actually requires some for of work whether it be walking to the person's new room or calling them up once in awhile just to check in, we lose our motivation. It seems far more practical to just make friends within your new surroundings.
I realize the fact that each relationship has its own season; that it is natural for relationships to alter and even die off with time; I just think that too many times we are rushing the calendar. We are missing out on some fantastic relationships because they take work and we don't find it necessary to actually work for them. It is important to let some relationships die and even kill off some, but eventually we are going to have to make the choice that some of them matter enough to fight for.
As I have been writing this, faces continue to scroll across my mind; some of them bring tears to my eyes wondering what the friendship could have amounted to; others bring joy anticipating what is to come; even more bring fear, fear because I don't want to lose them, and am praying that the other party feels the same.
I guess in closing, I just want to ask you to evaluate your list of friendships, calculate your motives, I beg you to not be the lazy person merely seeking out convenient acquaintances, instead invest in some real friendships. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there; don't be selfish and expect something in return; just seek out truthful and meaningful relationships....ones that you want to keep.
<3
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A Losing Battle
This week, it has become more and more evident at how little we are actually in control of our own lives. More than that, I have really seen how big of a war can take place when I want one thing and God may be leading me in another direction.
As I type this, I am listening to Fight by Point of Grace; such a good illustration of my point. The lyrics to the chorus go like this, "I am coming to you with all of my broken motives, all of my selfish dreams, all of my foolishness. I know that you're reaching out so what am I fighting more. Only you can save me, Only you can change me, only you can love me."
Sometimes, I think that God keeps me around for His amusement, seriously. I mean, I know I find some sort of sick pleasure in being able to say "I told you so" when a friend doesn't follow my advice. I don't see why God would be any different. Just this week alone, I feel like God has told me that very phrase that I hate hearing probably enough times to fill up both of my hands.
How many times of hearing "I told you so" is it going to take me to just start listening to Him? I mean it isn't like this is me trying to decipher whether to trust what a complete stranger has to say or even a close friend...this is me fighting to trust the mapper of my life. This is the God whom has written out all of the possible choices and then has weighed them multiple times to see which would be the most productive in my life and has picked one possibility. He has done all the work and yet I still sit here with my list of pros and cons and apprehensive mind, insisting on figuring it out on my own.
I have been around long enough to know that the conclusion that God has come to is often not the one that I want to pick. It is typically filled with pain, tears and the chance to say "I was wrong, you were right" (also a phrase I think God finds a little too much humor in hearing). It all comes back to that wide is the gate that leads to destruction and narrow is the gate that leads to life. Another little fact that I am slowly learning is that both of those paths are often clearly marked life....the wide one isn't marked destruction or it would be far to easy to just turn in the other direction. A war isn't started when you think that the other person is right and you are wrong; a war is waged when you believe yourself to be right and the other person wrong.
Hosea 6:1 has come in much comfort to me over the past few weeks. It reads, "Come let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us. He has injured us, but will bind up our wounds." I have more so seen this verse as saying that I have torn myself to pieces, but He will heal me and that I have injured my own self, but He will bind up my wounds. I have injured myself each time that I have chosen to challenge the God of the universe. Yet, like a parent He continues to come to me with a band-aid, cleaning off my wound and remembering to say "I told you so, when are you ever going to start listening to me?"
So I ask you the same question, "When are you ever going to just start listening to HIM?"
<3
As I type this, I am listening to Fight by Point of Grace; such a good illustration of my point. The lyrics to the chorus go like this, "I am coming to you with all of my broken motives, all of my selfish dreams, all of my foolishness. I know that you're reaching out so what am I fighting more. Only you can save me, Only you can change me, only you can love me."
Sometimes, I think that God keeps me around for His amusement, seriously. I mean, I know I find some sort of sick pleasure in being able to say "I told you so" when a friend doesn't follow my advice. I don't see why God would be any different. Just this week alone, I feel like God has told me that very phrase that I hate hearing probably enough times to fill up both of my hands.
How many times of hearing "I told you so" is it going to take me to just start listening to Him? I mean it isn't like this is me trying to decipher whether to trust what a complete stranger has to say or even a close friend...this is me fighting to trust the mapper of my life. This is the God whom has written out all of the possible choices and then has weighed them multiple times to see which would be the most productive in my life and has picked one possibility. He has done all the work and yet I still sit here with my list of pros and cons and apprehensive mind, insisting on figuring it out on my own.
I have been around long enough to know that the conclusion that God has come to is often not the one that I want to pick. It is typically filled with pain, tears and the chance to say "I was wrong, you were right" (also a phrase I think God finds a little too much humor in hearing). It all comes back to that wide is the gate that leads to destruction and narrow is the gate that leads to life. Another little fact that I am slowly learning is that both of those paths are often clearly marked life....the wide one isn't marked destruction or it would be far to easy to just turn in the other direction. A war isn't started when you think that the other person is right and you are wrong; a war is waged when you believe yourself to be right and the other person wrong.
Hosea 6:1 has come in much comfort to me over the past few weeks. It reads, "Come let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us. He has injured us, but will bind up our wounds." I have more so seen this verse as saying that I have torn myself to pieces, but He will heal me and that I have injured my own self, but He will bind up my wounds. I have injured myself each time that I have chosen to challenge the God of the universe. Yet, like a parent He continues to come to me with a band-aid, cleaning off my wound and remembering to say "I told you so, when are you ever going to start listening to me?"
So I ask you the same question, "When are you ever going to just start listening to HIM?"
<3
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Prayer vs. Empty Condolences
One of my friends performed a social experiment this week on our college campus by responding with ''terrible'' any time someone asked her "how are you doing?" Very disappointingly, nobody on this Christian campus stopped to see what is wrong...many of them didn't even notice. This just brought to attention how a heavy question like "how are you" has been morphed into a simple greeting in which nobody really expects/wants an answer.
I feel as though, this little experiment can stretch further than this small campus and span into the entire nation. America has grown to be a very self-centered and compassionate society. We prefer the organizations in which we can just write a check to every month, preferably the ones that take the money out of our account automatically. We can spare to donate money many of the times, and have turned that into our primary way of service because choosing to actually love someone takes work. This is especially unfortunate in a nation with so many Christians; the very people that are called to show the love of Jesus through our actions.
Seriously, one of the simplest acts of love that we can preform is asking someone how they are and then intently listening to the other persons answers. So many times the people who are hurting and struggling just need someone to listen to them. Christianity has become so ingenuine (yes I know that isn't an actual word) we perform actions to make ourselves look better...and simply asking how someone is looks good to the public, we can typically get away without actually sticking around to listen.
Now to sort of change thoughts, my friends experiment got me thinking on what else Christians/the human race does in-genuinely. One action caught my eye as I was watching Letters to God just now: prayer. So many times throughout the movie, which is made by a Christian company, the phrase "I'll pray for you" is tossed around. Someone is crying or struggling in the movie and the next person just lays a hand on that person and says "I'll pray for you". Now don't get me wrong, prayer is great. However this saying has turned into an empty condolence.
I would like to go around and follow-up when people tell me that they are going to pray for me and see if they actually prayed. Seriously...count the number of times each day that you make a commitment to pray for someone....how many of those commitments do you actually follow through with? So many Christians have made prayer empty. Christians have forgotten the commitment involved in prayer. My favorite is hearing nonChristians say during like tragic events that they will pray for the people involved. It is not uncommon to attend a funeral and hear every other person announce that they are praying for the family. Seriously? When a Christian action has become so empty that nonChristians will openly say it...something is wrong.
I guess I am writing this just to make you think. I hope that you are sincere in your actions. That when you ask someone how they are, you take the time to hear it when they say terrible and ask why. That when you tell someone that you will pray for them that you sincerely pray. I pray that you take the time to love and not take the short cut out through things.
I feel as though, this little experiment can stretch further than this small campus and span into the entire nation. America has grown to be a very self-centered and compassionate society. We prefer the organizations in which we can just write a check to every month, preferably the ones that take the money out of our account automatically. We can spare to donate money many of the times, and have turned that into our primary way of service because choosing to actually love someone takes work. This is especially unfortunate in a nation with so many Christians; the very people that are called to show the love of Jesus through our actions.
Seriously, one of the simplest acts of love that we can preform is asking someone how they are and then intently listening to the other persons answers. So many times the people who are hurting and struggling just need someone to listen to them. Christianity has become so ingenuine (yes I know that isn't an actual word) we perform actions to make ourselves look better...and simply asking how someone is looks good to the public, we can typically get away without actually sticking around to listen.
Now to sort of change thoughts, my friends experiment got me thinking on what else Christians/the human race does in-genuinely. One action caught my eye as I was watching Letters to God just now: prayer. So many times throughout the movie, which is made by a Christian company, the phrase "I'll pray for you" is tossed around. Someone is crying or struggling in the movie and the next person just lays a hand on that person and says "I'll pray for you". Now don't get me wrong, prayer is great. However this saying has turned into an empty condolence.
I would like to go around and follow-up when people tell me that they are going to pray for me and see if they actually prayed. Seriously...count the number of times each day that you make a commitment to pray for someone....how many of those commitments do you actually follow through with? So many Christians have made prayer empty. Christians have forgotten the commitment involved in prayer. My favorite is hearing nonChristians say during like tragic events that they will pray for the people involved. It is not uncommon to attend a funeral and hear every other person announce that they are praying for the family. Seriously? When a Christian action has become so empty that nonChristians will openly say it...something is wrong.
I guess I am writing this just to make you think. I hope that you are sincere in your actions. That when you ask someone how they are, you take the time to hear it when they say terrible and ask why. That when you tell someone that you will pray for them that you sincerely pray. I pray that you take the time to love and not take the short cut out through things.
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