A Servant's Heart

Hi everyone,

So I want to talk a little bit about something that has gained a little bit of a bad rap in today's society. And that is having a servant's heart. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I am hoping to talk about some things that I believe the world we live in has "conditioned" us to be like, how to think or how to be "successful" in this life. For me the past few days has been an eye opener to the way people have gotten to be in this day and age and the unfortunate sight I am seeing. However there is always hope and I can see ways to help reverse it, if only we will be disciplined and willing as the body of Christ. And honestly it isn't going to be easy, feel good all the time, and win us grandeur status in the world, but it will definitely win us much grander status in the Kingdom to come. 

The first thing I want to talk about is the servant's heart. Often times this phrase of "you have a servant's heart" is the equivalent to "go stack some chairs" as Christian comedian Tim Hawkins jokes....and other sorts of meager tasks. But today's society,(especially of recent) often seems to portray being a servant as something to be avoided at all costs. A demeaning term that somehow puts you as less than a human being and all the rights you deserve. Now the word servant is defined generally as a "person who performs duties for others" to which they general get paid. Another version which we as Christians often choose to align with is a "devoted and helpful follower or supporter". We as Christians are followers and supporters of Christ, therefore we do as He asks of us and try our best to follow His commands for our lives. And I would say we get significantly paid in the way of eternal life with Him in heaven some day. Our service to Him may not always be easy and comfortable but I believe the body of believers as a whole can agree that it is well worth it and we serve a loving, yet just God. We are no longer in bondage to sin but rather workers of Christ who promises to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) 

The world paints an opposite picture. They tell you servanthood is "oppression". From an early age we are taught that we need to learn fend for ourselves. Do what is best for us, treat yourself, don't let anybody boss you around. Make your voice heard, make them fear you. The focus is placed primarily on "me". It is all about what you got to do and what you can do to climb up the ladder in life even if it is at the expense of someone else. And we wonder why we live in world where people cut others off, yell at each other when they don't do as each other say, trample each other on Black Friday, push people aside to catch the game winning ball, book out of social events early, and whine and complain to each other when so and so doesn't do something or doesn't appreciate us enough. It is because the world has trained us to have a devouring heart, not a servant's heart. We are conditioned to believe that somehow helping others out, letting someone else go first, doing something for someone else without being asked, helping even if the person doesn't appreciate it or give us words of praise...is somehow weakness on our part. That we are letting ourselves be walked over. But let me tell you there is a line between being verbally and physically abused into doing something out a fear, and between biting our tongue towards another fleshly selfish human who struggles just like we do, and choosing to them first anyway. And it is definitely not weakness. It takes great strength at times to die to ourselves and do as Jesus did towards others. It can be a intense struggle to sometimes put ourselves after someone with less than stellar attitude towards us. But are we perfect either? God has been convicting me lately of some aspects that I am forgetting about being servant-minded. Thoughts of why "can't it just be my turn", or "why do I have to be nice all the time", or "why do they need me all the time", have crept into my mind. But this is the sinful desire creeping in. As a servant of Christ we are not called to serve only when it is convenient for us, when we feel like it, or only when we are getting something out of the deal in return. We are called to serve irregardless of the circumstances. We have to die to ourselves, we have to see ourselves as less so that others can become more. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves." Phil. 2:3 (NIV) 

We have to change our way of thinking and what the world tells us to be and serve and "do to others as we want others to do to us" Matt. 7:12. And when we do that, I believe we will feel the difference. We will feel more at peace in our lives. We may not always get that warm and fuzzy feeling and pat on the back but we will have that knowing that we did the right thing. There will still be times when we do something for someone and no one notices, or a person rejects it and seems to spit ungratefulness right back at us. But our hearts need to be in the place where that doesn't matter to us and certainly shouldn't be the goal. Jesus dies on the cross for a bunch of people who spit on Him and shoved His gift to them right back in His face. He did it anyway though. Having a servant's heart isn't just for the best of times, it is for the worst of times. Because we serve a God who is greater than any success, fame, riches, or triumph that we could receive here on earth. He is greater than any pain or backlash we could receive from any human being. His reward is far greater than anything we could ever be "inconvenienced" to do for the most difficult person on the planet. As God's servants we could never be more free. We are under the love and protection of the Creator of the universe. All we have to do is give Him our best. If the world could teach everyone to stop putting themselves first and to start treating each other as we would want to be treated, I think a lot of problems would be alleviated in society. But until we take the negative connotation off of the phrase "servant's heart" then we will continue down this path of ripping each apart and trampling over one another in the hopes of having a vapor of success in this life. I am challenging myself to work harder at taking the focus on myself and putting others before me. Instead of thinking what can I do to accomplish what I need done for today, rather what can I accomplish for God today and for the people around me? We need to take the mindset into our families, our jobs, our churches, and into our every day life interactions. And we can make a difference, no matter how small it may seem. We may not see it right away or if at all in our lifetime, but we can rest in the fact that gave our very best instead of taking all that we could. Make it a daily prayer, and seek accountability. Because the awesome thing is, is that we are all in this together as believers of Christ. We can serve together and encourage one another on to selfless service to our Lord and the ones He died to save. Read the Scriptures about Jesus's acts of service here on earth. Take on a servant's heart with the confidence that you are not displaying weakness but rather courage to follow in our Savior's footsteps.  

Lesson from Heaven's Mountains

Hi everyone,
So I may have posted something along these lines before but this week I had yet again a reminder of a message I want to share. This past week we have had a couple of decent storm in my area and I had the privilege and yes I said privilege (I am somewhat of a weather geek ;), of watching a particular storm come in as I was taking a walk one late afternoon at home. My open field gave me the perfect wide open space to watch the storm roll in. And I was utterly mesmerized as I watched the clouds build, billow and roll as if I was watching mountains form in the sky. With the sun's light silhouetting the top and shooting off beams of light into the sky and the dark deeply intricate structure of the lower clouds it created a stunning contrast. As it came closer and closer the shapes and structure of the clouds constantly changed and adjusted; never staying the same for long. The towers grew, split and broadened, until finally in the space of about 30mins. The clouds were completely above me and all I could see was the blanket underside of heaven's mountains. As I sat waiting for the rain to begin, what I had just witnessed ran over in my head and I gained this insight from it:
I realized that I just got to see something that would never be seen again. I got to witness something that will never be replicated exactly again. That particular storm system, the exact structure and beauty of those clouds and their silhouette, trimmed in the sun's rays would never be seen again specifically in that way ever again. I got to see something that maybe no one else got to witness in the exact way that I did. Now I may just sound like a crazy person and not be making any sense at all but the gravity of this hit me. Life is constantly changing. Just like those clouds, life builds and grows and progresses right before our very eyes. It never stays the same for long and before you know it, things are no longer the way they were before. And we have a choice to make...are we going to stop and enjoy those special moments as they present themselves before our very eyes or are we going to let them slip right past us? I live in the Midwest and it is early summer...we get storms regularly. But every time I stop and get to witness one come in, it never ceases to be an amazing experience to watch. It is easy to just ignore and go on with our daily business because often we have things that need to be done before the storm hits and I'm not telling you, you are missing out on meaning in life because you don't watch storms...I am just trying to use it an example. It is a given that we are going to get storms and rain...it is the way of nature that God intends. It is also a given that the events and activities of a human lifetime are going to happen as well. But are we going to take them for granted and choose to see them as just markers in the "checklist" of life or are we going to stop a minute and enjoy it fully and truly? Because every thing in this life can change in an instant. Nothing ever stays the same. Just as the clouds build and pass through, so does the things in our lives. The birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, first steps, first words, graduation, college, retirement...Life is made up of thousands of special moments in between all of these things, these are just some big markers. And at some point I think we choose to treat every day like just another day, every moment like it is just another moment....but it's not. It is the only moment exactly like that one. That exact moment will never be replicated again. Much like the clouds I witnessed, you will never get to see that exact "picture" again. And the special thing is that you get to choose how you see it and how you will remember it and no one can take that away from you. I got to witness a gorgeous display of God's amazing atmospheric creation. I get to hold that memory in my heart knowing that I witnessed something that will never be seen again in that exact way and no one can ever take that away from me. I will cherish that moment. What if we chose to hold every moment God gives us in this life with the same joy? Because things will inevitably change...the storms of life will come. But if we choose to enjoy every moment that is given to us...every smile, conversation, time spent with a loved one, "I love you", laugh, act of service, life's "firsts", then I believe we will find the strength to carry through the tough times with God's ever faithful grace. Because for every first there is last. Who knows how many there are in between but we should choose to treat it as if it were the last time we would ever experience such a thing. The joy on a child's face when they play on a playground, the voice of a dear friend over the phone, the feeling of rain on our skin, the warmth of a fire, the light of a sunrise....if we choose to see and cherish the beauty of some of the simplest moments in our lives, I think we will stop seeing all the negative in this world and see how amazing life really is. And if we look at these moments through the lens of how life is "just a vapor" (James 4:4), then I think we will be more diligent about choosing to cherish what is most important instead if getting caught up in the day-to-day rat race of just getting by. Those moments will be the ones we remember when we get to the end or if we lose something that is dear to us in this life, not the moments we didn't cherish or pay attention to or wishing we had made. I have had a rough past two weeks and I have lost vision a little and have forgotten to cherish those little moments that make up a life. And I am reminded that no matter how frustrated, difficult,complicated or busy my life gets, I don't want to lose those days to just mere survival. I want to thrive and strive to see the beauty in every moment and to bring some of that beauty to others and help them to learn to do the same. Because like the every-changing clouds we all are subject to the every-changing life. But the one thing that doesn't have to change is our decision to enjoy the moments that God gives us. Whether they be 30 minutes or 30 seconds. Because He wants to give us something special that no one else can receive and we can hold onto that forever. And the one person that never changes is God. He keeps His promises and no matter what changes that life brings us, good or bad, He will never leave us and will bring us through on the other side if we choose to let Him. The One who creates the beauty of the clouds, commands those clouds. Never forget His power and love for us and the every day gifts He presents to us.

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:27 ESV 

My Father's World

So yesterday I had a rare Saturday off and I chose to make the most of it by taking the day and going to a state park nearby and hiking with my dog, Brooklyn. Besides my little girl with me, ;) it was solo trip and I have to admit I was looking forward to some time away from everything and where I could just go alone and be in God's gorgeous creation. After hiking a bunch of different trails, playing in a cave and Brooklyn playing in the creek...ok me too. ;) I had a rejuvenation and a revelation. A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I felt like God was calling me to write a book at some point...and I was leaning along the lines of a devotional. However I wasn't quite sure the theme or the main idea I wanted it to take on. Obviously horses are a big part of my life,  I want a future ministry with them and I do hope to a separate book devoted specifically to them someday. But this one, I want to envelope more than just that. God seems to speak to me most through His creation and some of the most simplest processes of nature and life. And today as I was exploring sinkholes, caves, springs, waterfalls, and limestone canyons, I felt wonder and awe at all the things He has crafted so beautifully. I got to do a little bit of reading as well and read this verse in Colossians:  ^"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (2:6-7) In this verses God uses a tree or plant to describe how we should in our faith. Throughout the Bible, He uses imagery and elements of His creation to express principles. (Ps. 1:3-4, 11:1, 18:33, 42:1-2, Matt. 6:26, 1 Pt. 1:24-25)  I believe words that create these pictures in our brains, give us an easier way to grasp concepts and remember them. With this in mind, I am hoping to begin the journey of writing a devotional based off of the spiritual truths and insights that I believe different elements of nature and what I like to call the "simple" life, give us and how some of the most basic things in life can have such great meaning. My main goal here rather soon is to get a title chosen that can really encompass the objective that I hope to present throughout the book. I am excited to finally have a direction now for this adventure of mine and I ask that you please pray that God would allow the words and ideas to flow so that I can best present them. The beauty of His creation is so unfathomable some times, that I hope to just do it even a slight bit of justice. :)  
And I also want to take a moment to express how important it is for us, to take some time away and be on our own just surrounded by God's greatness. I am learning more and more in my day-to-day hectic life, that quiet time spent just to think, read, listen and pray is so important. We need to be rejuvenated and restored after the world has left us wearied and worn. We need to take time alone and listen to His voice, even it just comes from the trickling of a creek or the breeze blowing through the trees. It refreshes and energizes the soul I feel and we need that time even if it is just at home in a quiet spot away from distractions. Set the time aside and I am certain you will not regret it! I believe it makes us all better equipped to face the days ahead. 
So these fingers are going to hopefully start getting busy and hopefully your feet will be as well, to go spent time in the Father's arms.

This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

This is My Father's World - Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901

Discipling Souls

Hi everyone,

So I want to talk about something that I have believe God has been impressing upon me recently and even today. I have been observing and pondering on our interactions with each other as human beings and the different relationships that we all have with different people in our lives. Every day, unless we are a hermit :D, we have interactions with people. Depending on the situation and the person, it can be merely communicating with people we don't necessarily know personally, acquaintances, co-workers, friends, family etc....nevertheless we have communications with people on a day-to-day basis. I have been thinking lately of how we respond to other people and how as Christians we are to build each other up and be a light to others. And then something else came to mind that a friend's text today also brought about. We are to disciple other believers. The word disciple in noun form means: follower, person who learns from another. Now the verb form means: to train, to educate, to teach. In the New Testament, we become very familiar with the noun form of the word disciple. We have the twelve disciples, the followers of Jesus. But I think that sometimes we have a tendency to forget about that verb form. Our duty as followers(disciples) of Christ is to disciple others as well. Now many of us are familiar in Matthew 28 where is talks about "go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (ESV) Sharing the Gospel with others is an extremely important duty as a Christian, but I want to touch on a facet of discipleship. And that is the part that involves other believers. This can include those who are new, baby believers, those who need encouragement in an aspect of their Christian walk, those that need accountability or those that are younger than us who need guidance.  As I really thought about this, it caused me to really wonder about how I was being a disciple in my own life. How am I using discipleship in my own walk with God? And I have come to the conclusion not near enough. As believers, who may have perhaps been so for a while, I think we have a tendency to get into this rut. We have involvement at church, perhaps weekly Bible study and such, but are we really doing those things for the benefit of body of believers or is it just for our own benefit all the time? Yes we need to continue to grow and learn but in our Christian life we are not just to be consumers of God's teaching, we are supposed to, in-turn do something with that and be givers of His teaching as well. We may be getting our weekly input from church and our daily input from our quiet time with God but at some point we have to have output. "...it is more blessed to give than to receive." Just as we may receive encouragement from others we need to do the same. We all have a unique relationship with God as born again believers and we all have something to share. A good example of Biblical discipleship is found in Titus 2:2-5: "Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children," (NIV) And also in 1 Timothy 5:1: "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." (NIV) These verse show that we all have something to give. Even as a single woman I can still be a disciple to younger women as sisters in Christ. I can still give encouragement to older woman with respect. Likewise men can do the same. As believers we are called to minister, admonish and encourage each other. And there comes a certain point on our walk with Christ that we need to get off the milk and get to the meat. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:12-14 We can not stay at the same stage of continually consuming like an infant and not gaining any strength to help those around us. We have a duty to build each other and help further each  other towards God's kingdom. And we cannot do those things by hiding behind closed doors all the time. And believe me I am guilty of it. God is telling me that I have something to offer and I need to stop making excuse of why I don't have the time, resources, confidence etc....God is not limited. I believe He gives us all opportunities. And they may not come exactly like you think. And it doesn't have to be hard. Maybe it just takes a hour out of you week to meet with a member of your church who is struggling with something you have been through. Maybe it is meeting for coffee or a sandwich sometime to just talk about life. Maybe ice cream with a young person who is having a difficult time at school or at home. Maybe it is a phone call sharing a piece of Scripture that spoke to you, using your lunch break at work to talk and pray with a co-worker. Or maybe it is taking a day to really pour into someone's life. And be creative: go for a hike, go fishing, go get a massage, go serve together and volunteer at a local non-profit. But you have to choose to make discipleship a habit otherwise you will find how easily it can get swept aside in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life. So many grandparents, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands have so much to offer to the younger generation as far as experiences and wisdom. Single people can be such an encouragement to other singles. We can all be a mentor to those younger than us and to those who are newer to the faith than us. And the kicker is...we don't have to be perfect. Now obviously we need to recognize what perhaps is not our advice to give. You don't usually have a single person giving marriage counseling to younger couples, or someone giving people advice on how to quick drugs, or alcoholism if they are still currently an addict, but you get my drift. Or maybe you just don't feel like the right person to talk about a certain topic. That is ok. Leave those things to the people who are best to mentor someone on those topics. But don't feel like just because your life isn't picture perfect that you can't disciple someone. We all still have our battles and struggles as Christians, but how we choose to work through them makes all the difference. And ultimately our duty is to point that person to Christ and not ourselves. Also being a disciple to others calls us to keep growing and digging into the Word ourselves. We have to continue to strive for and receive His wisdom if we are going to be able to pass that onto others. Discipleship doesn't suddenly make us super spiritual Christians who have all the answers. We need to continue to grow just as we are trying to help others grow as well. 

I feel as if God is asking me to take some new steps in my walk with Him and be more intentional about seeking out opportunities to disciple. And for each of us it can and will be different. The important part is to be open and willing to hear and receive the assignment God has given us. We need to pray about how we can be disciples to those around us. We need to look for opportunities in our church and in our community. And we need to make the time and do it! Life is not about just us and what we've got going on. It is about the people that God puts in our path. Let us not miss an opportunity to be an encouragement to someone or the vessel in which God speaks through to put someone back on the right track. And I believe the blessing we will receive from it will be far greater than anything time we had to take out of our schedule. We are called to be fruitful, but not to keep this fruit all to ourselves, but to share it with others. Let us be discipling souls which will do good for our own souls. 
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)

The Conviction Catapult

Hi everyone,
So I want touch on a topic that has been on my mind the past week. And that is convictions. Now we, human beings have a conscience and with this conscience comes convictions of what is right and wrong. Just and injust. Truth and deception. There are obvious things that a majority of people have a common conviction on but what I want to talk about is the less obvious convictions of the human soul. Especially that of Christians. For example, this past week I was convicted. I felt as if I was letting my media intake draw me away from the more important things in my life. Conversations with friends, constructive projects at home, time with my critters, and spending quality time with God and in His Word. As of late, because I work so much at my job, when I come home, it is so easy to settle myself into mindless entertainment with the world wide web at my fingertips. And even though it can be a wonderful thing instead of using it for productivity and learning something that will actually benefit me in the future, I found myself wasting it on things that really are of no benefit to my life at all. Watching fictional videos, TV shows and other media does not advance my knowledge or my productivity in Christ. And unfortunately I was justifying it by the fact that I am working so much that I need time to just think about nothing, to just drown myself in other worlds that aren't reality. However God has been showing me a different view:That I am susceptible to slip into a pattern of unproductivity if I allow myself to. The devil is cunning and he knows how to use things against us. "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) So what we think we deserve or is giving us a break is actually taking us down a path we don't want to go. So God has convicted me of my consumption of media. He knows that, that can be my weakness and has brought it my attention. And because of it, other parts of my life have suffered. Because of this I know now that I was must be extremely careful and limit myself. The past week or so I have been doing that and even refusing to allow myself to watch anything that isn't educational or increasing my knowledge in the Lord during the week and still very limited during the weekend. I am choosing to be busy on other things during those times. And let me tell you some days it is harder than I thought it would be. Temptation is strong but I am learning to overcome. I am learning that whenever I feel those urges to run to God in prayer or in His Word to help me stay on course.
Now the meaning of this post rather than my broad description of what I struggle with...I have my personal convictions. I know what draws me away from Christ and time with Him and from being productive in my life. What I struggle with may be of no concern to someone else. And that caused me to think about other Christians. We all have convictions but sometimes they all aren't the same. I mean granted, we should have the same core convictions of what we know to be wrong...dishonesty, hate, envy, and other forms of blatant evil, but what some struggle with is not what others do. For some, their amount of media intake throughout the week is not a stumbling block to them. Maybe it is sports, shopping, working their job 24/7, partying, spending too much time in front of the mirror...it can be so many things. And as we are all different, so are our personal convictions to a degree. And I think part of the problem with the church today is that we think we all have got to have the same convictions and if so and so doesn't hate makeup as much as I do, or watches more football than me, or is on social media three more hours than me throughout the week then they are just lesser of a Christian than me. No. We all need to question how our time is spend and we are not to become a slave to things or let them become our idols, but I think sometimes we worry a little too much about everybody else and not enough about ourselves. We can point out things to fellow believers in love if we notice they are becoming a real detriment to their lives, but we need to make sure we examine our own lives first and that we don't need some serious reproof. We are to not be a stumbling block to someone else. "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." Romans 14:13 Also we need to understand that what may be a struggle for us, may not be the same for someone else. And that is the beauty of the body of believers. We all have our personal convictions and that makes up all the facets of the family of Christ. We can help each other in those things. We can shed insights and instead of pointing fingers and condemning one another, begin to understand one another and help one another. We have to be careful to not get into this holier-than-thou mindset just because we do less or more of something than someone else.
Now with our individual convictions how do we move on and change things? Well first off we spend time in prayer admitting these struggles to God and reading in His Word on what He says about these matters. Then based off of what we know to be true we have to consider if this something that we need to cut all together out of our lives or something that need to learn to restrict. Obviously there are things that may need to be cut out of our lives entirely, but for example God is not telling me that I can never watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie again! :D I just need a stricter schedule as to how much and when I watch things when I could be doing more productive things or spending quality time with Him. We may even need to get our friends and families involved to help us. Maybe instead of going shopping at the mall every Friday or going to every game, we can sit down and spend sometime discussing God's impact in our lives and encouraging one another in faith. Instead of shutting off our brains to life when we get home from work,  perhaps we can be refreshed by God's word and choose to do things that edify Him, instead of our own devices. And perhaps one of the biggest helps to me, is before I make choices of how to spend my time, I question is this really beneficial? Is these really helpful to my life or growth as Christian? "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8 
It all comes down to priorities and discipline. What matter to us most? What kind of life do we want to live? It is not bad to enjoy certain things in life but I think we must always be careful to watch if these things begin to take up too much of our life. Because we only have this one life on earth and we should take care not to waste it. Listen to your the convictions that God gives you. Don't ignore them and don't point fingers at others to make yourself feel better somehow. God wants to use YOU, wants to GROW you, and that is pretty amazing. So don't let those opportunities pass you by. He will give you the endurance to keep going and He will renew your spirit. I am already experiencing more satisfaction, peace and joy and honestly it is worth it. But you have to lay aside the things that keep you from experiencing His best. Don't get to the end our life and see you spend it on so many others things that didn't matter. Convictions don't have to be a crutch. Let them catapult you to a better more fulfilled life God has in store.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 

Counteracting the Attack

Hi everyone,
So the past week or so has caused me to think about human interaction and how we communicate with certain people. Think about all of our interactions with the people in our lives. Anywhere from family members and friends, to co-workers, fellow believers, acquaintances, and even absolute strangers. How would you describe those interactions? What are the hallmarks of  the way you communicate with those people? Would you describe your conversations with these people pleasant, enjoyable, comforting, rewarding, productive? Or would you describe them as unpleasant, disagreeable, upsetting, detrimental, and worthless? You see we all have those people in our lives, whether they are in direct relation to us or not, that we either view as positive or negative communication in our lives. As human beings we leave an impression on each other whenever we interact and those interactions can be graded on a scale of great to not-so-great. Specifically, I want to touch on the people in our lives that are not so easy to get along and communicate with. These are the people that no matter what they just seem to rub you the wrong way, get under your skin, and/or just seem to be out to get you. They seem as if they would rather do anything else but agree with you. They may take every opportunity to dig at you and  be the first to point out what you are doing wrong. And you may have good intentions but somehow this person just ruins or challenges that Christ-like attitude you are trying to embody. Maybe it is in the way they treat you, the way they speak to you, the way they talk about you to others. Or maybe you just get to the point where you don't care anymore. We all have those difficult people that we have either grown up with, deal with on a regular basis or come across in the course of our daily lives. What I have been thinking on lately is how we choose to respond to those people who sometimes seem so set out to stir up strife. How do we react? Do we fight back or do change course? Do we defend or do we evade? One of the words I think of is how to we counteract? Now after looking up this word I found some interesting synonyms for it that caught my attention: oppose, withstand, defeat. Now these words make it sound like you respond back with negative force right? But I have chosen to use this word as my keyword when I face people who aren't exactly pleasant to me. Let me tell you why. If someone receives a poison or an agent that is detrimental to their system, what is needed? A anti-venom or antidote that counteracts the negative force. It is a positive source overcoming the negative one.
This causes me to think about how we should use this theory in our own lives when we interact with those not so positive people in our lives. When they choose to spit poison at us, we have a choice. To either choke on it, let it consume us and return the favor, or stop it and overcome it with positive and opposite behavior.  ^"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 (ESV)   Usually our first, fleshly human reaction when someone comes at us with unnecessary negative force, angry words, or a combative nature, we want to fight back and defend ourselves. Why? Because we want to preserve ourselves and we want to be in the right just as much as that person wants to be. Now maybe we are right and maybe we aren't, and that needs to be determined depending on the situation, but I am talking specifically about situations when someone clearly comes at us with intent of tearing us down without just cause. We will feel the need to naturally defend ourselves and we need to, to a certain extent, but I believe the most effective way to do that is not to fight fire with fire. But rather fire with an extinguisher. And even though it may go against every carnal, prideful fiber in your body, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Prov. 15:1) Sometimes the goal is not to win the argument. Sometimes the goal is not to be right. Sometimes the goal is to show God's grace to someone who may not deserve it. At the same time asking ourselves are we any more deserving? Nothing shuts an argument down more quickly than when one person decides to counteract with kindness instead of anger. A one-sided argument cannot stand. We have to face a battle not expecting to win by force, but to win by showing people what they never expected: Kindness, patience, love, forgiveness and faith. Now how do we do this because it is not like it comes naturally? We must pray continually for it and seek after it. God never said it would be easy in this life. He never said that everyone in this world would get along or have each other's best interests at heart. But He did create a way for us to overcome the negativity. He gave us the ability to grow in Him and His Holy Spirit to give us the strength to counteract the attacks. Yes it will be unfair at times, yes, it will seem as if our angry is justified, but when we react with sinful actions and words, we lose the battle no matter what. Yes we must stand up for ourselves but if all we do is shove back aimlessly and with the same venom used to try and destroy us, we do not change anything for the better. We only push that person farther away from the truth. "Turn...the other cheek" (Matt. 5:39) Surprise that person, make them wonder why you are not returning fire with fire. I believe by returning with Christ-like "anti-venom" it will cause them to think and question more than any angry words spoken in response will. Make them wonder why you choose to respond in kind rather than hate. It says in Romans 12:18: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." This verse is in the section of Romans 12 that is often called the hallmarks of the Christian life. We should strive to be at peace with others in this world and show them the peace that God has given us through our salvation. I understand there are people in this world who may have hurt us physically, emotionally in the past and/or present and I do not make light of the deep scars we may receive...But I believe the consequences of letting the poison eat up our lives is far greater than the decision to take the antidote and learn to forgive those who have wronged us. No matter how evil the person intentions may seem there is still a God in heaven who loves them and wants a better life for them. We may be the only person in the world left who has the ability to show that person the light. And what does it say about us if we choose not to? Instead of just reacting, think of how to counteract the effects of the negative interactions in your day to day life. Be what somebody never expected and you just might come to an agreement you never expected. 

God's Workers

Hi everyone,
So I am back from a wonderful week of vacation in Oregon and California! God in many ways has refreshed me and caused me to think extra hard about different parts of my life like what are my goals and aspirations exactly? As those of you who follow my blog regularly know, I have made a couple known recently, but as I continue to ponder on these things He has revealed more things to me. And one of those things is the heart behind what we choose to do with our lives. Last night I watched for the second time the movie, The Same Kind of Different as Me. This movie has become one of my favorites and an encouragement in my life. It has caused me to really think in terms of how we show Christ in our lives and choose to live in service for Him. One of the main characters of movie is a woman named Debbie who has a special heart for those God's places in her life. She reaches out to the homeless in her community and through this touches many lives including that of her own husband. However, she faces hardships and battles along the way. I do not wish to give too much of the movie way as I greatly encourage everyone to watch it for themselves, but what amazes me is the unflappable strength, forgiveness, and patience this woman displays. The genuine compassion for others in her heart and the eyes to see past all the bad and love others despite who they may be. When met with rejection and angry she responds with grace and determination. She continually chooses to see the good in people instead of the less than desirable traits while encouraging them to make better choices. She doesn't treat others as if they are somehow lesser than her because of the hand they have been dealt in life or the wrong choices they have made. This is reminder of how I want to be in my own life in whatever God asks me to do. One of my favorite parts in the movie is when Debbie and her husband are having a discussion after she shows hospitality to a homeless man they have gotten to know through the shelter they volunteer at. Her husband says he doesn't know what the plan is and asks if she is going to try to "save them all". And her simple yet heartfelt response is: "I'll try". Those two words resonate with me. What if we as Christians walked through our lives with mindset of we are going to try to save everyone? We are going to try and show compassion to everyone? Instead of looking around at those who are different than us as "lepers" to avoid, what if we extended a hand instead? Obviously we have to be wise and we need to make sure our motives are rooted in Christ's love and not our own morality boost, but we as Christians need to take of the blinders and see people for who they are. Precious to God and desired by Him. We all need to be saved and once we personally have the truth, we need to do our very best to share that with everyone we come in contact with. Never underestimate the ability God has to use you for His work if you are willing to see souls, not just imperfect, messed-up people. Because let's face it, we all are a little messed-up and certainly not perfect!

Now just as our work for the Lord increases, so can we expect our struggles to increase. One of the other lines in the movie that really struck a cord with me is:"When you are as precious to God, you are as important to Satan." Debbie ends up facing some pretty hard things in her life and instead of choosing to be bitter and curse God, she chooses to keep fighting and doing His work to the best of her ability. When we are following God's plan for our lives and when we grow in our service for Him the devil views us as more and more of a threat. A threat that he wants to destroy. We must realize that things are not always going to be easy and that battles will come. But we need to take those battles and view them in the light of the fact that the devil is afraid of what we can accomplish with God and he wants to put us out of the fight. And we can't let him win. Expect storms but allow God to plant your roots deep so that you may withstand and continue to fight and continue to reach those around you.

I have felt many times things have gotten in the way of or hindered my plans. They have tried to prevent or discourage my plans to do God's will. My goals and aspirations have been put on hold. Now some of those instances have been God saying it isn't the right time yet or I have something better for you. But there are times when I believe it has been Satan taking advantage of my fearful or selfish human nature and making me doubt God. Satan doesn't want me to succeed. But when I choose to hear God's voice and choose His truth over the devil's lies I come out stronger on the other side. When I ask God to give me compassion for those that I don't know and even those who I may not exactly gravitate to, He never ceases to give me what I need to see people in a new light. When we surrender ourselves to Him, He never ceases to show up and He will never leave us. We can be as Debbie and choose to "try" and save them all. And not out of a self entitled pity for others, but our genuine love for our fellow human being created by God. You may ask how it is possible and I tell you read Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (ESV) And always remember "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26 

He gives us the strength to do whatever He is calling us to do, all we have to do is ask, be willing to put aside our sinful nature and let Him work and never give up. Remember He will never give up on us, so it is the least we can do for others. I encourage you to watch the movie and really ponder on it. May we all strive to be the best workers for God that we can be with the gifts, dreams, and aspirations He has given us. May we pray continually for His wisdom and for the salvation of those around us. May we be a warm, comforting light to even the coldest souls around us. May He shine in our lives for everyone to see.  

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)