I love Christmas. And I love finding or making the perfect gift for someone.
This year, there is one present that I was so stoked about because it was perfect (or at least as close as I figure I'll ever be able to get on my budget).
You see, I have this friend who is really cool and sometimes it comes out of her as weirdness to those who are not nearly as awesome as she clearly is.
So I had this genius idea of getting a t-shirt and putting the adorable phrase, "Weird is just a side effect of awesome." on it and give it to her. Close to perfection, right?
And after a quick trip to Wal-Mart to grab a bleach pen (which is my newest favorite invention, by the way), I was all set to go.
I made the shirt, rinsed off the bleach and threw it in the wash to get off the extra bleach, being careful to follow the pinterest instructions to the letter so as not to mess up this most perfect of gifts.
My wonderfully honest roommate came home while it was still in the wash and I told her of my fantastic gift and how I couldn't wait for her to see it!
We literally were waiting for the machine to stop spinning so I could show the best gift ever to her and she could compliment my awesome gift making skills.
But, as I mentioned before, my roommate is blessed with the gift of honesty and as I held up my really awesome bleached shirt for her to compliment, she says, "I think you spelled 'weird' wrong."
NO!
NO!
NO!
I did not believe her until Google, Wikipedia, and Dictionary.com proved that I had indeed put, "Wierd is just a side effect of awesome" with bleach on my friends no-longer-perfect Christmas present.
I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Especially since Urban Dictionary says that "wierd" is for people who don't know how to spell weird.
And after a lot of laughter and some more spell-checking, I realized that I honestly really like the shirt better now.
Yeah, some people may look at it and think, "Some dummy doesn't know how to spell 'weird.'" And some may think it's weird to begin with (most likely the unawesome people out there). And some may say I should give up and start over.
But I absolutely adore this shirt. Because it shows how much of a mess I am. Because it has a story behind it. Because I thought it would be perfect if I got it all just right and spelled all the words right and in the right order, but it's really more perfect because it's not perfect.
And isn't that just like the way Christ sees us? We want to be perfect and get all the words right and do everything all nice and clean, and maybe even get the "I" before "E" rule correct every now and then (over-achievers). But then we mess up, we say something dumb, or we forget to be kind, or we get selfish, or we spell "weird" weird, and suddenly we feel our worth slipping. Like God might just give up on us and decide someone else is more worth his time.
But instead God loves us. He just loves us and the way we can't spell "weird" or how we can't remember people's birthdays, or how we spill our coffee every Tuesday... He just loves us! He can't get enough of how we forgot to put the butter in the recipe, or when we cry for no reason, or how we get lost so easily. Our little (and BIG!) messes don't lessen or cheapen our value in God's eyes, He understands that we're gonna mess it up and get it wrong, and he still calls us his treasure.
And that's just a side effect of being loved. Messes become beautiful. And more importantly, through the mess of our lives we can point to the incredible fact that we are still loved more than we could ever imagine. Because would God's love really be all that great if He only loved us because we were clean and neat? NO! God's love is great because it's a love that's not afraid to come into our mess and clean us up some but still love us when we can't recall how to spell "weird."
So I'm going to keep this shirt and wear it with joy and pride because while I love how perfectly imperfect it is, it is such a clear reminder of how God loves us even when we're a mess too. =)
God bless!
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Walmart Weeping
I was clearing out some of my old drafts in my blog when I found this one that I wrote probably six months ago. It's amazing to see how God laid this conviction on my heart and is still teaching me the same things over and over again (and even through my own words this time). I actually went to walmart today and didn't feel anything except the need for more, so this reminder came at the perfect time for me. I hope you can learn something from past Courtney, too.
Here it is:
I am crying. in the middle. of the canned fruit/veggies isle. in walmart.
This is weird.
I know this is weird because the guy beside me who just reached for his applesauce gave me a look that said, "I am going to get as far away from you as possible as soon as possible."
Ok, so I knew it was weird before that, but I couldn't help it. Here's some background: I'm reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker, a book all about the excess that we have in our lives and how it does not glorify God (it's really good btw (the book, not excess.)). And I've been really convicted of all of the excess and areas where I go overboard in my life. It's kind of been wrecking my life, which is fine.
But as I stand here, tears running down my face, freaking people out because you just do not cry in walmart, I think about how just 20 minutes ago I tried to convince my boss that I was normal. Yet clearly, this is not normal. But I can only look at the rows upon rows of food and see the faces of children who will only eat one cup of rice today. I think about how I wonder what the best kind of sliced peaches to get are, while some children will never even know what a peach is. I pull myself slightly together, then one look down the candy isle, indulgence central, and I begin again. I take it back: Dearest Boss, I am not normal.
But I'm glad, I'm glad that I don't just walk down these isles and think, "What do I want?" instead I think, "What do others need? and what do I actually need, not just want? How can I cut back on what I just want and will probably toss out anyway, so that I can give more to someone who may not see food more than once a day?" I'm glad my eyes have been opened to the pain of others. While I may look like a freak in walmart, at least my heart is broken for the people who live next door to me.
So why am I writing this? Well partially because I thought it was kinda funny, and also because I hope you would look at your life and see the areas where there is excess, maybe even a lot of excess. I hope that you would pray over what you've been blessed with and see if you can bless others then go to work attacking the desires of the flesh that say we need more more more.
Well, I probably won't be going to walmart for a while. Some of the looks I was getting today weren't so welcoming...
Here it is:
I am crying. in the middle. of the canned fruit/veggies isle. in walmart.
This is weird.
I know this is weird because the guy beside me who just reached for his applesauce gave me a look that said, "I am going to get as far away from you as possible as soon as possible."
Ok, so I knew it was weird before that, but I couldn't help it. Here's some background: I'm reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker, a book all about the excess that we have in our lives and how it does not glorify God (it's really good btw (the book, not excess.)). And I've been really convicted of all of the excess and areas where I go overboard in my life. It's kind of been wrecking my life, which is fine.
But as I stand here, tears running down my face, freaking people out because you just do not cry in walmart, I think about how just 20 minutes ago I tried to convince my boss that I was normal. Yet clearly, this is not normal. But I can only look at the rows upon rows of food and see the faces of children who will only eat one cup of rice today. I think about how I wonder what the best kind of sliced peaches to get are, while some children will never even know what a peach is. I pull myself slightly together, then one look down the candy isle, indulgence central, and I begin again. I take it back: Dearest Boss, I am not normal.
But I'm glad, I'm glad that I don't just walk down these isles and think, "What do I want?" instead I think, "What do others need? and what do I actually need, not just want? How can I cut back on what I just want and will probably toss out anyway, so that I can give more to someone who may not see food more than once a day?" I'm glad my eyes have been opened to the pain of others. While I may look like a freak in walmart, at least my heart is broken for the people who live next door to me.
So why am I writing this? Well partially because I thought it was kinda funny, and also because I hope you would look at your life and see the areas where there is excess, maybe even a lot of excess. I hope that you would pray over what you've been blessed with and see if you can bless others then go to work attacking the desires of the flesh that say we need more more more.
Well, I probably won't be going to walmart for a while. Some of the looks I was getting today weren't so welcoming...
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Why Your Sunday Lunch Matters
I had the opportunity and privilege to work all day yesterday (Sunday (at CiCi's)). Usually I don't work Sunday's (No, I'm not super-holy, I just like having one day off and it happened to be Sunday (usually)), but I did work yesterday from before the doors opened to after they closed, and combining what I observed yesterday with what I've observed back when I used to only work Sundays (yes, it was a very un-holy life back then (totes kidding)) and it was not pretty and it still isn't, folks.
You see, before I worked in food service I had always heard that the "Sunday lunch crowd" was the worst to wait on in restaurants, but I really didn't believe it until I experienced it. And I can say that the Sunday-just-came-from-church-still-carrying-their-Bible crowd is usually (not quite always) horrible and embarrassing. Why? Because these people come barreling in dressed in their church clothes and are the most demanding, rude, cheap people we see all week.
Honestly, I had hoped it wasn't true. I had hoped that people were sorely overreacting to people that they didn't want to like in the first place. But in all honesty, they're not.
And let me just say, my non-Christian co-workers notice. Even they can see that there's some kind of strange disconnect that happens when they leave the church building where they proclaim that they will die to themselves and their desires and when they walk through our doors where their desires seem to be all that really matters. They look at me and say, "See, your God thing really doesn't make a difference. I'm nicer than these people."
And then I have to do so much damage control, it's seemingly impossible (I know, "with God all things are possible" (don't miss my point please)). You see, when you're impatient about your favorite pizza not being on it's way into your belly already or when you leave a huge mess and don't tip (or better yet- leave a tract AS a tip (I seriously have no patience for that (don't even get me started))) or when you demand to be waited on hand and foot while we're clearly being slammed by 100 other people who want to be waited on hand and foot, my co-workers see you and in their mind- you are Christianity. You are what an average Christian looks like and when they're already a better person than you without God, why on earth would they want God in their lives? And really, how do I explain this to them? How do I tell them that this isn't what Christianity means? I'm left sweeping up the shattered image of Christ in their minds. I'm left answering the why-are-they-so-blind-to-us questions. And that's really hard.
You probably think I'm exaggerating the impact that you have when you do these things. But I can promise you, when a Christian comes in that actually lives out their faith inside a restaurant (meaning, they were respectful, humble, generous, and patient (that shouldn't be so hard, right? like when Jesus has changed our lives from ashes into beauty, it should be almost natural, right?)), my co-workers notice that too. In fact, sometimes we count them.
There were six this Sunday.
Six.
Out of the 200 church folk that came in, 6 actually were actually the church to us.
And two of them were my best friend and her boyfriend. If they hadn't have come, it would've only been four.
Six. That's 3%.
Are you grasping the seriousness of this issue yet?
I'm seriously begging you to please live out your faith in every moment of your life (especially if you're coming anywhere near my non-Christian friends). Because the way you go down a buffet line, matters. Because the way you tip, matters. Because the way you speak to those who are serving you, matters. It matters to my co-workers who take a step back from God every Sunday. It matters because people seriously are always watching you. It matters because your life is not your own, you were bought with a price, so honor God with your body. It matters because God can use you when you least expect it. It matters because you have influence to impact people's eternity. It matters because my co-workers are real people with real souls that need real Christians to show them that God does make a difference in your life and the way that you act and speak.
Please remember that no matter what you are doing, no matter how small or menial you may think it is, you can either do it for God or yourself. For the sake of all the people who do not yet know Christ as their Lord and Savior, please choose God.
Let's turn 3% into 100%.
You. Your life. It matters. Don't defame God's good name because your stomach is growling.
You see, before I worked in food service I had always heard that the "Sunday lunch crowd" was the worst to wait on in restaurants, but I really didn't believe it until I experienced it. And I can say that the Sunday-just-came-from-church-still-carrying-their-Bible crowd is usually (not quite always) horrible and embarrassing. Why? Because these people come barreling in dressed in their church clothes and are the most demanding, rude, cheap people we see all week.
Honestly, I had hoped it wasn't true. I had hoped that people were sorely overreacting to people that they didn't want to like in the first place. But in all honesty, they're not.
And let me just say, my non-Christian co-workers notice. Even they can see that there's some kind of strange disconnect that happens when they leave the church building where they proclaim that they will die to themselves and their desires and when they walk through our doors where their desires seem to be all that really matters. They look at me and say, "See, your God thing really doesn't make a difference. I'm nicer than these people."
And then I have to do so much damage control, it's seemingly impossible (I know, "with God all things are possible" (don't miss my point please)). You see, when you're impatient about your favorite pizza not being on it's way into your belly already or when you leave a huge mess and don't tip (or better yet- leave a tract AS a tip (I seriously have no patience for that (don't even get me started))) or when you demand to be waited on hand and foot while we're clearly being slammed by 100 other people who want to be waited on hand and foot, my co-workers see you and in their mind- you are Christianity. You are what an average Christian looks like and when they're already a better person than you without God, why on earth would they want God in their lives? And really, how do I explain this to them? How do I tell them that this isn't what Christianity means? I'm left sweeping up the shattered image of Christ in their minds. I'm left answering the why-are-they-so-blind-to-us questions. And that's really hard.
You probably think I'm exaggerating the impact that you have when you do these things. But I can promise you, when a Christian comes in that actually lives out their faith inside a restaurant (meaning, they were respectful, humble, generous, and patient (that shouldn't be so hard, right? like when Jesus has changed our lives from ashes into beauty, it should be almost natural, right?)), my co-workers notice that too. In fact, sometimes we count them.
There were six this Sunday.
Six.
Out of the 200 church folk that came in, 6 actually were actually the church to us.
And two of them were my best friend and her boyfriend. If they hadn't have come, it would've only been four.
Six. That's 3%.
Are you grasping the seriousness of this issue yet?
I'm seriously begging you to please live out your faith in every moment of your life (especially if you're coming anywhere near my non-Christian friends). Because the way you go down a buffet line, matters. Because the way you tip, matters. Because the way you speak to those who are serving you, matters. It matters to my co-workers who take a step back from God every Sunday. It matters because people seriously are always watching you. It matters because your life is not your own, you were bought with a price, so honor God with your body. It matters because God can use you when you least expect it. It matters because you have influence to impact people's eternity. It matters because my co-workers are real people with real souls that need real Christians to show them that God does make a difference in your life and the way that you act and speak.
Please remember that no matter what you are doing, no matter how small or menial you may think it is, you can either do it for God or yourself. For the sake of all the people who do not yet know Christ as their Lord and Savior, please choose God.
Let's turn 3% into 100%.
You. Your life. It matters. Don't defame God's good name because your stomach is growling.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
"God Has Someone Great For You"
Having been single for 99% of my lifetime, I have been handed this phrase so many times that until recently I seriously thought it had to be true. Everyone tells you, "God has an incredible person out there for you, just be patient." But I have come to see that this is a lie.
Nowhere in the Bible does God ever promise me a spouse. God never promises that he's preparing a man just for me. And God never promises that a man on this earth will love me like Jesus does. In fact if we look at the actual Bible and look for what God has to say about our time here on this earth he tends to make it clear that people are probably going to hate us, and when they do we shouldn't be surprised (John 15:18). But yet we are! We're shocked when awesome people (like myself (KIDDING!)) are single, and then we go making them fake promises from the Lord like, "Just wait, God will bring the right man (or woman) at the right time." Oh really? Did God tell you that? Because he didn't tell me...
Now, what I really don't like about this is how it makes a spouse seem like something that we deserve and should be expecting. If someone's really great, they should get married. This is the mindset. But God has a different picture entirely. God has promised us what? God has promised us that he will take care of all our needs (Phil 4:19), that he will give us peace (John 14:27), that we have eternal life in him (Romans 6:23), and that we are more than conquerors of this world through Him (Romans 8:37-39)! God promises me Himself and nothing else. And in God's strange yet awesome way of working that is more than enough! God's love is enough. And if God chooses to show his love for me by sending me a husband, that's cool. But if God chooses to show his love for me by allowing me to be single my whole life, God's more than enough. The fact that the God of the universe allows me to come into his presence every day and just glean at his feet is enough. The fact that this same God of all of creation wants to talk to me at every moment and wants me to be his bride, is more than enough! A key to contentment is to know that whatever you have at this moment is enough even if God is all you have right now. He is enough.
I don't deserve a husband, and if we look at it objectively, I don't even deserve life (neither do you). God has been more than gracious in my life already with the blessings he has poured out, who am I to expect more blessings of this world? No, by all means, I will ask for more of HIM, my creator, the lover of my soul, knowing that he has promised me himself. And that is enough of a blessing to me.
To my couples, praise God for your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend. Remember that they're God's before they're yours, and remember that the reason God gave them to you is so that you could more fully experience him. And by all means, please never tell another single person that God has someone waiting for them, because even though he may have someone great for them, he may not and if you really want to encourage someone in Christ, you don't have to make up some great fake promise from God, just remind them of the actual promises of God, because they're enough.
post script- This is not my bitter-oh-so-sad-I'm-single post, nor is this an I-always-want-to-be-single-because-that's-holy post. I simply am tired of hearing Christians make up promises from God as if single people need to be consoled for living a less fulfilling life. I'm content with God, but still accepting his gifts (and trials) however he chooses to send them. =)
Nowhere in the Bible does God ever promise me a spouse. God never promises that he's preparing a man just for me. And God never promises that a man on this earth will love me like Jesus does. In fact if we look at the actual Bible and look for what God has to say about our time here on this earth he tends to make it clear that people are probably going to hate us, and when they do we shouldn't be surprised (John 15:18). But yet we are! We're shocked when awesome people (like myself (KIDDING!)) are single, and then we go making them fake promises from the Lord like, "Just wait, God will bring the right man (or woman) at the right time." Oh really? Did God tell you that? Because he didn't tell me...
Now, what I really don't like about this is how it makes a spouse seem like something that we deserve and should be expecting. If someone's really great, they should get married. This is the mindset. But God has a different picture entirely. God has promised us what? God has promised us that he will take care of all our needs (Phil 4:19), that he will give us peace (John 14:27), that we have eternal life in him (Romans 6:23), and that we are more than conquerors of this world through Him (Romans 8:37-39)! God promises me Himself and nothing else. And in God's strange yet awesome way of working that is more than enough! God's love is enough. And if God chooses to show his love for me by sending me a husband, that's cool. But if God chooses to show his love for me by allowing me to be single my whole life, God's more than enough. The fact that the God of the universe allows me to come into his presence every day and just glean at his feet is enough. The fact that this same God of all of creation wants to talk to me at every moment and wants me to be his bride, is more than enough! A key to contentment is to know that whatever you have at this moment is enough even if God is all you have right now. He is enough.
I don't deserve a husband, and if we look at it objectively, I don't even deserve life (neither do you). God has been more than gracious in my life already with the blessings he has poured out, who am I to expect more blessings of this world? No, by all means, I will ask for more of HIM, my creator, the lover of my soul, knowing that he has promised me himself. And that is enough of a blessing to me.
To my couples, praise God for your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend. Remember that they're God's before they're yours, and remember that the reason God gave them to you is so that you could more fully experience him. And by all means, please never tell another single person that God has someone waiting for them, because even though he may have someone great for them, he may not and if you really want to encourage someone in Christ, you don't have to make up some great fake promise from God, just remind them of the actual promises of God, because they're enough.
post script- This is not my bitter-oh-so-sad-I'm-single post, nor is this an I-always-want-to-be-single-because-that's-holy post. I simply am tired of hearing Christians make up promises from God as if single people need to be consoled for living a less fulfilling life. I'm content with God, but still accepting his gifts (and trials) however he chooses to send them. =)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Here Comes the Bride... of CHRIST!
Hypocritical. Rude. Apathetic. Lazy. Weird.
These are all words that I've heard Christians use (ok, I've probably used them myself...) to describe the Church. When it comes to spotting ways that the church is not very much like it's founder, we're all experts. "The church needs to focus more on missions" "the church doesn't evangelize enough" "the church uses it's money unwisely" "the church is ineffective"
Everybody has their one thing that the church is doing wrong. And honestly, I had one too, until recently when God showed me how prideful I was.
You see, I thought, "If the church would just focus more on God they'd be so much more effective." But did you catch what pronoun I just used? "they" But since when is church anyone other than it's body of believers of which I am a part? Therefore, am I not a very player in the church that I am criticizing? So shouldn't the accusation go more like this, "If I would just focus more on God I would be so much more effective"?
I started to realize that every time I thought the church needed to do something, I should first ask myself, "What am I, as the church, doing?" We cannot disassociate ourselves from the very body of the church when we want to criticize but still receive the prize of being the Bride of Christ.
You see, we're not all separate little Christians who can look at each other and say, "I wish you'd do that better." We're all together being the body saying, "I'm going to do better and encourage you to follow me as I follow Christ" knowing that since we're all connected, if I'm doing better in Christ then the whole body is doing better.
We are the Church. You are my brothers and sisters in Christ. And while I may not agree with what you're doing right now, I need to trust that God is doing a work in and through you and pray he does the same for me. I cannot criticize the church down the road for something and not be criticizing myself because I am a part of the Church of Christ, and I'm connected to the body down the street and the body meeting in Asia in an underground church.
When we criticize the church we are criticizing the very bride of Jesus Christ. While I'll be the first to admit that the church is not perfect and could always be doing something better, we must realize that the church is what God's heart is for. He designed it to glorify Him and to bring the world to his Kingdom. God loves the church and so should I.
To sum it all up, listen to Lecrae say it all better than I did:
The Bride
post script- Do not take this the wrong way. I in no way mean there should be no reflection on how the church could do better, by all means find ways that we can do church better. I simply mean discouragement, rudeness, and anger towards the church should be eliminated and replaced with LOVE which includes discipline at times and speaking the truth in love.
These are all words that I've heard Christians use (ok, I've probably used them myself...) to describe the Church. When it comes to spotting ways that the church is not very much like it's founder, we're all experts. "The church needs to focus more on missions" "the church doesn't evangelize enough" "the church uses it's money unwisely" "the church is ineffective"
Everybody has their one thing that the church is doing wrong. And honestly, I had one too, until recently when God showed me how prideful I was.
You see, I thought, "If the church would just focus more on God they'd be so much more effective." But did you catch what pronoun I just used? "they" But since when is church anyone other than it's body of believers of which I am a part? Therefore, am I not a very player in the church that I am criticizing? So shouldn't the accusation go more like this, "If I would just focus more on God I would be so much more effective"?
I started to realize that every time I thought the church needed to do something, I should first ask myself, "What am I, as the church, doing?" We cannot disassociate ourselves from the very body of the church when we want to criticize but still receive the prize of being the Bride of Christ.
You see, we're not all separate little Christians who can look at each other and say, "I wish you'd do that better." We're all together being the body saying, "I'm going to do better and encourage you to follow me as I follow Christ" knowing that since we're all connected, if I'm doing better in Christ then the whole body is doing better.
We are the Church. You are my brothers and sisters in Christ. And while I may not agree with what you're doing right now, I need to trust that God is doing a work in and through you and pray he does the same for me. I cannot criticize the church down the road for something and not be criticizing myself because I am a part of the Church of Christ, and I'm connected to the body down the street and the body meeting in Asia in an underground church.
When we criticize the church we are criticizing the very bride of Jesus Christ. While I'll be the first to admit that the church is not perfect and could always be doing something better, we must realize that the church is what God's heart is for. He designed it to glorify Him and to bring the world to his Kingdom. God loves the church and so should I.
To sum it all up, listen to Lecrae say it all better than I did:
The Bride
post script- Do not take this the wrong way. I in no way mean there should be no reflection on how the church could do better, by all means find ways that we can do church better. I simply mean discouragement, rudeness, and anger towards the church should be eliminated and replaced with LOVE which includes discipline at times and speaking the truth in love.
Friday, August 23, 2013
"Would You Like a Refill, Honey?"
I've asked that question so many times, I'm sure my roommate would tell you I say it in my sleep.
Having been a server and many times felt the brunt of people who don't know how to tip well falling on my section I feel as though this post has been long in coming.
For those of you who have never been a server, it's my personal opinion that you should. I cannot tell you how humbling of an experience it is to wait on a table hand and foot, be yelled at for doing nothing wrong, not be able to defend yourself, and rely solely on people's generosity for your paycheck. While it teaches you humility to be a server, it also teaches you how to treat your server when you go out.
So here it is: How to Make Your Servers Day Better.
While no server should ever complain about their customers (because hey, it's our job, deal with it) there are many many ways that you can make your servers life a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable. I believe as Christians everything we do reflects Christ in us and so how you treat your server is actually important. Just because you're the customer doesn't mean the world revolves around you and your server is the scum of the earth. They're a person, you're a person. Show love.
Always remember: Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.
First off, don't suggest a table to sit at unless the place is like totally dead. There are these things called sections and your servers rotate as to who gets the next table. When you demand to sit in a certain place you throw off the entire chart and mess up the rotation. Just sit where the nice host tells you too, it will be alright.
Next, be patient. Most people don't realize that on average a server could have from 4-6 other tables that they are also waiting on. They'll get to you as soon as they can. Don't go out to eat if you only have 30 minutes, because you'll be stressed out, your server will be stressed out, and it will not end well. Leave plenty of time to enjoy the experience, and your server should be plenty available.
Be kind. I cannot tell you how many times I got to work in a good mood just trying to please my tables when out of nowhere they're yelling at me and snapping rudely when I did nothing but ask them how their meal was. If you've had a bad day and are going to be rude, go home, take a bubble bath and drink a glass of wine. Stay away from people because your server has probably been on their feet for like the last 8 hours and just wants to go home. Say "please" and "THANK YOU!" Don't be on your phone when they want to take your order. Seriously, how rude. Treat them like you'd want to be treated, it really shouldn't be that hard. They are a person, and Christ died for them too. Act like it.
Be clear. Don't order one thing, change your mind, order something else, and then order the first thing again. You're gonna end up with the wrong meal and you're going to be annoyed, and your server's going to be annoyed. Just be very clear about what you want. Your server isn't a mind reader, tell them clearly and plainly what you want, and say it kindly. Also, don't add and subtract a million things from a place, if it's not on the menu, we don't make it. This isn't a specialty food shop and if you don't like what's on the menu you should have gone somewhere else.
OK, tipping. This is probably the most important as our money follows where our heart is. If your heart is for your server, then tipping should be easy. But if your heart is where your wallet is, then don't go out to eat.
Let me start by saying this (and I was shocked that most people don't know this) minimum tipping wage is $2.13 which means that your server really doesn't make any money other than tips because that 2 dollars an hour goes straight to taxes most weeks. If you don't have enough money to go out to eat, get what you want, and still leave a tip, then don't go to a place with a server because you're creating a big problem for your server when you don't tip (like an "I can't pay rent this week" kind of problem). Tipping is also a big reason I think everyone should be a server at some point in their life. 20% is good, but honestly I think 25% is better. Like I said earlier, if you don't have enough money to go out and leave a nice tip, go to a self-serve place. Never leave less than $2, even if your bill is somehow like 8 or 9 bucks. If you were a difficult table (which I told you not to be) leave an even nicer tip, bigger group? bigger tip. Waiting on a large group is super time-consuming and your server seriously deserves a nice tip for putting up with you. (side-note: call ahead if you're a group larger than 10. It's just really nice).
There are many other things that I could mention, but really if you just start to think of your server as a person that God loves and so should you, then you should be fine. Ask them how their day is going, pray for them when you pray for your food. Leave them a nice note saying how awesome they were. Lift people up. "Some people go to beautiful places, other people make a place beautiful." Be the kind of person that makes a place beautiful with the way you treat others.
PS- Never ever ever ever ever leave a tract AS a tip. I've seen that turn away so many people from Christ and it seriously makes me very angry. If you're going to leave a tract you better leave a really nice tip to show that you're legit.
Having been a server and many times felt the brunt of people who don't know how to tip well falling on my section I feel as though this post has been long in coming.
For those of you who have never been a server, it's my personal opinion that you should. I cannot tell you how humbling of an experience it is to wait on a table hand and foot, be yelled at for doing nothing wrong, not be able to defend yourself, and rely solely on people's generosity for your paycheck. While it teaches you humility to be a server, it also teaches you how to treat your server when you go out.
So here it is: How to Make Your Servers Day Better.
While no server should ever complain about their customers (because hey, it's our job, deal with it) there are many many ways that you can make your servers life a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable. I believe as Christians everything we do reflects Christ in us and so how you treat your server is actually important. Just because you're the customer doesn't mean the world revolves around you and your server is the scum of the earth. They're a person, you're a person. Show love.
Always remember: Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.
First off, don't suggest a table to sit at unless the place is like totally dead. There are these things called sections and your servers rotate as to who gets the next table. When you demand to sit in a certain place you throw off the entire chart and mess up the rotation. Just sit where the nice host tells you too, it will be alright.
Next, be patient. Most people don't realize that on average a server could have from 4-6 other tables that they are also waiting on. They'll get to you as soon as they can. Don't go out to eat if you only have 30 minutes, because you'll be stressed out, your server will be stressed out, and it will not end well. Leave plenty of time to enjoy the experience, and your server should be plenty available.
Be kind. I cannot tell you how many times I got to work in a good mood just trying to please my tables when out of nowhere they're yelling at me and snapping rudely when I did nothing but ask them how their meal was. If you've had a bad day and are going to be rude, go home, take a bubble bath and drink a glass of wine. Stay away from people because your server has probably been on their feet for like the last 8 hours and just wants to go home. Say "please" and "THANK YOU!" Don't be on your phone when they want to take your order. Seriously, how rude. Treat them like you'd want to be treated, it really shouldn't be that hard. They are a person, and Christ died for them too. Act like it.
Be clear. Don't order one thing, change your mind, order something else, and then order the first thing again. You're gonna end up with the wrong meal and you're going to be annoyed, and your server's going to be annoyed. Just be very clear about what you want. Your server isn't a mind reader, tell them clearly and plainly what you want, and say it kindly. Also, don't add and subtract a million things from a place, if it's not on the menu, we don't make it. This isn't a specialty food shop and if you don't like what's on the menu you should have gone somewhere else.
OK, tipping. This is probably the most important as our money follows where our heart is. If your heart is for your server, then tipping should be easy. But if your heart is where your wallet is, then don't go out to eat.
Let me start by saying this (and I was shocked that most people don't know this) minimum tipping wage is $2.13 which means that your server really doesn't make any money other than tips because that 2 dollars an hour goes straight to taxes most weeks. If you don't have enough money to go out to eat, get what you want, and still leave a tip, then don't go to a place with a server because you're creating a big problem for your server when you don't tip (like an "I can't pay rent this week" kind of problem). Tipping is also a big reason I think everyone should be a server at some point in their life. 20% is good, but honestly I think 25% is better. Like I said earlier, if you don't have enough money to go out and leave a nice tip, go to a self-serve place. Never leave less than $2, even if your bill is somehow like 8 or 9 bucks. If you were a difficult table (which I told you not to be) leave an even nicer tip, bigger group? bigger tip. Waiting on a large group is super time-consuming and your server seriously deserves a nice tip for putting up with you. (side-note: call ahead if you're a group larger than 10. It's just really nice).
There are many other things that I could mention, but really if you just start to think of your server as a person that God loves and so should you, then you should be fine. Ask them how their day is going, pray for them when you pray for your food. Leave them a nice note saying how awesome they were. Lift people up. "Some people go to beautiful places, other people make a place beautiful." Be the kind of person that makes a place beautiful with the way you treat others.
PS- Never ever ever ever ever leave a tract AS a tip. I've seen that turn away so many people from Christ and it seriously makes me very angry. If you're going to leave a tract you better leave a really nice tip to show that you're legit.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Especially When You Aren't Saying Anything.
Today, as I came home from work my heart was a little bit heavier.
You see, today I met a woman while I was sweeping up the dining room at CiCi's. She and her son were the only people left in there and so I was in the process of flipping chairs and sweeping away the day when she walks by and says, "You're working hard, I hope those Liberty kids don't come in here and ruin it for you." I chuckled thinking she was exaggerating and hoping/praying/begging that she was a Christian and didn't really dislike LU. After all that our conversation went like this:
Me: "Yeah, that would be unfortunate. I don't think they'd mess it up though."
Her: "Oh, honey, those are the most inconsiderate group of college kids I've ever encountered they'd probably take down your chairs and dirty your clean floors."
Me: " Well some of them maybe, but I don't know that they're all that bad. Some of them are pretty nice, don't you think?"
Her: "Nope. I have never once met a Liberty student that wasn't rude."
Me *dumbfounded* *goes back to sweeping while trying not to cry because this woman hasn't experienced Christ's love through his very body that lives next door to her. A body that should be 12,000 strong loving on her showing her she's valuable, and yet she has been left with a bad taste in her mouth that may never be changed.
Dearest fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not how it should be! To echo Paul's words to the Ephesians (4:20-24) "But that is not how you learned Christ! assuming you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off the old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." When we're found in Christ we must leave behind our old selves, things such as pride, lust, lies, selfishness, greed, all these things are to no longer be a part of who we are. We should be new creations in him, full of love and ready to give that love to others no matter what the cost. And this type of love should be what comes across to people in every single action that we take. I bet the LU students that left a bad taste in her mouth have no idea that whatever they were doing was causing a stumbling block for this woman, because I doubt they were making a conscious effort to do everything they did for the glory of the Lord. But everything we do, every action we make, someone sees it and is impacted by it- either for God's glory or not. Now, I also would bet that this woman HAS encountered many a good Christian LU student, BUT she didn't know it. Why? Because we keep our mouths shut. I'll do something nice for you, but I won't tell you I did it in Christ's name and because God loves you and I wanted to show you that. Yeah, I'll buy the coffee for the person behind me in line, but I won't tell her it's because God has blessed me and I want to pass it on to her and that God loves her too. You see, when we keep our mouths shut we miss out on a huge opportunity to show people that our God is not only worth sacrificing for, but he's worth speaking up about.
Someone once said, "Proclaim the gospel, and if necessary use words." And while I totally agree with this statement's point that we should proclaim the gospel by the way that we live, I think it misses the mark when it says only use words if necessary, because that's like telling a newscaster to tell the news without using words. Words are powerful and when our actions back them up they're even more powerful.
You hold more influence in people's lives than you probably realize, and if you wear the name of Christ, people will be watching the way you walk. "Be careful then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most use of the time for the days are evil."(Eph 5:15-16) Put thought into how you will show Christ today, think about how your actions impact others for Christ. Be aware that everything you do reflects the God you serve and be willing to answer for why you live that way. Don't hide it and wait for someone to ask why you just bought them lunch, or held the door for them, or smiled at them; tell them! Bless them in God's name. Don't let people just think that you're a normal good person, let them know that you're a sinner changed by the amazing grace of God!
Let your actions and words speak loudly for the God who gave his Son to save us!
You see, today I met a woman while I was sweeping up the dining room at CiCi's. She and her son were the only people left in there and so I was in the process of flipping chairs and sweeping away the day when she walks by and says, "You're working hard, I hope those Liberty kids don't come in here and ruin it for you." I chuckled thinking she was exaggerating and hoping/praying/begging that she was a Christian and didn't really dislike LU. After all that our conversation went like this:
Me: "Yeah, that would be unfortunate. I don't think they'd mess it up though."
Her: "Oh, honey, those are the most inconsiderate group of college kids I've ever encountered they'd probably take down your chairs and dirty your clean floors."
Me: " Well some of them maybe, but I don't know that they're all that bad. Some of them are pretty nice, don't you think?"
Her: "Nope. I have never once met a Liberty student that wasn't rude."
Me *dumbfounded* *goes back to sweeping while trying not to cry because this woman hasn't experienced Christ's love through his very body that lives next door to her. A body that should be 12,000 strong loving on her showing her she's valuable, and yet she has been left with a bad taste in her mouth that may never be changed.
Dearest fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, this is not how it should be! To echo Paul's words to the Ephesians (4:20-24) "But that is not how you learned Christ! assuming you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off the old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." When we're found in Christ we must leave behind our old selves, things such as pride, lust, lies, selfishness, greed, all these things are to no longer be a part of who we are. We should be new creations in him, full of love and ready to give that love to others no matter what the cost. And this type of love should be what comes across to people in every single action that we take. I bet the LU students that left a bad taste in her mouth have no idea that whatever they were doing was causing a stumbling block for this woman, because I doubt they were making a conscious effort to do everything they did for the glory of the Lord. But everything we do, every action we make, someone sees it and is impacted by it- either for God's glory or not. Now, I also would bet that this woman HAS encountered many a good Christian LU student, BUT she didn't know it. Why? Because we keep our mouths shut. I'll do something nice for you, but I won't tell you I did it in Christ's name and because God loves you and I wanted to show you that. Yeah, I'll buy the coffee for the person behind me in line, but I won't tell her it's because God has blessed me and I want to pass it on to her and that God loves her too. You see, when we keep our mouths shut we miss out on a huge opportunity to show people that our God is not only worth sacrificing for, but he's worth speaking up about.
Someone once said, "Proclaim the gospel, and if necessary use words." And while I totally agree with this statement's point that we should proclaim the gospel by the way that we live, I think it misses the mark when it says only use words if necessary, because that's like telling a newscaster to tell the news without using words. Words are powerful and when our actions back them up they're even more powerful.
You hold more influence in people's lives than you probably realize, and if you wear the name of Christ, people will be watching the way you walk. "Be careful then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most use of the time for the days are evil."(Eph 5:15-16) Put thought into how you will show Christ today, think about how your actions impact others for Christ. Be aware that everything you do reflects the God you serve and be willing to answer for why you live that way. Don't hide it and wait for someone to ask why you just bought them lunch, or held the door for them, or smiled at them; tell them! Bless them in God's name. Don't let people just think that you're a normal good person, let them know that you're a sinner changed by the amazing grace of God!
Let your actions and words speak loudly for the God who gave his Son to save us!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Some Scary Things (But Not Many) & the make-up stuff
While our salvation is in no way gained by our actions, the fruit of our lives should lead us to do things that unsaved people wouldn't do, I publicly (which I don't recommend (think of the pressure!)) stated that I wanted to do one scary thing a day this summer. It's been a month and here is where I stand:
I cannot say that I've done one scary thing a day (unless you count sharing a bathroom with a boy as scary... (which I would on some days (I digress))). Yes, I can hear you mocking me, I'm sorry ok? Doing scary things is well... scary. So just chill. I'm getting better at it though. I can feel God breaking me of needing to be constantly comfortable in order to show his grace and glory! So here's the short list of scary (as defined by me) things that I have done in order to open up my life to the Holy Spirit:
#1- Last week in church I sang this song: Clear the Stage
And the response was pretty incredible. I've sang in church before but I've never been so overwhelmed by how much it meant to people. "But Court, you sing in church all the time, why was that scary?" It was scary because this song is so convicting I didn't want people to hear it and do nothing. (It's also quite hard to sing, just btw (increasing scariness level)) I also think of all the times and in all the ways that my stage is not always clear for God to show up and be awesome. How sometimes I stand in the center of my stage with all my stuff surrounding me and sing It's All About MEEEEE! is all too clear in my head and the hypocrisy is all too easy for them to see, I think.
But as I always try to do, I prayed before I sang that God would make the song and the message beautiful in the ears of the congregation, and that hearts and minds would be opened and lives changed. It's a lot to ask for, I know, but hey it's God, boldness in prayer (I wrote a post on that a while ago...). Anyway, I get to the stage (not cleared (just an observation (totally kidding))), and I sing it, and it sounds awful (I even changed the word 'you' to 'I' once (those darn pronouns)). I walk off stage (haha, stage cleared?) and think, "Sorry God, I totally butchered that beautiful song you gave me." But after church I was bombarded with praise and thanks for sharing it, people saying it sounded beautiful and the message was so convicting. I even got two letters about it! Two! Snail mail. Loving it. God again showed me that he can take something horribly messy and dirty and somewhere between leaving me and impacting others he cleans it up and makes it a whole new creation. How neat I that?!?!
#2- Sharing my faith with my coworkers. Daily.
I am so so so burdened for the souls of my coworkers. Tears come to my eyes as I think of ones that are so clearly out of God's will for their lives. I have dreams where they die and I'm left regretting all the missed opportunities. I pray constantly for them. My heart literally aches for the lost. Eternity hangs in the balance and I've been given the responsibility to carry the saving news of God's love to all that I come into contact with. But yet it is so hard to say anything. Typing these sentences next to each other feels totally wrong like clearly both can't be true, yet I find that my fear of human judgment is clearly almost as large as my fear of them spending eternity in hell. How crazy is that? It seriously almost makes no sense, my only hope here is that you feel the same way (except that I wouldn't wish this fate on anyone... (how confusing am I?)). Anyway, so my goal has been to engage the unsaved in conversations about God, and so far it's been going OK. I could do a lot better, and honestly I've told the Holy Spirit "no" a few times (I repented, it's bad, I know). But I'm starting and I'm on the way. I've had more conversations about God than last summer, and it's been almost daily this past week which has been awesome. God's overcoming my fear of human judgment and care more about him than anything. How crazy!
#3- Children. Twice.
I don't do the kids thing. Children just, no. They love me, the feeling is not mutual. But I've had the opportunity (yes, I know it is an opportunity (I almost used a different word, but alas, I refrained)) to teach in Sunday School, and in Jr. Church. And while the experience wasn't full of awesome experiences it was still cool to know that A.) these kids are growing up hearing about the gospel! and B.) God's using me in a small part of their story of learning about the most important thing ever. Also, I was totally frightened.
#4- Clearing the Stage. Oh no wait, my room. Clearing Everything.
Because true change comes from true conviction (please reread that sentence (and again (I could write a whole book on it (ok, you can continue on now)))), the song clear the stage and a wonderful sermon convicted me that I need to clear out and simplify my life. The things that I have just sitting on my shelves or in my drawers are not only wasting their time as I'll likely never use them, but are also holding me back from more intimacy with God, my sustainer, and all I'll ever need. So I just got up (and got some boxes (lots of boxes)) and went at it. Books, stuffed animals, clothes, nothing in my path was safe from my giving spirit. And while I have much farther to go on the road to simplification and intimacy with God, I am five boxes, two bags, and two trash bags closer than I was. My room is a bit more roomy as is the stage where God sits in my life. As I wrote in White Knuckles previously, God gave me grace to see that I am not blessed to hoard for myself but I am blessed to bless others. And I can see this truth impacting my thought life in other areas: how I spend my money, what I find important, and doing without yet being content (which kind of touches on other areas of life like: why don't I have a boyfriend? Why don't I have a car that works? Why don't I have *fill in the blank*) So what does relying on God change? Everything, when we start to get our priorities in order everything gets back into perspective. Instead of seeing my ginormous book collection as happiness, I see God's Word as pure joy. Instead of seeing my clothes as provision and wealth I see God's constant hand in my life as provision and beauty.
#5- Make-Up Madness
So I stopped the experiment. Sorry to those who got excited about it, from the data that I did get in the first few weeks there wasn't any significant difference anyway, tips were about 3% higher when I wore make up which is within the normal range for it to be other variables anyway. "Courtney, you're dumb. Why would you say you're going to do something and then not after just one week? How inconsistent!" Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down! I was thinking to myself, how can I best spread God's love as a waitress? and I came up with a few ideas. 1. Work as hard as I can and do my best. check. 2. talk it up. tell people about Jesus. sometimes check. 3. Write a verse or encouragement on every guest check. Check. (haha, check check.) But this impacts my tip range. One table left me a super-generous tip and they made it clear it was because of what I had written on their receipt. A few tables have sneered at it as I walked by or away. While I don't know if they tipped me less for it than they would have, it's a possibility and so I stopped my make-up experiment. While it was interesting and I know several of you who wanted to see how it would go, I think doing what God has called me to do even when I get jeered at is more important. I hope you agree.
So that's the beginnings, of what I hope to be a much longer list that goes on for my lifetime. What's the point? Lives being impacted for God's glory. While I could spend my summer relaxing and soaking in the rays, I hope to spend it straining every muscle, strengthening myself for whatever is to come and being used to my highest capability where I am. My utmost for His highest? I think yes.
Have you done something scary? Please comment
I cannot say that I've done one scary thing a day (unless you count sharing a bathroom with a boy as scary... (which I would on some days (I digress))). Yes, I can hear you mocking me, I'm sorry ok? Doing scary things is well... scary. So just chill. I'm getting better at it though. I can feel God breaking me of needing to be constantly comfortable in order to show his grace and glory! So here's the short list of scary (as defined by me) things that I have done in order to open up my life to the Holy Spirit:
#1- Last week in church I sang this song: Clear the Stage
And the response was pretty incredible. I've sang in church before but I've never been so overwhelmed by how much it meant to people. "But Court, you sing in church all the time, why was that scary?" It was scary because this song is so convicting I didn't want people to hear it and do nothing. (It's also quite hard to sing, just btw (increasing scariness level)) I also think of all the times and in all the ways that my stage is not always clear for God to show up and be awesome. How sometimes I stand in the center of my stage with all my stuff surrounding me and sing It's All About MEEEEE! is all too clear in my head and the hypocrisy is all too easy for them to see, I think.
But as I always try to do, I prayed before I sang that God would make the song and the message beautiful in the ears of the congregation, and that hearts and minds would be opened and lives changed. It's a lot to ask for, I know, but hey it's God, boldness in prayer (I wrote a post on that a while ago...). Anyway, I get to the stage (not cleared (just an observation (totally kidding))), and I sing it, and it sounds awful (I even changed the word 'you' to 'I' once (those darn pronouns)). I walk off stage (haha, stage cleared?) and think, "Sorry God, I totally butchered that beautiful song you gave me." But after church I was bombarded with praise and thanks for sharing it, people saying it sounded beautiful and the message was so convicting. I even got two letters about it! Two! Snail mail. Loving it. God again showed me that he can take something horribly messy and dirty and somewhere between leaving me and impacting others he cleans it up and makes it a whole new creation. How neat I that?!?!
#2- Sharing my faith with my coworkers. Daily.
I am so so so burdened for the souls of my coworkers. Tears come to my eyes as I think of ones that are so clearly out of God's will for their lives. I have dreams where they die and I'm left regretting all the missed opportunities. I pray constantly for them. My heart literally aches for the lost. Eternity hangs in the balance and I've been given the responsibility to carry the saving news of God's love to all that I come into contact with. But yet it is so hard to say anything. Typing these sentences next to each other feels totally wrong like clearly both can't be true, yet I find that my fear of human judgment is clearly almost as large as my fear of them spending eternity in hell. How crazy is that? It seriously almost makes no sense, my only hope here is that you feel the same way (except that I wouldn't wish this fate on anyone... (how confusing am I?)). Anyway, so my goal has been to engage the unsaved in conversations about God, and so far it's been going OK. I could do a lot better, and honestly I've told the Holy Spirit "no" a few times (I repented, it's bad, I know). But I'm starting and I'm on the way. I've had more conversations about God than last summer, and it's been almost daily this past week which has been awesome. God's overcoming my fear of human judgment and care more about him than anything. How crazy!
#3- Children. Twice.
I don't do the kids thing. Children just, no. They love me, the feeling is not mutual. But I've had the opportunity (yes, I know it is an opportunity (I almost used a different word, but alas, I refrained)) to teach in Sunday School, and in Jr. Church. And while the experience wasn't full of awesome experiences it was still cool to know that A.) these kids are growing up hearing about the gospel! and B.) God's using me in a small part of their story of learning about the most important thing ever. Also, I was totally frightened.
#4- Clearing the Stage. Oh no wait, my room. Clearing Everything.
Because true change comes from true conviction (please reread that sentence (and again (I could write a whole book on it (ok, you can continue on now)))), the song clear the stage and a wonderful sermon convicted me that I need to clear out and simplify my life. The things that I have just sitting on my shelves or in my drawers are not only wasting their time as I'll likely never use them, but are also holding me back from more intimacy with God, my sustainer, and all I'll ever need. So I just got up (and got some boxes (lots of boxes)) and went at it. Books, stuffed animals, clothes, nothing in my path was safe from my giving spirit. And while I have much farther to go on the road to simplification and intimacy with God, I am five boxes, two bags, and two trash bags closer than I was. My room is a bit more roomy as is the stage where God sits in my life. As I wrote in White Knuckles previously, God gave me grace to see that I am not blessed to hoard for myself but I am blessed to bless others. And I can see this truth impacting my thought life in other areas: how I spend my money, what I find important, and doing without yet being content (which kind of touches on other areas of life like: why don't I have a boyfriend? Why don't I have a car that works? Why don't I have *fill in the blank*) So what does relying on God change? Everything, when we start to get our priorities in order everything gets back into perspective. Instead of seeing my ginormous book collection as happiness, I see God's Word as pure joy. Instead of seeing my clothes as provision and wealth I see God's constant hand in my life as provision and beauty.
#5- Make-Up Madness
So I stopped the experiment. Sorry to those who got excited about it, from the data that I did get in the first few weeks there wasn't any significant difference anyway, tips were about 3% higher when I wore make up which is within the normal range for it to be other variables anyway. "Courtney, you're dumb. Why would you say you're going to do something and then not after just one week? How inconsistent!" Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down! I was thinking to myself, how can I best spread God's love as a waitress? and I came up with a few ideas. 1. Work as hard as I can and do my best. check. 2. talk it up. tell people about Jesus. sometimes check. 3. Write a verse or encouragement on every guest check. Check. (haha, check check.) But this impacts my tip range. One table left me a super-generous tip and they made it clear it was because of what I had written on their receipt. A few tables have sneered at it as I walked by or away. While I don't know if they tipped me less for it than they would have, it's a possibility and so I stopped my make-up experiment. While it was interesting and I know several of you who wanted to see how it would go, I think doing what God has called me to do even when I get jeered at is more important. I hope you agree.
So that's the beginnings, of what I hope to be a much longer list that goes on for my lifetime. What's the point? Lives being impacted for God's glory. While I could spend my summer relaxing and soaking in the rays, I hope to spend it straining every muscle, strengthening myself for whatever is to come and being used to my highest capability where I am. My utmost for His highest? I think yes.
Have you done something scary? Please comment
What Are We Doing?
So, it's like 2 am. And I've been laying in bed thinking (because, what else does one do at 2 am?).
And I was wondering about us Christians. Like me, for instance, I have mostly Christian friends, and for the most part the most I come into contact with non-Christians is when I'm at work. Yet none of my Christian friends have asked me how I'm trying to witness to them, or what I'm doing to shine God's light to them. And then it occurred to me, I haven't asked them how their witnessing to their co-workers or non-Christian friends is going either. WHAT?! Why would I not? Why would I just sit back and not ask them about how their witnessing is going? And then I thought, When was the last time I even really asked how their spiritual life was going? And it's at this point I realize that we are not doing a very good job at keeping each other accountable.
Because if we're all Christians, and we all hang out with each other a lot of the time, then why are we not like super-mega-awesome-Christians? We are supposed to be sharpening one another, bringing each other closer to Christ. Yet I almost find myself avoiding spiritual topics sometimes, and for me it's because of a mix of fear of sounding stupid spiritually (oh no, people may learn I don't have it all figured out!) or a fear of sounding too spiritual (there she goes talking about Jesus again...). But I shouldn't fear either of these things, especially with my Christian friends!
In Hebrews 3:13 says, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today" that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
I say these things not to criticize you (my friend) for not encouraging me (Lord knows, you probably have!), but mostly of myself; that it should be so rare to talk about spiritual matters when really that's what is most important is weird and clearly not what God intended us as Christian friends to do.
So come on, no more fear! God's all that matters so lets start talking about HIM! All the time, anytime.
I like the idea that at any point now someone who reads this may text or call me and say, "How is evangelizing to your coworkers going?" That kind of accountability for my actions is not only necessary but beneficial to my spiritual growth. A little shove in the right direction couldn't hurt. So go ahead: ask me! (But be prepared because I'm gonna ask you right back! (Welcome to the body of Christ!))
And I was wondering about us Christians. Like me, for instance, I have mostly Christian friends, and for the most part the most I come into contact with non-Christians is when I'm at work. Yet none of my Christian friends have asked me how I'm trying to witness to them, or what I'm doing to shine God's light to them. And then it occurred to me, I haven't asked them how their witnessing to their co-workers or non-Christian friends is going either. WHAT?! Why would I not? Why would I just sit back and not ask them about how their witnessing is going? And then I thought, When was the last time I even really asked how their spiritual life was going? And it's at this point I realize that we are not doing a very good job at keeping each other accountable.
Because if we're all Christians, and we all hang out with each other a lot of the time, then why are we not like super-mega-awesome-Christians? We are supposed to be sharpening one another, bringing each other closer to Christ. Yet I almost find myself avoiding spiritual topics sometimes, and for me it's because of a mix of fear of sounding stupid spiritually (oh no, people may learn I don't have it all figured out!) or a fear of sounding too spiritual (there she goes talking about Jesus again...). But I shouldn't fear either of these things, especially with my Christian friends!
In Hebrews 3:13 says, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today" that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
I say these things not to criticize you (my friend) for not encouraging me (Lord knows, you probably have!), but mostly of myself; that it should be so rare to talk about spiritual matters when really that's what is most important is weird and clearly not what God intended us as Christian friends to do.
So come on, no more fear! God's all that matters so lets start talking about HIM! All the time, anytime.
I like the idea that at any point now someone who reads this may text or call me and say, "How is evangelizing to your coworkers going?" That kind of accountability for my actions is not only necessary but beneficial to my spiritual growth. A little shove in the right direction couldn't hurt. So go ahead: ask me! (But be prepared because I'm gonna ask you right back! (Welcome to the body of Christ!))
Sorry about the delay!
Wow, it's been a month since my last post! Sorry about that, anyone who stuck around that long is probably hoping that my next post will consist of pure genius life changing material. (don't get too crazy.) While it very well may (let's not doubt what the holy spirit can do) really I've just been busy and let my blog slide. I have written several drafts that just need a few touch ups and hopefully I can get that done tonight, so if you've been sticking around: Thank You! You rock and are the most patient person ever. You're also probably thinking that I must have done so many scary things by now and my make-up project should be almost done. But you would be completely wrong. My make up project ended like 3 weeks ago (I'll explain this soon) but I suppose it was to do something more scary? Does that make it better? Anyway, I'll be posting things tonight so I guess this post is for that person who checks my blog every hour looking for my amazing posts: don't worry, little buddy, they'll be here soon!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Shine like the moon, a reflection of You
Before reading, please watch this: Background
That song pretty much wraps up everything I'm hoping to say in this post, but as this is my blog for my thoughts on life, here are a few words from me:
Often I find myself letting God play the background in my life, instead of the other way around. While God has a voice in my life, it's not as loud or as important as my own. And as I pray that y'all find it easier to let God take the lead in your life, I can't help but think that at least some other person who reads this has the same problem as I (whoever you are, this one's for you!).
I'm humbled as I write to you that this very day I have lived more for myself than for the Lord who died for me. While I read my Bible and prayed, sang Christian music on the way to work (and at work (my coworkers just adore me (sarcasm))), my focus was not on glorifying my maker, but on glorifying myself. And at the end of the day, how do I feel? Broken hearted over lost time and lost opportunities.
Most of my coworkers are "Christians" (as in, claim the name but that's about it), and I truly want to be a light to them. But I think I was stuck in this mentality of "waiting on God." And while this is a completely Biblical principle, I was going about it completely wrong. When we wait for God to move in our lives, we are to be already moving in order to be God's tools for spreading his fame. It's not a time to sit down and waste time till God shows up; it's a time to be moving towards God and inviting him to show up. Practically? It's not a time to be quiet about God until it pops up comfortably in the conversation. It's time to speak up and act up for God knowing that he will show up, because in reality he's been there the whole time. It's time to get on our knees and invite God to take center stage of our lives, to give us the courage to take the background. So instead of it being my life and God can chime in when I stop talking, my life is now His, and if I speak it is to reflect what he says, and if I move it is to reflect what he did. You see, when God takes center stage in my life, I'm the shadow. I don't question the next step to take or whether God will show up soon, because I'm just following his lead, I'm right behind him.
So will I continue to wait on God? Yes, but not by sitting still and letting my life take the forefront till God wants to do something else. My job is to prepare the way for the Lord, and I can't do that when I'm focused on me. So I'll be stepping to the background so God has as much room to move as possible. It may mean not saying that rude comment, it may mean not being cool, and it may mean some difficult conversations, in fact, I believe it will mean all of these things. But since God's the lead and I'm just the background I can trust his direction. I can rest assured that my labor is not in vain.
Christ died for me, therefore, I die daily to myself. I am not my own, I was bought with a price. And so were you. Therefore, honor God with your body.
That song pretty much wraps up everything I'm hoping to say in this post, but as this is my blog for my thoughts on life, here are a few words from me:
Often I find myself letting God play the background in my life, instead of the other way around. While God has a voice in my life, it's not as loud or as important as my own. And as I pray that y'all find it easier to let God take the lead in your life, I can't help but think that at least some other person who reads this has the same problem as I (whoever you are, this one's for you!).
I'm humbled as I write to you that this very day I have lived more for myself than for the Lord who died for me. While I read my Bible and prayed, sang Christian music on the way to work (and at work (my coworkers just adore me (sarcasm))), my focus was not on glorifying my maker, but on glorifying myself. And at the end of the day, how do I feel? Broken hearted over lost time and lost opportunities.
Most of my coworkers are "Christians" (as in, claim the name but that's about it), and I truly want to be a light to them. But I think I was stuck in this mentality of "waiting on God." And while this is a completely Biblical principle, I was going about it completely wrong. When we wait for God to move in our lives, we are to be already moving in order to be God's tools for spreading his fame. It's not a time to sit down and waste time till God shows up; it's a time to be moving towards God and inviting him to show up. Practically? It's not a time to be quiet about God until it pops up comfortably in the conversation. It's time to speak up and act up for God knowing that he will show up, because in reality he's been there the whole time. It's time to get on our knees and invite God to take center stage of our lives, to give us the courage to take the background. So instead of it being my life and God can chime in when I stop talking, my life is now His, and if I speak it is to reflect what he says, and if I move it is to reflect what he did. You see, when God takes center stage in my life, I'm the shadow. I don't question the next step to take or whether God will show up soon, because I'm just following his lead, I'm right behind him.
So will I continue to wait on God? Yes, but not by sitting still and letting my life take the forefront till God wants to do something else. My job is to prepare the way for the Lord, and I can't do that when I'm focused on me. So I'll be stepping to the background so God has as much room to move as possible. It may mean not saying that rude comment, it may mean not being cool, and it may mean some difficult conversations, in fact, I believe it will mean all of these things. But since God's the lead and I'm just the background I can trust his direction. I can rest assured that my labor is not in vain.
Christ died for me, therefore, I die daily to myself. I am not my own, I was bought with a price. And so were you. Therefore, honor God with your body.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Is Make-up Bad?
To use or not to use? That is the question. Whether tis' nobler... ok, that's as far as that goes.
A few months ago I had this epiphany that make-up was bad. I thought: Why hide the face God gave you? Is it not pretty enough? What are you hiding? Are you insecure? Underconfident with who you really are? I was convinced that make-up was most likely from the devil. Not really, I just didn't think I should wear it anymore.
But recent conversations have shed a better light on this topic. While my head is still swimming with thoughts and questions I think I have come to a few conclusions that I'm about to share, so get ready.
Firstly, labeling something as "bad" or "good" is generally impossible. While something may be bad in one situation or context, it may be ok, possibly even good in another. So I'm finding is the case with make-up.
When I first stopped wearing make-up I kind of had the mentality that others who did wear it were lesser or in some way erring in their ways and hadn't yet found their confidence. And this is where the problem lies. Whenever we take pride in our own actions being holier than others, we are the one erring, not others.
So the question is not, "is make-up bad?" because the answer to that is no. Not many things are inherently bad, the way we choose to use them is what determines if it's good or bad. So the question becomes, "are my motives for using this bad?" If you wear make-up to get attention, or if you don't wear make-up to get attention, both are equally sinful. Yes, God made us beautiful just the way we are. He also made us naked, and there aren't many people advocating we stay in that state.
But what about when people think differently of you because of which side of the fence you choose to fall on? My brother (being unusually helpful (justing kidding (just kidding))), said (and I quote), "Who cares?" Why does it matter what other people think? My call is to represent God in his love, forgiveness, gentleness, and beauty. And whether that means wearing make-up or not, it must be for God's glory and not my own.
And that's what it's all about folks.
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
A few months ago I had this epiphany that make-up was bad. I thought: Why hide the face God gave you? Is it not pretty enough? What are you hiding? Are you insecure? Underconfident with who you really are? I was convinced that make-up was most likely from the devil. Not really, I just didn't think I should wear it anymore.
But recent conversations have shed a better light on this topic. While my head is still swimming with thoughts and questions I think I have come to a few conclusions that I'm about to share, so get ready.
Firstly, labeling something as "bad" or "good" is generally impossible. While something may be bad in one situation or context, it may be ok, possibly even good in another. So I'm finding is the case with make-up.
When I first stopped wearing make-up I kind of had the mentality that others who did wear it were lesser or in some way erring in their ways and hadn't yet found their confidence. And this is where the problem lies. Whenever we take pride in our own actions being holier than others, we are the one erring, not others.
So the question is not, "is make-up bad?" because the answer to that is no. Not many things are inherently bad, the way we choose to use them is what determines if it's good or bad. So the question becomes, "are my motives for using this bad?" If you wear make-up to get attention, or if you don't wear make-up to get attention, both are equally sinful. Yes, God made us beautiful just the way we are. He also made us naked, and there aren't many people advocating we stay in that state.
But what about when people think differently of you because of which side of the fence you choose to fall on? My brother (being unusually helpful (justing kidding (just kidding))), said (and I quote), "Who cares?" Why does it matter what other people think? My call is to represent God in his love, forgiveness, gentleness, and beauty. And whether that means wearing make-up or not, it must be for God's glory and not my own.
And that's what it's all about folks.
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
A Social Experiment
I read an article the other day (because I'm kinda a nerd) about how prettier people tend to be treated better and have a better likelihood of getting a better job. (I would cite it, but I can't find it...) So this got me curious. If people subconsciously treat prettier people better than less attractive people, how could this affect me? I'm a waitress at a Pizza Hut, not exactly fine dining, but if human nature is the same everywhere then this principle will still apply. What if I was to look prettier? Would I make better tips? Would people subconsciously (or even consciously) like me more if I look better?
So I'm embarking on a social experiment, beginning today I will on alternating days go to work "all-natural" (no makeup, and a pony-tail (this is my usual just btw)) and then "made-up" (gonna have to go buy some today, meh.). I will then calculate the percentage of tips that I get at the end of every night and maybe even make a chart for you at the end of my experiment which I may just do all summer in order to get good data.
For the research methods junkies out there, I will be using percentage of tips, not amount of tips to account for days that are just plain slow. And I will make sure to calculate and make sure that the hours I work in one state is equal to the hours worked in the other. And that's all I've thought through at this point sooooo if I'm messing something up, please tell me soon as I'm beginning the experiment today =)
I'm thinking I'm not gonna like the outcome of this experiment, but we shall see, perhaps humanity will surprise me. I hope so.
Stay tuned for the results/updates!
So I'm embarking on a social experiment, beginning today I will on alternating days go to work "all-natural" (no makeup, and a pony-tail (this is my usual just btw)) and then "made-up" (gonna have to go buy some today, meh.). I will then calculate the percentage of tips that I get at the end of every night and maybe even make a chart for you at the end of my experiment which I may just do all summer in order to get good data.
For the research methods junkies out there, I will be using percentage of tips, not amount of tips to account for days that are just plain slow. And I will make sure to calculate and make sure that the hours I work in one state is equal to the hours worked in the other. And that's all I've thought through at this point sooooo if I'm messing something up, please tell me soon as I'm beginning the experiment today =)
I'm thinking I'm not gonna like the outcome of this experiment, but we shall see, perhaps humanity will surprise me. I hope so.
Stay tuned for the results/updates!
The Summer I Didn't Do Nothing (yes, that's a double negative... sorry)
Summer is a time of rest and relaxing. After all the craziness that makes up the school year, it's a time to kick back, enjoy some sweet tea and coffee, and hang out with friends (whilst drinking said sweet tea and coffee).
But not this summer, not for me. Ok, maybe some... I'm only human for goodness sake.
I was driving to work yesterday thinking about how sometimes I start summer off with this really great list of things I want to do by the end of summer, but yet by the end of summer very few of them ever seem to get done. This bothers me, I'm one of those people who will put something I just did on my to-do list just because then I get to scratch it off (you do it too, don't judge). So why does this happen then? Because during the summer, "There's always tomorrow." Until there's not. (I know, some of you are wondering how long it took me to figure that out. ha. only 20 years.)
So what am I gonna do about this???
Enter "Project Awesome Summer"
A lame title I know, but nothing better came to mind... Sometimes my creative juices run not so deep.
Eleanor Roosevelt (I think) said, "Do something every day that scares you." And I happen to think that's fabulous! Something every single day that scares me! Imagine the things I would get done. Imagine not having regrets at the end of the summer about the list (grr the list! (See? regret from last summer's list still lingers...)). So that's really all there is to Project Awesome Summer. I'm making a list (you're sensing a theme here, aren't you?), because I just really like lists (moreso, I like crossing things off of lists that I've made).
(I'm starting to think I use parenthetical statements too much (thats just how my mind works though (if it bothers you, just ignore them (they're just my side comments (can you put five parenthesis inside each other? (welcome to my brain)))))
"So where's the list?" you may ask. "And what on earth are you gonna do? Crazy stuff?"
Good questions. Answers: The list is right here (it's not finished yet, and if you have more ideas please let me know), and I don't think they're too crazy, but you can decide for yourself.
-Buy someone (less scary version: a friend. more scary version: a stranger) a tank of gas
-Run a race (I'm still looking for one, and I need someone to run with me. But I'd like it to be a 10k or half marathon. Any takers?)
-Visit people in the hospital or nursing home (I'm aware this shouldn't be scary, but I think it is. Your list can be different, so hush.)
-Donate 50% of my books to Goodwill. (if you know me at all, you know this one is gonna be way hard.)
-Ask how I can pray for my server
-Tip my server an insane amount, like 200-300% (Not so much scary, as painful)
-Stay up all night praying for others
-Plant a garden (I killed a cactus (see previous post), plants and I have a bad relationship that I need to mend)
-Fast (I like food. a lot.)
-Pray with a stranger
(there will be more soon, I just need to think more about it)
I want to do things that make the world a little more awesome and shine the light of the gospel. God tells us in his Word to not fear because he is with us 365 times, so just like Eleanor, God says to do things that require us to trust in him daily. A lot of prayer will be going into this project, and I'm thinking that God will open doors for other "scary" things that I can jump out in faith and do for him.
So it's gonna be a crazy summer, crazy awesome.
I'll be updating you with my adventures here so please keep checking in if you're interested to see how this goes =) Thanks for reading!
-
But not this summer, not for me. Ok, maybe some... I'm only human for goodness sake.
I was driving to work yesterday thinking about how sometimes I start summer off with this really great list of things I want to do by the end of summer, but yet by the end of summer very few of them ever seem to get done. This bothers me, I'm one of those people who will put something I just did on my to-do list just because then I get to scratch it off (you do it too, don't judge). So why does this happen then? Because during the summer, "There's always tomorrow." Until there's not. (I know, some of you are wondering how long it took me to figure that out. ha. only 20 years.)
So what am I gonna do about this???
Enter "Project Awesome Summer"
A lame title I know, but nothing better came to mind... Sometimes my creative juices run not so deep.
Eleanor Roosevelt (I think) said, "Do something every day that scares you." And I happen to think that's fabulous! Something every single day that scares me! Imagine the things I would get done. Imagine not having regrets at the end of the summer about the list (grr the list! (See? regret from last summer's list still lingers...)). So that's really all there is to Project Awesome Summer. I'm making a list (you're sensing a theme here, aren't you?), because I just really like lists (moreso, I like crossing things off of lists that I've made).
(I'm starting to think I use parenthetical statements too much (thats just how my mind works though (if it bothers you, just ignore them (they're just my side comments (can you put five parenthesis inside each other? (welcome to my brain)))))
"So where's the list?" you may ask. "And what on earth are you gonna do? Crazy stuff?"
Good questions. Answers: The list is right here (it's not finished yet, and if you have more ideas please let me know), and I don't think they're too crazy, but you can decide for yourself.
-Buy someone (less scary version: a friend. more scary version: a stranger) a tank of gas
-Run a race (I'm still looking for one, and I need someone to run with me. But I'd like it to be a 10k or half marathon. Any takers?)
-Visit people in the hospital or nursing home (I'm aware this shouldn't be scary, but I think it is. Your list can be different, so hush.)
-Donate 50% of my books to Goodwill. (if you know me at all, you know this one is gonna be way hard.)
-Ask how I can pray for my server
-Tip my server an insane amount, like 200-300% (Not so much scary, as painful)
-Stay up all night praying for others
-Plant a garden (I killed a cactus (see previous post), plants and I have a bad relationship that I need to mend)
-Fast (I like food. a lot.)
-Pray with a stranger
(there will be more soon, I just need to think more about it)
I want to do things that make the world a little more awesome and shine the light of the gospel. God tells us in his Word to not fear because he is with us 365 times, so just like Eleanor, God says to do things that require us to trust in him daily. A lot of prayer will be going into this project, and I'm thinking that God will open doors for other "scary" things that I can jump out in faith and do for him.
So it's gonna be a crazy summer, crazy awesome.
I'll be updating you with my adventures here so please keep checking in if you're interested to see how this goes =) Thanks for reading!
-
Saturday, May 4, 2013
This is why we can't have nice things.
(An easy read for your enjoyment, or confusion, whichever occurs, it's for that.)
I have killed a cactus.
Need I say more?
The poor thing is dead. Apparently you can water them too much.
I did not know this.
And now my cactus is dead.
I googled how to kill a cactus and the only other way to kill them is to dump gallons of weed killer on them.
So yeah, I'm the equivalent of gallons of weed killer to plants.
Awesome.
I should probably never be allowed to have kids, pets, fine china, or anything that could possibly ever break, become hungry, or be overly watered. (Can you over-water a child???)
It's sad when you think you're doing such a great job remembering to water your cactus just to find that your love in this act of watering is actually killing it.
I over-loved my cactus.
That sounds much better than killed...
Inteviewer: "What would you say your biggest weakness is?"
Me: "Over-loving"
Is it weird to call plant murder, over-loving?
Probably.
They'll never know...
So moral of the story? If you want to get me a present, make sure it's not a living thing or could possibly get hurt if dropped from a 5 story building.
I have killed a cactus.
Need I say more?
The poor thing is dead. Apparently you can water them too much.
I did not know this.
And now my cactus is dead.
I googled how to kill a cactus and the only other way to kill them is to dump gallons of weed killer on them.
So yeah, I'm the equivalent of gallons of weed killer to plants.
Awesome.
I should probably never be allowed to have kids, pets, fine china, or anything that could possibly ever break, become hungry, or be overly watered. (Can you over-water a child???)
It's sad when you think you're doing such a great job remembering to water your cactus just to find that your love in this act of watering is actually killing it.
I over-loved my cactus.
That sounds much better than killed...
Inteviewer: "What would you say your biggest weakness is?"
Me: "Over-loving"
Is it weird to call plant murder, over-loving?
Probably.
They'll never know...
So moral of the story? If you want to get me a present, make sure it's not a living thing or could possibly get hurt if dropped from a 5 story building.
Boldness in Prayer
I'm reading in 2 Samuel 7: 27-28:
"For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saving, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant."
This is David praying to the Lord for blessing on his house. He spends the first 4/5ths of the chapter saying, "God, you are God." (A little redundant, but you can't question it's truth I suppose...) He praises God for who he is and what he has done in the past. Then he finds the courage to ask the Lord for blessing on his house.
I love the boldness of this prayer! David recognizes that he has no power but that it's all God and then asks the God of the universe for blessings? How durst thou? (That's 'How dare you' in really cool speak.)
How could we ever ask the Lord for blessings on our lives? Isn't the point of prayer to conform our will to the Lord's, not to conform God's will to ours?
Indeed.
But lest we forget, God loves to give us good gifts! And just like your grandma who will get you socks for your birthday if you don't tell her exactly what you want (mine actually got me underwear once, that was entertaining at the party....Thanks, Granny), God will hear your request. He may not always give you exactly what you ask for, but he will give you good gifts, this he promises.
Matthew 7:11 "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
So ask him! We have a direct connection with the creator of the universe. All too often we excuse prayer because, "God hears my thoughts and knows my heart, he knows what I want and what makes my heart break." But there is something to be said for a person who spends intentional time with the Lord pouring out their heart and seeking his will. You'll find that it does conform your will to his and when you ask him for something, he hears you.
Don't skip out on prayer, and don't be weak or fearful in prayer. This God died for you! He wants you! He wants your worship and your praise, and he wants to hear you call upon his name.
"For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saving, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant."
This is David praying to the Lord for blessing on his house. He spends the first 4/5ths of the chapter saying, "God, you are God." (A little redundant, but you can't question it's truth I suppose...) He praises God for who he is and what he has done in the past. Then he finds the courage to ask the Lord for blessing on his house.
I love the boldness of this prayer! David recognizes that he has no power but that it's all God and then asks the God of the universe for blessings? How durst thou? (That's 'How dare you' in really cool speak.)
How could we ever ask the Lord for blessings on our lives? Isn't the point of prayer to conform our will to the Lord's, not to conform God's will to ours?
Indeed.
But lest we forget, God loves to give us good gifts! And just like your grandma who will get you socks for your birthday if you don't tell her exactly what you want (mine actually got me underwear once, that was entertaining at the party....Thanks, Granny), God will hear your request. He may not always give you exactly what you ask for, but he will give you good gifts, this he promises.
Matthew 7:11 "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
So ask him! We have a direct connection with the creator of the universe. All too often we excuse prayer because, "God hears my thoughts and knows my heart, he knows what I want and what makes my heart break." But there is something to be said for a person who spends intentional time with the Lord pouring out their heart and seeking his will. You'll find that it does conform your will to his and when you ask him for something, he hears you.
Don't skip out on prayer, and don't be weak or fearful in prayer. This God died for you! He wants you! He wants your worship and your praise, and he wants to hear you call upon his name.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Nevertheless, not my will, but thine.
This morning I'm reminded of how I don't live but Christ who lives in me. Everything's not me, it's God. What a relief!
I don't do good works, God prepared good works for me beforehand that I could walk in them,
I don't lead people, God leads me.
I don't walk in righteousness, God makes me righteous.
I don't run toward God, He chases me down.
I don't use words of eloquence, God speaks through me.
I don't know anything, God shows me his creation and Himself.
I don't teach, God makes my weakness his strength.
I don't save myself, God sent his son to die in my place so I could live.
I don't sing to the Lord, God gave me a melody and to do anything but sing for the Lord makes no sense.
I don't do my will, God's will becomes mine.
I don't love, God shows me what love is and I do a messy, ugly job of reflecting it.
I don't breathe, God gives me breath.
So what do I do?
I die daily, so that through Christ I may live.
I don't do good works, God prepared good works for me beforehand that I could walk in them,
I don't lead people, God leads me.
I don't walk in righteousness, God makes me righteous.
I don't run toward God, He chases me down.
I don't use words of eloquence, God speaks through me.
I don't know anything, God shows me his creation and Himself.
I don't teach, God makes my weakness his strength.
I don't save myself, God sent his son to die in my place so I could live.
I don't sing to the Lord, God gave me a melody and to do anything but sing for the Lord makes no sense.
I don't do my will, God's will becomes mine.
I don't love, God shows me what love is and I do a messy, ugly job of reflecting it.
I don't breathe, God gives me breath.
So what do I do?
I die daily, so that through Christ I may live.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
White Knuckles
So I've been reading this book called 7. It's kinda wrecking my life.
It's a book about this woman (Jen Hatmaker) who does an experiment (fast) on some areas of excess that we tend to have as Americans, yes even as American Christians. She chooses areas like food, shopping, clothes, stress, media, possessions, and one more that I can't seem to recall right now... Basically, she eats only 7 foods for a month, or wears only 7 items of clothing, or shops at only 7 places. You get the idea. But all of these things are backed up by Scripture, and it's quite convicting to look at how I live in areas that I never really think about. I'm a mindless consumer, but my eyes have been opened.
So I'm not longer comfortable in my super-comfortable life. Last week I took a torch to my closet, figuratively. I counted how many articles of clothing I had. Not counting shoes, and just of my college clothing, I had 150 items. I could not do laundry for like 3 months and not break a sweat... Yay, me! Not.
This kinda grossed me out. Why do I need so much of this stuff? I don't think of myself as a girl who cares all that much about her clothes but somehow I've accumulated 150 of them. So I started getting rid of it. And it was not easy. My goal for myself was to get it down to half its original size, so we're looking at a pretty big adjustment here. But I thought to myself, "No big deal, I don't care about clothes, just imagine the women who you'll be helping when they go to the homeless shelter..." But is that what I imagined? N-O. As I looked through my fairly cute wardrobe all I could think was, "Oh, I have to keep that, it's the perfect color. And I look really good in that one. People always compliment that one, gotta keep it." As I attempted to prove to God that I hold my possessions loosely and they're really all his, please, Jesus take them, all I need is you. I found that I had a pretty tight grip on some of it. I was uncomfortable with not having 50 blouses. And I could rationalize almost any keepsake. But as I slowly studied each article of my attire, I tried to remember my perspective. God blesses us so we can bless others, not so we can hoard as much good in our own lives as possible, but so that we can go out and say, "Hey, God gave me this, and I want to share it with you." Yes, he does that through the gospel. He gave us his son, and the hope of eternal life, but he also does this with our material possessions. We're not just called to spread the gospel, but along the way to spread blessings too.
So I did it. I gave away most of my clothes, because God gave me the grace to see others as more important than my comfort. My flesh said, "No, I need this." But God reminded me, "You have me, and I am all you will ever need." So my life is a little more uncomfortable now, but I am so glad! God has shown me so much already. It's true that when you give you really receive, because I feel more free. Not completely free of consumerism, there are still things I am sure I am clinging to, but little part of me has learned to look for the uncomfortable, to look for ways that God might be able to break me down, because in the inconvenience or the empty spaces, we give him room to move and to show up.
I write this to encourage you, find out what you may be holding onto, and then go at it swinging. It's in our discomfort that God shows us that true comfort only comes from Him.
It's a book about this woman (Jen Hatmaker) who does an experiment (fast) on some areas of excess that we tend to have as Americans, yes even as American Christians. She chooses areas like food, shopping, clothes, stress, media, possessions, and one more that I can't seem to recall right now... Basically, she eats only 7 foods for a month, or wears only 7 items of clothing, or shops at only 7 places. You get the idea. But all of these things are backed up by Scripture, and it's quite convicting to look at how I live in areas that I never really think about. I'm a mindless consumer, but my eyes have been opened.
So I'm not longer comfortable in my super-comfortable life. Last week I took a torch to my closet, figuratively. I counted how many articles of clothing I had. Not counting shoes, and just of my college clothing, I had 150 items. I could not do laundry for like 3 months and not break a sweat... Yay, me! Not.
This kinda grossed me out. Why do I need so much of this stuff? I don't think of myself as a girl who cares all that much about her clothes but somehow I've accumulated 150 of them. So I started getting rid of it. And it was not easy. My goal for myself was to get it down to half its original size, so we're looking at a pretty big adjustment here. But I thought to myself, "No big deal, I don't care about clothes, just imagine the women who you'll be helping when they go to the homeless shelter..." But is that what I imagined? N-O. As I looked through my fairly cute wardrobe all I could think was, "Oh, I have to keep that, it's the perfect color. And I look really good in that one. People always compliment that one, gotta keep it." As I attempted to prove to God that I hold my possessions loosely and they're really all his, please, Jesus take them, all I need is you. I found that I had a pretty tight grip on some of it. I was uncomfortable with not having 50 blouses. And I could rationalize almost any keepsake. But as I slowly studied each article of my attire, I tried to remember my perspective. God blesses us so we can bless others, not so we can hoard as much good in our own lives as possible, but so that we can go out and say, "Hey, God gave me this, and I want to share it with you." Yes, he does that through the gospel. He gave us his son, and the hope of eternal life, but he also does this with our material possessions. We're not just called to spread the gospel, but along the way to spread blessings too.
So I did it. I gave away most of my clothes, because God gave me the grace to see others as more important than my comfort. My flesh said, "No, I need this." But God reminded me, "You have me, and I am all you will ever need." So my life is a little more uncomfortable now, but I am so glad! God has shown me so much already. It's true that when you give you really receive, because I feel more free. Not completely free of consumerism, there are still things I am sure I am clinging to, but little part of me has learned to look for the uncomfortable, to look for ways that God might be able to break me down, because in the inconvenience or the empty spaces, we give him room to move and to show up.
I write this to encourage you, find out what you may be holding onto, and then go at it swinging. It's in our discomfort that God shows us that true comfort only comes from Him.
If so, how then shall we live?
"Inspiration without implementation is pointless."
The other night, one of my friends said, "If we could truly believe the gospel with every fiber of our being, it would radically change the way that we live." I believe this to be true. So where's the radical change in my life? Where's the proof of the gospel?
I've come to a point where I just don't want my life to look anything like a normal American Christian life. Settling for enough Jesus in my life. That disgusts me now. So I'm convicted that the way I live is wrong. I'm also pretty sure that many other American Christians probably feel the same way. I know some do, I've talked with you about it.
So what do we do?
I say we stop talking about it, and do something hard.
I read the pages of the Bible and see ordinary (in some cases, even less than ordinary) people doing extraordinary things for God. And I wonder, "Why aren't we doing stuff like this?" Because we're ok with talking about God and loving him but not being uncomfortable for him. God, you're really cool when you bless me, and when you give me grace and when you save people and when you use me, but I really don't like it when you make me say no to myself... Is this where you are? It's where I recently realized I was, and it's just not ok anymore.
So I'm going for it. Bring on the uncomfortable, the awkward, the different, because staying in this place of comfort and ease is no longer ok. It's no longer ok to pray for generosity but not practice it. It's no longer ok to read my Bible and be convicted but not change. It's no longer ok to wish my brother be warm and well fed but do nothing to make it happen.
It's never been ok to stay in the same place. If I'm to be chasing and seeking God then those words imply movement, they imply difficulty, they imply that God can be found and discovered more fully than I know him now. And I want that. I want more dependency on God.
I live in America and I'm rich. I do not depend on God on a daily basis. But, my friends, that is about to change. I have chosen specific steps to take to draw me closer to God's heart and to his side. I'm going to be with him for eternity soon, and I can't wait to experience him. I'm going to intentionally put myself in places where God can move and expect him to come through.
God said it would be hard for a rich man to make it to heaven. Clearly, we are at a serious disadvantage. It's time to take steps toward God instead of letting him take all the steps toward me.
I'm taking a leap of faith and knowing that God will catch me because he always has and he promised he always will.
Join me?
The other night, one of my friends said, "If we could truly believe the gospel with every fiber of our being, it would radically change the way that we live." I believe this to be true. So where's the radical change in my life? Where's the proof of the gospel?
I've come to a point where I just don't want my life to look anything like a normal American Christian life. Settling for enough Jesus in my life. That disgusts me now. So I'm convicted that the way I live is wrong. I'm also pretty sure that many other American Christians probably feel the same way. I know some do, I've talked with you about it.
So what do we do?
I say we stop talking about it, and do something hard.
I read the pages of the Bible and see ordinary (in some cases, even less than ordinary) people doing extraordinary things for God. And I wonder, "Why aren't we doing stuff like this?" Because we're ok with talking about God and loving him but not being uncomfortable for him. God, you're really cool when you bless me, and when you give me grace and when you save people and when you use me, but I really don't like it when you make me say no to myself... Is this where you are? It's where I recently realized I was, and it's just not ok anymore.
So I'm going for it. Bring on the uncomfortable, the awkward, the different, because staying in this place of comfort and ease is no longer ok. It's no longer ok to pray for generosity but not practice it. It's no longer ok to read my Bible and be convicted but not change. It's no longer ok to wish my brother be warm and well fed but do nothing to make it happen.
It's never been ok to stay in the same place. If I'm to be chasing and seeking God then those words imply movement, they imply difficulty, they imply that God can be found and discovered more fully than I know him now. And I want that. I want more dependency on God.
I live in America and I'm rich. I do not depend on God on a daily basis. But, my friends, that is about to change. I have chosen specific steps to take to draw me closer to God's heart and to his side. I'm going to be with him for eternity soon, and I can't wait to experience him. I'm going to intentionally put myself in places where God can move and expect him to come through.
God said it would be hard for a rich man to make it to heaven. Clearly, we are at a serious disadvantage. It's time to take steps toward God instead of letting him take all the steps toward me.
I'm taking a leap of faith and knowing that God will catch me because he always has and he promised he always will.
Join me?
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Food for Thought
Sit down with someone, anyone, and ask them to tell you their life story (Christians call this their testimony, which is super-cute to me). But chances are you should brace yourself because this story is going to be intense.
We human beings have gone through some stuff. We're all a bit shaken up from things that have happened to us. We all hurt in one way or another and we all find healing or just keep the pain that becomes our companion. We're all messed up. You start digging into somone's life and you start to realize, "Hey, I'm not the only one who's had it kinda rough." When you get involved in someone's life, it's gonna get messy real fast cause that's our lives. We've been through stuff and it clings to us and affects us every day in some way. It's these things that have made us who we are.
From this, I draw that conclusion that we're all broken and looking or holding onto the healing (or something that we think is the healing).
See, we all find something to help us through it. For some it's internalizing, for others it's drugs or alcohol, for others it's relationships, and for some it's God (these people are so smart...). For a long time I was stuck in the internalizing stage, holding back all that had happened to me because I didn't want people to know and give me that oh-I'm-so-sorry-that-happened-to-you-you-poor-dear face. I found my strength in the fact that I could get through stuff on my own. I was stronger than them. This still is a vice for me, I suppose (I love how sometimes when I'm writing things come out and I didn't know they were there...). I also got stuck in the relationships stage too. Finding people to fill the gaps of the loneliness and brokenness is pretty easy, but yet somehow always leaves you wanting more. More friends, deeper friends, more laughs, more fun, more attractive, more of give-me-all-your-attention-please-cause-I'm-important. Worship me, cause I'm strong and cool and smart and fun. And this is where it gets scary. Worship me? What the what? But does this make sense? This realization hit the other day when I realized I wanted all the attention and glory and praise and honor. In other words, worship me, please, because I'm that great.
I'm such a mess, guys. Writing is my therapy.... hahaha
Anyway, what I think I'm getting at is we all have something. Something that makes us messy and broken, and we all have our ways of dealing with it. I have two propositions for you:
1). Stop being so strong. You were never meant to carry the full weight of all that has been given to you. God asks us to give him our burdens and he will carry them, while he gives us his yoke (which is easy and light; also his yoke is not a set of rules to hurt you. They're God saying, "I made you, I know how you work, and if you choose this, it will be death. But if you choose me, it will be life. Please, choose life!"). You don't have to be so strong anymore. God is not glorified when we take everything the world throws at us and say, "Bring it on, I can take that." God is glorified when we take everything the world throws at us and say, "Bring it on, my God can take that for me."
2). Love people, guys. They've been through it just like you. Even when they're having a bad day and they treat you like dirt, you just remember, they've had it rough, and possibly in comparison, you haven't. Life is hard and we've gotta stop beating up on each other. It's not helping, it's hurting us even more. Creating more bitterness and hate. Especially as Christians we must see what God sees, people who need healing and love.
This is why Jesus came. He lived a perfect life because only a perfect sacrifice could pay for my soul and yours. I can't sacrifice enough to get myself into heaven. Nothing I've done will save me, no good deed or kind act. Only by accepting Jesus as my sacrifice and truly surrendering my life to the one who paid my debt will be enough. And that is mercy and grace at it's finest. I get what I don't deserve (heaven and Christ) because of God's overwhelming grace and love for me, absolutely nothing I say or do by myself could get me these things, only by God's grace and mercy. He loves us so much, guys. He wants you to be with Him, and He is so good, I promise.
We human beings have gone through some stuff. We're all a bit shaken up from things that have happened to us. We all hurt in one way or another and we all find healing or just keep the pain that becomes our companion. We're all messed up. You start digging into somone's life and you start to realize, "Hey, I'm not the only one who's had it kinda rough." When you get involved in someone's life, it's gonna get messy real fast cause that's our lives. We've been through stuff and it clings to us and affects us every day in some way. It's these things that have made us who we are.
From this, I draw that conclusion that we're all broken and looking or holding onto the healing (or something that we think is the healing).
See, we all find something to help us through it. For some it's internalizing, for others it's drugs or alcohol, for others it's relationships, and for some it's God (these people are so smart...). For a long time I was stuck in the internalizing stage, holding back all that had happened to me because I didn't want people to know and give me that oh-I'm-so-sorry-that-happened-to-you-you-poor-dear face. I found my strength in the fact that I could get through stuff on my own. I was stronger than them. This still is a vice for me, I suppose (I love how sometimes when I'm writing things come out and I didn't know they were there...). I also got stuck in the relationships stage too. Finding people to fill the gaps of the loneliness and brokenness is pretty easy, but yet somehow always leaves you wanting more. More friends, deeper friends, more laughs, more fun, more attractive, more of give-me-all-your-attention-please-cause-I'm-important. Worship me, cause I'm strong and cool and smart and fun. And this is where it gets scary. Worship me? What the what? But does this make sense? This realization hit the other day when I realized I wanted all the attention and glory and praise and honor. In other words, worship me, please, because I'm that great.
I'm such a mess, guys. Writing is my therapy.... hahaha
Anyway, what I think I'm getting at is we all have something. Something that makes us messy and broken, and we all have our ways of dealing with it. I have two propositions for you:
1). Stop being so strong. You were never meant to carry the full weight of all that has been given to you. God asks us to give him our burdens and he will carry them, while he gives us his yoke (which is easy and light; also his yoke is not a set of rules to hurt you. They're God saying, "I made you, I know how you work, and if you choose this, it will be death. But if you choose me, it will be life. Please, choose life!"). You don't have to be so strong anymore. God is not glorified when we take everything the world throws at us and say, "Bring it on, I can take that." God is glorified when we take everything the world throws at us and say, "Bring it on, my God can take that for me."
2). Love people, guys. They've been through it just like you. Even when they're having a bad day and they treat you like dirt, you just remember, they've had it rough, and possibly in comparison, you haven't. Life is hard and we've gotta stop beating up on each other. It's not helping, it's hurting us even more. Creating more bitterness and hate. Especially as Christians we must see what God sees, people who need healing and love.
This is why Jesus came. He lived a perfect life because only a perfect sacrifice could pay for my soul and yours. I can't sacrifice enough to get myself into heaven. Nothing I've done will save me, no good deed or kind act. Only by accepting Jesus as my sacrifice and truly surrendering my life to the one who paid my debt will be enough. And that is mercy and grace at it's finest. I get what I don't deserve (heaven and Christ) because of God's overwhelming grace and love for me, absolutely nothing I say or do by myself could get me these things, only by God's grace and mercy. He loves us so much, guys. He wants you to be with Him, and He is so good, I promise.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
No More Coverups
Warning: this post may challenge you and make you uncomfortable, if that scares you I hope you keep reading! =)
So lately I've been confronted with a lot of sin in my life. It's pretty much always been there in one form or another and I fairly recently learned how much it was impacting my life. That was probably a year ago that this realization occured. You want to know how many people I told? Zero. Yeah, and that's the first issue I want to address here.
As Christians we tend to get so comfortable in our "Christianity" (I say this in quotes because I don't think this was ever intended to be a part of real Christianity) that we get over God using us. We get so "old" or "mature" in our Christian lives that we think that God is done using us for our mistakes and is ready to start using us for our amazingly great acts of service, because we've been Christians so long we don't mess up and we don't struggle with the "Big Sins." Well, let me say flat out: I am a Christian and I do struggle with sin. a lot. And I think that every Christian who is brutally honest with themselves will agree. If you're having trouble with this and don't think you apply, maybe sit down with a close friend and see what they may think you struggle with (it may be pride... just saying) and confront your sin. Come face to face with the fact that you, yes wonderful little Jesus loving you, do struggle with sin on a daily basis.
Ok, now to the even more nitty gritty (oh goodie =)). I think that we go so far with this sin/struggle covering up business that we find ourselves both a.) deceiving ourselves and believing that we really don't struggle with sin, and b.) thinking that we are alone in our struggle because no one else wants to admit it either. So we're all stuck in this viscious cycle of holding in what we deal with to appear as everyone else does. Now, what does this make us? Dumb. We're all covering up ourselves to look like each other, how confusing.
(Does your head hurt yet? Mine does! You can do it, just a few more paragraphs!)
So to combat thinking that you really don't stuggle with sin, I suggest you sit down and shine light on every aspect of who you are until you find what it is, and then go to war with it! Fight it, ask God to remove it and give you strength!
And to combat you thinking you're alone, and this is the icky part: tell someone. Fact is, we're all struggling with something and just waiting for someone they can talk to about it without feeling ashamed. But if we all keep our masks of perfection and super-spirituality on then we can't help each other with our issues. We're all dying behind our fascade of perfection. How ironic!
Why is it so hard to be real? Maybe it's because it's icky. No one wants to deal with bad behaviors/sins. No one wants to talk about the fact that they can't stop thinking about sex, or that they're addicted to food, or that they lie constantly just for attention. It's awkward and embarrassing. UNLESS, you both deal with it. Then it's progress. It's a mutual realization of sin and a way to move forward together. We weren't meant to do life alone. God created and Adam and saw that it was not good for him to be alone! How are you and I different from that? (hint: we're not!) God created us as his body to lift each other up and to mend each others wounds, isn't that what the body does? But if we don't let anyone know we're hurt how will they be able to help us heal? I'm not saying healing can't happen just between you and God, but a good sister or brother in Christ is exactly the catalyst God prescribes.
My advice, just do it. Forget being the perfect little cookie cutter Christian and open yourself up to the idea that God may be letting you deal with this specific sin in order for you to help someone else with the same issue. Showing people that you're not perfect does not make you look weak, instead it shows that you do not rely on this world for your worth but on God. Not saying it's easy, by all means it's probably one of the hardest things to do, but if you really want to see God at work in your life, be clay in his hands. He'll take you on one crazy ride, I promise.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
So lately I've been confronted with a lot of sin in my life. It's pretty much always been there in one form or another and I fairly recently learned how much it was impacting my life. That was probably a year ago that this realization occured. You want to know how many people I told? Zero. Yeah, and that's the first issue I want to address here.
As Christians we tend to get so comfortable in our "Christianity" (I say this in quotes because I don't think this was ever intended to be a part of real Christianity) that we get over God using us. We get so "old" or "mature" in our Christian lives that we think that God is done using us for our mistakes and is ready to start using us for our amazingly great acts of service, because we've been Christians so long we don't mess up and we don't struggle with the "Big Sins." Well, let me say flat out: I am a Christian and I do struggle with sin. a lot. And I think that every Christian who is brutally honest with themselves will agree. If you're having trouble with this and don't think you apply, maybe sit down with a close friend and see what they may think you struggle with (it may be pride... just saying) and confront your sin. Come face to face with the fact that you, yes wonderful little Jesus loving you, do struggle with sin on a daily basis.
Ok, now to the even more nitty gritty (oh goodie =)). I think that we go so far with this sin/struggle covering up business that we find ourselves both a.) deceiving ourselves and believing that we really don't struggle with sin, and b.) thinking that we are alone in our struggle because no one else wants to admit it either. So we're all stuck in this viscious cycle of holding in what we deal with to appear as everyone else does. Now, what does this make us? Dumb. We're all covering up ourselves to look like each other, how confusing.
(Does your head hurt yet? Mine does! You can do it, just a few more paragraphs!)
So to combat thinking that you really don't stuggle with sin, I suggest you sit down and shine light on every aspect of who you are until you find what it is, and then go to war with it! Fight it, ask God to remove it and give you strength!
And to combat you thinking you're alone, and this is the icky part: tell someone. Fact is, we're all struggling with something and just waiting for someone they can talk to about it without feeling ashamed. But if we all keep our masks of perfection and super-spirituality on then we can't help each other with our issues. We're all dying behind our fascade of perfection. How ironic!
Why is it so hard to be real? Maybe it's because it's icky. No one wants to deal with bad behaviors/sins. No one wants to talk about the fact that they can't stop thinking about sex, or that they're addicted to food, or that they lie constantly just for attention. It's awkward and embarrassing. UNLESS, you both deal with it. Then it's progress. It's a mutual realization of sin and a way to move forward together. We weren't meant to do life alone. God created and Adam and saw that it was not good for him to be alone! How are you and I different from that? (hint: we're not!) God created us as his body to lift each other up and to mend each others wounds, isn't that what the body does? But if we don't let anyone know we're hurt how will they be able to help us heal? I'm not saying healing can't happen just between you and God, but a good sister or brother in Christ is exactly the catalyst God prescribes.
My advice, just do it. Forget being the perfect little cookie cutter Christian and open yourself up to the idea that God may be letting you deal with this specific sin in order for you to help someone else with the same issue. Showing people that you're not perfect does not make you look weak, instead it shows that you do not rely on this world for your worth but on God. Not saying it's easy, by all means it's probably one of the hardest things to do, but if you really want to see God at work in your life, be clay in his hands. He'll take you on one crazy ride, I promise.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Problem of Evil (An Abbreviated, Though Still Quite Lengthy, Answer)
Where was God when.....?
Lately this question has been surrounding me everywhere it seems. I was asked recently by a friend where God was when something bad happened to him. My initial reaction was that God is where he always is. Which now that I think about it is very vague. But recent events in my life, and the fact that I hate giving crap answers, has made me ponder this question even more.
Where is God when bad things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Perhaps what we really want to know is why God if he's loving and we follow him and he has the power to do anything would ever let bad things happen to us. Do we somehow deserve this treatment?
I think we should go back to the beginning of the story. Genesis 3. Most of the time we think of ourselves as wonderful people that try very hard to do the right thing and be a good person. But when we travel back to the story of Adam and Eve we are confronted with the fact that even people who had physically walked and talked with God questioned his authority and ultimately sinned the sin that cursed the whole world.
What we must first remember when questioning why bad things happen to good people is that no one is a "good" person. While we may be significantly better than the person standing behind us in the line at wal-mart, or we may ever be better than the latest pastor who committed some scandal in the church, God doesn't compare us to earthly standards. God measures us according to his standard, which happens to be perfection. Crap. I don't quite make that cut, do you? When God looks at me, he could easily think of the many times I've broken his commands (I've personally broken all of them at least once. Impressive, huh?), or the times I've not trusted his promises, or when I've flat out yelled at him and questioned him. But the point is, that's not what God sees when he looks at me! Because of his grace and love he sees his daughter that he loves so much he sent his son to die for, and he sees a heart longing for his presence dispite the many times I fail to do so.
So we're not good people, back to Genesis 3. (sorry for taking such a long trail away from it.) It seems we're so bad as a species that we can't even make it three chapters into the Bible without screwing something up. (I doubt I would have even made it that long. Props to Adam and Eve.) Anywho, this is where God allows Satan to curse the earth. We will now have pain in labor and will have to work the ground all of our days. (Thanks a lot, Adam and Eve...) Soon after, Cain kills his brother Abel (who was super-righteous btw, probably didn't "deserve" that. Where was God?).
So is it God's fault that bad things happen or is it humanity's fault? We brought in sin and evil into this world. And when God sent his son to die for OUR sins so that we could spend eternity with him (now there's something we don't deserve!) he didn't make it so that followers of him would be granted easy lives, no! all through the Bible it seems that people who truly follow after God have harder lives. Most die, or at least lose everything they had! Kinda makes my little, Why God? question seems silly in comparison. In this life we will have pain, that's just life, it's not God's fault any more than it is our own fault (though we would never want to admit it).
So do I never ask the Where was God? question. Of course I do. I've asked it many times.
Where was God when my brother died? Where was God when my uncle shot himself? And where is God now that my dad has cancer? These are all questions I've asked and am still asking. But I find that God is right there with me. He had pain on this earth too, remember, people (us) kinda crucified him. ouch. God knows what pain feels like, and he knows how to take it away. He gives peace because I know that this world is not my home! Because I know that God is with me and gives me strength and power. Because I know that even when it doesn't feel like it and things get crazy, he loves me so strongly that I can't even comprehend it.
So where was God?
Same place he always is, right there with us.
And unless we push him aside that's where he will remain. He never fails, never changes. I know from personal experience that only God can give peace when bad things happen and things don't make sense.
Just remember, when bad things happen, God didn't make it happen, he allowed it to happen, just like he allows you and I to make any choice we want to: to lean on him or to walk away.
I realize this is not a comprehensive answer and there are a million things more that I need to say to really get to the bottom of the problem of evil. If you're confused by my almost unintelligible writing style (it's ok), feel free to ask me sometime (when we have long enough to actually discuss it), I'd love to chat about it.
Sorry this post was uber-long. Thanks for reading.
Also, prayer request, my dad is beginning treatments really soon so ifyou could keep him and my family in your prayers, I'd greatly appreciate it! Our God is healer, awesome in power, and we can boldly approach his throne!
I love you all!
Lately this question has been surrounding me everywhere it seems. I was asked recently by a friend where God was when something bad happened to him. My initial reaction was that God is where he always is. Which now that I think about it is very vague. But recent events in my life, and the fact that I hate giving crap answers, has made me ponder this question even more.
Where is God when bad things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Perhaps what we really want to know is why God if he's loving and we follow him and he has the power to do anything would ever let bad things happen to us. Do we somehow deserve this treatment?
I think we should go back to the beginning of the story. Genesis 3. Most of the time we think of ourselves as wonderful people that try very hard to do the right thing and be a good person. But when we travel back to the story of Adam and Eve we are confronted with the fact that even people who had physically walked and talked with God questioned his authority and ultimately sinned the sin that cursed the whole world.
What we must first remember when questioning why bad things happen to good people is that no one is a "good" person. While we may be significantly better than the person standing behind us in the line at wal-mart, or we may ever be better than the latest pastor who committed some scandal in the church, God doesn't compare us to earthly standards. God measures us according to his standard, which happens to be perfection. Crap. I don't quite make that cut, do you? When God looks at me, he could easily think of the many times I've broken his commands (I've personally broken all of them at least once. Impressive, huh?), or the times I've not trusted his promises, or when I've flat out yelled at him and questioned him. But the point is, that's not what God sees when he looks at me! Because of his grace and love he sees his daughter that he loves so much he sent his son to die for, and he sees a heart longing for his presence dispite the many times I fail to do so.
So we're not good people, back to Genesis 3. (sorry for taking such a long trail away from it.) It seems we're so bad as a species that we can't even make it three chapters into the Bible without screwing something up. (I doubt I would have even made it that long. Props to Adam and Eve.) Anywho, this is where God allows Satan to curse the earth. We will now have pain in labor and will have to work the ground all of our days. (Thanks a lot, Adam and Eve...) Soon after, Cain kills his brother Abel (who was super-righteous btw, probably didn't "deserve" that. Where was God?).
So is it God's fault that bad things happen or is it humanity's fault? We brought in sin and evil into this world. And when God sent his son to die for OUR sins so that we could spend eternity with him (now there's something we don't deserve!) he didn't make it so that followers of him would be granted easy lives, no! all through the Bible it seems that people who truly follow after God have harder lives. Most die, or at least lose everything they had! Kinda makes my little, Why God? question seems silly in comparison. In this life we will have pain, that's just life, it's not God's fault any more than it is our own fault (though we would never want to admit it).
So do I never ask the Where was God? question. Of course I do. I've asked it many times.
Where was God when my brother died? Where was God when my uncle shot himself? And where is God now that my dad has cancer? These are all questions I've asked and am still asking. But I find that God is right there with me. He had pain on this earth too, remember, people (us) kinda crucified him. ouch. God knows what pain feels like, and he knows how to take it away. He gives peace because I know that this world is not my home! Because I know that God is with me and gives me strength and power. Because I know that even when it doesn't feel like it and things get crazy, he loves me so strongly that I can't even comprehend it.
So where was God?
Same place he always is, right there with us.
And unless we push him aside that's where he will remain. He never fails, never changes. I know from personal experience that only God can give peace when bad things happen and things don't make sense.
Just remember, when bad things happen, God didn't make it happen, he allowed it to happen, just like he allows you and I to make any choice we want to: to lean on him or to walk away.
I realize this is not a comprehensive answer and there are a million things more that I need to say to really get to the bottom of the problem of evil. If you're confused by my almost unintelligible writing style (it's ok), feel free to ask me sometime (when we have long enough to actually discuss it), I'd love to chat about it.
Sorry this post was uber-long. Thanks for reading.
Also, prayer request, my dad is beginning treatments really soon so ifyou could keep him and my family in your prayers, I'd greatly appreciate it! Our God is healer, awesome in power, and we can boldly approach his throne!
I love you all!
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