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.