Christ-like

Be gracious.

/ Set Apart / Leave a comment

There are lots and lots of people on Earth, and each one comes with an opinion, as we well know.

In the unexpectedly mild aftermath of Hurricane Laura for my immediate area, some are ungrateful, and complaining that they were “inconvenienced” by the evacuation for “no reason”. They list many reasons why this whole thing was an overreaction, and why it shouldn’t have been so hyped up.

On the contrary, some are very grateful, and realize the evacuation wasn’t for no reason. Had the storm remained on track, and not jogged 30 miles East at the exact ideal second for us, we would be in Lake Charles’ shoes. We could have hardly anything recognizable to go back to. They believe God had mercy on SETX, sparing us from devastation at a time when some are still recovering from Harvey, Imelda, and the TPC explosion.

Then there are the ones who think it’s selfish to be grateful, because, as I said stated to several people before the storm made landfall, who is God going to favor when everyone is praying for the same thing? I understand all points of view, and normally try to empathize with everyone.

Except I get so angry when people with their big opinions, and their keyboard warrior courage, get online and start bashing ways of thinking that differ from their own.

Why post complaints, and who tries to publicly shame thankful people for being thankful?

I remember reading people’s commentary about how thankful they were when water came just to the edge of their doorways during Harvey, but they “prayed so hard”, and God spared them. I thought, “Well, good for you. I guess God hates me because I prayed as well, and 2 feet of water flooded my brand new home, so why don’t you go be happy with your dry self, and shut up”… but I didn’t actually address them; I said it to myself. Of course, God doesn’t hate anyone, and He had a good plan for me and my family all along. It was hard in the moment, but we received the strength we needed at the moment we needed it.

I also get that we shouldn’t only be thankful, and not care for the well being of others. We should go be a helper, and look for ways to serve those in need since we were spared.

I don’t have any actual answers, but my thoughts are like this: We don’t understand the sovereignty of God. Why even try? Look at all the awfulness in the world. We can’t make what we see happening all around us match up to what we know about the good character of God. He loved us enough to send Jesus to reconcile us to Himself, yet He allows so much pain and incomprehensible suffering for those His Son died to save. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap our heads around that.

Regarding this major hurricane that we just escaped from, it simply wasn’t our turn this time, and that doesn’t mean it won’t be again later. But mainly, the point is, we need to realize in ALL circumstances God is good. He allows what He allows, and sometimes we don’t like it, but sometimes we do. In 2017, we didn’t like it one bit, but Louisiana was spared, and they liked it, and were happy to assist all over SETX. This time we mostly like how things went, and we should be happy to help where we can.

The fact is, it’s early yet. September has been known to send some monster storms. Being all judge-y and stupid is not a good idea. Why can’t people just give each other grace? I need a LOT, and I try to give some because, thankfully, I get a lot.

“Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’”

Matthew 18:33 NLT

What Is Your Life?

/ Set Apart / 8 Comments

What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be.

-Unknown

I have noticed it many times in different situations. Most prominently when we go to estate sales. You walk through these homes, and see all these things the owners have accumulated. Most of the sales are being held to empty out the home of the owner who recently died. There are all sorts of things… pots & pans, furniture, books, clothing, luggage, vintage stuff. I have even seen graduation gowns for sale at these sales. Why do we keep these things? No one is going to buy that. It means nothing to anyone but the parent of the child that wore it. A lot of times there is medical equipment too, like dialysis chairs, bed pans, wheel chairs, oxygen tanks, etc. The house holds everything that made up the lives of those who lived there… but they are gone now. You can’t meet them, you can’t talk to them, and you can’t ask them about their stuff. I walk through and pick up things, and I imagine… I can see children running through the house. I can see the mom standing at the stove preparing meals for her family to serve on those plates now for sale. I can see the dad sitting in the recliner watching the news. Then the children grow up and move out and there are a few precious years of adjusting to an empty nest before the parents grow old and all the medical equipment has to be brought in. One spouse dies, then the other, then the children have to divide all the “assets”. The house is not their home anymore, and it is sold to another family, and the cycle starts over. What did those lives mean? What did they accomplish? They have all this stuff that meant so much, yet meant absolutely nothing. And that’s the “best case” scenario. Sometimes the lives have been tragically ended too soon for some of the family members. Those are even sadder existences.

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes”.

-James 4:14

Everything we strive for seems so pointless in light of the end of this earthly life. I think nothing matters in this world except leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I had an idea in my mind when I was young, but it was never part of God’s plan for me. The harder I strived for it, the further away it got, until finally we fell off the cliff. We had to hit the bottom of the ravine to be lifted back up, but not back to where we had been.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

-Isaiah 55:8-9

To a higher place. The place we had been meant to be all along, if only we had been FIRST, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness as the Bible instructs in Matthew 6:33. Instead we were walking along like these robotic people that followed the way we thought we should go. The way everyone before us had gone.

God’s love is poured out in the Bible chapter by chapter, verse by verse, so we might understand and accept that His intentions for us are as unique as a snowflake and as extravagant as an ocean sunset.

-Gwen Smith | Proverbs 31 Ministries

God created each of us for a specific purpose and only we can fulfill that purpose for His glory. There is no need to try to be like someone else.

“I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands but the one who receives it”.

-Revelation 2:17

It’s taken years, and many painful, tearful days, and lots of battle scars, but I finally see we were never meant to have the perfect life, the perfect marriage, the perfect jobs, the perfect house, with the perfectly maintained yard, and the perfect vehicles, and the perfectly clean & tidy home and garage, going to the perfect church, with the perfectly popular kids who excel in all they attempt (and they attempt it all because they are perfect), and I stay at home and cook the perfect meals, and I am perfectly organized in my schedule, having all things clean, stocked, and provided. IT’S NOT ABOUT US!!! It’s about Jesus! We are here, we are saved, but we are imperfect in EVERY WAY, and we are supposed to be a light in the darkness. Light for the lost and broken people. We are why Jesus came. He didn’t come for the “perfect” people. He came for the broken, scarred, and hopeless. He is Hope, and He came that we can have hope, and we can offer hope to those like us… broken, but still here. We are only here for a small sliver of time. We don’t have much of an opportunity to make a dent in billions of lost people in this world. We must share the good news of Jesus with great haste. People are dying and slipping off into Hell all around us… and we dare to worry about OUR “problems”??? We are destined for Heaven! Everything else here is just gravy! I have this vision of passing through because that’s really all we are doing… passing through… and my arms are outstretched, and I am scooping up as many lost people as I can on my way through and bringing them with me to Heaven. That is why I am here. Not to “succeed” by the world’s standard of success.

It has not been easy to come to this understanding, and as I come into the realization of it, all I can do is think of my 3 sons. I didn’t teach them that. I spent their childhood trying to accomplish goals and “get there” in life. I taught them about Jesus, and they have all made a profession of faith, but I didn’t teach them that Jesus, a real & rich relationship with Jesus, and furthering His Kingdom is ALL that matters. Yes, we have to have certain things to survive, but we don’t have to accumulate “stuff”. We don’t have to try and “keep up” with others. Our kids can learn that what is important to some people doesn’t have to be important to us. We have to know what is important, and that is eternity.

I have fought a long, hard, exhausting battle to get here. I have been down so far that I thought I was defeated. It appeared I would not be able to overcome the attacks of the devil. He fought hard against me and my family. He has pulled off schemes I never dreamed possible… BUT GOD never gave up on me. We are not defeated, and if it took this “mess” to get me to understand, I’m am grateful for every last “failure”.

Fully, 100 percent chosen and fully, 100 percent known. Every good and bad thing… known! It didn’t keep Him from giving His all for us, and He still keeps giving. Many can’t know the power of this sacred privilege until they struggle enough in life to understand their need for it.

-Mike Colaw

He has restored, and is continuing to restore what was lost through the broken relationships, the moves, the disappointments, and the perceived failures. He has given us a testimony while we were busy making plans for our life. If only I had realized this sooner, a lot of pain could have been avoided, a lot less people would have been hurt, a lot of regrets wouldn’t exist… but I have to believe He is going to use it all for good (Romans 8:28). There’s no room for bitterness, resentment, anger, jealousy, regrets, or anything like that in a heart for Christ.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

-Ephesians 4:31

Thank You, Jesus, for allowing me to be teachable. I know I still have much to learn.

You’re making me like You

Clothing me in white

Bringing beauty from ashes

For You will have Your bride …

Free of all her guilt

And rid of all her shame

And known by her true name

And that’s why I sing …

Your praise will ever be on my lips

-Bethel Music | Ever Be