Do you ever find yourself sitting down or settling in wherever you are, taking a deep breath in preparation to enter prayer, and then...you stop. You wonder, who am I, that anything I pray for is so important? There are millions of people in the world, so why should I be more important than any of them? What really sets me apart, that God would take time out of his assuredly busy schedule to listen to my plea, and then do something about it?
I have these moments. I'm sure everyone does from time to time. It's usually around the same time that, for some reason or another, there is a situation that is becoming more and more difficult to deal with. You've integrated the situation into your prayer sessions, and still as far as you can see nothing has changed, and nothing you are doing or have tried to do is showing any promise of improving the situation either. It's, perhaps, begun to feel as though nothing will change this predicament you're in. It feels as though it's hopeless, a lost cause, and you begin to tell yourself that you might as well get used to it.
Some people call this rock bottom. We have all been there, in one way or another. It is in these moments of hardship that you may feel there is no point to praying, because surely there is someone more important to attend to. It is also in these moments when it is most important to turn to prayer anyway. You should pray about it, and you should believe that something will be done to ease the hurt. It is in these moments, when it is perhaps the hardest to believe, that your belief is so important.
It's been written in the bible, John 14: 13-14, "(13)And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14)If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." This is pretty straight forward. You pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and whatever you ask of Him, He will do.
There's one catch.
The Lord won't necessarily answer your prayer in the way you want it to be answered. I'll use myself as an example. I graduated college last year in May. By October I still did not have a job, and my loans were due at the end of November. I'd been praying for a job, and I kept praying even as the days grew closer. I wanted a job that would have me writing, but over 600 applications had gone by without any calls or emails back. Finally, I got an interview and a job at Macy's.
This was not what I wanted. However, it pays enough to cover my private student loans, and my federal loans have been postponed due to an income-based repayment option, in which they agree that I cannot survive on my own income at this point so they cut me some slack. After loans, bus fees, gas money, and a small cellphone bill I have almost no money left at the end of each month. My husband and I live at home with my parents and my 26 year old brother who is also drowning in college loans. If I didn't live at home, I would not have enough money to pay my loans and survive. When I feel despaired at the predicaments my "dead end retail job" puts me in, I have to take a moment and remind myself how truly blessed I am with the life I am living. God has not given me what I wanted, but he has given me what I need.
I still apply for other jobs -- writing jobs, and jobs that are closer to home -- and I still do not get call backs despite my skills and my college degree. I am still not getting the job that I want, but in those moments of difficulty and despair I close my eyes and try to grasp onto the knowledge and sureness that He is giving me what I need, when I need it, and that the perfect job for me will be revealed to me in good time. After all, He is my creator. He knows me better than I know myself, and so I think I can trust Him enough to do what is right for me.
Some people call this process, "giving in to the will of the universe." Some call it, "let go and let God." I don't really see much of a difference between the two, since God is the reason the universe exists in the first place. He knows what you need. So when you settle in to pray, or to seek guidance from the 'powers that be,' or spirits, or the universe (all of which, truly, are different ways of referring to our one true Creator), if you find yourself wondering if He'll even get around to you or if there's even any point, just know that there is. Remember that He hears you. He's got a plan for you. Remember that He will never give you any more than He knows you can handle, and He will always provide you with what you need.
Remember all of this, and then just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Prayer Request:
That you will find the answers that you need. Nothing more, nothing less. Always enough.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
"look," said He, "look and truly see."
How do you see God?
It's written in the bible (in a few places, I think) that if any living being were to look upon God face to face, while in a mortal body, they will surely perish. One example of this is here, in Exodus 33:30, "And He said, 'thou cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.' " So, going literally by these words, we an't able to, while we live on earth in our mortal bodies, see God. Yet here I am dedicating a blog to just that. Sure a lot of my topics lately have been more just ambling talks of different things relating to God and us and Christianity, but it's all in some way tied into the things I see and hear and feel in my daily life that show me His presence.
So, how do I see God? I see Him in the face of every individual I pass, in every unsolicited smile. I see Him in the way a man stops the stampede of people trying to get on the bus so that a couple with two small children can get by without difficulty. I see Him in the chalk drawings on the path in the city's park, leftover from a church youth group who came and drew crosses and scripture on the stone walkway. I see Him in the sticker on the post box by the street, with a cross and the text, "Smile, God loves you." In this way, I see Him in the work of humans.
I also see Him in the flower my mother placed in a glass vase by the sink, in the way the color fades perfectly from pale sunshine at the tips to the deepest gold in the center. I see Him each morning and evening in the sunrise and set, and in how it truly is the most awe-inspiring, the most perfect of watercolor paintings. During the day, He is there in the detailed puffs and wisps of each cloud in the sky. At night, when the world has quieted, He is the amazing span of diamonds high outside my window. He is there in each and every creature in the forest surrounding my home.
And of course, coming closer to my heart, He is the love I feel for my family, though I may not always like them. He is the bond I feel with my husband. He is the laughter and fun I enjoy with my dearest friends. He is the gratitude and grace I feel each time I stop and think of all that He has done, and all that He surely will.
So then, how do you see God? How, when according to some there is supposedly no proof or evidence that He exists at all, do you witness His hand in the workings of the world?
It is simple.
You see God by opening your eyes to what is already there and seeing it in a way that perhaps you never even imagined you could. You see God by seeing the world; by seeing that it is not always beautiful but that, somehow, that lack of beauty and those perfect imperfections lend it a certain quality that it is all the more beautiful for.
You see God by seeing yourself. Because who other than the Lord himself could make something as perfect as you?
Prayer Requests:
For those who's eyes are still unopened, that their eyelids begin to flutter open into the light of a new day.
Oh, and a random PS: big shout out to Russia, for being the only country beside my own who apparently reads my blog. Hi!
It's written in the bible (in a few places, I think) that if any living being were to look upon God face to face, while in a mortal body, they will surely perish. One example of this is here, in Exodus 33:30, "And He said, 'thou cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.' " So, going literally by these words, we an't able to, while we live on earth in our mortal bodies, see God. Yet here I am dedicating a blog to just that. Sure a lot of my topics lately have been more just ambling talks of different things relating to God and us and Christianity, but it's all in some way tied into the things I see and hear and feel in my daily life that show me His presence.
So, how do I see God? I see Him in the face of every individual I pass, in every unsolicited smile. I see Him in the way a man stops the stampede of people trying to get on the bus so that a couple with two small children can get by without difficulty. I see Him in the chalk drawings on the path in the city's park, leftover from a church youth group who came and drew crosses and scripture on the stone walkway. I see Him in the sticker on the post box by the street, with a cross and the text, "Smile, God loves you." In this way, I see Him in the work of humans.
I also see Him in the flower my mother placed in a glass vase by the sink, in the way the color fades perfectly from pale sunshine at the tips to the deepest gold in the center. I see Him each morning and evening in the sunrise and set, and in how it truly is the most awe-inspiring, the most perfect of watercolor paintings. During the day, He is there in the detailed puffs and wisps of each cloud in the sky. At night, when the world has quieted, He is the amazing span of diamonds high outside my window. He is there in each and every creature in the forest surrounding my home.
And of course, coming closer to my heart, He is the love I feel for my family, though I may not always like them. He is the bond I feel with my husband. He is the laughter and fun I enjoy with my dearest friends. He is the gratitude and grace I feel each time I stop and think of all that He has done, and all that He surely will.
So then, how do you see God? How, when according to some there is supposedly no proof or evidence that He exists at all, do you witness His hand in the workings of the world?
It is simple.
You see God by opening your eyes to what is already there and seeing it in a way that perhaps you never even imagined you could. You see God by seeing the world; by seeing that it is not always beautiful but that, somehow, that lack of beauty and those perfect imperfections lend it a certain quality that it is all the more beautiful for.
You see God by seeing yourself. Because who other than the Lord himself could make something as perfect as you?
Prayer Requests:
For those who's eyes are still unopened, that their eyelids begin to flutter open into the light of a new day.
Oh, and a random PS: big shout out to Russia, for being the only country beside my own who apparently reads my blog. Hi!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
There are many Christians in the world. Among them, there are many "types" of Christian. There are those who go to church each Sunday, and can't imagine a week without it, or that other Christians needn't, or can't, go to church weekly. Some even go to church on multiple days of the week. Then, there are those (such as myself) who feel lucky if they are able to make it to church (the physical building) once every month or so, but who may still attend church (without the physical place or the group of others) in their own way.
For me, church on Sunday morning is usually a bus to work and a pair of headphones playing christian rock songs or general worship tunes. It may not seem like much to some, but it's all it needs to be -- a quiet moment, between me and God, to worship.
Oh goodness, why is she going on and on about how people go to church in different ways?
Because I want to talk about how some people, sometimes, judge others. This church scenario just so happens to be my first example.
I've been told outright by some Christians I've met that you (the general "you" here) can't be a Christian if you don't go to church, or if you haven't read the bible from cover to cover, or if you believe in/pray to the trinity instead of just in the name of God. That last one was one of the stranger, "you can't be if," claims that I've heard in some time. But it doesn't really matter what their reasons are, the fact that they are dictating why someone "can't" be a Christian is ridiculous in and of itself.
How can someone even begin to come up with rules or reasons for why anyone can or can't be a Christian? As if it were up to them to pass out judgement, as if they were able to see how a person's relationship with God is fairing! As I said in my previous post, your relationship with God is personal and intimate. How would you feel if someone came up to you and your significant other and started listing off reasons for why you two couldn't possibly be in love?
Now, unfortunately, it's not so uncommon for a person to try and do such things in today's world, but does that mean they should? Who are they to dictate regulations for how your romantic relationships should work? In the same way, who are they to do the same with your relationship with God? Who's to say you need to go to church, anyway? Who's to say you must read the bible in order to be a Christian? Surely any true Christian will want to read the bible, will feel at the very least a curiosity towards it at one point in their life, but is it really a requirement? There are Christians in restricted nations who go through their entire LIVES never even laying eyes on a single page of the bible. They still live and die as Christians; some even die as Christian martyrs.
There are reason abound for people to judge other people, and for Christians to judge other Christians. Someone judges someone because of how they look, or talk, or act. A Christian might judge another Christian on those same reasons, but some also judge on their beliefs. If I were to tell every Christian I met everything that I believe in, I'm certain that at least half of them would pass judgement. Some may even see some of my beliefs as sacrilegious.
Here's a quick rundown: I am a Christian with every fiber of my being -- I know and feel this, and am aware of His presence in every moment of every day. In addition, I'm a Native American, and learning about that culture has shown me that the native beliefs pan in very well with Christianity (I won't go into detail, because it could be -- and probably is -- an entire book). I also believe that dragons existed, and that they likely still do and are simply smart enough to stay hidden. I believe in fairies (the Irish Folklore kind), and along those same lines I believe that practically all of the mythical creatures from stories and cultures all over the world could exist, and how are we to know for sure either way?
I also believe in magic. I believe that miracles are a sort of magic -- a God granted magic -- and that anything granted by his nemesis could also, in name, be a sort of magic. Some would hear this and ask, "How can you call yourself a Christian and also claim belief in these things?" My answer: To be a Christian is to believe with your every fiber that God exists, that He loves the world, and that He died for you. As many people will point out, there is no physical evidence or proof for these things. We go on faith. In my Christian beliefs, faith is more than enough for me. So why not in other areas as well?
I apologize if I've rambled. My examples of what people might be judged on as a Christian ran away with me a bit (and I technically wrote this post over the course of two days, which added to the length considerably), but I hope everything helped to illustrate my point. You can believe anything you want, and it is up to God and God alone to judge you on such things -- on anything. As Christians we are not here to judge. We are here to love. We are here to share that love with everyone we possibly can, and we are here to share His truth and spread it to every corner of the earth. Yes, we all sin, and so it is bound to happen that we will judge someone in some way. But next time you find yourself passing judgement on someone for any reason, I hope I've planted a thought in your mind that will make you pause, and rethink, even for just a moment.
As always, God bless and God speed! I'll throw in a bit of an "allons-y!" as well.
Prayer Request:
That all Christians learn to love one another, and learn to love everyone ELSE in the world as well! It is surely a difficult thing to do as a human being, but we pray for little victories and big success.
For me, church on Sunday morning is usually a bus to work and a pair of headphones playing christian rock songs or general worship tunes. It may not seem like much to some, but it's all it needs to be -- a quiet moment, between me and God, to worship.
Oh goodness, why is she going on and on about how people go to church in different ways?
Because I want to talk about how some people, sometimes, judge others. This church scenario just so happens to be my first example.
I've been told outright by some Christians I've met that you (the general "you" here) can't be a Christian if you don't go to church, or if you haven't read the bible from cover to cover, or if you believe in/pray to the trinity instead of just in the name of God. That last one was one of the stranger, "you can't be if," claims that I've heard in some time. But it doesn't really matter what their reasons are, the fact that they are dictating why someone "can't" be a Christian is ridiculous in and of itself.
How can someone even begin to come up with rules or reasons for why anyone can or can't be a Christian? As if it were up to them to pass out judgement, as if they were able to see how a person's relationship with God is fairing! As I said in my previous post, your relationship with God is personal and intimate. How would you feel if someone came up to you and your significant other and started listing off reasons for why you two couldn't possibly be in love?
Now, unfortunately, it's not so uncommon for a person to try and do such things in today's world, but does that mean they should? Who are they to dictate regulations for how your romantic relationships should work? In the same way, who are they to do the same with your relationship with God? Who's to say you need to go to church, anyway? Who's to say you must read the bible in order to be a Christian? Surely any true Christian will want to read the bible, will feel at the very least a curiosity towards it at one point in their life, but is it really a requirement? There are Christians in restricted nations who go through their entire LIVES never even laying eyes on a single page of the bible. They still live and die as Christians; some even die as Christian martyrs.
There are reason abound for people to judge other people, and for Christians to judge other Christians. Someone judges someone because of how they look, or talk, or act. A Christian might judge another Christian on those same reasons, but some also judge on their beliefs. If I were to tell every Christian I met everything that I believe in, I'm certain that at least half of them would pass judgement. Some may even see some of my beliefs as sacrilegious.
Here's a quick rundown: I am a Christian with every fiber of my being -- I know and feel this, and am aware of His presence in every moment of every day. In addition, I'm a Native American, and learning about that culture has shown me that the native beliefs pan in very well with Christianity (I won't go into detail, because it could be -- and probably is -- an entire book). I also believe that dragons existed, and that they likely still do and are simply smart enough to stay hidden. I believe in fairies (the Irish Folklore kind), and along those same lines I believe that practically all of the mythical creatures from stories and cultures all over the world could exist, and how are we to know for sure either way?
I also believe in magic. I believe that miracles are a sort of magic -- a God granted magic -- and that anything granted by his nemesis could also, in name, be a sort of magic. Some would hear this and ask, "How can you call yourself a Christian and also claim belief in these things?" My answer: To be a Christian is to believe with your every fiber that God exists, that He loves the world, and that He died for you. As many people will point out, there is no physical evidence or proof for these things. We go on faith. In my Christian beliefs, faith is more than enough for me. So why not in other areas as well?
I apologize if I've rambled. My examples of what people might be judged on as a Christian ran away with me a bit (and I technically wrote this post over the course of two days, which added to the length considerably), but I hope everything helped to illustrate my point. You can believe anything you want, and it is up to God and God alone to judge you on such things -- on anything. As Christians we are not here to judge. We are here to love. We are here to share that love with everyone we possibly can, and we are here to share His truth and spread it to every corner of the earth. Yes, we all sin, and so it is bound to happen that we will judge someone in some way. But next time you find yourself passing judgement on someone for any reason, I hope I've planted a thought in your mind that will make you pause, and rethink, even for just a moment.
As always, God bless and God speed! I'll throw in a bit of an "allons-y!" as well.
Prayer Request:
That all Christians learn to love one another, and learn to love everyone ELSE in the world as well! It is surely a difficult thing to do as a human being, but we pray for little victories and big success.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
meant for courage in His name
There's this thing about courage.
Courage isn't not being afraid. It's not laughing in the face of danger or breezing through all of life's difficulties without batting an eye. Courage is seeing that something is difficult, or frightening, or even dangerous, and choosing to do it anyway.
(Disclaimer: this is NOT to be confused with stupidity, such as: seeing that it is dangerous to tie an inner tube to a car during a small flood and tube surfing down main street, and choosing to do it anyway.)
Courage is taking a deep breath, and then taking that first step.
Being a Christian takes courage. Choosing to live in the name of Christ and doing your best to embody that in your every action, word, and breath takes courage. There are many people, here in America, who would read that today and say, "Courage? Ha! You're kidding? Christianity is, like, the dominating religion in America. How does THAT take courage?" This is exactly why it takes courage.
It takes courage because people think it's so easy, that it takes hardly an effort. It takes courage because there are people out there doing unspeakable things in the Lord's name, and there are others still who see this and take it to be what Christianity is about. Being a Christian takes courage because it's then our responsibility, as Christians, to show people everywhere what it really is about.
Some people take this challenge up wholeheartedly; the Voice of the Martyrs foundation is an outstanding example (They're quite amazing. Check them out at: Persecution.com). Others, like myself, strive to do this to the best of our ability, in whatever small ways we can. Still more will interpret this message, this challenge, in another way entirely, possibly twist it around (with or without meaning to), and put the cycle back where it began.
We shouldn't be surprised though. After all, we were told ahead of time -- WAY ahead of time -- that being a Christian wasn't going to be easy. See Mark 13: 9-13 for reference:
"(9) You must watch our for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as witness to them. (10) First the gospel must be breached in all nations. (11) When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. (12) Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death. (13) You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
Personally, for me, it's Mark 13: 12-13 that really hits home every time I read this passage. I often find it sticking in the back of my mind when thinking of the world today in relation to Christianity. Overseas, there are people who live out these words down tot he punctuation. They're told that if they live for Christ and refuse to renounce Him they'll be thrown in jail, or they'll be killed and their family will be thrown to the streets or in jail themselves. Still, they do not renounce Him. Often times, they die martyrs. (Again, these stories are incredible. Read Voice of the Martyrs' book, "Jesus Freaks," for some of the most amazing, awe-inspiring stories of martyrs in today's world that you will have never been able to imagine.)
Here in America it is certainly a bit easier to be a Christian. It's not illegal (yet), nobody is going to throw us in jail for loving the Lord and preaching Christ's words (as long as you're not doing it in school). There is still persecution of Christians to a certain degree, but only in the same way that other social issues are persecuted, such as racism and gay marriage. For the most part, as Christians, we definitely have our freedom here in America.
It's up to us to decide what to do with it.
Prayer Requests:
For those persecuted Christians overseas, that they may live strong in the Lord's name, and that their families may live strong, and that their captors and persecutors might find their way to Jesus through the very people they mock.
Courage isn't not being afraid. It's not laughing in the face of danger or breezing through all of life's difficulties without batting an eye. Courage is seeing that something is difficult, or frightening, or even dangerous, and choosing to do it anyway.
(Disclaimer: this is NOT to be confused with stupidity, such as: seeing that it is dangerous to tie an inner tube to a car during a small flood and tube surfing down main street, and choosing to do it anyway.)
Courage is taking a deep breath, and then taking that first step.
Being a Christian takes courage. Choosing to live in the name of Christ and doing your best to embody that in your every action, word, and breath takes courage. There are many people, here in America, who would read that today and say, "Courage? Ha! You're kidding? Christianity is, like, the dominating religion in America. How does THAT take courage?" This is exactly why it takes courage.
It takes courage because people think it's so easy, that it takes hardly an effort. It takes courage because there are people out there doing unspeakable things in the Lord's name, and there are others still who see this and take it to be what Christianity is about. Being a Christian takes courage because it's then our responsibility, as Christians, to show people everywhere what it really is about.
Some people take this challenge up wholeheartedly; the Voice of the Martyrs foundation is an outstanding example (They're quite amazing. Check them out at: Persecution.com). Others, like myself, strive to do this to the best of our ability, in whatever small ways we can. Still more will interpret this message, this challenge, in another way entirely, possibly twist it around (with or without meaning to), and put the cycle back where it began.
We shouldn't be surprised though. After all, we were told ahead of time -- WAY ahead of time -- that being a Christian wasn't going to be easy. See Mark 13: 9-13 for reference:
"(9) You must watch our for yourselves. You will be handed over to councils and beaten in synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as witness to them. (10) First the gospel must be breached in all nations. (11) When they arrest you and hand you over for trial, do not worry about what to speak. But say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. (12) Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death. (13) You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
Personally, for me, it's Mark 13: 12-13 that really hits home every time I read this passage. I often find it sticking in the back of my mind when thinking of the world today in relation to Christianity. Overseas, there are people who live out these words down tot he punctuation. They're told that if they live for Christ and refuse to renounce Him they'll be thrown in jail, or they'll be killed and their family will be thrown to the streets or in jail themselves. Still, they do not renounce Him. Often times, they die martyrs. (Again, these stories are incredible. Read Voice of the Martyrs' book, "Jesus Freaks," for some of the most amazing, awe-inspiring stories of martyrs in today's world that you will have never been able to imagine.)
Here in America it is certainly a bit easier to be a Christian. It's not illegal (yet), nobody is going to throw us in jail for loving the Lord and preaching Christ's words (as long as you're not doing it in school). There is still persecution of Christians to a certain degree, but only in the same way that other social issues are persecuted, such as racism and gay marriage. For the most part, as Christians, we definitely have our freedom here in America.
It's up to us to decide what to do with it.
Prayer Requests:
For those persecuted Christians overseas, that they may live strong in the Lord's name, and that their families may live strong, and that their captors and persecutors might find their way to Jesus through the very people they mock.
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