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ForChrist914
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Name: Elizabeth
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Metro: Peoria
Gender: Female
Interests: Christ, my family, my friends, soccer, band (saxes rock my socks!) tennis, reading, skiing, psycology, sociology, and probably other stuff I'm forgetting
Expertise: sleeping
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
12/4/2005
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| I'm blessed in more ways than I can count. More ways than I can express. More ways than I know. More ways than I can even imagine.
You know many of them already. Jesus coming to suffer and die for me. God loving me. Christian brothers and sisters all around the world. Other things like being born in America, never being hungry, always having a roof over my head, having medical care, having clothes on my back, being able to go to college. Just so many things. But I'm going to concentrate on one that I'm not sure others take into consideration very often.
I am loved unconditionally. You say, "So what?" every one is by God. This is true, but I mean I have the experience of being loved unconditionally by another human. Most people go through their entire life without ever knowing what it is to have another person love them unconditionally. Truly unconditionally. No matter what they think, say, or do, this person will still love them. The person may be disappointed, but it doesn't affect the love at all. It doesn't affect the fact that person will be there when the other needs them. I have that. I'm so incredibly blessed. Not only does ONE person love me unconditionally, which is more than I could ever ask for, several do. Why God chose to put these people in my life, I may never know, but He chose to bless me beyond measure. No matter what I have to go through, it's tolerable, it's possible because I people who will stand beside me in the rain. People who will hold out an umbrella in that rain, unless I need the rain, then they will stand there and get soaking wet with me. These people know my deepest darkest secrets and have cried with me, have held me, have comforted me, have told me that they love me. They have told me they don't think any less of me. They pray with me and for me. They praise me and encourage me. They'll laugh and be silly with me. And they understand that God is always first. No matter how far away they are in miles and no matter what time it is, I know they are just a phone call away. Many people will say that, but I'm not afraid to pull out my phone and call them at 1 AM if I need them. And they don't mind being there for me. It's God's love for me showing through people. Only God's love is so much more than ours could ever be. How amazing is that?
I have to say that I am one of the most blessed people I know. Not with intelligence, good looks, or a good sense of humor, but with the love that is in my life. That thing that will trump everything else. Love.
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| After all that's happened, it doesn't mean He doesn't love me anymore. He allowed it to happen, but He didn't cause all of these things. He let me make my own choices and let me face the consequences. And He tried to hold me when it hurt. After all I've done, I'm still His beloved. All I had to do was realize it. He waited patiently for me. He tried to comfort me, but I turned away -- thinking I didn't deserve it. Well, you know what? I don't deserve it. I can never "deserve" anyone's love. I can't earn it; if it's true love, it's given freely, with just the hope of love in return. But even love in return is not necessary. God showed His love by sending Christ to die while we were still sinners -- before we loved Him. It's amazing for me to know, without a doubt, no matter what happens in this life, I will always be God's beloved.
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| First for this entry, when I say church, I mean the people, not the building. Jesus wasn't interested in the building. He gave many of his parables out in open places; possibly His most important sermon, the Sermon on the Mount was not in a building. He would go to the home of sinners, and he healed the paralytic in someone's home. He didn't need a specific building for teaching or miracles. Buildings just aren't important -- it's the people who are important. I've been told many times that Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is His bride. I just accepted it and never thought much about it. But think about it, Jesus is the bridegroom, and we, the church, are his bride. That means He has pursued us and is continuing to pursue. He whispers sweet nothings in our ears. He's totally in love with us and wants to spend eternity with us. He said, "I do" and faithfully keeps His vows. He stays by us in sickness and health, for richer or poor, but the thing is... we are not parted at death. We said, "I do" when we were baptized, yet how well do we keep these vows? Most keep close to him in sickness and when poor, but when healthy and rich, they are perfectly self-sufficient. How much would it hurt a husband if his wife only paid attention to Him when she was sick and needed money? We're at the wedding reception. We, the church, are the bride. We go around saying, "Look at my dress; look at my ring. I put so much work into getting this wedding together. Do you like the colors? How about the flowers? Isn't this just perfect? Didn't I do wonderfully?" We are completely focusing on ourselves. We talk to the guests, but our new husband is nowhere to be seen, and we don't even notice. We are so focused on ourselves and having others focus on us, that we allow no one to talk to our new husband. Our new husband is in the corner, hurting silently. He's suffered silentely many times before, always for us. He is Jesus. This is like many churches. They focus so much on the projects they're doing or the committees they're on, that they forget that their love, Jesus, should come first. As His bride, we should be leading Him around introducing Him to anyone who doesn't already know Him. We can trust in His character to cause any guests who don't know Him to fall in love with Him. Flowers, dresses, rings, they're nice extras, but the bride and bridegroom are what matter. And people tend to back away from from a bride who only concentrates on herself. They view her as selfish and don't want much to do with her. If she won't even pay attention to the love of her life, who wants to be friends with her? Don't be that way. Love Jesus first, everything else will follow. Concentrate on Him, and you won't be concerned with how that project turns out because you'll know that no matter what, you have His love, and that's all that matters. And people will see a bride who is totally in love with her husband and know the marriage is the best thing that could have happened. And they'll see the devotion she has toward her new husband, and know she's a great friend to have. Always remember: Jesus first. | | |
| Why does God love me? I question Him, yell at Him, ask Him how He can let me hurt so. I sin more times in a day than I think I can count. I see opportunities to spread His word and I walk the other way. I hurt others, his precious children (generally not on purpose though). My mind is on school more often than it's on Him. I'm often ungrateful. I've led others astray, helped them in their sinful ways. I just don't get it. After all I've done to hurt Him, He still loves me. I don't mean to hurt Him, but I know I have. And every time I ask for forgiveness, He forgives me without a second thought. Why? People tell me God is logical. Well, that's not logical at all. Logical would be avoiding hurt, not giving up your only son to the most painful death there is. Or maybe I shouldn't put human titles on God, like logical. He's beyond human description, so it makes sense that He would also be beyond our comprehension. I'm glad He still calls me child, but I don't understand it. | | |
| God can use anyone to do His work, so long as they have a willing heart. I've always been told that, but never really believed it. Sure, Moses was a stutterer, Paul a murderer, and Matthew a tax collector, but I always figured there was something else about them that was special. You know what? There wasn't. Not really. Only that they were willing to give everything to God and allow Him to do His will through their lives. God can use anyone to do His work, even me. That fascinates me; He can use an 18 year old girl to do His work. What do I know about the world? How many experiences have I had to give wisdom to others? I, myself, have very little, if anything, to offer the world. But God can use me to provide just what others need, such as love and support. Nothing is impossible for God, I just never expected Him to choose me for anything. I'm nothing special; I'm just a regular person. God uses regular people. | | |
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