ForChrist914's Xanga

Blessed

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:50:55 GMT

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.

Beloved

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:31:59 GMT

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.

Bride and Bridegroom

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:51:06 GMT

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?

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:26:07 GMT

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.

Even Me

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:27:06 GMT

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.

Every Time I Breathe - by Big Daddy Weave

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 04:58:40 GMT

I am sure all of heaven's heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I'm finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That's less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what
I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I'm finding
I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

Whirlwind

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:27:08 GMT

I feel like I'm in a whirlwind. I'm tossed and thrown everywhere and I don't understand what's going on. I really don't understand anything. Everything in the world changes so much and so fast. One day, I'm a kid, with kid stuff expected of me. The next day, I turn 18, and I'm suddenly an adult. One day changes everything. I don't understand. I'm still a kid, I really am. I still have to hug my parents goodnight every night or I can't sleep (I have no idea what I'm going to do in college). I still believe there is good in everyone, or at least everyone who loves something or someone (God created everyone, also God is love and God is good meaning love is good, meaning those who love have something good in them even if it is distorted), I believe everyone has the same intrinsic value (God loves us all), I trust what people say to be true because I tell the truth; I also expect to be believed because I tell the truth (I get thoroughly frustrated when people don't believe me). I still go to Chuck E. Cheese's to play and I still sleep with stuffed animals. How am I not a kid? And yet the world tells me I'm an adult. Other Christians tell me I'm an adult. Yet when I prayed about it, God gave me peace about who I am. So am I an adult with the views of a child? Or am I still a child? I simply cannot see myself as an adult, yet I am given permission to sign my own name now. While everything rushes around me and changes so quickly, there are few things I have been able to hold onto - there's so much confusion. I know that God is full of grace and mercy. I know that God loves me and that Jesus died a cruel death on the cross as a sacrifice to wash me of my sins. I was truly washed of my sins and died to my old self when I was baptized. But as to the world - the sky, which I perceive to be blue, is not blue but actually clear (how else would I see starts at night?) - it just doesn't make sense. I'm simply going to give it to God, He's big enough to handle it. He'll lead me through and give me the understanding I need. He's got it all figured out, even if I don't.

Grandiose Ideas, Simple Plans

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:19:04 GMT

People have asked me to help them with some problems lately. I have come up with grandiose ideas. Or I try to. I try to come up with the perfect thing to say, the perfect thing to do. I always expect it to be hard and complicated. Such as a friend's boyfriend who is not as strong of a Christian as he could be because of past hurts by people. He feels like God let him down (this is a very common issue, I think). I thought of all the stuff she could do to help him, all the things she could say to him. I also was having a problem with feeling ignored. I felt like no one noticed me and no one cared. I tried to think of things to fix that, to get me the attention I so desire. Again, I came up with grandiose ideas that might not have the outcome I want. Before I gave advice, or tried to carry out my plans, I decided to pray.

God gave me the answers I sought quite quickly, and not necessarily when I expected. The first answer came that night when I was praying. Suddenly, the plan popped into my head. She should just continue to love him unconditionally, be an example of God's love to him, to show him it was people (with free will), not God, who let him down. So simple, so easy. And something that can be done without a problem, as long as she involves God, and she will. The answer to my other problem came while sitting in a cathedral, for a TEC thing. All I have to do is pay attention to others and show them love. Some, at least, will do the same back. So much for my grandiose ideas. God had much more simple plans.

What I'm trying to tell you is to put God in the beginning of your plans. It wastes less time, you don't have to come up with and try plans that are doomed to failure. God will let you know what to do, and if you feel like He's not telling you... maybe He's really just telling you to wait. Put God first, and everything will work out. Even if it seems hard, just trust Him.

A Prayer

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:47:09 GMT

I read this prayer in a book, and decided to share it because of how much it has to do with me and my life, as you'll see. Here's the prayer:

"Lord, I haven't done anything wrong today. I have not made any mistakes, spoken any wrong words, or thought any bad thoughts. I've done everything right so far. But I'm really going to be depending on You now, Lord, because I'm about to get out of bed."

I need to pray and ask God to guide me every single day, before I even get out of bed, instead of waiting until I've already messed up. God knows the best path for my life (if I'll just listen to Him), even if it takes a lot of faith to follow His will some days.

PG-13

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:54:42 GMT

The title is a warning. This entry will have contents that are PG-13.

How can it be? How can a high school girl be proud of taking a shower with her boyfriend of 2 months? How can she go around telling everyone how big his... ahem... is? And how can everyone else giggle/laugh and think it's great and cool? What's happened to us? Where is God? I was thinking this as I was having ice cream with some "friends" tonight (the friend next to me didn't think it was cool either, he was pretty disgusted too). This girl is always talking about going to church and being active in her youth group. But where is God in her life?

Then I looked around. He's everywhere in her life, just the same as He is in mine. The difference is I'm looking (not that I always am); I know quite well everything in my life would fall to pieces without Him. I see Him in the beauty of the sunset, the twinkling of a star, and the kind act of a friend. I see Him everywhere and know He sees everything I do. And I don't want to disappoint Him (I still do, and a lot). I think Where is God? a fair amount these days, not because He's not in me, but because of all the things I see. He always gives me a reminder that He's there, whether it be a shiny penny when I'm down, or a rare green light when I'm running late. He reminds me that so long as I'm there, He's there. And He's staring at my friend with hopeful eyes, waiting for the day she comes running back to Him.

Remember:

*God would give up His only son before he'd give up on you.*