Gratification in Sin to Gratification in Christ

I grew up in the Church.  Looking back at my life, I cannot recall any times when I doubted the existence of God.  As a younger Christian, I just assumed that most of my peers had similar experiences.  I assumed they went to Church, at least for holidays like Christmas and Easter, and that they knew about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and what that meant for salvation.  I assumed that everyone at least had an idea of who God is.

Of course, I was wrong.  In fact, I really had no idea who God was.

Then, there was a time when I believed in Christ, but reveled in sin.  Thinking back to this makes me feel weary.  Somehow, I was able to find ways to justify my lifestyle.  I convinced myself that the Bible was irrelevant and outdated, that all I need to know was the love that Jesus bore for us... and that living in sin wasn't actually denying God.  I still believed; and that is really all that matters, right?

I knew little, and understood less.

Now, years later, I find myself more clearly recognizing the severity of my nature, and the severity with which I need Christ.  This advent season I am taking time to reflect on the precious gift that God has bestowed upon on us.  And a beautiful gift it is.  God has been faithful to me regardless of where I am on my walk with Him.  I have denied God more than I have accepted Him, yet it would seem that God still yearns for me to come to Him.

As I grow in spiritual maturity, I realize how little I actually know and understand.  I am eternally thankful for a Father in heaven who is concerned with my holiness, so much so that he would send Jesus to sacrifice himself for our shortcomings.  My hope is that God will continue to teach me and grow me, beyond this advent season and the next.  

Christ will come again, and I hope that you will know Him too.

Why I Always Expect To Be Busy

Sometimes I find myself asking questions like, is this worth it? or do I have time for this? Or, something I see a lot now days: Are you too busy? Slow down!

I find myself frequenting these question like you might a coffee shop. It is like a habit, daily routine, methodical thought-numbing process.  On one hand, this thinking causes me to doubt myself more often....  On the other hand, I am also learning to think twice before saying yes.
 
God does not reward his people for sitting idly, waiting for Him to make the first move. Sure, it might happen sometimes...but more often than not, God wants us to take action.  A few examples of this are in Proverbs 31:27, and Matthew 20:1-16 (1 Thessalonians 5:14 even says that we should admonish and encourage the idle!)
 
I am constantly wondering if my time and energy are spent in such a way that I am not a part of this 'idle' category.  I will be the first to admit that I am a great procrastinator, I enjoy a lazy Saturday afternoon (who am I kidding? Sunday too!) and I do not always use my time wisely.
 
However, my husband and I are also doers.  We like to pour into our friends and family.  We want to fellowship with other Christians.  We appreciate spending time together doing things we love.  We like to hit up the gym after work so we can keep our bodies healthy.  We spend time studying at home so we can reach our professional goals.  We play soccer. We host, or attend, social events and bible studies. We enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after a hard day of work, around the house or at the office.  We both work full-time jobs.
 
Most of the time, we ARE busy. 
 
Is that so bad?

"Youth is wasted on the young." -  George Bernard Shaw

I often hear this quote, and wonder if I am one of the young who is wasting away my youth.  I frequently find myself wishing that time would slow down so that I could revel in the moment.  It hasn't, and never will.   While our system isn't perfect, we try to pick and choose which things that are worth our time, and those that aren't.  Sometimes, it is a challenging decision.  I won't deny that there are things lacking in our life.  Like most others, we could spend more time in God's word, less time on Netflix, and be better prayer partners for one another.  And, those are things we have to work at (perhaps sleep should be added to that list as well!). 



Jason is very busy snuggling Citra

Another thing I see quite often are articles or blog posts discussing the negative points to being busy.  They say if you are 'too busy' that you aren't managing your time well. That you are probably lazy, or selfish, or petty... and the list goes on.

I am not saying that the type of busy my husband and I experience does not have its downsides, because it does.  Sometimes we are exhausted, and don't get around to cleaning the house, taking care of this n' that, or doing the other things we want.  However, over the last few years I think we have significantly changed how we value our time, and this has led to good things for us...and I sincerely hope it continues to do so!

I have come to realize that I will ALWAYS have a to-do list. And I am okay with that.
Busy becomes a problem when your 'busy-ness' detracts from the things that really matter.  For us, those things are God, our marriage, and relationships with family and friends. 

Oddly enough, those things that matter are one of the reasons we are, in fact, busy.

I hope that we can continue to grow in this and learn to be more discerning with our time.  After all, we don't know how much of it we have on this earth.

Decision-Making

This is something I constantly find myself struggling with...seriously, just talk to my husband.  If you were to ask him what my weaknesses are, he would probably say that indecision is on the top of the list...Actually, he is really nice, so he would probably tell you "she's perfect." Ha-ha, isn't that funny?

I know some people make a list of pros and cons on a yellow legal pad, wait, that's wrong.  Who am I kidding? No one uses legal pads...I believe there is an app for that. Ok, let me start over: I am sure many people use their digital devices to make a list of pros/cons, or perhaps they have a better memory and do this mentally (I err on this side, but I don't always remember the list I made, so it isn't the most effective process). Sometimes, the decisions are not that difficult, or at least they shouldn't be.

Should I wear my Toms or my flip flops? Do I want a blizzard with Reeses or Heath?  Am I going to study today or take on that mess in my yard? Red or white wine? But then there are the harder decisions: Do I take this job? Do we move across the country? How do I confront someone I care about regarding this or that? Should I take on this new leadership role? How do we know what God wants us to do?

I often hear people say things like: What is the universe telling you to do? Are you sure about this? What feels right? Or, for the Christian, maybe this is a sign from God?  Have you prayed about it?  God will lead you.

I just don't know.  There is so much I don't know, or don't understand in life, in scripture...scripture?  I think that is where I need to start.

It seems that we can look at the life of Jesus. What did HE do? What did HE say?  How can I implement that into my life?

Unless there is a clear moral answer, can we ever really know what God 'wants' us to do?  I'm not sure, but I think we can use the information we have to make a well-informed decision.  I'm still working on this Biblically, and trying to figure out how to incorporate prayer and how to 'listen' to God in these situations.  This thought is still a work in progress, but here is what I have so far:

1) we should pray and ask God for wisdom

2) allow the Spirit to be our helper

3) seek counsel from other Godly people

James 1:5 suggests that we should ask God for wisdom.  This is much different then asking God to give us a 'sign' or to 'tell' us what to do.  In fact,God provides us with the resources we need, including those for decision making.

In John 14 Jesus promises that even in His absence He will be with us.  How you ask? The Holy Spirit! Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as a helper who will dwell within us. I don't know about you, but I can use all of the help I can get.. So thank God for the Spirit!

Then, Proverbs is filled with words about seeking wisdom and guidance. Proverbs 8:33 tells us, "Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it."  We can seek counsel and advice from those who have gone before us, and from other Godly people. God has provided us with a community to benefit from one another through teaching, fellowship and discipleship. Yet another resource given to us by God - people!

Perhaps, if we pray and ask for wisdom, allow the spirit to reside within us, and seek counsel from other Godly people, God will provide enough.  God does not tell us to sit idly and wait for Him to decide for us.  So get out your legal pad, use the tools He has given and make decisions faithfully.