If I could be any animal, I'd want to be an elephant, hands-down. Why? Because an elephant because it never forgets. I do. All the time. I wonder if it's related to my Direction Impairment. Maybe I need to be more of an active listener. And keep a journal with me and write things down the moment I think of them. And maybe have less things in my schedule to remember. Regardless of the solution, the first step is recognizing the problem: It's very hard for me to remember and very easy for me to forget. I'd like to take this time to apologize to all those who have fallen victim to my forgetfulness.
Jesus would be included in that list of folks. I don't like the fact that I forget, but how frequently I do! I forget who he is and who I am as his daughter. I can't seem to remember on a daily basis to fight the struggles that inevitably will come. Most of all, I hate the fact that I forget to spend time with him.
I don't choose to forget; it just happens. Living life for Christ doesn't come naturally. In fact, by default I will always follow MY way rather than God's way. I must refuse to except that, though, knowing that God's way is far better than mine. I have to choose to remember. I must choose to fight those battles that come my way rather than forget about them. I want to choose to remain in the Lord's love for me, remembering who he really is and who I am as his beloved.
Lord, help me to remember.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Laughin' Maddie
I love my sweet baby niece. Thank you, God, for Maddie Grace. (Please ignore the puking sounds in the background. Or do as Madison does and laugh at them.)
Thirsty
I went to Heaven the other night with some friends. No, I was not dreaming. I went to Heaven night club on Elm St. Although the Friday-night club is on the rooftop in open-air, the dj was really good, and it was the nicest club at which I have gotten my "dance on," if you will, I couldn't get over the irony of its name.
I find at various places of nighttime entertainment such as these, the goal of most of the attendees is to find someone to hook up with. More profoundly, most club-goers are trying to satisfy some unmet need or desire, mostly for attention, affection, and maybe even a little romance and love. What's sad is that, like escaping through alcohol, the emptiness always comes back. As I was people-watching that night (which is almost as fun as dancing), I was reminded of Will Dungee's sermon the other week about filling our hearts and lives with things other than Jesus, only to feel more parched than ever. (Disclaimer: The intent of this and my other posts is not to sound self-righteous or judgmental. A great way God points out yucky stuff in my heart is learning through others' actions and mistakes. If anyone is like me, I have a very long list of the latter you can learn from.)
Here's my conclusion: Attention and affection from the opposite sex, when it becomes your pursuit and goal (as is the case most of the time at the clubs), is like drinking sand. You expect that it will quench your thirst, only to be disappointed when you become thirstier than ever. In a culture that idolizes lust and disguises it as love, we worship being "in love" and expect it to satisfy us, even if we're discontent with other things in life. We end up getting burned by the other's actions or burned out from trying to make things work in a relationship and are left in the dust, drinking the ashes. We're left thirsty.
My heart aches for people that don't know or haven't heard the real story about the Living Water. This water doesn't leave you feeling empty or guilty. It gives life. It satisfies. And it's the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. Only an intimate relationship with Him can fill our cups to overflowing. It's not that going downtown is an empty thing devoid of any good purpose or that looking for a relationship is pointless and dumb. But it makes me wonder for others and especially myself, if my soul is thristy, why do I keep filling my cup with sandy things? Why not take the free gift of the water of life that Christ so willingly offers? It seems ironic that a place called "Heaven" could leave me feeling so dry when the one I read about is a place where I will never thirst again.
Lord, I want to stop looking to other things for satisfaction and let you satisfy my thirst on earth. I look forward to the day when I will never thirst again.
I find at various places of nighttime entertainment such as these, the goal of most of the attendees is to find someone to hook up with. More profoundly, most club-goers are trying to satisfy some unmet need or desire, mostly for attention, affection, and maybe even a little romance and love. What's sad is that, like escaping through alcohol, the emptiness always comes back. As I was people-watching that night (which is almost as fun as dancing), I was reminded of Will Dungee's sermon the other week about filling our hearts and lives with things other than Jesus, only to feel more parched than ever. (Disclaimer: The intent of this and my other posts is not to sound self-righteous or judgmental. A great way God points out yucky stuff in my heart is learning through others' actions and mistakes. If anyone is like me, I have a very long list of the latter you can learn from.)
Here's my conclusion: Attention and affection from the opposite sex, when it becomes your pursuit and goal (as is the case most of the time at the clubs), is like drinking sand. You expect that it will quench your thirst, only to be disappointed when you become thirstier than ever. In a culture that idolizes lust and disguises it as love, we worship being "in love" and expect it to satisfy us, even if we're discontent with other things in life. We end up getting burned by the other's actions or burned out from trying to make things work in a relationship and are left in the dust, drinking the ashes. We're left thirsty.
My heart aches for people that don't know or haven't heard the real story about the Living Water. This water doesn't leave you feeling empty or guilty. It gives life. It satisfies. And it's the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. Only an intimate relationship with Him can fill our cups to overflowing. It's not that going downtown is an empty thing devoid of any good purpose or that looking for a relationship is pointless and dumb. But it makes me wonder for others and especially myself, if my soul is thristy, why do I keep filling my cup with sandy things? Why not take the free gift of the water of life that Christ so willingly offers? It seems ironic that a place called "Heaven" could leave me feeling so dry when the one I read about is a place where I will never thirst again.
Lord, I want to stop looking to other things for satisfaction and let you satisfy my thirst on earth. I look forward to the day when I will never thirst again.
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