Almost Doesn't Count

I am so glad that almost doesn't count. You see last night...I almost gave up. I almost thew in the towel and just said forget it, this is way too much for the kid, and I just can't fathom dealing with one more thing. I wanted to have a temper tantrum and cry and scream and pout and explain why this just wasn't fair. In the moment it seemed like it was another two steps backwards after trying to take one step forward. I was like, "Really Jesus?!?! Come on dude...what's this all about?" I mean sheesh. Instead of going off of the deep end and doing all of the above. I did the responsible adult thing. I took a deep breath and began working on Plan B because obviously plan A was not going to be as successful as I had hoped.

It was while working on Plan B that God reminded me that He should be the only Plan! I hadn't consulted him before I got into Plan A, and therefore I shouldn't have been surprised when it didn't work out the way that I thought it should. I mean that is what generally happens when I try to do things my own way. They never quite work out for the kid. I have a knack for messing myself up in a major way when I go it alone. That's probably why God has made himself available for me to talk to and to hear from before I make decisions. He knew from jump that I wouldn't be able to go this thing alone and end up with positive results. He also knew that this would end in a not so favorable manner. But most importantly, he knew that I would need to be reminded about the future that he's promised me in order to be okay after all of this...an that's what stopped me from quitting.

I mean this isn't the first time that my plans haven't worked out, and if I'm honest, I know that it probably won't be the last. Lord knows that I am sometimes a little too independent for my own good, and therefore I will sometimes end up in these types of situations. It's in these moments that God will remind me of where my life used to be in comparison to where it is now. Then he will take it one step further and remind me of what's to come. That is when I usually realize that giving up isn't really an option. It never had been and it never would be for me. To give up would be to tell God to keep his promises to himself because I didn't want them. That would clearly be the dumbest move ever, and I'm not one for being dumb!

So I am so very thankful that almost doesn't count. Almost giving in to the desire to quit was not enough to get me off track. Almost couldn't keep God's promises at bay. Almost didn't prevent me from walking into my promised land. Almost actually helped me. It helped me to know that I am headed in the right direction. The road is sometimes difficult, definitely unfamiliar, sometimes scary, sometimes lonely, but definitely min and I know that Jesus is on this road with me. Thank you Lord for the journey...even the parts that I didn't expect. And more importantly, thank you Lord that almost really doesn't count.

Something Happened

August 3, 2010 1:08 a.m.

Something just happened to me. I can't really explain it, but I will do my best. I had an encounter with God. I had a moment with the Holy Spirit that has changed my trajectory, FOREVER! No one would say that I was heading in a bad direction before this moment. For all intents and purposes, most people would say that I was right on track, heading in the direction that God wanted me to go. No one would argue against my love for Him, my dedication to Him, or my desire to see His Kingdom come. But I wasn't surrendered fully. I wasn't trusting completely. I was ready to do whatever in the future, but I couldn't completely promise Him my right now. THAT HAS CHANGED! God is my every thing! Nothing is more important than He is. I have promised Him whatever He wants. I have given over all of my rights. I HAVE GIVEN MYSELF AWAY, and I don't want me back!

Does this scare me? Absolutely! I don't know if I'm going to wake up in the morning with an overwhelming impression to walk away from my job, sale my car, move, give away all of my clothes, fast for 40 days, apologize to people that have hurt me, sacrifice more of the time that I don't have, forego sleep, or whatever. I HAVE NO CLUE what is about to happen in my life. I am totally freaked out! All I know is that as long as God is leading me, I will go. My new matra for life is HERE I AM, SEND ME!

People are hurting...HERE I AM, SEND ME. Children aren't being educated...HERE I AM, SEND ME. There are people with no clothes...HERE I AM, SEND ME. People don't know what it's like to feel the love of Christ...HERE I AM, SEND ME. There are not enough volunteers...HERE I AM, SEND ME. Ghettos, prisons, developing countries, orphanages, hospitals, schools, families, churches, subdivisions, homeless shelters, city streets, developing countries, Muslim nations, atheists, indigenous tribes, strip clubs, formal affairs, corporate America, White House, libraries, Oprah, alleys, it doesn't matter...HERE I AM, SEND ME!

Nothing is too much for Him to ask of me, and when it feels like it is, I pray that God help me to remember this quote, "When it feels like God is asking too much of you, remember what He first asked of Himself."

Just Stop It!

I am so bothered right now, and I really just want people to stop it. “Stop what?” you might ask. Well let me tell you. I want people to stop claiming that they are “Christians” while displaying anything but the love of Jesus Christ. Christian by definition means that you are a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ. A student of Jesus Christ. To be a student of Jesus Christ means that you study his life and how he handled people and situations. Well when we look at the behavior of Christ in comparison to the behavior of people that are claiming to be followers of him we find a major disconnect.

You see one of the main things that Jesus was known for during his time on earth was his love and compassion. You see many times in the gospels Jesus is called compassionate. Compassion doesn’t involve being judgmental. Compassion doesn’t involve damning people to hell. Compassion doesn’t involve turning your back on those in need. Compassion doesn’t involve putting other people down to feel better about yourselves. There are so many things that compassion doesn’t involve, but we as “Christians” are known for doing them.

Now that we’ve established what compassion is not let’s talk about some great examples of what compassion is. Compassion is giving sacrificially so that those who are in need around you won’t be without. Compassion involves looking out for the needs of others and not solely focusing on your own. You might not get all of the sleep that you need, you might not buy all of the stuff that you want, you may not get to lay around chilling as much as you like. But that’s the life of a person that shows compassion. It’s not all about you or what you want!

When truly living the life of a Christian you recognize that Jesus lived a life of sacrifice and you are supposed to emulate. As his disciple you study what he did and then you make it a point to do it. He didn’t judge those that were in need when he met them, he took those opportunities to meet their needs. He didn’t condemn those in sin, he spoke a word to them to help them get out of it. In every situation Jesus did all that he could with what he had to change the lives of the people that God brought into contact with him! As his disciple you should purpose to do the same! And if you feel like you can’t or you just won’t maybe you should reconsider what it means to truly be a Christian and whether or not you’re up to the challenge!