Once in a Lifetime

When I was at work today, I saw this girl in a car that was absolutely stunning. But the thing was, her and who I assumed to be her dad had meant to go to the restaurant neighboring my work. So as the car pulled off, I caught her stare. And to my surprise, it held. I was spraying down a car but I could not take my eyes off this beautiful young women whose gaze held my own. It only lasted seconds, but obviously it made an impact on me. I had no clue who she was, where she had come from or where she was going, but I knew where she was for that moment. The point I'm making, is that there are so many people that come into our lives that leave a lasting impact that you will never see again.

I have met many people that have come into my life for a short time and then disappeared, and if you get a chance, think back to those that you have had. It really echoes the shortness of life, but I think these instances offer us a glance into something far greater, our purpose. As humans, and especially as Christians, we here of our purpose in life so often, and there are so many purposes we are destined to fulfill. But this is another we should add to that list. You see, a lot of the time, the people that leave the most impact are those that are in your life for a short time. Part of this may be that we never got to see their weaknesses like we do our close friends, but I think there is a lesson to be learned from all of this. I believe that we should be living for these encounters, not to be impacted but to leave your mark on the world. Isn't that what Christ did? I mean, he still had those lifelong companions and followers, but take the woman at the well, or the woman caught in adultery that was about to be stoned, or the thief on the cross. Jesus had a crazy amount of these short meetings, yet these stories are what are remembered in the bible. It's not about what you do, but how you use the time you have. It could just be smiling at someone, saying hello, or it may be more like a conversation. Heck, a girl who caught my stare was what inspired me to write this blog post. I want to encourage you all to be impacting this world. It really means something to people when you take time out of your day to be nice or to listen to what they are going through. I'm not trying to say that this should be something you try really hard at. I am just trying to bring attention to this important aspect of life that is often overlooked because we are too busy looking inward not outward. Remember to love.

Inadequacy and Fulfillment

Have you ever felt inadequate? Not worthy to do something or not feeling wanted? Don't worry. You're definitely not alone. I have felt that so many times in my life, and despite what the world will tell you, God is the only place you can find true meaning that is worth you.
Now what made me think of this was when I was reading through Judges, I came across Gideon. Gideon is the typical bible story where he comes from nothing and God uses him to do something great (which I still think is awesome). In the time of Gideon, the Midianites had control over the land of Israel because Israel had turned to idols. But God called on Gideon to rise up and rescue them from Midian. Gideon's response was as followed.
 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”(Judges 6:15) 

It's so obvious that Gideon doesn't think that he is worthy enough to be a leader. The part I find most intriguing, is that after God says that He will be with Gideon, Gideon still asks for God to give him a sign of assurance. This happens throughout Gideon's life. God commands Gideon to do stuff and Gideon asks for assurance. And obviously, God gives him strength and Gideon kicks butt.

But wait, there's more. Remember that Moses guy? Even after God told him that He would be with Moses, Moses still asked for something to say so the Israelites would listen to this stuttering shepherd. And God responded, "I AM who I AM. Tell the Israelites that I AM has sent you." Which I find completely awesome. Look what God did through him after that. Led his people out of Egypt and was their leader for a long time in the desert, not to mention giving him the law, parting a sea, you get the gist.

And what about that Peter guy? Wasn't he always unsure of himself? Like when he went onto the water and started sinking, or that time when he denied Christ three times. Yeah, you get the point. There are so many examples in the bible of inadequate people serving a fulfilling God. What I am getting at is that we do not have to have it all together. And we never will. God will fulfill us and give us meaning, purpose and strength to survive. We just need to be willing. We as Christians should have the Isaiah response to service of, "Here am I. Send me!"

Coupled along with the great commission, I think we have what we need for the right way to go about serving God.

In Matthew 28, Jesus says that all authority on heaven and earth has been given him. And Jesus also assures us that he will be with us to the very end of the age. So I echo what Christ commanded us, "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So go.

Perseverance

Perseverance is something I don't think many people in our modern world have. And it frustrates me. I see so many Christians especially stop going to churches or being involved in things because they think that there is no fruit from it. To me, that's just a get out of jail free card. I say that because instead of complaining and quitting, why don't you do something about it? You never heard Jesus say "following God is hard so I'm just going to go somewhere where it's more accepted and more people will follow me." You see, it's not about the numbers or even the visible fruit, it's about being apart of God's plan, and doing the best you can to be apart of the advancement of the kingdom of God. The stories we hear now of missionaries were not stories of jumping ship, but of persevering through times when they didn't see God working, but trusted in faith He was. This is more a frustration with people post, but I think their is validity to what I'm saying and I think we should all learn the art of persevering. I've seen people come from extremely hard trials to do some awesome things and really have a positive attitude on life.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Brokenness

I feel that I come off so often as someone who has it all together. I don't feel that way about myself, but that's because I know all of my shortcomings and failures. I want to come out and say that I do not have it all together. I am a broken person. I'll admit that in the past I have tried to cover that, and I rarely share my sins and failures with others. It's not so much of a trust issue as it is an issue of shame. The bible says to boast in our weakness. And also, there is no more reason to have shame. Christ has nailed it to the cross. Yet I give in to the lie that I should be ashamed of myself and what I've done. I don't want to be embarrassed of them though. I've learned that the best way for people to be open with you is to be open with them first. And I know I have to set this example even in my youth group, or whatever organization I'm involved in. As a senior, I have people that look up to me, and the more open I am about myself, then the more that others can grow. I am a broken person that has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the cross. And I am unashamed.