Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since my last post. I apologize for neglecting it for so long. I have had so many things to write about and have seemed to put them on the "I'll do it later" list.....unfortantely, that never happened. Therefore, today while I was studying for a test, my son was sitting in the floor and building a "house." It's a new thing that he is going through. He takes all his most beloved toys, books, blankets, clothes, pillows, or whatever else is near by and he will begin to build a fort around himself and calls it his new house. Of course, I had a blog moment and once again I said, I'll do it later....this time, I knew I wouldn't; so I am doing it NOW!! I began to think about how my son would place these items around him to build a fort and call it his home. He had built stuff around him that he loves and makes him happy while the whole time surrounding himself with things that give him peace and comfort. These are things he knows and is familiar with. These are things that he knows how to use and what they do. He knows that these things will not hurt him and they now have the added benefit that he can use them to make a "safety fort." How simple. How childlike and innocent. As adults and/or children of God, why do we tend to NOT do this. Is it that it might take to long and we need instant gratification? Is it, we feel that it would be too hard to surround ourselves with things that make us happy. Is it that we feel that it's not possible? Day after day, I talk with people that are struggling in all areas of life. Physically, financially, emotionally, spiritually, in their marriages, with their children, on their jobs (or lack there of)....the list goes on. So how do people deal with these stresses? Do they have balance in their life? When faced with trails where do they turn? Well, we generally reach for things that we surround ourselves with or are familiar with. Alcohol, hurtful words, emotional outburst, cursing, quick to anger, drugs, self-inflicted hurt (emotional and physical), spending CRAZY amounts of money whether it be for shopping "therapy" or gambling (because we deserve it), sexual indulgences such as porno or prostitution; to just name a few. When we depend on these temporal things for our comfort and peace they general let us down and leads us to other problems as well. When we depend on those temperal things even if they are instant gratifiers, they are not God. We need to have patience and wait for God to move. If we truly want God's plan for our life then we need to be willing to allow his plan to unfold and not mess it up by altering it by our own actions (and then blaming God). We need to surround ourselves with those "God things" such as His Word (reading it and hearing it), songs without profanity, movies without vulgar actions and profanity galore, godly friends that encourage and not that knock you down, prayer, and environments that represent what rightouseness is (living right for God). Honestly, if you wouldn't let your child say it, see it, hear it, drink it or do it, then why should you....you are God's child and we should be doing things that are pleasing to Him. Our actions should be representing that we are Christians just as much as when you say, "oh, I'm a Christian." Act it, think it, say it and be it! Some might feel it's impossible to depend on God for all those things or that its impossible to live life without some of those ungodly "things." Well, if we believe God's Word then it tells us that ALL things are possible with God. It IS possible to allow God to be your comforter, peace giver, provider, friend, healer, deliver, strongtower, defender, your EVERYTHING! I'd like to go back and look at the beginning of that scripture, Matthew 19:26 says, "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Hmmmm, with man this is impossible...isn't that what we often surround ourselves with, manmade "outs", comforters, peace givers, mandmade options, our own way....maybe that's why we feel that things are impossible? When we begin to live as God intended us to live, then even in those times of trails and tribulations, we will have His peace, He will carry us through it. The yolk will be easy and the burden will be light. Surround yourself with things that are pleasing to God, happiness will come, comfort will be abundant, and when least expected, that childlike faith will begin to blossom.
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