The Ordinary Can Make Life Extraordinary

This summer I was selected to be a part of the launch team for Melanie Shankle's new book, Church of the Small Things. Melanie has a special way of putting you at ease, like you're in her living room having a chat, while tackling this internal struggle that plagues numerous women: whether or not they are living a worthy life. So much of life seems focused on our "big moments," and not enough attention is given to those everyday, consistent actions that truly make up a life. We all strive to be Pinterest perfect, but we need to remember that just getting out of bed in the morning can be a victory in and of itself. Somehow in our search for significance, we forget about the importance of our very presence in people's lives.
Church of the Small Things made for a quick read because it was so easy to relate to the subject matter and it celebrates the little things in life. From hospitality received from grandparents, to loyal friendships, to figuring out how to house train dogs, this book has a way of impacting readers from all backgrounds with topics reminiscent of our own lives. Melanie draws you in with her wit and humor and her book has many moments where you will laugh until you cry, and then cry until you laugh again.
I've always been a fan of quirky imagery, which is why I think I love Melanie as an author. While I absolutely love her deeper thoughts about learning to trust God having a plan for your life and accepting that one must inevitably endure failures along the way, my favorite quotes from this book include, "Ironically, the laser was called the Cool Touch 1000, which is the biggest oxymoron of all time. The Cool Touch 1000 burned like the heat of 10,000 white hot suns surrounding a planet of volcanoes filled with molten lava that has been set on fire, and, "Because even though it's a stationary bike, I felt a little bit like a cat who has accidentally found itself in a tap-dancing competition."
If you neglected to pre-order Church of the Small Things, do yourself a favor and hop on over to your local Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy. And if you don't feel like crawling out of bed or leaving the house, feel free to order it online from Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

W.A.I.T. Part 1: Don't Base Your Calling on Worldly Standards

Many of us question our purpose in life. We're not quite sure if we are ever actually on the correct path. Some of us find ourselves questioning whether or not we even meet the so-called standards to be a qualified member of the Christian faith who is meant to bring forth the Good News to the nations of the world.
There is nothing wrong with doubting your abilities, but wondering if you are good enough to be a Christian is ridiculous. We need to remember that the only reason we are Christians in the first place is because God called us and we answered that call. We must remember what is written within 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, which states, "'Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'"
Everybody has their shortcomings. The human race is fallen and riddled with sin and deceit. By nature, we are a bunch of lowly screw-ups, but with the help of God, we can become great leaders, encouragers, and influential when it comes to sharing the Gospel. God blesses us with unique gifts and the ability to utilize them. He puts us in situations that make us uncomfortable in order to prove that we must rely on Him and that the reason we are successful is because of God's grace.
A great 20th century example of an individual who relied on God for his calling is Eric Liddell. He was the son of Scottish missionaries and by 1924, he was the fastest sprinter in the world. Eric wanted to serve God in some capacity, but he wasn't exactly sure how he could do that. An excerpt from David McCasland's book, Eric Liddell -- Pure Gold, states, "In his own eyes, he seemed to possess so few of the skills he thought necessary for Christian ministry. Not only was he not an orator, he dreaded the thought of speaking in public. Forty thousand shouting fans in a stadium didn't bother him at all, but forty people sitting quietly in a church hall terrified him." But God decided that Eric was meant to be a speaker. Eric prayed for guidance and this prayer was answered by a visit from D.P. Thomson, a member of the Glasgow Student' Evangelistic Union who was hoping that Eric would come and speak. David McCasland wrote that "D.P.'s infectious enthusiasm not only made it seem imperative that Eric come and speak, but made it sound completely possible for a young man who dreaded the public platform." As means of response, "Eric paused for a moment, pondering the invitation, then glanced up and with a broad smile said, 'All right, I'll do it.'"
Not only did Eric trust to follow God's calling to become a public speaker, but he also decided to respect the Lord's Sabbath, which would impact the races in which he could participate in the 1924 Olympic Games. Eric Liddell was favored to win the 100 meter in the 1924 Olympics, but once he saw that the finals of the race were on Sunday, Eric declined to participate. Eric still entered into the 200 meters and the 400 meters, though was not considered a contender in either, according to McCasland's book. When Eric Liddell ran in the 400 meters final, not only did he win the event, he also set a new World Record time of 47.6 seconds. A description of Eric's running style throughout the race was written by one of his competitors in the final, Horatio Fitch. Fitch wrote, "Tho a sprinter by practice, he ran the pick of the world's quarter milers off their feet. Tho a small man, he makes his legs move fast enuf to beat his rangy competitors. His form is all wrong by our standards, for he runs almost leaning back, and his chin is almost pointing to heaven, yet he won his race on pluck and stamina. And most difficult of all, he had to set his own pace all the way, where one instant's faltering judgement would have meant defeat." This quote serves as a great reminder that even though Eric didn't run in the typical fashion of the day, Eric met God's standards because he lived to glorify His name, and thus flourished in his endeavors.
The next time you question whether or not you are qualified to share the Gospel, remember that God provides you with everything you need in order to thrive.

Eric Liddell winning the 400 meter in Paris, 1924.

Satan: The Epitome of Inception

I am a big fan of the movie, Inception. This action thriller is based in numerous dreams, with the main premise being to plant a business idea in a man's head using the concept of inception. In the movie, the character, Arthur, says its impossible because, "The dreamer can always remember the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake." Cobb, on the other hand, knows that inception is possible because he had used his wife as a guinea pig. Unfortunately, the concept that he had planted in her mind in order to save her from remaining in her dream world's limbo eventually led to her death in reality.
The concept that our thoughts can be so consuming and crushing that they eventually kill us is a very real matter due to the constant spiritual warfare around us. Satan is continually trying to impress upon us thoughts that turn us against God, which would separate us from His love and eternal life. Satan does this by using our minds to conjure up thoughts that cause us to doubt His goodness and authority. Satan twists positives into negatives, and negatives into positives in order to lead us astray.
When reading Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley, I became very aware of how Satan polluted Eve's thoughts. Her focus turned from the numerous trees that she could eat from, to the one tree she was forbidden to eat from. Satan not only got Eve to question God's authority by asking, in Genesis 3:1, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?", but he also planted a lie into what she thought God had told her originally. In Genesis 3:3, Eve says, "But God did say, 'You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" Looking back in Genesis 2:16-17, where God originally instructed Adam and Eve, one will note that the phrase "and you must not touch it" is not found within the text. This is the lie that Satan slyly planted within Eve's mind to cause her to become irritated with the boundaries that God had set forth within the Garden of Eden.
Some might wonder how the inception of ideas is possible. The answer is found within Ephesians 6:12 ~ "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The concept of spiritual warfare is reiterated within 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, which states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish the strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We are called to protect our thoughts in order to guard ourselves against the evil spirits who strive to infiltrate our minds in order to turn us against God. Revelation 12:12 tells us, "But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Satan's only goal is to turn as many people away from God and eternal life as possible. He does this by manipulating our weak minds to believe his twisted concepts about God. If someone decides to turn against God and choose the side of evil with Satan, his or her name will not be found in the book of life. Without your name in the book of life, meaning that you accept Christ as your Savior, there can be no eternal life. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:15 which states, "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Paul voiced his concern about the grip sin has on the human mind and how easily it can be deceived within 2 Corinthians 11:3 ~ "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
My suggestion is to keep the knowledge of spiritual warfare on the forefront of your mind in order to heighten your awareness to potentially disastrous thought processes. To protect yourself, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand," as Ephesians 6:13 suggests. God is our only source of protection against the evils of this world, so we must make the decision to rely on Him and call on Him in times of need. The best way to protect your mind is to pray, read God''s Word of Truth, and follow the instructions found within Philippians 4:8 ~ "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." You will be amazed by the impact of positive thinking and allowing God to have complete control over every aspect life.

Overlooking an Offense

"A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city; disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel." ~Proverbs 18:19
"A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense." ~Proverbs 19:11

It is a natural part of life to endure disputes with your fellow man. It's what happens within society, more so than not, these days. I'm sure many of you have realized, either with close friends or family, that once somebody gets offended, it takes quite a bit of time to overlook such an incident, much like the one in the first above proverb. Man can turn into an unyielding fortress if he gets attacked in a manner that goes against his viewpoints or beliefs. The important lesson in the situation, though, is to not remain stone-cold, but to be patient and try to overlook an offense, like in the second proverb found above.

It is in our best interests to try and soften our hearts in order to get past an offense, great or small. You might ask, "Why?" and the answer is to bring glory to God. By overlooking an offense, it does not necessarily mean that you were wrong in the situation, or that how you were treated was right. It just puts you on the path towards forgiveness so that you can walk in a more Christ-like fashion. For many, this is hard because our sinful human nature always yearns for revenge. Many times we just want the other person to suffer the same pain and anguish that we felt, but that's not how we are meant to function. Instead, listen to the words found in Romans 12:17-21, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." A similar version can be found within 1 Peter 3:8-9, which states, "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Not only are we called to overlook an offense. We are also called to heap blessings onto the people who have wronged us. Again, this goes against our very human nature and the sinful thoughts in our mind. Too often we feel that kind gestures should only be reserved for those times when friends have been kind to us, not when they have sinned against us. The knee-jerk reaction we lean towards involves anger and revenge, but Ephesians 4:26 proclaims, "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." The problem with getting angry is that anger festers and only makes problems worse. The best solution is to pray and demonstrate your true colors, utilizing the stalwart character that God blessed you with, by deciding to be compassionate and blessing those who have caused you pain. This essentially helps you live out the words found within Luke 6:27-28: “'But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.'"
In my experience, emotional and verbal wounds take the most time to heal. Many seem to forget that words, whether spoken or written, can pack a punch. Other times, words morph into empty promises and hang limp like dead leaves on a tree limb because they aren't coupled with actions, or they lack follow-through. Too many times our own words get thrown back in our faces and used against us. It is times like these that are hardest for me to remember to be compassionate and loving, especially because I feel like my heart has been seared with a cattle prod. All I really want to do is rant and rave and let others know the pain I've had to endure. Deep down, I know that this won't solve anything. I know that the best solution is to try and move past the hurt in an attempt to make amends and salvage the relationship I have with the person who hurt me. But the key to overlooking an offense and putting an incident in the past is to make sure it stays there. Digging up old wounds defeats the original purpose of overlooking the offense. Proverbs 17:9 states, "Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." In order to avoid separating close friends, bury your old wounds and throw away the key.
While reading my book Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills yesterday, I came across the following quote: "Love involves sacrifice." This of course got me thinking about the word "love" and the scant few people I claim to care enough about to use this word to express how much I care about them. It made me question whether I have sacrificed anything for them, and vice versa. I think it made me realize that without the sacrifice, great or small, the word "love" should not be used. Now sacrifice does not mean some monumental task, like Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross to demonstrate His immense love for us. Instead, it is that moment where you analyze a situation and decide to do what is best for the other person involved, even if it is not what you want in your heart, and even if it causes great anguish in your heart and mind. In my mind, that is the demonstration of true love. It also embodies the message of this post about why it is best to overlook an offense: In order to demonstrate your love for the other person. All the more reason to take to heart this following verse:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." ~Ephesians 4:32

Book Club and Ephesians

I am very enthusiastic about the new book club that has sprung up through the Young Adults Bible Study that I attend on Sunday nights. It was proposed that a book club be started in order to discuss particular books in a casual setting in order to gain input and insight from other women. I feel that this is a spectacular idea because the various perspectives gained are intriguing since each participant comes from a different walk of life, whether it is professionally or spiritually. It is a great blend of new and seasoned believers who are very open to express their opinions and understand the other viewpoints gathered.
The book we are starting with is entitled "Radical Womanhood," which was written by Carolyn McCulley. This book is about "feminine faith in a feminist world." The author used to be a feminist, but became a Christian after a trip to South Africa. It is very interesting gathering her perspective as a feminist and combining it with how we are to live out womanhood in a biblical fashion. The verses that the book is centered around can be found within Ephesians 5:22-30, which state, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body."
Though we have only reviewed the preface and first chapter, some compelling conversation topics have already been introduced. The concept of prideful independence vs. responsible independence has been brought up in regards to when it is okay to take care of our own needs. Also, it is import to note that these verses are not male dominated. Though wives are called to submit, husbands are commanded to love and care for their wives as if it were their own body. So in essence, it is a mutual appreciation for one another.
I look forward to learning more on the topics within this book and how the feminist movement has misconstrued the biblical role of the female. I also look forward to getting to know better all of the members involved with the book club so that we can continue to strengthen one another's faith by discussing Scripture and everyday life.

Discovering Your Divine Purpose

Life is uncertain. Walt Whitman said, "The future is no more uncertain than the present." This is a unique way of thinking because plenty of people assume they have a grasp on their present circumstances, leaving only the future as an unknown entity. Unbeknownst to most, though, is that many are typically on a constant search for their life's meaning. Instead of getting in a panic and relying on your own devices, you need to relax, pray, and turn to God's Word in order to discover what you are supposed to do with your life.
Skeptics often doubt that there is a reason for them on this earth, but this is just not true. All one has to do is open the Bible to Ephesians 2:10 to discover, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This is all the proof anybody needs to know that God has a specific plan for their life; the problem is discovering that divine purpose. Too many rely on their own knowledge to search for their purpose and place in life. They know God puts them in certain situations or in the path of certain people for a reason, but instead of praying to God to become enlightened about that reason, our human nature formulates assumptions that our brain accepts as fact. This creates a roadblock on the way to discovering what God really means to do with your life because you refuse to move forward and accept your true role in His plan. Instead, most are content with the plan fabricated within their minds. I will admit I have fallen victim to my own mind's deceit. I have felt like I was placed in a situation or in close proximity to certain people for a reason, but instead of relinquishing that role when it had run its course, I held onto it, refusing to let it go because my mind convinced my heart that I was meant to remain on that path as opposed to discovering something bigger and better in life.
There is a song by Rob Thomas called "Someday," which really outlines this issue, I feel. The following is an excerpt from that song: "Cause maybe someday, we'll figure all this out. We'll put an end to all our doubt. Try to find a way to just feel better now and maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud. We'll be better off somehow, someday. Cause sometimes we don't really notice just how good it can get. So maybe we should start all over, start all over again." As these lyrics state, the hardest part is always knowing when to start over. Too many times we get caught up in our circumstances and refuse to accept the fact that we are no longer needed in a situation or by people, which leads to pain, depression, and heartache. God knows that following His path for your life isn't easy, which is why he makes clear statements to us in His Word about what we are supposed to do. Isaiah 43:18 calls for us to, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." Then within Philippians 3:13, Paul says, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." God makes it pretty clear that the only way to truly discover, what Craig Groeschel has termed, our divine purpose, requires us to forget our past and focus on His plan for our future.
Now that you are all slowly digesting this very difficult concept, some might still be wondering how exactly to unleash the knowledge behind your divine purpose. The answer again can be found within your Bible, but this time in Matthew 7:7-8. This states, "'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks find; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.'" Everybody needs to stop relying on their own insight and assumptions about their purpose and role in life and instead turn to God, relinquishing control, and fervently praying for answers. They may not come overnight, but if you continually seek God's guidance, He will answer when you are in the proper situation. Never forget the words of the author, Craig Groeschel, who stated in his book Weird, "He put us here to make an eternal difference."

Prayer Excerpts from The 4:8 Principle

Today I was rearranging some books and happened across a printout of a prayer from a book I never finished reading called The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry. This led me to pull the book off my shelf and flip through it in order to locate the page the prayer was on; in doing so, I came across another useful prayer to post along with it. The following prayers are exact quotes from The 4:8 Principle.

A Prayer for Emotional Strength
Father,
Thank you for the adventure of my life and for being with me every step along the way. Keep my mind from dwelling on what's wrong with people and situations, and instead, help me to focus on what's right, excellent, and worthy of praise. Show me how to affirm your power so that I don't think negatively about my problems. Inspire me to interpret the conditions I face in such a way that I remain constantly empowered to improve them.
I praise you for giving me dominion over my thought life and consequently over the quality of my emotions. Protect me from acting on feelings that are inconsistent with your Word. I know that obedience to your principles is the only true path to emotional health, vitality, and abundant joy. Just as figs do not come from thornbushes, I know that positive circumstances do not come from negative thoughts.
Teach me how to act in a manner consistent with uncontainable joy. Grant me the courage to act the way I would act if you were physically in my presence encouraging me. Thank you!
In Jesus' name,
Amen


A Prayer for Freedom
Heavenly Father,
I praise you for being everything that I need. Thank you for loving me perfectly. Whenever I struggle with the pain of dark emotions, fill me with the light of your presence. I trust you to put your healing hand where I need it most.
Please reveal any errors in my thinking that may be preventing me from experiencing life the way you intend. Protect me from the widespread mind games that can smother my potential for joy. Alert me to the truth of your Word in all situations, particularly in the midst of negative distortions and exaggerations.
Remind me to focus on the big picture and what's really important, especially in my most cherished relationships. Fill my heart with compassion for the trouble, pain, and anguish that rule over the lives of so many people. Keep me relaxed and secure so that I don't overreact to the conditioned negativity of others.
I know that your will for me does not include unproductive negative emotions. How great that is! Thank you for giving me power, love, and a sound mind so that I may live with joy all days of my life.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

I am hoping that I can restructure my thought processes by focusing on Philippians 4:8, which states, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things."

Resist the Urge to Please People

"To follow me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your desire to please other people."
"Find freedom through seeking to please Me above all else. You can only have one Master. When you let others' expectations drive you, you scatter your energy to the winds." -Sarah Young from Jesus Calling

Capitalism is what drives American society in this day and age, and unfortunately, this mentality is how we approach many relationships in life. We go around wondering what people can do for us instead of what we can do for them. Or we end up trying to keep people happy because we feel that is the only way to maintain our friendships. Let me tell you now that this way of thinking is dead wrong. Life should not be lived based on other people's opinions, nor should we go about trying to use people for our own gain.
I'm going to be completely honest with you here. I have spent the majority of my life trying to be a people-pleaser, but to no avail. In the recent months, though, I have come to the conclusion that I would much rather have few friends who truly like me for me, than to have a boatload of friends who only like me for who I am related to or associated with. I am well aware of the fact that I have numerous acquaintances who have been friendly towards me only for these reasons or tried to achieve personal gain from their association with me. I'm not stupid, but in certain instances, I allowed it since it gave me an avenue to discuss Jesus with them. But I have also been brave and stepped out of situations where I did not feel welcomed for being who I am. I have left churches, not just because I felt it wasn't completely Bible centered teaching, but also because people who had known me for awhile still called me by someone else's name or asked me more about how my friends and family were than how I was.
The clearest slap in the face that God gave me, though, was on my current trip to Germany. In order to convey that I liked dinner, I ate 3.5 pieces of pork and had two heaping servings of potatoes and green beans. But, alas, my Oma still wasn't convinced that I liked her cooking and all I was left with was an extremely full stomach.
That was the point I was determined to change. Instead of putting so much energy into being people focused, I was bound and determined to become more Jesus focused. I am currently reading Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, which is all about how many people are fans of Jesus, but not true followers. They like what He stands for, but they are not willing to make Him number one in their hearts and put complete trust in Jesus. Instead, they still play by their own rules, making constant justifications to the decisions they have made in life. Instead of listening to the words in Luke 9:23 where Jesus commands, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow." Unfortunately, many are determined to not let Jesus change their lives in such a radical fashion. They prefer their earthly comforts because they don't know any better and don't know how else to find joy. But Jesus is the only path to true joy, so we must choose to follow Him wholeheartedly. It won't be easy at first, but with practice, it will be second nature.
I know that I am at a crossroads in life being as I just finished school and I have no job lined up. My human nature tells me I have to search for a new role to fill in order to accomplish something in life. The two problems with this way of thinking is that it completely eliminates God's plan for me, which is why I have found Galatians 3:3 and 1 Corinthians 7:20 to be so useful and important. These verses state, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" and "Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him." In essence, I should not insult God by trying to find my place in life, nor should I radically change who I am or where I am unless it is in His will. I cannot see into the future and where I will end up in life. I must, instead, trust in God wholeheartedly that I am where I am supposed to be and that He will guide me into my proper situation when He feels I am ready. I will ask in prayer what His plans are, but I refuse to jump the gun without truly believing it is what He wants and not what I want.
I think this is truly the purpose behind my trip to Europe: to reestablish my relationship with Jesus. I had always thought that it would be to get closer to members of my family, but that was not the case and I am grateful I have come to the realization of God's plan so that I would not remain frustrated over the fact that my plan was not to be. I have finally accepted that things are the way they are and that has allowed me to release pent up resentment in my heart. I finally feel content in life and have no desire to try and make excess efforts to have more than a superficial relationship with certain people. A line from Not a Fan says it best: "One of the basic truths about love is that is can't be forced." This is something I have always known and been aware of, but it is helpful to have the reminder. Instead of being bitter over the friends I have lost, I have become ever more grateful for those who have chosen to remain by my side in the good times and the bad.
So from here on out, I plan on trying to follow Jesus with all of my heart and to not force situations or relationships that He does not desire me to have. He has placed certain people in my life to help me along my journey and it is up to Him how long they remain there. It might be an hour. day, week, month, year, or a lifetime. I will never know, but I will no longer try so hard to please people in a weak attempt to get them to like me. If they don't like me for who I am, then that is their choice and I would much prefer being able to count my true friends on one hand than have a fake posse.

The Need for Weakness

Last week, I was doing some work at school and had the book, A Place for Weakness by Michael S. Horton, sitting on the table next to me.  One of my professors walked by and saw it and said that there is no place for weakness in this world.  As my professor walked away, all I could think about was how off base that comment was and how far from God this guy must be.
In my mind, one needs weakness to know that they need God.  If somebody always has everything go in their favor, that person believes that they are the reason for their so-called "perfect" life.  Once something goes wrong, God is blamed.  In essence, this makes no sense.  If you believe you cause the good, then why don't you also cause the bad?  But if we are to blame God for bad, then He must get the credit for the good.  Also, in those bad times, we must realize that we desperately need God for strength and salvation.  The world has twisted humanity into believing weakness has a negative connotation.  But it is only in these times of weakness that we can bow down and realize that we do not have control and only God does.
In retrospect, I have realized that I went into the Harrisburg Marathon believing that I was in control and had the power to finish the race.  Unfortunately, I was severely mistaken and never completed the race.  I now know it is because I did not seek God for assistance.  I saw my inability to finish as a personal failure instead of embracing the opportunity to bring myself closer to God.  I should have taken the time to pray as opposed to wallowing in self pity.
These days, I take a different approach.  I go into a workout asking God to watch over me and when I begin to struggle, I pray for God to be with me and help me conquer the obstacle of pain while I run up a hill at the end of a workout, or when I choose to do the third 2 mile repeat early in the morning.  In a sense, I am literally living out the words of the apostle, Paul.  2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."  It is for this reason that I will never look down on someone when they say they feel weak.  I will hope that that person will utilize the time to pray to God and welcome the power of the Holy Spirit to help them get back on their feet.