Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
True Friendship?
I am convicted yet again of sinful attitudes and wrong motives in a certain area. *sigh*
Throughout my entire adult life I have struggled with the question of where and how others are to fit into my life; mainly concerning friendships. Clearly God calls us to have friends. The friendship of David and Jonathan is a good example. ...Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 1 Sam 18:1 Who doesn't want to have a friend like that? I will admit that I yearn for that kind of friendship. Though, my attitude in seeking friends has been the problem here; NOT the fact that God has not provided. Because, like everything else in life, my sinful nature has distorted God's original design for friendship as a way of glorifying Himself.
The world's conquest for friends is rooted in selfish desire; the desire to feel loved, wanted, included. We want to be adored by others; to be made much of. I have, being the sucker for sinful things that I am, bought into this.
God calls us to something much more noble than the world's definition of friendship. He calls us to live the "one-anothers":
Love~A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Jn 13:34 (Now, this one can't happen without the rest...)
Service~Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. Jn 13:14
Encouragement and Accountability~Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Col 3:16
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up... 1 Thess 5:11
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Heb 3:13
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Heb 10:24
Suffering~Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal 6:2
Forgiveness~Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph 4:32
Prayer~Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...James 5:16
I have wept several times while preparing this post because I've become so aware of my failure in these things. I have sought friends for what I could get instead of what I can give through Christ. I should be continually seeking out friends for the purpose of serving them. Instead, I have wasted years seeking friendships for what they could do for me. Forgive me, Father. I have been SO selfish. Give me wisdom in seeking friendships for YOUR glory; seeking out friends for the purpose of serving them, not to be served by them.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Gal 5:13
Throughout my entire adult life I have struggled with the question of where and how others are to fit into my life; mainly concerning friendships. Clearly God calls us to have friends. The friendship of David and Jonathan is a good example. ...Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 1 Sam 18:1 Who doesn't want to have a friend like that? I will admit that I yearn for that kind of friendship. Though, my attitude in seeking friends has been the problem here; NOT the fact that God has not provided. Because, like everything else in life, my sinful nature has distorted God's original design for friendship as a way of glorifying Himself.
The world's conquest for friends is rooted in selfish desire; the desire to feel loved, wanted, included. We want to be adored by others; to be made much of. I have, being the sucker for sinful things that I am, bought into this.
God calls us to something much more noble than the world's definition of friendship. He calls us to live the "one-anothers":
Love~A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Jn 13:34 (Now, this one can't happen without the rest...)
Service~Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. Jn 13:14
Encouragement and Accountability~Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Col 3:16
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up... 1 Thess 5:11
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Heb 3:13
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Heb 10:24
Suffering~Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal 6:2
Forgiveness~Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph 4:32
Prayer~Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...James 5:16
I have wept several times while preparing this post because I've become so aware of my failure in these things. I have sought friends for what I could get instead of what I can give through Christ. I should be continually seeking out friends for the purpose of serving them. Instead, I have wasted years seeking friendships for what they could do for me. Forgive me, Father. I have been SO selfish. Give me wisdom in seeking friendships for YOUR glory; seeking out friends for the purpose of serving them, not to be served by them.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. Gal 5:13
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
January 21, 1974
35 years ago today:
(Bonus points if you can tell which one's my husband.)
If I had known him in the first grade, I'm sure I'd have found him quite irresistable.
And...the 17-yr-old boy I fell in love with:
Happy birthday, Love.
(Bonus points if you can tell which one's my husband.)
If I had known him in the first grade, I'm sure I'd have found him quite irresistable.
And...the 17-yr-old boy I fell in love with:
Happy birthday, Love.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Mother Bear
Grrrrrr.
Lucky for you, readers, that mother bear gave herself a few hours to cool down before posting. It wouldn't have been pretty immediately following the initial shock. It's still not pretty.
Our gracious postal carrier delivered our mail to our door this morning. (There was a package too big to fit in the mailbox.) Among the rest of the mail was a pornographic postcard from Playboy. Apparently they think our family might be interested in ordering their publication for the rock-bottom low price of a dollar an issue. (Or something like that.) If I can tastefully describe the postcard to you--three different shots of three different ladies, all very obviously silicone-enhanced, in very provocative positions, and, um, leaving very little to the imagination. IN MY MAIL!!!!! In a (very understated) word, I was OUTRAGED!!!
My first two thoughts were in the direction of 1)my husband and 2)my children. (Although I can't remember the order.) As if its not already blasted all over the Internet, blasted on billboards, blasted all over the workplace, my husband has to fight the stuff while looking through his own mail?? (Which, thankfully he didn't have to this time since I found it first.)
And...my CHILDREN!!! Oh my goodness, I almost always send one of the two older out to the mailbox for me!! But thankfully, today, it was brought to our door for us. I can not even tell you my disgust at the thought of trying to explain something like this to my 10 year old son or my 6 year old daughter. I know its out there everywhere, but am I too naive thinking I ought to be able to protect their innocence within the confines of my own home? Heck, I try my hardest to protect them from the soft porn on the racks of the Walmart checkout lane; sometimes using my whole body, arms and legs, and even a loaf of bread or a frozen pizza to try to cover certain magazines. So do you think I oughta just stand by and allow them to put full-fledged porn in my mailbox without my permission?
So, I wrote a letter. I prayed as I was writing it, asking God to give me wisdom, but at the same time hoping He'd allow me to sound as angry as I really was. I sent their postcard back with it, asking them to respect my effort to try to shield my family from their filth, and to remove us from their mailing list immediately.
I'm still angry. Is this my only method of action available? I told Matt that IF one of the children had actually been the one to get the mail today, I know I would've been angry enough to actually make a phone call. Which would have been ENTIRELY at odds with my natural tendency to avoid confrontation. But hey, when you're talking about my children.......grrrrr. Isn't it my duty to protect them with everything I have?
I have felt this mother bear surface a few times in the last ten years. The most recent memory was at an Applebees restaurant, where our family sat to try to enjoy a meal, as a group of loud, belligerent folks sat at the table next to us. The profanity eventually became so loud and so obnoxious, that I stood up, leaned over to their table, and requested in a firm voice that they STOP USING THAT LANGUAGE IMMEDIATELY in respect of others around them, especially the children. (I'm telling you this was like an out of body experience. The sort of thing where I didn't even realize I did it until I'd sat back down.) I chalk it up to the mother bear inside me. She's always in there, but it takes certain extreme circumstances to bring her out. (And the group apologized and was much quieter the rest of the time we were there.)
I'm just at a loss as to what to do with my anger. I wonder if anybody can tell me if this sort of thing is legal? I mean, there was no attempt to disguise anything. Can I take any action here?
And, last but not least, I feel this pressing urge to explain myself to our mail lady...
Lucky for you, readers, that mother bear gave herself a few hours to cool down before posting. It wouldn't have been pretty immediately following the initial shock. It's still not pretty.
Our gracious postal carrier delivered our mail to our door this morning. (There was a package too big to fit in the mailbox.) Among the rest of the mail was a pornographic postcard from Playboy. Apparently they think our family might be interested in ordering their publication for the rock-bottom low price of a dollar an issue. (Or something like that.) If I can tastefully describe the postcard to you--three different shots of three different ladies, all very obviously silicone-enhanced, in very provocative positions, and, um, leaving very little to the imagination. IN MY MAIL!!!!! In a (very understated) word, I was OUTRAGED!!!
My first two thoughts were in the direction of 1)my husband and 2)my children. (Although I can't remember the order.) As if its not already blasted all over the Internet, blasted on billboards, blasted all over the workplace, my husband has to fight the stuff while looking through his own mail?? (Which, thankfully he didn't have to this time since I found it first.)
And...my CHILDREN!!! Oh my goodness, I almost always send one of the two older out to the mailbox for me!! But thankfully, today, it was brought to our door for us. I can not even tell you my disgust at the thought of trying to explain something like this to my 10 year old son or my 6 year old daughter. I know its out there everywhere, but am I too naive thinking I ought to be able to protect their innocence within the confines of my own home? Heck, I try my hardest to protect them from the soft porn on the racks of the Walmart checkout lane; sometimes using my whole body, arms and legs, and even a loaf of bread or a frozen pizza to try to cover certain magazines. So do you think I oughta just stand by and allow them to put full-fledged porn in my mailbox without my permission?
So, I wrote a letter. I prayed as I was writing it, asking God to give me wisdom, but at the same time hoping He'd allow me to sound as angry as I really was. I sent their postcard back with it, asking them to respect my effort to try to shield my family from their filth, and to remove us from their mailing list immediately.
I'm still angry. Is this my only method of action available? I told Matt that IF one of the children had actually been the one to get the mail today, I know I would've been angry enough to actually make a phone call. Which would have been ENTIRELY at odds with my natural tendency to avoid confrontation. But hey, when you're talking about my children.......grrrrr. Isn't it my duty to protect them with everything I have?
I have felt this mother bear surface a few times in the last ten years. The most recent memory was at an Applebees restaurant, where our family sat to try to enjoy a meal, as a group of loud, belligerent folks sat at the table next to us. The profanity eventually became so loud and so obnoxious, that I stood up, leaned over to their table, and requested in a firm voice that they STOP USING THAT LANGUAGE IMMEDIATELY in respect of others around them, especially the children. (I'm telling you this was like an out of body experience. The sort of thing where I didn't even realize I did it until I'd sat back down.) I chalk it up to the mother bear inside me. She's always in there, but it takes certain extreme circumstances to bring her out. (And the group apologized and was much quieter the rest of the time we were there.)
I'm just at a loss as to what to do with my anger. I wonder if anybody can tell me if this sort of thing is legal? I mean, there was no attempt to disguise anything. Can I take any action here?
And, last but not least, I feel this pressing urge to explain myself to our mail lady...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Worthy Reading/Watching
Not really having anything noteworthy myself to blog about, I'll just pass on something today that touched me deeply. I know some of you have kept up on Angie Smith's blog (Bring the Rain). If you're at all aware of her story, make sure you check out her latest post, "The Mourning and the Dancing". The link is on my sidebar if you need it.
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