Ramblings

This week has been pretty good. It's birthday week and I am loving it! While I didn't do anything too terribly exciting yesterday, it's been a busy week and am having friends over on Friday. SO EXCITED:) Tonight, Joshua and I went to 1st Wednesday and it was a sweet time although at times, I felt disconnected from God. I think that the biggest thing for me is that I'm not always listening to His promptings especially at work. God sets things up and then I ignore and don't listen. *sigh* I wonder if I'll ever catch onto that. Maybe one day...

Afterwords, a friend and I started talking about some of the struggles that she's been going through and everything pointed back to Celebrate Recovery. I was able to tell my own story of giving things up to God and realizing that I REALLY don't control anything. I was able to tell her about letting go of the bitterness and resentment that I held against my parents and being able to accept them for who they are with nothing in return and how freeing that has been and how that's changed our relationship. I love this God journey!

In other news, I have a friend from college who when he left decided that he was going to embrace the gay lifestyle and turn away from God. Today, he posted an interesting article about the perception of the gay lifestyle and how it has it's extremes just like everything else. One of my dear friends pointed out that the argument was one sided and how the perception is faulty. I followed up and said that it's not about being gay or straight, but about the identity. My heart truly hurts for him and for many of my gay friends because of their belief that God at this moment is asking them to choose to be "something that they're not." and how because of that, He doesn't love them and they don't love Him. It pains me that they choose to believe the lie. But, it's not just them. I think of my friends who sleep with each other and are involved in unhealthy relationships. Those who live lifestyles of futility and selfishness and the same pain abounds. I hate how Satan wants them to believe the lie and doubt truth simply because it doesn't fit their life style. Or that we can believe some parts of the Bible and not others because it's "judgmental". I was listening to a talk by Craig Groschel, who is the pastor of Life Church and he was talking about Practical Atheism. The idea or concept of "I believe in God but..."

I think the thing that God is pointing out to me is that there are so many hurting people there and how I need to constantly stand and listen to Him as He gives me direction. I don't take the opportunities to pray for my coworkers. I do give into the lie at work... and for what? For time? What else am I here for if not to Mark people's lives SO THAT they can come to know God like I know Him? How many of my friends are miserable because they are running from God like there's always tomorrow? Why don't I want people to experience abundant life like I know it now? What is my problem? I honestly think that God used my friend in order to remind me of that. I can write to him about it, but not to my co-workers whom I see every day. How interesting and ridiculous. I'm glad that God allowed me to see that tonight. I've got to move forward on that and stop being "polite" in that sense. I've got to move into action and not complacency. It's going to be hard, but I want to run the race without shackles.