He loves Me

Jesus Loves You. 

Three small words, one HUGE meaning. I think the older I get the more weight it begins to carry not just as I develop a greater understanding of what it means to be loved by a Holy God but also in my life and how I choose to live it out. More specifically as the Love God has for me begins to have more weight in my life, the more I desire to show that to others who may not know what this thing called "love" really feels like or even is. 

This whole idea came about as I was at work today and a mom and her 3 young kids came through me line. The oldest child was a girl and she looked to be no more than 10 or 11 years old, the middle child was a little girl who appeared to be so full of life, she looked to be about 6. The youngest was a small boy who had a smile that would melt about anyones heart, he looked to be about 3 or 4. Upon this mother entering the store I heard a loud voice that was followed by her violently pulling a young boy off the cart as it appeared as though he was trying to "ride" it, like any normal 4yr old would do.

I was blessed enough to have them come through my line once they were finished shopping. I was grateful for the opportunity to interact with them. Once I was able to get a better look at the children I noticed their disheveled and dirty clothing but more importantly I noticed the considerable amount of bruises and scrapes they each had upon their small bodies. Upon the realization of that I was then heavily burdened by the mere thought of what these children go home to. What did being loved and cared for mean to them, if it even meant anything at all. I almost intentionally went slowly on their order just so they could stay there a bit longer. When I'd finished everything and gave my final words the little boy was last to exit the line and he turned to me and gave me a huge smile and a sweet "bye!" Since then they've all been on my mind and heart and, more importantly, in my prayers. I was also struck by the fact that God is watching over those dear children and loves them more than anyone. 

That's what so amazing about the God we serve, the God I serve. That even though we cant always be there to show love to those who deserve it - the God of the Universe has them in His hands and I know He will take care of them.  He died to save not just those who are well-off in life, or who haven't done a lot wrong, no.. He died for every living soul on this earth. Unlike what we've been brought up to do (i.e. stereo-type people and judge those who appear to be worse off than us).  I am guilty of this more than anyone else I know and for that I am ashamed. But what if we all really loved like Jesus does? Unconditional, takes you as you are (even at your worst), love.

Love. In today's society  it seems to be just a word that can be thrown around and abused far too often - but in the eyes of God love means looking down on sinful people and with a love-filled heart saying "I love them and want them to be with me"  Well, I just got goosebumps.  

What amazing love. 

Challenge of this week? Love like Christ loves.

..and you thought where YOU worked was interesting?

I work at a grocery store as a cashier.  No, it's not the most glamorous job and it requires you to be on your feet most of the time, among other things, and can sometimes be exhausting.  However, since I've been there I have been loving this job.  I wasn't expecting to, but every day I go to work something new, often funny, happens to me - which thus prompts me to blog about it. ;)

For example - one of my managers walked in today at 10AM to start his shift.  As he walked in I noticed he had a grocery bag in his hand and thus felt inclined to say, jokingly, "Hey, Ken! What'd you bring me?" He smiled, walked towards me, and began taking out an item from the bag and handed it to me saying "I brought you this. Wheat crackers with cheese!" I chucked and told him he didn't have to actually GIVE me something and that I was only kidding. But he insisted I keep them - so I did. :) 

Another thing that happened was earlier in the day, around 9AM, a co-worker by the name of Troy came and took the register next to mine (which was nice because we were getting pretty busy!) As the day went on I began to notice something about Troy, something good.  He's very friendly to anyone he comes into contact with, always greets the customers with kindness, and is eager to help bag items for anyone else working. Therefore I felt inclined to flat-out ask him if he was a Christian.  With a smile on his face he replied "yes, I am!" I smiled and replied that I was one as well. 

It brings me such great joy to meet people who actually get what being a Christian means.  The fact that I was able to figure out he was a Christian prior to my asking says a lot about this man and how he carries himself - as it would for anyone.  We're called to be Christ-like wherever we go. Being a Christian isn't something you can turn off and turn on when it's convenient for you - it should always be on! You can't be two different people (i.e. the worldly you and the Christian you). It's not what Christ expects of us. 

To make the day even better - upon ending my shift I brought my till (cash, receipts, coupons, ect) to the front to be counted by the manager on duty (which happened to be Ken).  The same thing I said about Troy could be said about Ken. There was something different about him, in a good way.  So, when I saw the opportunity I asked Ken if he was a Christian and he replied "yes, I am" 

So cool! 

Upon starting this job I thought I'd be the only Christian there and instead God reveals other Christians that work there in only a matter of days. That's pretty amazing. :)  

I knew I was blessed to have a job and I thank God for this one often. What I wasn't expecting was the added bonus of awesome things happening to me at this job. And I've met a lot of great people, too. :) 

To close - here's a story about my favorite customer of the day:

An elderly gentleman approached my lane and offered a kind, and heart felt, "Hello my lady!" I responded with a smile and energetic "hello!" 

I then began to ring up his items and he began to give a mini-speech on how men are so different these days.  He claims they're either like him and actually know how to respect and cherish a woman for, as he says "we'd be nothing without you ladies.  You all make life worth living" or they're, as he states, "immature boys who failed to grow up." I replied with my two cents that woman are often unbearable and emotional - he responded with "yes, but men are idiots and slobs"  We both agreed that there are issues with both genders but that the men are worse because, as he noted, "we're supposed to be the leaders."  Upon handing him his receipt he commented on my kindness and gave a "You have a wonderful day, my lady!"

"I tried to throw caution to the wind, but it took my mind instead"

 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Mmm, conviction. 

I'm quite certain I've been failing more than I've been keeping/living-out this verse lately - especially when it comes to where I work.  The people I work directly with (i.e. my co-workers and managers) - they're amazing people and I enjoy working with them (okay, not ALL of them - but a majority of them, yes). The customers I serve? Never has my patience been tested as frequently as it is working at the local grocery store.

I see all kinds of people come in and out of those doors and through my line on a daily basis. Some are the kindest and most softly spoken people I've ever come into contact with - with them I have no issues.  The others? I feel like I died and have been forced to temporarily live in my own nightmare. Who knew someone I only interact with for roughly 2min could make me feel as stupid as some of these people do simply because I failed to do something exactly how they wanted it to be done. Ri-dic-u-lous. 

So in order to keep my job, and keep this angry customer happy, I refrain from getting upset at them for accusing me of doing something wrong (when I know I did nothing wrong). Thus, my remedy for the situation?  The only thing I can think to do when they're all up in my face telling me how wrong I am and that is to stop. breathe. pray. carry on. Sometimes it helps and other times it merely provides a distraction from returning fire in their direction. 

Then the conviction sinks in when I remember that I'm not here to serve myself, or other human masters for that matter, but I'm here to serve others and represent Christ in all I do. If I'm not actively seeking to do that then I need a priority check. So, I resolve that when the going gets tough that I'm to keep a smile on my face and do what I can to disarm them by being simply nice and accommodating. 

I resolve that if God can put up with me when I'm being annoying that I can certainly put up with people who aggravate me.

"Walk by Faith"

"Walk By Faith" - These three words have been resonating in my mind over the course of the past couple days which thus prompts me to spend an incalculable amount of time dwelling on them until those three words begin to mean something different, something more. 

I heard Jeremy Camps song on the radio the other day which only fed my desire to better understand the meaning of walking by Faith. The lyric that struck me the most was "I will walk by faith - even when I cannot see"  That means, in a sense, that you're in a room and someone turned out all the lights and the ground you thought was smooth which would enable you to walk peacefully without running into anything suddenly has big, gaping, swallow-you-whole pot-holes all over and one mis-step means a whole lot of pain.  All you have guiding you? A voice. A still..small..voice.

  

Walking by faith doesn't mean you get to plan your route and go the path of least resistance..  It sometimes means that God's turned all the lights out, thus making it very hard to see.  Of course in those moments we tend to reason with God and inform Him that we've got it under control.  "See my plan, God? I've mapped out every move perfectly. Just let me take this one, you'll see where it ends up and it's going to be great" But then God steps in and with His awesomeness says "No, My Child, I'm turning the lights off and you're going to have to trust Me to get you through this. I am your map, I am your guide, you must listen to Me if you really want to get through this." 

It's REALLY hard sometimes to let everything go - especially if you're a natural born planner, like me, and enjoy having everything perfectly mapped out and organized. But trusting God sometimes means going through the uncomfortable in order to obtain the comfortable. 

So no matter where He is leading you - trust Him to get you through the dark room of pot-holes, or the foggy mess, or through the situation that seems perfectly alright but really isn't.  He is there to help and will guide you to safety. All you have to do is have a little faith and let Him do what He does best. He created the Universe without one single mistake - I'm pretty sure He's capable of getting you through whatever it is you're going through. 

"You can fire..but you've got no bullets"

Other peoples opinions and approvals.. 

We all look for it in one way or another and if you don't think you do... you're kidding yourself. I feel that its only natural to seek mans approval, whether your a Christian or not - we all want to be accepted by everyone for who we are and what we do. 

However, with all this worldly chaos clouding our judgement I wonder where Gods opinion of us fits in there. Will the acceptance of Jim at the office get you to eternity with Christ? I don't think God will say "Oh, Jim approves?  Well, come on in! Enter into your rest."  Nope, that's not going to happen.  

So if that's the case then why does it matter so much that we seek to impress people who, really, in the end...won't matter? Why put forth all that effort for something that will whither away? 

Now, I'd be lying if I said I've got this whole thing under control.. I struggle with seeking mans approval on a daily basis. But lately my conscience has been pricked and I begin to wonder why it matters so much to me. Why not focus on what God thinks of something I'm saying or doing?  I could have saved myself a lot of "uh-oh"s had I merely thought about that before saying/doing something.

Do you ever ask yourself why you take hard road when God's way is so much simpler and easier and far more beneficial than anything else? It's so nonsensical and yet time and time again we take that same road of thought where we elevate mans opinion above a Holy God. Mind boggling. 


Anyway, this brings me to my challenge for myself for the remainder of this week. It is to stop and really ask myself "Would God want me to do/say/think this?" and really try and listen to what He says instead of what I say. Because if I'm hearing my "yes" more than His "no" I then spend the remainder of my time justifying how I'm right. That never ends in my favor..

Bottom line - God is all that Matters.