Monday, February 11, 2013

Free to Struggle

You might have to think about this one. I know I had to.

James 1:2-3 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

And Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."


When we become children of God, some of us tend to hold onto the chains Christ has broken. The chains of old habits, addictions and favorite sins. The sins that He allowed to nail Him to the cross...instead of us. We are free!!! Why do we run back to our prison? God will never disown us, but why do we want to grab our old life back and cling to it like it's our first love or something? There's a song that my brother listens to, and it just hit me today how true this is:

Hallelujah, we are free to struggle
We're not struggling to be free
Your blood bought, and makes us children
Children, drop your chains and sing
 
Be joyful when you are tried. The struggle to be godly works patience in you. Instead of struggling to be free from all the nothingness I felt before I was saved, I am now free to choose to do the right thing (and it is a struggle - check out Romans 7). I I was lugging around such a heavy weight before I met Christ. My sins were awful. And on top of all the guilt and pressure, I knew I would spend an eternity away from God, in hell. Now I will be going to heaven and I am completely, amazingly, miraculously free! My heart feels light and I am hopeful. There is power in His blood. Yes, we struggle. But thank God for your struggles!!! It is all for you, to help you grow, to exercise your faith, to make you patient. The struggle to be free was hopeless on our part. But now our old man is crucified with Christ, and we have resurrected to a new life with Him! He has overcome where we could not and He will continue to do so through us. The struggle against our flesh is of Him and through Him. It is our choice to take hold on victory, as it is ours forever.
 


Life at the Hospital

My grandpa had his second knee replacement surgery today. He's a tough, self-employed man who does amazing carpentry as a side job, and also just for fun :) He's trying to rest in the bed next to me, and more family is huddled in the room with us. His right knee was replaced last year in December and it wasn't nearly as painful as the left knee is giving him right now. He and my grandma will probably be staying at the hospital for the next three days. Last time he had a knee replacement, we came and stayed every day with them -- all day. The only time we spent at home was to eat dinner and sleep.
Going through something like this is made so much more bearable when family is near. Having a knee replaced and then being an invalid for about a month really wears on one's patience.
Staying in a hospital room or waiting room for days at a time can exhaust you!! It's so nice to have people visit and provide a change in atmosphere. Not only does it let them know the patient is cared for, but it also gives them an opportunity to focus on something else. Being in a hospital all day long kind of has a way of causing burn out, even if you're not in an anxious state. It just happens that way.  You either sit quietly next to your relative while they snooze or you sit (and sleep) in a waiting room chair among others who quietly wait for their loved ones in surgery/intensive care/etc.

Don't decide to not visit someone in the hospital because you don't want to "over crowd" them. They will go home exhausted either way. Encouragement is your best bet, and visiting is even better encouragement than a card or a text!!! It is also proven that people heal faster if they are in contact with and are supported by those who love them!

His woman of over 40 years just have him a kiss. I think he hurts a little less now :)

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22


Friday, February 8, 2013

Double-Take!!?

 I used to look down on guys for staring at a scantily dressed girl. It made me so mad!!! I mean, come on guys. Do you want to be pure or not? Do you really want to have a pure mind for your wife? Or does every man secretly fantasize about random women dressed in low-cut shirts and short skirts? Is that all it takes!!?
Then I realized that guys were just reacting to something very natural inside of them called hormones and that it is very difficult for the poor guys to keep their testosterone levels from exploding when they see so much skin and -- yeah -- its a big deal! So I started to look down on all the girls out there who expose as much of their bodies as they can without going nude. It really got my blood to boiling! I have brothers, a Dad, and an amazing ♥man♥ in my life. That's not very fair to them when they see girls walking around Walmart dressed in such a way.
But then I realized, not only that the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things, but also that we are all extremely pressured by society in the area of clothing. Or lack thereof...


She was walking through the grocery store on a Monday afternoon. She was beautiful. And thin. And blond. I won't even describe her clothes. Let's just say it was February of this year, and though we had 70 degree weather that day, she was not anywhere near a beach! Her long hair was pulled back in a pony tail and had tucked a plumeria flower behind her ear, making her appear girlish and "innocent". Heavy eye make up and glossy lips...anyway...

Bait. That's exactly what she was.

She casually strolled past the fish and meat department. I was expecting a lot of heads to turn, and I was right! It was kind of amusing. The guys who were supposed to be handling raw meat and cutting up fish had all left their posts and congregated together, gawking at her. The male shoppers all stopped what they were doing to look. Men, who were there shopping with other women, stared for a couple seconds and then jolted back to their business. She was totally unaware (supposedly) that, as she passed by, every guy was doing a double-take. Every. Single. One. The minds of those guys were feeding on the bait. Drawn in by the hook that could very possibly lead them down to destruction.  


It fills my heart with sadness. And an urgency to produce change. Sex is selling these days and it is no accident. Women's magazines, even teen mags, are loaded with sex and soft porn. Women are tricked by the lies of society. The devil has so darkened the minds of fashion designers and Hollywood that women and girls buy into every little bit of it! The men are no different. The world makes women look like a toy or a sex trophy and women believe it so men treat them that way. Thanks a bunch to the media, women's magazine producers, and those who set the fashion statements worn by all today. Modest clothes are hard to find! Modest and yet attractive clothes are even harder to find! Its like searching for buried treasure. And yet it is not impossible. There's still time to change the course of history. Just keep what is secret, a secret!!! There's a reason its called 'underwear'. We as women have a responsibility to treat ourselves with dignity even if society doesn't. We have a right to respect and protect ourselves. Will you?

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10