How to Love Americans

I think this song is so powerful.  How many people are you surrounded by that just need a little love?

I'm willing to bet you don't even know.

Classmates, friends, siblings..you see them everyday but do you really know what they are struggling with deep down?

Because of the society we're raised in, we hide the mess and look pretty on the outside.  We all know this because we all do it.  But what happens when the outside caves and we need someone there who really cares?  What happens when we need love--the real kind--the kind that heals?

Forgive us father, for we are so arrogant that we can't admit our own faults.  Forgive us for trying to be people we aren't.  Forgive me for trying too hard.  Forgive me for not showing weakness.  Because of my selfishness I know there are others who share the same struggles as I do, but I can't witness to them because then they would know my messy secrets.  I'm sorry father.  It is a disgusting sin to swallow.  Pride.  Why do we do this to ourselves?

I was handed a Billy Graham pamphlet at church last Sunday..inside I found information about Americans.  In a typical American neighborhood you can expect to find this:

• 7 of your neighbors struggle with depression; some consider suicide
• 14 feel crippled or trapped by fear and anxiety
• 7 abuse or addicted to drugs or alcohol
• 8 are struggling with the loss of a job
• 3 are grieving the death of a loved one
• 60 don't profess to be born again.

I do love the campaign Mr. Graham has going and I encourage you to follow the link and participate in your own church, but right now I want to focus on those statistics.  Some of you may find them hard to believe, but the more I see of the world the more I see truth in these numbers; we just hide them so it doesn't look so bad.

I thought a girl in my art class described it perfectly when she painted this picture:

It's about our hidden flaws.  The guy on the left is suicidal, the woman in the middle is anorexic and the girl sitting down on the far right struggles with depression.

I love this painting because I could just stare at it all day long and get so much meaning from it.  I particularly like the woman in the middle, because from the outside you know she is beautiful.  I'm sure everyone thinks she has a lovely life full of parties, romance and sophistication--but until you look closer you wouldn't know that she's a broken soul who desperately needs love and acceptance from someone who really cares.  Yes Jesus, but also a friend.  Not the kind she has who talk about jewelry and make-up all the time, but a true friend who loves her for her and doesn't care what size she is.  She doesn't need a religious weirdo trying to save her so they can feel better about themselves.  She needs someone she can trust.  Someone who says it's okay to be real.

This is the perfect portrait of America.

We are hurting and dirty and dieing.  We are bruised, broken and ashamed.  We need help.  We know about Jesus, we have him..but now we need each other.  Real friendship.

I came to this conclusion after watching October Baby for the fifth time.  The girl on there seems crazy, dependent and annoying--but she found healing through Jesus and a true friend.

I thought about that for a long time...

We try to make acting like Jesus this big huge thing where we have to start a non-profit organization and change the world with free Bibles and hot meals for everyone.  But really, "You can't boil the ocean."  We have to start small and we have to start with ourselves.  Me.  You.  Individually.

What would Jesus do?

He would love everyone! Everywhere! Forever!!

Right.  So what does that mean we should do?

Love everyone!  Everywhere! Forever!

Okay so let's break this down.  Instead of trying to "boil the ocean" let's look at your life.  Actually, let's look at mine since I don't know "you."  I have been blessed with a Mother, a Father, a Brother and about 5 or so friends who mean the world to me.  These are the people who mean the most to me.  They are the ones I laugh with, cry with and share my dreams with.  These are the people who won't leave me--for better or for worse.  

After watching October Baby, I feel like the Lord personally challenged me to look closer into these 8 lives and see what I can do to love them more like Jesus.  I can't be everyone's best friend no matter how hard I try..but I can love deeply 8 people.  That's doable for me.

So I made a list of these names, and next to each of their names I wrote out how I could personally help them feel the love of Jesus more through my life.  For my Brother it is being there to cheer him on.  For my crazy Mexican friend it's just being supportive of his new dream.  It's small things that add up to large things.

If we all purposely loved the small group of people in our lives better, I think we could make a huge change. Then someone would be there for the girl who secretly struggles with anorexia.  And when our small group meshes well and overflows love for one another, eventually we can reach out and add another soul to our love group.

BUT, let us not forget that this begins with humility.  I had to first realize that I need help, love and support from friends.  I had to realize that I was wrong. I am a sinner and I am broken and I will always be that way no matter how hard I try.

It first takes me getting uncomfortable and sharing my real struggles with my real friends and family in order to hear their side of the story too.

Also, I have to remember how imperfect I am and not judge them for their sins.  Just because I sin differently than they do, doesn't make me a better person.  We all fall short.

I guess I'm reinventing the wheel here.  Read Acts for more ideas and follow the life of Christ in John.

Wait...Wait...Wait

My hope is in You, Lord
All the day long

I won't be shaken by drought or storm

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing

My hope is in You, Lord

I will wait on You

You are my refuge

I will wait on You

You are my refuge

--My Hope Is In You, Aaron Shust

Life is full of waiting isn't it?  I know the single section just shouted a chorus of "Amens."  But what about the rest of us?  What about life after marriage?  What about the life of a child?

I remember the first time the desire of a long-term wait really sunk in for me.  I was sitting in a small, wooden desk with a package of 64-count Crayola Crayons.  My best friend, Bernice, sat right in front of me, and one of our other friends joined us as we discussed the grown-up details of our 6 year-old lives.

"I can't wait to be sixteen," Bernice let out with a long, hopeless sigh.  

"Sixteen?  Why, what happens at sixteen?"  I asked with wide eyes and a curious mind.

"Duh, Haley.  Everyone knows that when you turn sixteen you get a car and  you get to drive wherever you want."  she replied.

After a few moments of careful thought and consideration, I then announced to the group that I would be getting a pink convertible to match Barbie's on the day of my sixteenth birthday.

We were six.  A good ten years of waiting sat before us, and yet we had already planned out the date, the details, and the price our parents would have to pay.  What a torturous way to spend ten years of a young life.  If only we had that license, THEN we would be complete.  We would be grown women.  Wise, mature, sexy, confident.  Everything hinged on the day we turned sixteen and received our licenses.

But of course...everyone knows what happens when you FINALLY turn sixteen...

You have to wait two more years to become eighteen.

And when you turn eighteen, it's three more years 'till twenty-one.  And so, at some point we begin to realize that satisfaction, contentment, joy, and love do not magically appear after a period of waiting.  In fact, we are often just pushed on to realize something else we desperately need to make us happy.

You want to know the real truth, the secret to the waiting game?  Here it is:  you'll always be waiting for something.

As a single woman, we often waste our single years wishing for Mr. Right to come save us and make us happy and complete.  But what happens after we receive that?  You guessed it, more waiting, wanting, and discontentment.

Paul clearly tells us the secret to this never ending wait in Philippians chapter 4.  First, look at verse six:

 "Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your request to God."

Then jump down to verse twelve:

"I know what it is to be in need, 

and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content 

in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want."

As a Christian on earth, you will always be waiting and watching for something more, something better...something holy.   This is because our husband has not come for us.  He is sitting on the throne in heaven watching and praying for us, waiting for just the right time to rescue us from all things evil, thus redeeming us to the one our soul desperately longs for.  Yeah, now that's something worth waiting for.

So what do we do in the mean time?  Worship, work, and wait.  

Ecclesiastes 8:15-16 says:

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.  Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun."

And 1 Corinthians 10:31

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

And also, John Waller says,

"I will serve you while I'm waiting, I will worship while I'm waiting."

Put your hope and trust, your pains and struggles, and your desires and longings in God's hands and he promises to never let you go.  

He will NOT leave you in despair, I promise you.

"God, the one and only--I'll wait as long as he says.

Everything I hope for comes from him, 

so why not?"

Pslam 62:5-6 (MSG)

I Will Wait for You: A Poem

A friend of mine shared this with me yesterday, I thought it was very powerful and full of the truth of the Word of God.  Hope this encourages you today. :) God Bless

My soul will rest in you.

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding

My soul will rest in You.

I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm

My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay

My refuge and strength always

I will not fear, His promise is true

My God will come through always, always

                          --Kristian Stanfill: Always

This is a beautiful song of the comfort, hope, and peace God gives us when life gets a little crazy.  I think the hardest part about receiving this comfort is letting God give it to you.  I talk to people all the time who really want help and comfort from God, but yet they are too stubborn to lay down their troubles.  We think if we just keep trying things we will ultimately fix the problem themselves.

 It's a control thing we all have as humans.  We feel like it is our right to be in control of our own life, and we don't want no help from no body!  This is fine for those who don't mind misery--but God has something so much bigger and better in store for his children if we will let him show us!!


      Step 1:  Recognize that your life is not your own, you were bought with a price.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Do  you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought with a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

When you become a Christian you accept that you are a sinner, and that you need help and forgiveness from God Almighty himself.  You also confess him as Lord.  This means you give him control over your thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5,)  your desires (Psalm 37:4,) and your plans (Proverbs 16:3.)  

This is not a natural occurrence, it is the result of an overflowing heart for God that says, "I love God so incredibly much, because I realize I deserve nothing he has given me, and because of that I choose to lay down my life for him and let his glory be made known through me, and this way others will come to know the hope and peace that I have found in Him."

     Step 2: Realize that God has everything under control.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Isaiah 41:13 (MSG)

"That's right.  Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go."

If God can create an entire intricate universe that includes insects, the molecular biology of plants, every internal and external organ of the human being, all the millions of different animals in the world, and magnificent nature, in just 6 days, what makes us thing he can't handle our momentary problems?  Yes, it might be cancer, a divorce, or rumors--but we're talking about the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE here!!  He has this whole thing planned out already!  One way or another he is going to get glory from this and you are either going to go closer or farther away from him depending on what you chose (Joshua 24:15.)

     Step 3: Lay it down.

1 Peter 5:7

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Philippians 4:6

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

As a human, one of the hardest things you'll do is admit that you can't do it by yourself, and that you need help.  However, if we come to this realization that God can handle it, and he does know what's best for us, we can start to receive his help.  We just have to humble ourselves and lay down our controlling hearts first (2 Chronicles 7:14.)

    Step 4: Let him comfort you.

Psalms 34:18 (MSG)

"If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there."

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

After we initially lay down our plans, troubles, or whatever, it is often instinct to pick it right back up when God starts to do work.  This just takes us right back where we started though.  It is important to remember to keep your pile of stuff at God's feet.  Stop trying to take back the reigns and control it yourself.  YOU WILL MESS UP if you keep trying to fix it in your strength alone.  Let Go and Let God.

Distracted from Love

I wonder if I am the only one that this happens to...

Every time I get going good, really focusing on God, it seems as though 3 or 4 boys will pop up out of nowhere and begin to show interest in me. These aren’t usually guys I would consider dating, much less marrying—but nevertheless they pop up and become brief little distractions in my life.

I don’t think this is by coincidence at all. You see, Satan is smart; and he knows very well what woman was cursed with in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3:16 says, “And your desire will be for your husband…” If you have never studied the curse of woman after the fall, you really ought to look into it—it captures the struggle of our entire womanhood.

Women werecursed with a deep, longing desire for a husband; someone to love andpursue them, someone to tell them they’re beautiful and worth fighting for, someone to hold them tight and protect them when scary things happen—it’s the nature of a woman!

Because of that curse, from birth till death we see women constantly seeking the affection and attention of a man. For little girls, it’s daddy. For teenagers it’s any boy whom shows interest; twenty-somethings want someone to put a ring on it; and the married women always want more out of their husbands.

This curse is obviously warped by the devil and often used as a big distraction from God. Countless times I have seen awesome Christian girls who let this desire take over them…they settle to date these horrible men who not only aren’t leading, but they fall severely short of treating these women like the beautiful princesses in Christ that they are.

In a book by Paul David Tripp he says,

“It is not wrong to desire the tender attention of your husband. It is wrong to be so ruled by it that your days are filled with bitterness because of its absence and your nights are filled with manipulative attempts to get it.”

Even Jesus struggled with accepting God’s desire over his own. Luke 22:42 But because we call him Lord, Lord—we know in the gut of our desires that our wonderful father has a much bigger and better plan for us in all of this, if only we will wait and trust him.

1 Peter 5:7
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Don’t let the devil use your desire for a husband against you today. Remind yourself that you worship the one true GOD, not the feeling of love. 1 John 4:16, God IS love. Get some.

More on Love..

1 John 4:7-20

§ GOD is the source of our love (Jesus)

§ JESUS is our example of love (his life)

§ THE HOLY SPIRIT is our power to love

§ We must rely on God for the power. Romans 5:5

§ Faith is the foundation,

§ Hope is the attitude,

§ And LOVE is the action.

§ God’s love is made complete when we love one another.