These last few months have been rather, how do you say #interesting #intriguing #impressive Looks like the I's have it.
Well, without further adieu....let's go get em.
...
What about your friends?! Everybody has them, and we all know that there's that one friend who is really good at hiding their emotions (maybe it's you). You know, masquerading around as if all is well when in fact it isn't. Or what about in the case where they just aren't that open with you and others around so they smile and shrug things off that really bother them hoping not to draw attention to themselves?
Isn't that just like us?! Instead of being fully up front and honest we'd rather hide behind falsehood and fantasy in hopes of coping and getting away from it all; leaving us more desperate for what we need and possibly even more downtrodden than previously experienced.
It may not even be an emotional thing. Perhaps the way we look on the outside or how people perceive us isn't matching up with how we feel on the inside, how things [actually] are on the inside.
Have you ever heard someone say, "You would never know (or think that something was wrong) by looking at them...." Surely people felt the same way about those folks who one day happened to snap and go off the edge #dontPushMe
At my church in Pittsburgh, Pa they have this #capitalCampaign called "Find Us Faithful". Essentially a capital campaign is a fundraising effort to be able to provide the necessary monies to cover expenditures, future expansion, renovations, so on and so forth. Oddly enough, the concept of "faith" is one that the church has been working on getting the members to grow in, as well as an area that I have personally challenged them to pursue as a community.
For me when it comes to being #faithful I do my best to give in all areas of life (and my prayer is that you are able to do the same). Whether it is in time, talent, and/or resources I make sure that I am constantly giving something in proportion to my faith (2 Corinthians 9:7-9). But there are those times, as you're well aware that things just don't seem to gel as much as they used to.
You may start feeling a little slower than usual, things aren't working out as well as you hoped and for some reason, life is now in what is amounting to disarray.
The key or at least one of the principles of living a life of fullness is that your internal state is maintained. It's not just enough to make sure that you look good on the outside without feeling good and taking the necessary precautions to make sure your soul stays good. This is more than living a "good" life, but also doing what's required in order to keep the "state" of your inner self at a level of productivity such that you may lead the life you expect [to lead] and believe you can lead. Hopefully that makes sense...to put it plainly, if you don't take care of your soul the way you take care of a growing child #nurture eventually the outside will unravel as a result of the inside having been "disconnected" for lack of better words, analogies and euphemisms.
You owe it to yourself and those around you to be and remain faithful in the upkeep of your inner being such that what you project on the outside is a true reflection of what's going on, on the inside.
Getting back to my personal account...the Christian walk is one of faithfulness. This means that regardless of what happens in the world, in my life, or beyond my control I must continue to press forward. Sometimes I mess up, really really bad. Other times I do okay. Then there are those occasions where I may shine like a star.
I began to question myself during the last school year wondering if faithfulness and consistency was indeed the same thing. There's this thought or preconceived notion that if I'm not "hitting the mark" via a certain percentage that I am indeed not being faithful enough. Is that true for you? Let's say you had some new year's resolution and you're doing okay in keeping it (as it's now the month of July). Does this mean that you've been faithful?
Hold on for a second and let's see if we can get a denotative view before going any further...
faith·ful [feyth-fuhl] adjective
1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty
2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant
4. reliable, trusted, or believed.
(Should've done that earlier #lessonLearned)
So you see, to be faithful simply means: 1) Thoroughness, 2) True to your word, 3) Constant/Loyal, 4) Reliable.
Why am I pointing this out? Because, even in the midst of being faithful you may get off course, lose focus, or stumble (hard)...this does NOT mean that you aren't being faithful. The level of faithfulness will be determined by what you do after you realize (admit, accept, avert back to the proper direction) that you have not been thorough enough, true to your word, constant/loyal, or reliable.
Sometimes it isn't all about HOW MUCH but rather if you're doing it at all. Don't get me wrong. Quality and quantity do play a huge role in lending credibility to your level of faithfulness.
The Bible calls people to live holy and righteous lives. This is something that takes many of us a lifetime to attain. There are certain techniques and practices which must be undertaken to get to this point. In what was to be my last year in the world of academia, I struggled to understand how this "state of being" was to come about. I couldn't seem to get it right. I was constantly seeming to be unfaithful because I wasn't "perfect" in my walk.
Before you can become perfect in anything, you must be perfected. Being perfected also means maturation. Christianity isn't about becoming the perfect person, but maturing to a point where we are more like Jesus every day of our lives. For the non-believer being perfected means much of the same thing; growing in certain moral trues or virtues (e.g. Love, Joy, Compassion, Self-control).
In closing I want to tell a quick story...well, rephrase a parable if you will.
What does this mean for me? #theReader
Challenge
Isn't that just like us?! Instead of being fully up front and honest we'd rather hide behind falsehood and fantasy in hopes of coping and getting away from it all; leaving us more desperate for what we need and possibly even more downtrodden than previously experienced.
It may not even be an emotional thing. Perhaps the way we look on the outside or how people perceive us isn't matching up with how we feel on the inside, how things [actually] are on the inside.
Have you ever heard someone say, "You would never know (or think that something was wrong) by looking at them...." Surely people felt the same way about those folks who one day happened to snap and go off the edge #dontPushMe
7 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
...
10 God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
...
16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Amen.
At my church in Pittsburgh, Pa they have this #capitalCampaign called "Find Us Faithful". Essentially a capital campaign is a fundraising effort to be able to provide the necessary monies to cover expenditures, future expansion, renovations, so on and so forth. Oddly enough, the concept of "faith" is one that the church has been working on getting the members to grow in, as well as an area that I have personally challenged them to pursue as a community.
For me when it comes to being #faithful I do my best to give in all areas of life (and my prayer is that you are able to do the same). Whether it is in time, talent, and/or resources I make sure that I am constantly giving something in proportion to my faith (2 Corinthians 9:7-9). But there are those times, as you're well aware that things just don't seem to gel as much as they used to.
You may start feeling a little slower than usual, things aren't working out as well as you hoped and for some reason, life is now in what is amounting to disarray.
The key or at least one of the principles of living a life of fullness is that your internal state is maintained. It's not just enough to make sure that you look good on the outside without feeling good and taking the necessary precautions to make sure your soul stays good. This is more than living a "good" life, but also doing what's required in order to keep the "state" of your inner self at a level of productivity such that you may lead the life you expect [to lead] and believe you can lead. Hopefully that makes sense...to put it plainly, if you don't take care of your soul the way you take care of a growing child #nurture eventually the outside will unravel as a result of the inside having been "disconnected" for lack of better words, analogies and euphemisms.
You owe it to yourself and those around you to be and remain faithful in the upkeep of your inner being such that what you project on the outside is a true reflection of what's going on, on the inside.
Getting back to my personal account...the Christian walk is one of faithfulness. This means that regardless of what happens in the world, in my life, or beyond my control I must continue to press forward. Sometimes I mess up, really really bad. Other times I do okay. Then there are those occasions where I may shine like a star.
I began to question myself during the last school year wondering if faithfulness and consistency was indeed the same thing. There's this thought or preconceived notion that if I'm not "hitting the mark" via a certain percentage that I am indeed not being faithful enough. Is that true for you? Let's say you had some new year's resolution and you're doing okay in keeping it (as it's now the month of July). Does this mean that you've been faithful?
Hold on for a second and let's see if we can get a denotative view before going any further...
faith·ful [feyth-fuhl] adjective
1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty
2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant
4. reliable, trusted, or believed.
(Should've done that earlier #lessonLearned)
So you see, to be faithful simply means: 1) Thoroughness, 2) True to your word, 3) Constant/Loyal, 4) Reliable.
Why am I pointing this out? Because, even in the midst of being faithful you may get off course, lose focus, or stumble (hard)...this does NOT mean that you aren't being faithful. The level of faithfulness will be determined by what you do after you realize (admit, accept, avert back to the proper direction) that you have not been thorough enough, true to your word, constant/loyal, or reliable.
Sometimes it isn't all about HOW MUCH but rather if you're doing it at all. Don't get me wrong. Quality and quantity do play a huge role in lending credibility to your level of faithfulness.
The Bible calls people to live holy and righteous lives. This is something that takes many of us a lifetime to attain. There are certain techniques and practices which must be undertaken to get to this point. In what was to be my last year in the world of academia, I struggled to understand how this "state of being" was to come about. I couldn't seem to get it right. I was constantly seeming to be unfaithful because I wasn't "perfect" in my walk.
Before you can become perfect in anything, you must be perfected. Being perfected also means maturation. Christianity isn't about becoming the perfect person, but maturing to a point where we are more like Jesus every day of our lives. For the non-believer being perfected means much of the same thing; growing in certain moral trues or virtues (e.g. Love, Joy, Compassion, Self-control).
In closing I want to tell a quick story...well, rephrase a parable if you will.
Jesus did many works, healed peoples, all kinds of good stuff. In particular there was a man who was healed of leprosy (Mark 1:40-45). Leprosy was a common disease in Biblical times...in any event, the man from a place of faith spoke to the Christ and said, "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean". Out of compassion for the man and to strengthen him in his continued faith journey, Jesus' reply was, "I am willing. Be healed!".
All the leper had to do was speak out and believe in what Jesus could do.
Back to my life story...I wanted to be faithful, but felt that I wasn't doing a great job of it at the time. I appreciated the struggle, but when would I see that I indeed had been faithful all along? At a Graduate Christian Fellowship Bible Study following the study of this text [i.e. The Leper Story] we went around, each individually praying for what we needed God to do in our lives by stating "If you are willing...". I spoke, "If you are willing, you can make me faithful."
In this life, many-a-times what you need more than anything isn't the greatest skill, the most strength, or a lot of time and resources....but a willingness; there is your start, and it will get you to your finish.
Continue to be faithful and before you know it, just like some folks like their #redMeat the tasks and fulfillment of life will be #wellDone (Matthew 25:21)
All the leper had to do was speak out and believe in what Jesus could do.
Back to my life story...I wanted to be faithful, but felt that I wasn't doing a great job of it at the time. I appreciated the struggle, but when would I see that I indeed had been faithful all along? At a Graduate Christian Fellowship Bible Study following the study of this text [i.e. The Leper Story] we went around, each individually praying for what we needed God to do in our lives by stating "If you are willing...". I spoke, "If you are willing, you can make me faithful."
In this life, many-a-times what you need more than anything isn't the greatest skill, the most strength, or a lot of time and resources....but a willingness; there is your start, and it will get you to your finish.
Continue to be faithful and before you know it, just like some folks like their #redMeat the tasks and fulfillment of life will be #wellDone (Matthew 25:21)
Why?
The quick skinny:
- Being faithful isn't easy and takes a life of learning
What does this mean for me? #theReader
This is F.U.N. (For Ur Needs)
Use your KEYS
- Know that God is (always) faithful
- Expect to feel sluggish at times
- Your willingness is the first step to working it out
- Stay focused
Challenge
- Do something today that will strengthen you on the inside
- Don't get caught up in not being at the finish line #pressOn
