It’s been a long time since I posted. Sometimes I just think this is useless. Then, I realize how it can be relaxing and can release things in my mind that I need to be able to get out and think some more on. And this one is one post I’ve been thinking a lot about for the past two weeks.
Those of you who know me, you know that I try to be humble and good toward all. You know I am not pushy with anyone or try to coerce anyone to do something they don’t want to do. I’m a heathen, yet I try to live my life before all in a way that shows compassion, love, genuineness, honesty…etc.
Do you know why? I desire to be a seeker of Christ. What you may initially assume a Christian is due to either your own experience or how you’ve been told how awful Christians are, I really strive to be different than the self-serving ones you know of. I’m one of the many who genuinely want to live among my community outside of the predetermined, theological bound, “churchy” ideals. To try to live within the simplistic means of being a Christian. “Christ-like” to me is non-judgmental. It’s forgiving when it hurts and thinking of others before myself. Treating others as I would want to be treated. You know? Kinda like how you would “think” Jesus Christ was when he was on earth in bodily form. We’ve all seen what some people who “claim” to be Christians act like and it turns our stomachs. And when we ourselves act outside of what we know we should, we feel the shame of knowing we may have contributed to that hypocritical “label”. I do know without a shadow of a doubt that I am in no way perfect in each of these areas that I profess to want to be better in. Living life as a follower of Christ. I fall short. I disappoint myself, my friends, my family. If you know me, you know that I believe actions are better than words. I’ve never been a fan of thumping people over the head with do’s and dont’s, condemnation, conformity and judgment. I hope in some way that Christ is reflected in my action and words.
My goal is to be 100% reflective of Jesus. Yeah it’s a lofty goal, and I’m not even close to being what he emulated. For example: someone who is trying to get in the best physical shape ever, has a path to achieve it. They set a goal that may be seen as well “over the top” and each day they focus and give attention to steps in achieving that goal. It shows them they aren’t where they want to be yet but that they are going forward toward that end. Likewise, I’m focused on something that will continue to show me that I don’t have it all together. It will humble me when I get cocky. It will bring me to ground level when my head gets so big it tries to float away. It’ll show me that everyone else around me isn’t the idiot I think they are when I think I’m so much better than them. It’ll show me my humanity, my emptiness as everyone else has and that we all really don’t have together even in times of success.
I’ve been ruminating over Paul’s letters especially Philippians 2:12 “Redouble your efforts (or) be even more careful to do the good things that RESULT from being saved. Obeying God with DEEP REVERENCE, SHRINKING BACK from all that might displease him.” So I ask myself…Am I careful? Am I shrinking back from going full boar in things? Do I allow things that are not “Christ-like” to turn gray in the spectrum of wrong and right? Things such as abusive language, visual distractions, attitudes and thoughts. I say it’s tougher now more than ever to be careful, with the way society has changed electronically, socially. Yet, verse 3 says “God is at work WITHIN you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.” Is He within me enough? Does he reside in me, in my heart, in my thoughts, in my mind, in my ways?
So, what does it mean to obey God with DEEP REVERENCE? What is reverence? It’s honor, respect felt or shown; to have proud adoring or awed respect; to feel passion, devotion or tenderness; to idolize. To help figure out what I have reverence for, all I have to do is look back in the week and see what my focus has been on, what I spent my time in, what my mind chose to think about. I think the tendency is to be more concerned about ourselves and the situations around us that tweak us off. I don’t think we look up or outside of our own moment, our own little world to see others much. We see God as just kinda there or we only notice God when we are in need. Even if you don’t believe that Christ was the son of God or that his purpose was to forgive us of our sin and give us the option of what eternity we will have (because admit it, that’s a lot to have faith in); you at least know that we tend to get caught up in sticking our noses in technology or the daily grind of working to pay the bills so much that we forget to have time to be quite, to reflect, to focus back on to the beauty of creation. In doing this I think we actually can gain a balance again of what our life is for, what we should do each day and in essence how to succeed in pleasing God/the Creator/Abba father.
Comments? Criticisms? Snide remarks?
CrAsH…don’t burn
