Bolts of Lightening

Oh man guys. And gals. What a week.

I'm so tired, so I apologize if this is similar to the last blog I posted. I don't want it to be, really, but tiredness triggers a certain behavior in me and it seems to resemble disorganized thought.

There is so much going on in my life and I wish I could just clear some of it off my plate with a fork and scrape it into the trashcan.

But what can I say? Se la vie.

I took French for two years in high school :)

But this stuff, it's stuff I don't want to deal with. It's like, "Hey, aren't we over this yet guys? I thought high school was supposed to be the center for all things dramatic! This is such a burden."

But guess Who always wants to carry my burdens?

Yep, time to get on my soapbox. (When I think of getting on my soapbox, I picture it as a pink bar of soap…).

Jesus wants to.

So why is He sometimes the last person I think of turning to? And why do I sometimes make things worse by trying to handle them myself?

Connected thought:

Why do we hold grudges and push people away instead of asking God to help us forgive?

It's like we are just creating all this trouble for ourselves.

I think our lives would be so much easier if we lived the way God wants us to.

It's not for us to punish others with our hatred or bitterness or whatever may stem from that. And it's not my job to worry when others harbor these things against someone else. I can pray and hope and give it up to the only One who can soften someone else's heart.

So. I'm going to stop worrying about the drama. All I can do is forgive or ask forgiveness when I need to and pray for other situations.

Worrying will shorten my life, I'm convinced of it. It's almost as bad as fast food. Haha :)

Next thing:

On Wednesday, someone said: "Bad things happen because we've done something wrong and God punishes those He loves."

Yikes.
So, I asked on Twitter this week if y'all think that our pain, trials, etc…are directly correlated to God punishing us for our trespasses.

The lovely Lisa responded and gave the example of the healing of the blind man from John chapter nine. In verse three, Jesus tell those questioning Him (about whose sin had caused the man to be blind) that, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

Ya. God wasn't punishing his sins, or sins which occurred before his birth. His blindness was planned in advance so that God's awesome power would be shown through his healing.

Wow.

Ya. 

Imagine if we allowed the difficult things in our lives to display God's glory. Like, no matter what's happening, we trust that God is in control. Whether it be through the death of a loved one, a broken marriage, a layoff…what if we allowed God to use these situations to show those around us that He can make all things new again?

Can you imagine living your life as a person blinded from birth and being told, "If only your parents hadn't screwed up, then you'd be able to see and support yourself and get married and have a normal life. Too bad for you."

Oh man, that would be so miserable. And there would be nothing you could do to change your situation!

Or what if God was constantly punishing us (because we all sin more than we like to admit), even though we were promised forgiveness?

I'm not saying there are not negative consequences for our actions. I've seen consequences in action, and I know you have, too! But I don't think God's out to get us. No bolts of lightening waiting to fry us (that's Zeus, guys). Discipline and consequences are very different from punishment.

Does this make sense? I think I'm going to read this later and say to myself, "What was I talking about?…this is awkward…"

Imagine I just said that in a funny Kristen Wiig voice. She's my favorite.

Anyway. There are some people in my life who have allowed God to display His glory through their tough times and I am so grateful for their strength and example. I want to be as trusting and willing as they have been.

The phone just rang and freaked me out! Regathering my thoughts.

Go listen to "Tear Down the Walls" by Hillsong United if you want to really get into my head.

I told you this would be really theological. 

But there you have it. That's what's on my heart.