I have to get this out...I'm sorry if it seems harsh.

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life...if you have a heart... then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends...Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand." Philippians 2:1-4 the msg

Well, I am going to go off on a tangent…If you call yourself a Christian…a little Christ…. an imitator of Christ…then why do you have so much hostility in your life?

I am a little frustrated by conversations with people that complain all the time. Don’t get me wrong I know there is a time for heated discussions; problem solving and disagreements can be very productive, heartfelt convictions can be very hard to keep to ourselves but complaining as your main point of conversation. NO.

If you have a problem and you share it with someone and they try to help you…they are being Christ-like {Ephesians 4:9}. If you want to constantly talk about how others are failing you {Romans 15:1} …people are going to stop listening. If you complain all the time about how another Christian is not doing something the way you would…{Philippians 2:14} then be a part of the solution or walk away. If you have had more than one conversation about how Jesus doesn’t like tattoos {2 Corinthians 10:7}.... you have not gotten out enough to see how many people Jesus loves that have tattoos. If you can’t take a few hours to help a widow work around her house {James 1:7} …. then your life must be way more important than Jesus ever thought possible. If you can’t love others because they have sin in their life {Romans 3:23}…then you don't understand that we all have sin in our life.

I know that God is a just God and that God calls us to make judgments every single day…judgments on our own behavior not on the behaviors of others. Yes, we have to be discerning, we need to be wise, we need to careful whom we allow to influence us but I am telling you right now…Jesus wants us to put others before ourselves. Which means that sometimes we need to just love, respect, help, and accept people for who they are and pray that their journey in life will lead them to the place that God wants them.

I am disappointed and shocked at how many people that consider themselves followers of God are so thoughtless with their words and lack of deeds. I think it’s time to re-evaluate “What Would Jesus Do.”

For further reading to encourage your decision to live more Christ like check out Romans 12!!

Decompression

Decompression:

to relieve (a substance) of pressure

or (of a substance) to be relieved of pressure

After a few months of going strong….I needed a day of “decompression”: a day to unload my burdens on to the strong shoulders of a God...willing to take it all. Every concern that had been lying heavy on my heart was just handed over to God. Seriously, it’s a genuine feeling of pressure that I get in my chest when life is starting to weigh me down. It’s like the pressure built up inside of a balloon, the balloon can only take so much air pressure before it bursts and crashes. That’s how my heart was beginning to feel…like it was going to explode. But it’s so easily dealt with…. God has asked me to lay my burden on Him.

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Well, God has asked many things of me and this is one I have learned to do. It has taken many years but I have finally become experienced at handing it all over and walking away. God can take the pressures of my life and turn them into something beautiful…. and that is what He has done. Over and over and over again. Here are a few examples that I can share.

My daughter leaving the country for six months, with only a portion of the support she needed. Burden.

God takes the worry from my heart because I know He actually loves her more than I ever could, He wants the best for her so He took care of every detail, and she came home safe with a heart full of faith and a new outlook on God’s provisions and blessings.

My family. There are seven in my immediate family, seven lives that are going in many different directions: safety, finances, personal and spiritual growth, the future and health are just a few of the things I am constantly thinking about when it comes to my family. Stress.

God takes each life and shapes it for His purpose all I have to do is stay in prayer and encourage each of them to pursue Him…God does all the work!!

My job. This year has been crazy where I work, people resigning, people moved from position to position, I was put in a new position, working with people’s most important treasures, their children, this comes with a huge responsibility, it can become heavy on my heart. Worry.

God takes the pressure away...He moves me into ‘another’ new position with better hours and increased pay. God’s plan is the best.

Student ministry. Building relationships with high school students is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, but truth be told…. I feel an urgency to help them see God’s plan for themselves and my heart breaks for them on occasion. I often wish I could just take their pain away. Concern.

God takes their pain and will turn it into something beautiful, love and encouragement for others, if not now….someday. God has allowed me to be a part of the lives of some really incredible teenagers, that I have no doubt will do big things for Him and some of them already have!

These are just a few of the thoughts that go through my head daily…yes, daily I think of all of these things hoping and praying that God will continue to have His hand in each situation. And guess what? He has it all under control. The more I have learned that God has a plan for each aspect of my life the easier it has become to leave these situations at His feet and walk away. There is no need for me to worry, which is something else I use to do, but not any more!!! Why do I need to worry when the Creator of all things wants me to hand it all over to Him?

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough

trouble of its own.

AMEN!