Every year I brace myself for all the gross stuff in stores and the annoying commercials. And I pray for all the poor kids, whose clueless parents watch horror movies. I say that because I actually personally know some children whose
parents watch these terrible movies and let the kids watch too! Then they wonder why their child has behavioral issues- pretty simple. A scared child appears crazy!
But that's a whole 'nother topic.
I'm writing this because November is my favorite month of fall. My absolute favorite month of them all is June. Perfect weather! But November is wonderful! It is full of crisp days and pretty leaves (when the Minnesota wind hasn't blown them all away). And this year the wind hasn't taken them all down!
I love that this month reminds us to be thankful. --And treasure what is most important.
🍁Day 1 | I am thankful for Jesus. He set me free. He redeemed me. He reminds me what sacrifice really looks like. He is love.
So many things could be written about Jesus and about my faith.
It connects believers across the globe.
Friends are friends forever if they both have Jesus.
Prayer moves mountains and draws us nearer to God. Over the last week, I have experienced God's mighty hand guiding my prayer life. I heard God clearly telling me to intercede for some people and their circumstances.
For myself, there are few things that come close to this feeling. I was praying for people that haven't been that great to me. Frankly, they have hurt me to my core. They have walked away from me and treated me with disdain. When I had done nothing to warrant such treatment. These individuals, are loved by their creator. That much I know for sure. And they are loved by me. So I pray. I pray even though my feelings for these people Are raw and negative. That is irrelevant.
Did Jesus want to die on the cross?
NO!
He pleaded with God to "take this cup" but if it's Your will I will do it.
He died in our place anyways. The least I could do is pray for those who have done wrong to me.
I am not bragging or trying to make myself appear more Holy. Because that is far from accurate. I am no more holy than the next person.
I am choosing to live by God's grace.---And show love and be kind and merciful.
This year has been the first time I have experienced loss. My grandpa (Popop) passed away in February. It was explained to me that God allows us to feel loss. He allows that loss to occur so that we can fully understand something. That something is this:::
When we are apart from God, he longs for us in a deep and sorrowful way. He wants us to draw near to him. God loves us so furociously that he hates being apart from us. These are all of the same feelings we feel when we are grieving. We want that person back. We want to talk to them one last time. And huge them and sit by them. But we can't. By feelings grief and loss, we are that much closer to God. We are closer to understanding His heart for his children.
I have not personally experienced the loss of a child, but I now see that it falls under a similar lesson. We readily accept Jesus' sacrifice without fully understanding it. Jesus is God's son and Gid sent Jesus to take our place (my place, your place) on the cross. Jesus felt the weight of the world's sins that night as He died. And when He said, "it is finished", He meant it. We can choose life with Jesus or life apart from Christ.
We choose.
Loss makes all of this so much more real to me. There are so many lessons to take away from these tough situations.
Without Jesus, my life doesn't have the same purpose.
I also see that God will chasten us and buffet us as He sees fit. Each person has their own path to take.
For some, they choose Jesus and live free to struggle. They keep trudging in even if it's lonely, Even when people make fun and judge them. These people realize life separate of Christ is not life. It is a death sentence. These people readily give their sin to Jesus. They work daily at repentance and move forward. They GET what it's all about. They have amazing Testimonies. Each testimony is individual and beautiful. The testimonies are their life story and how God changed them.
Others say they choose Jesus but in their heart of hearts that's not really true. They like the way forgiveness feels but they don't want to walk the narrow road. They want the best of both worlds. They do not want to give up their sin. They want their feet in either side of the fence. Always compromising. These people may have a rough road ahead. God will bring what he sees fit into their path to bring them to their knees. Only God knows what will make a person turn back to Him. He doesn't care how long it will take.
I don't want to be forced to now and I don't want tragedy to be what I need to turn my heart to God. I want to choose Him now and every day that comes.
And there are the people who refuse Jesus. I know some individuals who fall in this category. And it makes me sad. They are beautiful people who blame the universe or God for the pain in their lives. Or in some cases they are people who have been mistreated by other people who say they are Christians. I pray for them because words from my lips don't always suffice.
My November 1st thoughts.
I hope to write at least 10 November thoughts, posts.
I am setting that goal.
I am thankful for the freedom we have in Christ.
We don't have to struggle to be free.
We are free to struggle.
No more chains.
That is beautiful.
