Who Are You?

Hello (hello, hello)
Is there anybody out there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

*Cough, cough* Sorry, it's a little dusty around here. Looks like no one's written a post in quite some time. This won't be much of one either, but I want to write something before I forget.

A co-worker was lamenting recently about how his messed-up past keeps haunting him, following him around, and he feels sort of branded by it. I knew about some of his problems already but he spent the next few minutes filling me in on some more. He feels trapped by things he's done in the past, and like people now see him as a certain type of person because of the things he's done. It occurred to me that an important lesson Confucius taught me might apply here, with a twist.

Confucius said, "Don't concern yourself with getting recognition. Rather, concern yourself with being worthy of recognition". The twist obviously, is that in this case, the word "recognition" might be replaced with the word "acceptance". The point being that recognition (or in this case acceptance) shouldn't be the goal, but self-improvement.

Well, he dismissed that right away because he doesn't buy into that Chinese philosophy stuff. Okay I suppose it is that, but I just see it as an interesting bit of wisdom that can help get you through some things that don't seem to make sense. It seemed to make more sense after I re-framed it in a Christian context, like an old man/new man sort of thing. You can't change who you were, but you can change who you are and who you will be. You can't change what you did, but starting now you can change what you do.

The past is always there, but it is the past and not the present. Talking about this co-worker's situation reminded me of the freedom I've gained since becoming a Christian, and it reminded me again how sweet grace is.

Love,
derifter

My Life As An Offering

I was laying in bed last night thinking about our kids, and sort of pondering their relationships with God. What percentage of their days are spent thinking about Him? Moving toward Him? Away from Him? And how much of their time do they spend occupied with their own concerns, work, or other relationships? The answers for each of them are different, of course. Two were involved in a cultish church in their younger years, and pretty much fled from anything related to religion after the so-called church members began stalking them and trying to force them to conform. One kid I suppose, would be best described as somewhere between atheist and agnostic, and one was raised Catholic.

Now that I think about it, those things aren't really what I meant to write about today, they're just some thoughts that led up to it. After pondering my kids's spiritual lives, I had to throw mine in there too. Is church once a week only a token that I toss to God? I pray before I eat, so am I living for God? Do my brother and sister tithe, or do they give 5 percent, or maybe 15? Does the percentage matter? It oughta be a sacrifice though. Do they give at all? It occurs to me that I don't know my family as well as I should.

When David was looking for mercy from God in 2 Samuel 24, Araunah said "Here, give Him this stuff!" (paraphrased). But David wasn't about to do that. He told Araunah that he would not give to God that which cost him nothing. A good lesson for us, I think, and it doesn't apply only to our financial offerings, but our lives as a whole. Living sacrifices, as Paul put it. Perish the thought of earning anything from the Lord, but He is worthy of everything we give or do for the sake of the kingdom, or just to glorify Him personally. Go ahead and love the Lord your God with everything in you!