After spending a week in Mexico while building houses, I have learned quite a bit about God, myself, and other people.
First, God is enough. There is nothing except God. God is all I need. As long as I rely on God, He will provide my earthly needs. He is my source of life, not myself. When I rely on myself, I lose focus of God, and my life becomes moot.
Second, other people... They are quite useful. I cannot function alone. This is something I know, but I don't always practice. Sure, I know other people are useful, but I always depend on myself until I cannot anymore. I need to start relying on other people from the get-go to help me. People teach you how to be a better person. It's totally okay to see a good quality in someone and attempt to emulate it.
Third, is myself. I have learned the place of suffering in life. Suffering is designed to make one rely on God and others. When you suffer, you realize just how insignificant you are by yourself. It is only when you allow yourself to be used within the greater picture that you become important. One man cannot build a house alone. It would be foolish to try. In the same way, on man cannot live life alone. People are made for community, and that means not being some bigshot, go-it-alone kind of person. Through the trials I experienced in Mexico, I have realized how the Body works together in a more intricate way. Though we cannot understand God, we can understand the Body. We can understand how the Body should work and take appropriate measures to reach that function.
These are just some of the many things that my half-cooked brain discovered while in the deserts of Mexico. Take it for what it is. Perhaps we can all learn something from one another...
Being
- Thomas
- I recently completed my Bachelor of Science at Huntington University. I'm married to Jessica, a wonderful young lady whom I love so much! I'm the youth ministry guy at First Presbyterian Church in Waunakee, WI. I love talking about the Gospel, the Church, and what we are supposed to be doing with both... Feel free to comment on my thoughts. I like being challenged.
3 comments:
I disagree. While for a great many years I claimed Christianity as my faith, I have since decided that God is not "all I need".
I have seen too many good people who love God and lead perfect Christian lives, yet still had to watch their whole lives be destroyed. I have spoken to homeless people eating out of dumpsters who love God, but cannot even go to church on Sundays, because they get kicked out. They try to quietly sit in the back rows, but are still removed because they are either not dressed "appropriately" or for a number of other reasons are seen as not fitting into the congregation.
I've known people working two and three jobs and still living right at the poverty line - and they give all they can to their church and to God, yet their quality of life never gets better and they live in the constant threat of being homeless or watching their children go without food.
In all these cases, God is supposedly "in" these peoples lives - yet it is not enough. Unless you'd like to suggest that God intended for these people to live in squalor? And please, spare me the whole "God is testing them" shtick. Thirty years of that kind of life is more than enough of a "test" to satisfy anyone - which could only lead me to conclude that God is one sick individual if he feels the need to torture his own "children" in such a way.
God is not enough.
Jesus never promised any of that Jen
I have to disagree with Jenny on some things. First is that we do not serve God to get material things. We honor God for who he is - a loving Father & Saviour. I do not live in a palace but my needs are met. I cannot imagine where I would be without God in my life - someplace much worse. I could have had more money possibly but money does not create happiness.
Just because we serve God does not mean we are going to be wealthy, that is not what the Bible teaches. God wants us to have "good" things. That doesn't mean necessarily money. I have seen miserable rich people & very happy low income people. On the other hand God does not just give us what we ask just like I do not give my child everything he wants. He provides us with tools to live in this world but you must realize that our reward is in heaven not here.
As for the churches not accepting homeless people I believe that is all too true. My husband does photography work for all denominations of churches across the Southeast & it amazes me of the lack of "Christianity" in some of them. Shame to those who claim to be Christians but have no clue on living a Christ filled life - even the leaders of these churches fall short. Christ took care of the homeless not because of what they could offer him but because of what he could offer them.
My last thought, sometimes God wants to give us something but he is waiting for us to act. Or maybe bad things are happening to clear the way for something better in the future that we don't understand yet (I speak from personal experience on that). When we focus not on ourselves but on giving to others that is what makes us truly happy.
Post a Comment