Last Sunday I got to hear a really great sermon @ St. Andrews. There were a ton of really great parts to it, but two of them really stuck out to me. So here we go.
1) Gamers. Rob Sturdy has called you out. UNPLUG the dang thing. Put down the headset. Throw away the red bull and the cheezits. Get out of your gamer chair and go outside. It's time to join the world. I feel like "a whole new world" should be blaring right now. I'm not talking all gamers. I like to zone out every once in a while also. But, if that is your "social time" you may need an intervention. Just saying.
2) Community. We all need it. Yes, you. We all do. I have known that I need people for quite a while now, but I learned something new on Sunday. In each of us, there is something that only another can bring out. The more we share between us, the more we see God in our lives. We need to live in community. It's the only way to know God and to enjoy God. This really witnessed to me because just in the last few months I have realized some things about myself that I don't know that I would have if dear friends hadn't spoken them out. I am the first one to admit that I can get down on myself faster than T Swift can write a hit break up song. You see, when we aren't operating in community we are isolated. When you are isolated you are in a vacuum and you tend to not see the whole picture. You hear things, you see things and you believe things. Things that aren't from God. You have a higher chance to hear something other than the Lord's voice. We can believe lies so easily. I'm talking little, tee tiny lies. The most minuscule lie can cast me adrift so quickly. If I were not in community- this would be a not so good situation. I'm not saying that being in community makes me never fall of the path. I'm saying that community slaps me right back on the path. Back to my point. Just lately I have had some very dear friends really encourage me and they probably don't even know it. I don't mean that they tell me that I'm great and that my hair looks nice (although, the new doo has gotten some good feedback... I'll take it). These encourager's have really encouraged me. In my faith. In my job. In my life. In my gifts. Internally, I tend to tell myself that I don't have that much to offer. Or that I'm not really gifted in this or that. Or I will become unsure of where I stand. I totally shut down and withdraw. If I kept believing that, then I wouldn't even begin to know what the Lord has for me. Instead, I am encouraged to press into the Lord. I am encouraged to operate in the gifts the Lord has given me. Sometimes, they will tell me something that I was even aware that it was a possibility for me. It's so crazy to me that I can think something, but as soon as someone dear to me tells me otherwise- then I actually believe it. I actually will feel like its true. Then (after way to much self analyzation) I begin to BELIEVE and KNOW it. That is truly one of the best gifts that I have ever received. To have people affirming and praying for you is so life giving. I really can't even put it into words. I'm not saying its all butterflies and rainbows from here on out. It's not. Sometimes they enlighten me on things that need a little work. Or a whole lot of work. But, its ok. Its a process. A process that I never want to lose.
Also, there are aspects of the grace of God that you can only see through others. So true. I have seen more compassion and just straight up love from seeing it in other people. Just the love shown to me has been eye opening. We can see God's love in different ways operating in different people. Seeking Christ is not a one woman show. I just couldn't do it. So tonight I am thankful for my people. People that I love. That I can share anything with. People that really do life with me. I whole heartedly pray that each of you has some way, shape or form of that. If you don't- tell me. I will keep praying. Put yourself out there. The reward is far better than the risk.
Alright, that's all I've got tonight.
Love you long time,
SRS
bam! this is good stuff. love you!
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