Why Be Good When Your Best Isn't Good Enough?

Oh wow. I've been playing my guitar this evening (for the first time in ages) and I found this song that was kind of our theme song for Youth In Mission 2002. I just wanted to share it.

In Jesus Name, words and music by Perry Moore

Let us sing together as the days move on,
Lifting each other as we go.
Let us live His holy kingdom here on earth,
Side by side, in one accord.

In the dark days we sing Hallelujah.
In the times of plenty we sing the same.
We are not alone! God has given us each other!
We sing together, in Jesus' name!

The wonderful memories flooding back bring tears to my eyes. So do the words of this song.

I tell you, I have been so down-in-the-dumps lately...over some relationship stuff I won't go over here because I could go on all week about it.

So I've been sitting here eating soft peppermints (my mom bought a HUGE tub of them for Christmas, and they're everywhere), and knitting. And I do feel better because I LOVE those peppermints, and I love knitting. Well I love crochet, and I'm learning to love knitting.

Who needs boys when you have peppermints and happy yellow yarn?!-oh, that's another topic, sorry. =)

ANYWAY, I've been thinking, "Laura, God has really given you some wonderful talents. But what really brings you joy is making these things with your hands-creating things that you like and can use, and that (hopefully) others do, and can too." (I make a lot of gifts.)

If I decided to crochet (and knit, and maybe paint t-shirts ;) ) for the rest of my days, would that be a waste of my other talents? Would I be ignoring the other God-given things I could be using to bring glory to Him?

I want to praise God with my intelligence, and my studies, and what I can do with those things and the influence they bring. And I do enjoy learning (as opposed to studying, hehe). But I just don't find much joy or fulfillment in that. Besides, I find it too easy to become conceited when I do well academically, anyway.

So what if I gave all that up and started giving crochet lessons down at the local arts & crafts store? I certainly want to use any talents I have to praise God and point others to Him, but would it be wiser for me to spend more time on my lesser talents that make me happier or focus on what I'm just better at?

Ever notice how much guys just suck at communication? I have - I notice every time I go to talk to someone how handicapped I am for the job of just talking. I talk TOO much. In fact I've found listening to be a most excellent adventure as it eliminates the amount of stupidity that leaves my mouth. I’ve also found the adventure of hearing other people’s hearts as the words they know are placed before me. But straight up communication is the key to any relationship whether a guy friend a girlfriend or even yes God.

I truthfully am a burnout prayer. I only pray when I'm asked to pray for something otherwise I don’t pray unless I'm burned out on life. It seems to be the only time I allow myself to sit there and let the words of Yahweh minister to me. Often they are quite simple things like "I like you Jason and I've called you here just to spend time in my presence." It’s sad it has come to that because it’s like I've given God permission to trip me up in my busyness instead of just realizing I need time for Him. This is a cyclic disaster that I know must change.

My expectation for “I Am” is like that of Adam at the fall and is routinely baited into believing I do this without God. I take a God-like attitude in my life forcing me into pushing Jesus out and causing my walk to need to restart at each God encounter. I've heard it said "When you do what you always do, you get what you always get" and this must be what squashes my expectation. If I cannot get my priorities with Elohim right and keep my expectations high, how good of a friend am I with communicating with those who need me and expecting goodness for them. The routine of life lives me and I become robbed of time, stop thinking and expect very little of life and God and friends. I need a Sabbath living, God relationship, friend loving heart and then remember how to work efficiently...

K I'm enjoying the participation on the site, just getting concerned over the LENGTH of our messages. I'm doing it too so please don't all go pointing fingers or think I'm pointing a finger. Nice measure is under the preview option is if we can keep it to 1 page down.

In other words when we are reading your posted blog if we hit the page down 1 time we should be very close to the bottom of your message.... This way we can read and comment on everyone's message each day!

Thanks.

ps if everyone starts cutting back on their frequency of messages I'll rethink this...

I think that a developing relationship with God involves not only learning to listen to God and talk to God and to act upon His words but it also involves learning to listen and respond to the devil and to learn how to talk to him with authority.

As part of my spiritual cleaning I have decided that I will not just sit back and allow the influences in my life to be devestating. As the Holy Spirit guides me in spiritual warfare against satan, part of it is as simple as laying down the rules. As a soldier in God's army I have been given his authority in the name Jesus Christ, and therefore all spirits and demons and the devil have to obey. "Pack up your bags and go satan, for you do not have any territory, you are weak and God is strong and it is with his authority that I call you out of my life. Bring with you all the luggage that you have spilled into my life with, take away all the emotions that you are trying to control in my life or influence."

Freedom is so great, we have been set free!!! But wait, it doesn't stop there, does it? We have not only been given an opportunity to be free but also to have a changed life that involves in the exclusion of the devil and his schemes and replaced with the love of Christ. Prayer is essential tool for this, I do not think that it is smart to go in battle before the devil, as we are weak, without first putting on the armor of God, and praying with God to lead you and for the spirit to come with you where you go.

With these tactics you will become a warrior of light, that shines into the darkest of places, the darkness incapable of escaping the light. It is there that you light a candle, so that you are not just spreading the authority of Christ into all aspects of your life but you are also setting up his authority where your walls are low and your ways are weak. The devil want's nothing more than to sneak in and hide under a carpet growing until the problem is overwhelming. But he cannot go where the light of God shines brightly.

So to be fully equipped for war it is important to hold tightly the sword of the spirit, and be fully suited with the rest of the godly armor on, learning the ways of the enemy, how he moves; how he acts; what his motives are; how he manifests; and how and where he hides. There is no greater victory for a warrior then to know his opponents next move and how to respond diligently to not only counter but to strike down any other possible attacks that may be up his sleeve. Know your enemy and more importantly know your God, know that: He is soverign; He will not leave you nor forsake you; He holds authority over all things in the universe (including you) and no one can stand up to His great and wonderous power; and know that he has passed all of this greatness into our hands (as a tool, he still holds the power recognize this isn't our power).

So if you ever feel like things are just way too hard and you keep falling and can't seem to get out of a funk then consider spiritual warfare. Like armies in the physical you have strength in numbers so have an acountability group, but put the devil in his place...in the dust.

I miss my community. We were about 10 different "body parts" who'd made a commitment to learning more about Christ and what it means to be His body, and a commitment to each other to provide a safe place for accountability and vulnerability. Oh we weren't perfect at it, nor did we have a lot of accountability in the group as a whole (but we each probably had one or two other individuals with whom we were).

It's been almost a year since I moved away. Other people moved too, and things have changed, and the group doesn't really exist anymore. I can't go back. But I want to go forward...I want to find community again.

I see my life and patterns of relationships as a big triangle. I'm the bottom-left corner, God is the top corner, and you are the bottom-right. I think a lot of people tend to minimize the importance of that horizontal relationship between self and others. Part of being made in the image of God, in my opinion, is that we need, desire, and somewhat define ourselves by our relationships-with God of course, AND with other people.

Further, I believe there's a connection between these relationships with others and this relationship with God. We relate to God together. Our relationships with other Christians should help us to glorify God, learn more about Him, worship Him together, lead still others to Him. We're different body parts-and we need to think about each other, care about each other, understand each other, encourage and help each other...so we can really work together and be effective as the body of Christ.

So, maybe it's not quite a regular triangle, but more like the bottom line points up to the top-as we relate to other Christians we relate to God together (think Star Trek logo!).

So, I’ve been looking for community again. And I'm thankful I'm beginning to have some success in finding it, although it's a slow process I know. But I've come across more than Christian one who either does not or cannot see how important that horizontal(ish) relationship is. It's like a "some assembly required" bicycle with all the parts strewn out on the floor, and they don't understand that you have to put the parts together to make something that works.

Why can't they relate to others? Or why won't they? Don't they know they're body parts...and they need the other parts just as much as they are needed themselves? I'm sad and brokenhearted about this today. I feel like a part of myself is missing as I've been trying to relate to these people, but without reciprocation.