Leting your Light Shine without Shining it in Their Eyes and Mis-Judgements

I'm really spilling my guts here, so please bear (bare?) with me, and know that any rude/mean comments will not be tolerated. I'm also very sick right now, and my head is filled with snot, not grammar.

I hate mis-judgements. When people either judge you before they give you a chance, or there is a miscommunication that makes someone think something about you that's not true. I've had more fights with my mom because she misunderstood me and I felt like she thought something about me that wasn't so than anything else (talk about a run on sentance. I just have no idea how to fix it!). I just cannot stand feeling like someone is thinking unjustly of me.

One of the biggest reasons I'm misjudged is because someone thinks that I judge them. To be more detailed, they judge me because they think I judge them because they have different ideals than I do. For instance, just because I am against abortion, it does not mean that I judge those who have had them. It's actually quite the opposite. I know that many, many woman regret their decision and it continues to haunt them¹. I can't imagine their pain and just want to give them a hug and be a friend that they so need.

I think that that is one of the big challenges for Christians. Trying to be in the world, but not of it. Trying to ignore the mis-judgements that others make (while still not being closed-minded). Trying to do good, but not have others think that they think they're "holier than thou". These are the main reasons I have so few friends...they judge me because they think I judge them.

And it is understandable that they feel that way. Many people, yes, including Christians, think they're better than others because of their beliefs, their actions, etcetera. But keep in mind that not all Christians are "bible bashing", judgemental people.

(When I say "Bible bashing", I am not refering to evangelicals or people who quote scripture, etcetera. I am refering to those who use the Bible as a weapon to demean others. Those who say "God says..." and claiming they know what "God says" when it is nowhere in the Bible, though sometimes the opposite is! Those who give Christians a bad name and pull people away from God while claiming they're doing the will of God. Those who say the scriptures are the way to heaven, yet conveniently avoid reading what God says in the book of Job about doing such things)

So these are my messages to you today-

Don't be one of those judgemental people I mentioned above who, in doing "the Lord's will", are actually pulling people away from God, and convincing them that He is that which He's not (making any sense whatsoever?). It's like this phrase I heard once: "I'm fine with God- it's Christians I can't stand" (Actually, I believe it's not just a phrase, but a book. Ah, yes, that's where I heard it...when I was looking for stuff to put on my Christmas wishlist!). I think that is true with so many of us. So don't go out there and convince people that they want to stay away from God in order to stay away from you =)

If less people were that way, then less people would assume they were being judged, and judge those who really weren't judging anyone in the first place.

But for the time being, there are people that are that way, so we need to go out of our way to give everyone a chance and not assume what's going on inside their heads or their hearts.

Please, never assume that if someone's ideals are different than yours that they think they're better than you. Give everyone a chance. And don't judge people, esspecially when you have not reason to believe they wronged you. Don't assume they want to demean you. You could be wrong, and it could be just the opposite, that they want to help you. And you may just find that by blocking them out, you missed out on a good friend.

~Alex

I Want to See Jesus

You hear people state that they're a born-again Christian. Well, let me tell you, I'm a born-again-born-again-born-again-born-again Christian. So many times I've comitted my life to the Lord, but once again, somehow...I'm back at square one. Am I a procrastenator? YES. I am I control freak? GUILTY. Am I a nervous wreak? Well, depending on your definition of a "nervous wreak", quite possibly. And, am I lost? YES! But I am not giving up! I will overcome my "issues", I will overcome my fear. I will overcome my control issues, I will overcome my pain. Why? I want to see Jesus.

I don't know where I first heard that phrase. I believe it was in a song at church. But I never quite saw the complexity, the beauty, the power of that phrase. I thought it was saying, "I want to go to heaven". Maybe that's what the writers meant, but it's not what I mean. Sure, I want to go to heaven! But I want to...
find the peace
find the joy
find the hope
find the life
that the Bible teaches of.
I want to overcome the obsticals, the fear, the pain. I want all that. Yes, it sounds selfish, but it's the only way I can express it. I mean, maybe if I searched the Hebrew meaning of some words, and came up with some, what do you call them? Umm...those things that represent a paralell to make things make sense, (See how eloquent I am?) than maybe I could express it.

But what it all comes down to is I want Jesus. I need Jesus. Messiah, Alpha-Omega, Saviour, Prince of Peace, Great Shepard, Great I am.... What it comes down to is that... I need you, Lord...I need you, and I want to find you...and I will seek you, for you are seeking me. You died for me, and I want to live for you. So, Lord, please, hear my prayer, and open the eyes of my heart...I want to see You, I want to see You...



Side note- As I finished typing that, a song just came on the television...and as I'm sitting her, crying out to the Lord, I hear just what I needed...I can't quote it verbatumn, but what it came down to is, "Cry out to the Lord, and He will hear you". "The Lord works in mysterious ways"??? I think not =)

Long time, no blog...

The title pretty much sums it up, I think!

I don't really know what to say today. Things have been going well, and I don't quite know what to attribute it to. I was hoping to be able to share tips & hints, but I don't think I really have any! Usually I run a blog post through my head a couple times before I post it, and I haven't done that today. Maybe something will come to me tonight...I'll try to post whether it does or it doesn't, though!

~Alex