Stepping into the cool darkness of my apartment my feet were almost knocked out from underneath me by a flash of beige and black fur assaulting me at the door. Mitzy in her enthusiasm to greet me almost took out a chair and lamp in the process, but I didn't care for her for it was in that very moment I felt loved and wanted by somebody who didn't care if I loved her back in return. She just wanted affection and lots of it. Even feeding and freshening up her water bowl did not stop the wag of her tail or the constant licks she lavished on me. She seemed to inherently sense that I was home and wanted nothing more than to hang out with me for a while.
On the other side of the equation my two felines could have cared less if I walked in door other than to merely look up at me in sheer boredom, dropping their heads back down to catnap or preen. The only time I got any attention from them was either when they wanted food or for me to turn on the faucet in the sink. Their curiousity marked their general entrances in the room, but for the most part didn't dare get within 5 feet of me or risk getting torn apart limb to limb by an exuberant Tibbie. Their self reliance and focus was evident, for it was all about them.
The way people live their Christian walk is alot like cats and dogs. When we pray, is it to ask God for things to satisfy me me me like a cat or are we like dogs where we have no other joy than to lavish our love and affections on our Heavenly Father and His delight is evident in us by the amount of attention He gives us back in return.
Here is the perfect litmus test. When you pray, do you pray out of wants and needs, or do you pray because you love God and want to tell him? Is your prayer life marked like a cats where it is centered around you or is it like that of a dog where you love love love?
Think about it...No really...Think about it long and hard.
A little bit of everything which captivates me...cooking, crafting, studying, reading, writing, coffee, and most importantly...Jesus!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Compassion
Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door will be open to you. Each and every morning as I awaken, I am reminded of the grace of God, His overwhelming love in my life and a desire to live my life with Passion. Recently I experienced a major falling out with a group of people that shook me to the very core and essence of my being. They aren't bad people, but in the realm of my existence I had merely grown apart from their perspective in living and simply did not have the same objective in life.
A few weeks ago I wrote about forgiveness and the choice to love unconditionally even when it was the hardest thing to do. Now looking back, I can honestly say that the decision to act has now been confirmed through my feelings...I feel the depth of forgiveness and now see them through the eyes of compassion. To shut my mouth when all I want to do is defend my position is a very humbling place to be in...I am passionate about everything I do in life and defying my carnal nature and actively do something despite retaliation by others is more powerful than anything one can experience.
Think about it. We are all participants in the game of life, but like any game there is room for only a handful of players for your game and the stands are filled with spectators who fill no other purpose other than to observe the game and input their criticism and observation. Do you listen only to them or to your Head coach who knows what is best for your life?
I have chosen to take the latter road. As many of my girlfriends have become aware of, I recently had the opportunity to go out on a date with a former NFL Center who seemed to have the ideal life except for one major thing...Christ was not the number one priority in his life and that became a real problem for me. He threw around his status and his wealth in a manner that made me stop and recognize that those two things were the only thing in life that defined him. In discussing the issue further, he told me that he could have any woman in the world and he had pinpointed me as the one he had re-arranged his schedule to take to dinner. I wasn't a priority and that was the defining moment for me. I made other plans to go on a retreat and at the last second he decided to make the trip in his $200,000 automobile, but I could have cared less. What if he got in an accident? What if God took it all away like JOB? Money comes and money goes, but the character of a person defines their life. In reality, I realized that what defined him wasn't good enough, for he may have had status, but he wasn't bigger than the Creator of the Universe.
What defines you? If everything was to be taken away from you today..could you look God fully in the face unashamed and know that you have been placed under a mantle of His Grace, that you have passionately pursued Him for every area of your life and that you have the compassion to pour into others as an extension of yourself. I am far from perfect, but am striving to live a blameless life and put the past behind me. I pray for you that God would bless your life today, that you radiate with His presence and you find ways to be captivating, not out of your own selfishness but because of His mercy and love for you.
What defines me? I pray and hope the next few months would really show a transformation in how the character of who I am on the inside be manifested on the outside in what I do to share the love of Christ with others and not come across as patronizing to those who don't understand.
In His Grip....
Laura Aka Betty Rocker
A few weeks ago I wrote about forgiveness and the choice to love unconditionally even when it was the hardest thing to do. Now looking back, I can honestly say that the decision to act has now been confirmed through my feelings...I feel the depth of forgiveness and now see them through the eyes of compassion. To shut my mouth when all I want to do is defend my position is a very humbling place to be in...I am passionate about everything I do in life and defying my carnal nature and actively do something despite retaliation by others is more powerful than anything one can experience.
Think about it. We are all participants in the game of life, but like any game there is room for only a handful of players for your game and the stands are filled with spectators who fill no other purpose other than to observe the game and input their criticism and observation. Do you listen only to them or to your Head coach who knows what is best for your life?
I have chosen to take the latter road. As many of my girlfriends have become aware of, I recently had the opportunity to go out on a date with a former NFL Center who seemed to have the ideal life except for one major thing...Christ was not the number one priority in his life and that became a real problem for me. He threw around his status and his wealth in a manner that made me stop and recognize that those two things were the only thing in life that defined him. In discussing the issue further, he told me that he could have any woman in the world and he had pinpointed me as the one he had re-arranged his schedule to take to dinner. I wasn't a priority and that was the defining moment for me. I made other plans to go on a retreat and at the last second he decided to make the trip in his $200,000 automobile, but I could have cared less. What if he got in an accident? What if God took it all away like JOB? Money comes and money goes, but the character of a person defines their life. In reality, I realized that what defined him wasn't good enough, for he may have had status, but he wasn't bigger than the Creator of the Universe.
What defines you? If everything was to be taken away from you today..could you look God fully in the face unashamed and know that you have been placed under a mantle of His Grace, that you have passionately pursued Him for every area of your life and that you have the compassion to pour into others as an extension of yourself. I am far from perfect, but am striving to live a blameless life and put the past behind me. I pray for you that God would bless your life today, that you radiate with His presence and you find ways to be captivating, not out of your own selfishness but because of His mercy and love for you.
What defines me? I pray and hope the next few months would really show a transformation in how the character of who I am on the inside be manifested on the outside in what I do to share the love of Christ with others and not come across as patronizing to those who don't understand.
In His Grip....
Laura Aka Betty Rocker
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