Be nice

Why is it so difficult for people to be nice? It seems pretty easy, let someone have a parking spot, hold the door, smile, I don't know! At church, our preacher continually talks about how people should get along. After all, we are all just "getting along" through this world, right? It's not really the goal. And as for those who think this is it, as in there is no heaven I would think they would definitely want it to be better! It is so evident that what YOU do on a daily basis affects so many other people. If you take that parking spot how is that other person's day going to be affected and everyone they run into and everyone they run into, etc... Chances are, that negativity that you set off will come back around to you. If you really stop to think about the whole cycle of it, it's pretty impressive.

Back to Him

I suppose everyone has their own tolerance levels for different things. We all know that we can sometimes hear someone else complaining and we think: seriously? that's all you have to worry about? Sometimes, though the reverse happens. When we hear of someone's tragedy we tend to look inward and think maybe we don't have it that bad. Recently, some women were shot while doing a dance class at a local gym ; three of which died. I can't imagine the families of those women. The entire city is devastated. I pray that their families are finding strength and comfort somehow. There are a countless number of times we hear of things like this and think we are going to do things differently. How long does it last? I have also heard the story of a man being put to death on a cross. For me, that is inspiration to live differently that will never fade.

The Creator

We went to an interesting class in church today "The Case for a Creator/The case for Christ". While I am not very stimulated by science, I did gain some insight into the minds of skeptics. Most scientists will now agree that there was a definite beginning to the universe. If the universe is constantly expanding, physics tell us there had to be a beginning. At this point in the class the instructor takes us to the Bible : Genesis 1:1-2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." To myself, as a believer this is a simple concept. However, believing in "a creator" or "divine power" or "a god" alone does not make a person a Christian. There is a huge distance between these two points. We can argue science, misconceptions about the bible and religious differences forever but none of these things can explain faith. I am now wondering how to soften their hearts for the personal experience and relationship they could have with God. It's not something you can reason out of a person. 

Choices

 God does not make my life comfortable and easy for a reason. I need his grace. Over and over again I realize that I absolutely can not do it alone. Often I find myself getting wrapped up in the unpleasant realities around me. I find myself getting overwhelmed. I feel so blessed to have a constant companion with me. The "big picture" tends to make me anxious because somehow I have to make a ton of decisions concerning my life that will supposedly determine my future. To some extent this is true. Choices are important. Each choice is important and there is someone much better equipped to make those choices than me. I choose to give them to Him.