Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Down With Griping--Be Happy Mon

Let me vent for a moment.

Silence, then a noise like a balloon deflating.

Oh, shoot. I was all fired up to go passionately on and on about this incredibly lame science project I have to do (evil, nasty, vicious things) when I had a thought.
There are people in Africa who don’t get water every day.
There are people who are slaves or captives or persecuted.
There are people who have been abandoned or orphaned or had loved ones die.

I can't justify my whining. So I won’t. Whine, that is. I was made in the image of God; His character, His attributes can be seen (to a certain degree) in me. Selfish complaining should have no place in my life. What’s more, when I turn my eyes away from myself to others (by ceasing to gripe shallowly), I feel the urge to do something about the terrible things I see. I have Christ in me (whoa). Christ has overcome the world. I can work to bring about change knowing that God has already triumphed. He is Victorious. This knowledge should keep us from despairing, from feeling hopeless and cheerless about the fate of others who are less fortunate. God wants us to care and to work, but he doesn’t want us to feel joyless. No.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Sorry, this blog isn’t flowing in a very structured fashion (‘in a very structured fashion’? What has happened to my mad writing skills? Oh, look. It’s past nine. That would explain things. Explain things for me, at least. Maybe the rest of you are still in the dark… I’m just going to stop trying to clarify things now.)

Back to my point: God is totally and completely and in every possible way absolutely in control. He is Triumphant. He is All-Powerful. He is our Great and Mighty Warrior, our Loving and Compassionate Father Who cares for us. Someday all the pain that happened on earth will be forgotten in the joy of heaven. But all the work we do to help ease the pain of others through our love will be remembered for all eternity.

Be joyful. Pray continually. Trust God. Love others. Forget yourself. Hope.
Make God your closest friend.

I guess that’s all.

1 comment:

JoAnn said...

I love you baby... and I love your blog, but your old mom's eyes can't read your new tiny white font... Thanks for writing and letting me love you more and more each day.