And I trust Him completely.
There's been a lot of change in the past two years on several different fronts:
Relationships between childhood friends and busyness and just separation in general from people I didn't think would leave my life. Some are just gone, and some just won't come back.
My great-grandmother died two years ago. She was a big impact in my life.
My grand mother, whom I was extremely close with, died this March. A year ago to this day I wouldn't have even dreamed about her dying in the next 10 years.
I'm moving. From the house I've been in for about 7 years. I never wanted to move, but now I will enjoy it... it's just different.
The head senior pastor of my church, an amazing man whose sermons are the best I've ever heard of, is leaving.
Well, a few comments on these things. I know that God will make good things come out of all of these. I've already started to see the difference. But then again, our lives are just the backside of a thread pattern; if you look on the back, it's just a messy weaving of ugly threads, but on the front is a beautiful design. Same concept with puzzle pieces.
My pastor is leaving...? I will attend my church until I die, because I have attended it since I was born; I'm loyal to it and its congregation. We are traditional and personally, I don't think any other church would be better for me.
He's going back to his home church to help the congregation there because the church is dying off since he left... so I understand, and I'm not mad... it's just upsetting.
Anyhow... I heard something the other day from a very ancient and respected devotional book that was written hundreds of years ago, and I've been thinking about what it said:
If you take offense from something, it's almost just as great a sin as the person who offended you.
This is true.
Because, Jesus took the ultimate offense: being persecuted, and dying for our sins when he was INNOCENT.
When we get upset about something that's happened in our lives, it's a sin because:
1) We're not trusting God to help us through
2) Jesus took the ultimate offense when he was INNOCENT and SINLESS and PURE (and we are not ANY of those as humans)
3) It's a pride factor.
If someone calls you stupid, and you get upset, it's because your pride has just been hurt.
If you try to ignore it and let it go past you (which is extremely difficult for some people, like me), then your pride is not in the way and God likes to see that.
Anyhow, enough about my preaching.
God Bless (:
Again, very wise, :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your grandmother, I know it can be very, very tough :(
And all that info towards the end was indeed, very helpful. I think it's hard for a lot of people, (to ignore someone who is calling you stupid) I've got a HUGE, hard time with that. I often think about that stuff for hours, and it does get to me... It's very hard to forget for someone like me.
And are you gonna stay in town?