I just went shopping...got spoiled yet again by the wonderful parents...and now I'm in a thoughtful mood. I'm not materialistic, really, I'm not. I just like to shop. I like clothing. But...there are so many people who don't have what I do. So to start off, I'd like to show that I really am grateful for what I have. The shopping, the room, the proerty, the dogs, my friends, chris, my church, my family, my relationship with God. Sheesh, I feel like its Thanksgiving! But really, isn't this supposed to be how we feel all the time? Arn't we supposed to be grateful? Cause we were created by a Lord who loves us because we're us. Not when we're good, not when we're praising him. He loves people who laugh in the face of the church. He loves people who spit on the bible out of pure distaste. So, fellow Christians, we're lucky we have this relationship. Yeah, of course we have doubts. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really in tune enough with God to be "saved". To earn my place in heaven. I mean, I love him. Obviously. I just don't feel like I put it out there enough. I have my share of sins, you know? I have a few people in my life I should probably be more accepting of, and a few people in my life I should probably be more forgiving of. I can be alittle to focused on me and my life at times, but not to an extreme. I'm not always responsible. I don't wear dresses that cover ninety five percent of my body and skip with school books and chipmunks or anything. I don't feel that I have to. I feel like I have to be me, and I have to be what I know God wants me to be, and I have to make sure that people know about my faith. I am fully confident that I was not put on this world to preach on the side of the road in a robe with a bible and little hand out bible verses. Thats great, but thats not where I am. I want to show people what it is to live Christ. Not beat the bible on the ground and threaten people with Hell. That bugs me, honestly. I don't think you have to be a die-hard Christian that goes to Church every sunday and takes the bible word for word to be saved. Its up for interpretation. God made us individuals for a reason. Why does God care what we call him? Allah, Jahovah, God, whatever it is that gets you close to the "higher power" that I happen to label God. I believe theres things we dont' know, unanswered questions that we'll just never find out on this Earth. I believe free will is a blessing, and by choosing to do good things you will be saved. I believe Jesus Christ is my savior and died many years ago today painfully on a cross. More importantly, I believe that he did it out of love. I believe that he was burdened with the Human Condition, and that he may even have thought about pulling out. He could have, to. Easily. God loved him, and God gave Humans the choice. Free Will. So he could've backed down, and lived the rest of his life normally. He died for us, guys. He chose to have his flesh ripped off his body and have metal forced through his skin and through his bones slowly, then feel his body hang off a few posts with a knife in his side and blood covering him. Thorns digging into his skull. He had the courage, and the faith, to do that for us. To save our souls by sacrificing his. He loves us, and deserves the same respect. But I don't think you have to give it to him by being a Bible beater. (ex. The Creation Museem) The bible is the best book of philosphy ever written. But thats just what it is. A divinely inspired book to live by. To go to, to learn from. What you get out of it is between you and God. Or you and Allah. Or you and whoever it is that you believe in (or lack there off).
On that note, I'm going to go to Good Friday service.
Thanks for listening.
