An honest curiosity

I honestly want to know the answer  to this question. This is not in any way intended to offend anyone, I just read an article and it made me start to think. Perhaps there is a better way to do it, but I didn't know how else to ask everyone, without spending a lot of time writing individual messages to people. Please forgive me, if in my ignorance, I have crossed a line.

A few weeks ago, there was a lot of publicity because an organization at my school, known as the Biola Underground, created a website. This website linked to another website, known as the Gay Christian Network. On this website, there was an essay, where a young man argued for why he believed that the Bible did not condemn same sex relationships. Without going into everything that he talked about (it was quite a long essay, but if you're really interested, you can read it here) one of his arguments was that while it is generally agreed upon that biologically, our bodies are created for men to be with women, it is not unnatural for men to be with men, or women to be with women, based on the fact that it is not unnatural for the crippled to use a wheel chair, or for the deaf to use Sign Language. Basically, he was saying that when people are born differently than the general population, they are allowed to do whatever they feel they need to in order to live life to the fullest.

Ok, I agree with that. But to say that acting on it is simply accepting the way you were born means that those born with ADD should not take medication to help them to focus, or those with Diabetes should not take insulin. They were born that way and should be accepted as such. To give them medication is to try to change who they were born to be.

I guess the question that I am trying to ask is if it is not unnatural for people to be attracted to a person of the same sex, then why were our bodies created in this way? And what is your response to this essay that equates homosexuality to those born with disabilities as an argument for why it is natural?

Two-by-four

And the whacking over the head continues :p. Tonight's message was about learning to have a righteous response to criticism. And you know what the righteous response was every time? Prayer. Not anger at the person for misjudging you, not defending yourself, not even ignoring the critic. Prayer, plain and simple. Humbling yourself before God and whoever is being critical, getting on your knees, and praying. That I think is probably the hardest, and the most simple response we could be told to have. It forces us to focus on God, the one we should always be focused on anyways.

It's hard, because our pride tells us that we didn't do anything, they must have misunderstood, and so of course we should respond back. Simple because it's one thing to remember. There aren't a tons of steps, or a whole speech to memorize. Just simply talking to God in humility, and asking Him to take care of the situation, in Love.

And that is the key. In your humility, you must also show love for those who have hurt you. The scars will remain, but they do not have to continue to be open wounds. Love those who hurt you, truly love them, and their criticism, whether right or wrong, will be turned from bad, into good. That, I think, is what makes responding righteously good, and beautiful, and hard. But it's not wrong to do hard things. God calls us to that all the time. The easy way out is not an option for Christians. It never has been, and it never will be. so do the hard thing and love those who don't seem to be lovable. Love them with God's love, because  otherwise you fall. Without His help, we are nothing. With His help, we can do all things, even love those who hurt us.

On Memorial Day

It seems like it would be wrong to post about anything else today. :) I love Memorial Day. It has so many memories for me, from playing softball with my family, to going to Disneyland when I was in High school. One of the things I remember most about it was simply spending time with family. Getting together while Dad barbecued, and working on the shopping list with Mom the week before so that we have all the ice cream ready, I think, are my favorite memories. But more than that, I love that it is the day when America comes together as a family and remembers those who have given their lives for our freedom. Taking a day to spend with family is great, but taking a day to thank those who died so that we could spend time with family is even more important.

Call to Missions

Every single Christian in the world is called to one thing above all else: missions. Whether it is abroad, or in your home town, we are called to live as Christ lived. It is our job to show others the difference that comes of having Christ in control of your life. This does not mean that we are to spend all of our time handing out tracts, or being overly vocal about our relationship with Christ. The opposite is more often true. In the story in the Old Testament, God’s voice was not heard in the mighty rushing wind, or the earthquake, but in the calm and quiet that followed the storm. He was not loud, he did not seek out attention from others; He simply did His work, and allowed God to bring the people to Him.

When we are trying to reach others, it is good to keep in mind that not everyone shares in the same way. While some are called to go abroad in order to spend their lives doing nothing but showing others the love of Christ, some are called to spend their time where they grew up, working a normal job, and living a normal life, quietly showing others the love of God. Some are called to acts of service. This service could be nothing more than volunteering at your church and providing the means for the church to remain in good working order. Or it might be opening your house to people from out of town, or cooking meals for the sick. Whatever the call, it is your job to follow it.

However, given that the call to each person is different, that also means that if God is calling you to one thing, you should not make yourself do something else. It will only result in frustration. Talk to God, pray, and above all, listen. He will show you where you need to be.

Tired, but happy

On days when everything seems to go wrong (and that is pretty close to how things ran at work today), it seems to help to just thank God that you made it through. Top of my list to thank God for? the fact that it is over :).

Days like today

It's days like today that make me wonder. Was it worth it? Not having the same memories as my friends, not having the same experiences, was it worth it? Was it worth it to leave? Was it worth it to change everything, even if for something that I really wanted? I want to say yes, and most of the time I will, but on days like today when what I missed out on really hits home, it's not as easy. I want to cry, because I worked so hard, and yes I still earned the ring, and I still earned the diploma (both of which will be coming in the mail in the next few weeks) but I missed out on the opportunity to celebrate that accomplishment  with my friends. I chose to leave, and I believe that was right. But sometimes it's hard to remember that. Today is one of those times.

Call to service

A year and a half ago, I began to feel God calling me to missions. More specifically, to Bible translation. I took an introductory class to linguistics at Biola, and learned that there are a few projects available through Wycliffe in which the Bible is being translated into Sign Language for the Deaf. Something clicked in my head when I learned this. Everything that I had reservations about in regards to ASL, and interpreting immediately dissolved, because God’s call in my life to work with the Deaf finally made sense. However, since I had only 2 and half semesters left until graduation, I was unable to change my major, thus resulting in the current situation of waiting until God makes it possible for me to pursue this goal.

Now, a year and a half later, I feel like it’s something that is so far down the road the road, it may never happen. While this feeling is very real, I also know that my life is far from being near its end, and who knows what the future holds? I do know, though, that God has decided to work on me.

I moved to Texas, originally because I wanted to try something new. I was tired of living in California. I wanted an adventure. So when I got the job that enabled me to move, I took it. Now, a month later, I could not be happier that I made this decision. It hasn’t been easy, but I know that I am in a place where I am able to really listen to God. He has provided for me in such a way that I am so utterly burnt out from all of the work I am doing, and I am still paying things off. It has given me the freedom to really pursue a relationship with Him, and you know what? He’s done nothing but whack me over the head since I got here :P.

I think I am finally beginning to understand the bigger picture, as well. At least in part anyway. My job has not been easy. I am doing something that I have done for the past several years, but am being asked to do it in a way that is different, and often times frustrating. I find myself thinking quite often “What is wrong with you? If you don’t know how to run a pool, then don’t tell me how to do it!” But then I have to catch myself. It doesn’t matter what they ask me to do. Nothing has been dangerous, nothing has been outrageous. It hasn’t even been that far outside of my general job description. It doesn’t matter, because they’re my bosses, so I need to do what they ask of me.

As hard as it has been, it has been so very good for me. I think there are a lot of things God is teaching me right now, but one of them, I believe, is how to be a servant. I can’t minister to people if I think I know everything and am unwilling to listen to the suggestions of others. I can’t go through life, even, as a Christian, with that kind of thinking. Christ says that if you want to be the greatest, you must be the least. While I’m still in a leadership position, they are essentially asking me to be the least; to do the work that someone getting paid minimum wage should be doing. The brainless stuff. But that’s okay, because if I can’t learn to serve, then I shouldn’t be working towards a leadership role, and certainly not one that involves ministering to other people.

All of this also ties in with my previous post, I think, too. While I do feel at home here, and I don’t want to leave, this also feels like a vacation. Not in the sense that I am doing nothing but relaxing, but in the sense that I have removed myself from the circumstances that made hearing God difficult. Now that I am beginning to listen again, however, I need to learn to serve Him, even more than I serve man. While leaving will be hard, God has called me to serve Him, and if the best way I can do that is to leave, then I will leave. But I won’t leave behind all of the things that I am learning along the way. Instead, I will take this adventure, and use it to learn how to live in everyday life. Like in my post on Eragon, This adventure should not be used as a reason to remove myself from everything that I find to be hard in life. Instead, I want it to help me to grow, so that I can live in the fullest extent of the meaning, the life God has called me to live, whether that be in Texas, California, or anywhere He might choose to lead me.