Don't Judge My Path

Today I am compelled to tell a story about a Christian I once knew. Granted our relationship had become one of just reading each other's posts on Facebook, but nonetheless she was once a friend. I unfriended her after she went on a rant about Planned Parenthood. I could have just not followed her, but that wasn't sending as clear of a message as I wanted to send. What I want to say to her is this....

Why don't you climb down from your ivory tower and go volunteer at a Planned Parenthood facility. If you really love Jesus the way you say you do then why are you just bitching about this subject on Facebook and not doing something about it? Instead of judging someone else's path why not seek them out and understand them and counsel them and tell them that no matter what they have done God still loves them. Tell them that they can still have a deep, meaningful relationship with Christ because they don't think they can and that breaks my heart. Maybe you could save a life. Maybe you loathe Planned Parenthood because God has put it on your heart and instead of honoring Him you are just being that same Christian that half the world can not stomach who sits around complaining and judging and never does a thing to help humanity.

Why is it that people who are in church every Sunday and then some think they have the right tell us how condemned we are because we don't. Or to go on a rant condemning every woman who has ever chosen to terminate a pregnancy just because they never did. I am neither pro-life nor pro-choice. I simply believe that abortion should not be an option, but I have never walked in their shoes so I don't honestly know which path I would have chosen had I done so. And for that very reason I can not fathom telling them that what they have done is unforgivable or to boycott Starbucks for supporting an organization that may have saved their life while terminating another. I'm not going to be that person.

For so many years I loathed homeless people begging on the streets for money. I work really hard to provide for my family so the thought of just begging for beer money made me kind of sick. But who am I to judge them when I am just one paycheck away from homelessness myself? It made me think of how Jesus still loved me with all of my many flaws, but not just me...he loves everyone; murderers, rapists, prostitutes, homeless people and judgmental Christians.

One day, I found myself filled with compassion for the homeless, so I would rifle through my purse every time I saw one on the streets with a sign and give them what ever cash I had. Now I carry this with me:

And let me tell you that it feels SO GOOD every time I give one of these to a homeless person on the street. It fills my heart with joy and peace and love. I wonder if Jesus felt like that when he was ministering to the broken? And trust me when I say that I have had many well-meaning Christians say to me "they are just going to buy beer with that money". So what? I still sent them a message from God and once I give it to them that money is no longer mine. It is theirs.

And maybe I am naive, but I truly believe one of these cards will save a soul. So I will endeavor to give them to as many homeless people as I can for the rest of my life. Imagine how we could change the world if we could just convince all of those Christian's sitting in church every Sunday and then some to do the same?

The moral of my story today is simple. Don't judge my path when you are not on it!

Isaiah 58: v 6 - 8

Set free those who are held by chains without any reason.
    Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves.
Set free those who are crushed.
    Break every evil chain.
Share your food with hungry people.
    Provide homeless people with a place to stay.
Give naked people clothes to wear.
    Provide for the needs of your own family.
Then the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun.
    I will heal you quickly.
I will march out ahead of you.
    And my glory will follow behind you and guard you.

Shaken

I recently read a post of a family member about Jesus being make believe. I can't fault her for feeling that way. I think that God purposely puts non-believers in our lives so we can challenge them and vice versa. It speaks to the yin and the yang of the universe in my humble opinion. And if I'm being honest there are some believers that I can't even stomach because they are all up in your face about Jesus. I think that is equally as offensive as the non-believers posting about Jesus being a fictional character. I really do.

All I can tell you is that God will bring you to your knees one day. It will happen. And you can choose to smite Him or you can choose to follow Him. Trust me, He's got all the time in the world to save your soul. And if you think that you are too far gone or too much of a sinner, think again! Your sin will not affect His longing to save you.

Everywhere I turn lately I'm reminded of God's love for me. I saw it today peaking through the clouds. A friend emailed me a bible verse and it brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me that God is all around me. He fills up the room I'm in and He gives me hope even when I think my sin is just too big this time, He reassures me that He's got this. He is declaring war on my enemies even while I sleep. He is moving the universe right now to fix the mess I have made of my life and He's doing the same thing for you.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He will sit on the sidelines and watch for so long before He will shake  us to our core and my advice to you which I will try to follow myself more diligently is to revel in these moments. Delight in them. Find joy in them and most importantly find peace in them. He only shakes the ones He loves the most.

To some He might seem like a fictional character, but to others He is more real and prevalent than that cup of coffee you had this morning. And if you want to find real happiness in your life, then you simply must recognize the One who made you. My family member who posted about Jesus is one of the most unhappy people I know. I wish I could tell her its because she doesn't know Christ and that NOTHING she could ever do could remove God from her life. Not her neglect, not her sin, not her absolute refusal to believe in Him.

My life may not be perfect and I may be going through one of the toughest battles I've ever fought, but if I didn't have God right now I would never survive this struggle. And He keeps showing up to remind me that He is here and every single time He does I am moved beyond words because I feel like I am a useless pile of nothing. But He would never waste His time on a useless pile of nothing.

Dear Lord - I do not know what I have done to deserve your Holy presence in my life, but I will try and do a better job of trusting You and letting you handle my problems. I love You with all my heart.
In your precious name......amen.