Challenging.

Life is challenging in general at the moment and I don’t actually mean personally and here, I mean in general. Attitudes and tempers are flaring, the news is going mad, it’s very tempting to get caught up in it all. Getting caught up in things is fine and good providing we go about it the right way. Hunger and thirst for righteousness by all means but insulting people just because you don’t like what they do or how they do it, probably isn’t the right way or how to love our neighbours.

What I find challenging is that we can’t expect people who don’t know Jesus to actually act like him. We can try to change people, we can try to change the world and laws, we can say things are evil (and they often are), but without knowing Jesus, it is all in vain. God changes us, despite popular opinion, we do not change ourselves.

Recently I have started thinking again about what life is about here, for us. There are a few changes happening, we’ve left the church we were part of and feel God is probably calling us to a more local one, one that most believers that we know probably would not expect. It’s a bit of a period of waiting at the moment. Obviously the churches are closed, but are apparently allowed to open again from 29th June (which coincidentally is my salvation birthday). But what I am praying is ‘your will be done’, it’s a scary prayer in some ways, it shouldn’t be, because if we truly trust God then we should trust whatever He tells us to do, ‘do whatever He tells you’.

Then I’ve just seen an interview this morning where someone said that should be our prayer, that we will do whatever he tells us and go wherever he wants us. Seen a few things recently like that too. Not to mention the Lord’s prayer, so yeah, bring it on. We will do whatever you want us to do and go wherever you want us to go Lord. Now be still and watch and wait and don’t worry about what other people think.

Scripture says a lot of things, trouble is, in this blog I often don’t have the time to delve too deeply on here. But the main one as far as I can see is when you know Him is to love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Delve deeply into God, read, spend time with Him, acknowledge He is there as part of your normal everyday activities and life, He isn’t relegated to a back room, He’s there and our lives as Christians should follow Him and be with Him. He is so full of love and joy and peace, He runs to meet us, like in the parable of the prodigal son, so this should not be a burden. Sometimes it feels like it is, but it is often in those times that our relationship and faith is actually strengthened. Over the past year I’ve questioned and prayed and laid awake with Him and wondered and asked if He is there and even real. My dad’s death really threw me and did things in me that I don’t even understand. The overwhelming answer I now have is yes, He is most definitely real and here. He is not scared of questions, He is God and instead of running from Him and doing our own thing, we need to run towards Him and be with Him. Doing what He has set for us, not what others have set for us.

One other thing I am feeling, the Christian world seems very segregated, people are often very suspicious of other groups, I do feel the time is coming when these barriers need to be broken, we as people will not know how or see a way of doing this, but God does. Charismatics, Evangelicals and Pentecostals often seem very suspicious and don’t like the Traditional churches and vice versa, there’s ‘exvangelicals’ giving their stories all over the place, people who seem distracted to me (especially on Twitter) who seem more intent on correcting other churches than reaching the lost or loving people, although I can, in some circumstances see why. Catholics are often seen as not even being Christian by these groups, which I feel is very unfair. But then some (not all) Catholics talk the same about protestants. So silly. So watch this space, we may be going over to the other side…of the same coin. Providing it is His will… Church is not about us, or how we look, it’s about Jesus.

This may not go out on facebook….I may change my mind..but maybe not today…

Goodbye..

Cathy.