|
| Why is it that as soon as you think you have everything figured out and life is good that you get hit with something that completely throws you for a loop? I know God's timing is perfect, but geez...sometimes I just don't understand what's going on! | | |
| I just recieved the following email and it bothered me a great deal...
Social Security
>
> My Mom was a homemaker and Dad worked all his life and paid into
>
> SS. Dad
>
> has passed away and now my mom can barely make ends meet. While the
>
> possible "illegal" alien in front of her at the grocery store buys
> the
>
> name brands, my mom goes for the generic brands, and day old breads.
>
> She doesn't have out of state calling on her phone, because she
> can't
>
> afford it, and shops at the thrift shops and dollar stores while the
>
> "illegal" aliens go to Macy's, Gap, J.C. Penny, Banana Republic,
> etc.
>
>
>
> She considers having a pizza delivered once a week "eating out".
>
> She grew up during the depression, watched her husband go overseas
> to
>
> fight in WW II a year after their marriage, and
>
> then they went on to raise, feed and clothe 5 children, scrounging
>
> to pay
>
> tuition for parochial schools.
>
>
>
> I'm sorry, but I can't see how the Senate can justify this slap in
> the
>
> face to born and bred, or naturalized citizens.
>
>
>
> It is already impossible to live on Social Security alone. If they
> give
>
> benefits to "illegal" aliens who have never
>
> contributed, where does that leave us that have paid into Social
>
> Security
>
> all our working lives?
>
>
>
> The Senate voted this week to allow "illegal" aliens access to
> Social
>
> Security benefits. Attached is an opportunity to
>
> sign A petition that requires citizenship for eligibility to receive
>
> Social services. If you do not wish to sign the petition yourself,
>
> please
>
> forward on to anyone you think might be interested.
>
>
>
> PETITION FOR: President Bush
>
> Mr. President:
>
> The petition below is to protest against the recent vote of the
>
> senate which was to allow illegal aliens access to our social
>
> security!
>
>
>
> We demand that you and all congressional representatives require
> citizenship for anyone to be eligible for social
> services in the United States.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It makes me think of a parable Jesus told... You know the one I'm
talking about? Its the parable of the workers in the vineyard. The
landowner hired some men to work at the beginning of the day, and
others throughout the rest of the day. When it came time to pay, he
paid them all the same. The ones who had worked all day became
indignant because they believed that they deserved more. The
landowner's response was: "Don't I have the right to do what I want
with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" Jesus
says, "So the last shall be first, and the first will be last."
Matthew 20:15-16. Now I know that that's not necessarily the
governments mindset in granting Social Security rights to "illegal
aliens" but we shouldn't have the attitude of the workers either.
Aren't we, as Christians supposed to be set apart from the world? Who
cares about material possession or where you have to buy your clothes?
What's wrong with the generic brand of food? Instead of signing a
petition to further the hardships of a people group who's probably
seen more persecution than we could even imagine, why not give more?
Why do you think they came to America in the first place? It
certainly wasn't because they were living in the Promised Land of milk
and honey! We have become spoiled by our unbelievable freedom and
privileges. We have become greedy as a result of it. Furthermore,
God commands us to rejoice in our sufferings! It is a test of our
faith and reliance on Him. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under
trial, because when he has stood the test, he will recieve the crown
of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12. I
don't know about you, but I'd much rather recieve the crown of life
than any crown the world has to offer in the form of designer clothes
and gourmet food. And how does God say that we can show our love for
Him? By loving his people, his children. And yes, his children are
these so-called "aliens." "Dear friends, let us love one another, for
love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and
knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is
love." 1 John 4:7-8.
We cannot expect everyone to show us the love that we show them. It
is not our place to judge what others do or say, but we can control
our own actions. We can stand up for what is right in the eyes of
God, not the world. So what if more people get support from the
government...so what? Jesus commanded us to leave everything, take up
our cross and follow Him. I count it a blessing not to have expensive
things. I plan on being poor my entire life, and happier on account
of it. Petitions like this just make me sad. Have we gotten so low
that we oppose the aid of those in need? I'm not going to type all of
it because its long, but please read Matthew 6: 25-34. It pretty much
sums up everything to do with our obsession with material wealth, and
why it shouldn't be important.
So I'll get off my soapbox now. Oh and in case it wasn't already
obvious...I'm not signing the petition. :)
| | |
| While riding my bike around the park the other day, I started thinking... Everything is created to glorify God right? So I started looking at the greenery all around me and thought about how the plants glorify God: its just by being green, and providing oxygen and food for wildlife. That spurred me to think about a creature which most people cannot fathom why God would choose to create: mosquitos. I remember pondering as a child why they were created (besides to be prey) and how I had heard people joke, "I know God has never made a mistake, but mosquitos and gnats come pretty close!" Then I thought, "Well, I suppose that since they were created to be bloodsuckers, they are doing a pretty good job of it!" Then I had my revelation: What a great example of persecution and perseverance! For thousands of years they have been one of the most despised insects. People go to great measures to keep them away: mosquito coils, mosquito nets, insect repellant...etc. But amidst all this persecution, does the mosquito ever change its life to stop doing what it was created for? No! Thus, it continues to glorify God. I wish I could be like that throughout all of life's trials...despite any negative circumstances, continuing to serve and glorify God with all I do. For us, it takes constant renewal of our minds, reminders from God's word and our family in Christ, and a surrendering of ourselves to God's will. For mosquitos, it is nature.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your fatih develops perseverace. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
~James 1:2-4 | | |
| Going in to this conference, I have to admit that I wasn't jumping off the walls with excitement. In my mind, I was already expecting it to be just like all other conferences I've attended in the past, and definitely unable to beat the experience that I'd had at the Passion conference last year. How wrong I was! It was absolutely the best conference I have ever been to and I praise God for providing a way for me to go! You see, I was back and forth about attending the conference becaues I'd heard less than impressive reviews from my 2 closest friends who attended the conference last year. Jill Williamson, however Tuesday before the money was due, then attended Impact that night. They just happened to be giving away $100 scholarships to the conference and what do you know...I won one! Money was one of the other issues I was taking into account to decide and God took care of that, so my mind was made up right then.
Now, about the conference:
It started off a little slowly, but gradually progressed to amazing-ness as the days went by! On the second day, I started hanging out with the people who I grew to know very well on the trip-- Kyle Clark, Jessica Lawrence, and Jenn Deglandon. Oh, we had a fun time... Above making new friendships, however, I felt called and challenged by God to continue to persevere with the decisions I've made about relationships, to give up Facebook for a year (crazy, I know...haha), and not to go on the Semester at Sea.
I have to admit, some of the speakers at the Passion were more convicting, but ATL was so more intimate. There were only 2000 students (compared to 18,000 at Passion) so you got to recognize more people and feel like you actually made a contribution by being there. I liked all the free time allotted, which is one of the things my friends disliked. The reason I thought it was good is that conferences can be (and usually are) extremely exhausting. You sit around listening to speakers all day, stay up all night getting to know people, and usually have to get up early to start it all over again. The free time allowed for some relaxation, and the opportunity to develop lasting friendships.
Now I'm seriously considering going to Summer Beach Project this year. I know I need the training, and I really can't think of a better way to spend my summer! I am so excited with what God is doing in my life right now! He is so faithful, and I strive to be the same. Hooray for God and Campus Outreach! | | |
| I want him, but he doesn't want me,
He wants somebody else that I can't be.
And she's got a man that she wants to leave
because he can't seem to make her happy.
Does it have to be wrong to make it feel right?
Tell me why isn't anybody satisfied?
Old man looks at a photograph
of a love that's long gone from his past,
and his wife's got a letter that she can't read
from a boy who never came back from the sea.
All these secrets and lies we keep deep inside...
Does it have to be wrong to make it feel right?
Tell me, why isn't anybody satisfied?
See that man walking down the street,
what are the odds he's the one for me?
And what if I pass him by and he's got the love I need?
Tell me why isn't anybody satisfied?
~"Satisfied" by Ashley Monroe (edited by Roxanne for grammatical correctness)
This song is very interesting to me. So many people view relationships this way, never satisfied. I suppose that its more applicable to married couples, who really have to commit to being satisfied with one person for the rest of their lives. The problem being that most people (in America at least) just aren't. Relationships are disposable, replaceable. In anthropology, its called serial monogamy, meaning several short-term monogamous relationships. People are so preoccupied with trying to find the "right one" and their "soul mate" that they neglect to think about the things that are essential to making a relationship last. People look at superficial characteristics, and base our feelings off of unreliable emotions. I don't believe that we have "soul mates." I do think that certain people may work better or worse together, but the idea that there is only one person out there that will complete us is a ridiculous thing to believe. Not that it would be impossible for God, but believing in such a concept only complicates relationships. The moment something goes wrong, you find yourself questioning, "Well, maybe I'm with the wrong person... Maybe he's not my soul mate... What if I'm missing out on a fuller life that I could have with someone else?" Again, this really applies more to once you are married, but people take dating too lightly (or maybe too seriously...) as well. But thats an entirely different argument... I guess what I'm trying to say is: stop looking for the "right one" and just keep (or start) looking to God (this is as much to me as it is to anyone who may be reading this). He will take care of all your needs, whether or not you are in a relationship with someone. If you are married, don't allow yourself to be tempted by unrealistic ideals about what married life should be like. God put you with that person for good cause, and He will get you through the rough times. Don't worry about what would have happened if you had stayed with so-and-so from high school or college. There's just no point. Look to the future and the plans God has for you there. Emotional ties only go so far, but end up breaking in the end. Spiritual ties last a lifetime. I know I'm not married yet, and far from it, but those are the ideas I'm applying now and will continue to apply once I do make a lifetime commitment to my future husband.
Anyway, we're learning about marriage in different countries in Anthropology, so that's why I'm writing... Its interesting how Americans/Europeans are some of the only groups to place so much weight on the importance of emotions (love, romance) in relationships, and in the same hand have the least successful ones... Other cultures that view marriage more as a business transaction or a relationship with a purpose (woman is needed to work/run household) have much longer lasting relationships in which divorce is almost unheard of. Not to say that their relationships are ideal in the least, however. Women can (but not always) be treated badly by husbands, mothers-in-law, and others. But its a way of life that works for them. Who's got it right? Love or value? I think a mix of that plus God works nicely. :)
P.S.--I just was thinking about what I wrote and I realized it might sound like I don't think love is extremely important, but I don't think that at all. I believe love is of uncomparable importance in a relationship, its just the emotions that screw it up. Real love is what we need to be looking for, the love that never fails. | | |
|
