| I'm eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other. -Romans 1:2 NLT I pray that what I learn from the lives of others will be used by God to make me a more compassionate woman, more willing to serve, more grateful to God and of more use to others. -Sheila Walsh Dear friends, although I was eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all, entrusted to the Saints. For certain men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. -Jude 3,4 This week, consider how much your faith has become a part of your life. Is it a nice tidy little bundle you manage to tuck into your Sundays and Wednesdays? Or does your faith touch every minute of your day? Let Him lift your heart, but ask Him to strengthen your faith as well. I am longing to witness to others. I need the encouragement. Though we may share the same salvation, there are others who live their life the wrong way. Drinking, smoking, cursing, not trusting, not believing, their music choices, there are so many other things that I have been exposed to by my family, friends, coworkers, and even just people in the public. Would it be too bold of me just to stop, look at them, and say, "Is that very Christ like?" or "Is that really what you want God to see, hear, or remember you for?" Some things that upset me:
A couple of weeks ago I met a girlfriend in Lebanon for dinner and later met up with Eric. We went to Mazzios. I was thrilled when we sat down because they were playing Christian music. Conversation started between Liesl and I and then in the background I hear, "Well, F* that. That's B.S." I immediately felt as if someone punched me in the stomach. It was coming from a younger voice too, so I was even more sick. When I got up to make my salad I looked to see who it was. It was this pretty girl, young, between 16-19, sitting with an older couple, parents, grandparents, I'm not sure. When I sat back down it continued, she talked about going out and getting drunk..that's why she came home early b/c the cops busted their a*. At one point she made that reference that one of them needed to F* listen. The older couple said nothing, nothing at all. This was my face   But was that it, was that my chance, or would it have been to bold to step up and tell her that she was in a family environment and her language was disturbing my dinner and that she needed to show more respect not only for herself, but the couple with her and the other families that surrounded her. Incident #2 I was in Wal-Mart this week and there was a lady talking on her cell phone. Just walking down the isle like there was no one else in the store. "Ya, that F* P* me off," "U mean to tell me that they could do.... for them but not... , ya I know I'm just P*. Was that my chance? "Excuse me mama', I don't know if you are aware, but there are people all around you that can hear your conversation, there are children near you, and your own children, do you want to be the cause of their exposure to such language?" I just sat quietly, fuming inside, saying to myself, why do they have to be like that? Well, they don't know better. Should I tell them, or is that wrong. What would you have done? |
