Church Folk

In our 'enlightened' age many people do not feel the need to make church attendance a part of their regular schedule.  If I were to take a poll to find out why, I would hear varying excuses: 'I can have church at home by listening to a television preacher', or 'my church streams services', or the all time  prevailing answer: 'Christians are hypocrites'.  I've heard it all, and quite honestly sometimes I don't blame them for that last comment.  As Christians we know that as awesome as many of the television pastors are, or how cool it is to watch our own church online, there is nothing like experiencing church in real time.  Psalm 133:1 says 'Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity'.  Attending church brings unity and gives us a sense of belonging, but more importantly, deepens our commitment and relationship to Christ.  Or it should.

I said earlier that I don't blame people who say 'Christians are hypocrites'.  That thinking however will not give them a pass go into Heaven.  If all it takes to get into Heaven is to tell Jesus that church folk were hypocrites and that you did everything else right, then none of us would need to go to church.  I am not saying you have to attend church to get into Heaven, I am saying that part of being Christian is obeying Christ's commands and living the kind of life he lived.  If you think you have trouble dealing with church folk, think about what he went through.  He was ridiculed in his local synagogue, he had to chase the money lenders out of one synagogue, and we all know who the masterminds were behind getting him killed.  

None of us has any excuse for not going to church.  Let me tell you a secret: there is no perfect church because there are no perfect people.  The key is to find the right Bible-based, Christ-taught church for you.  It may not be the same church to which your family has gone for generations.  It may not be a 'traditional' church with 'traditional' service times and days.  Remember, the key is what is taught. Also remember, the people inside the building came from outside of the building, just like you and I did.  Now everyone inside the building is growing at different levels.   Some people grow fast like grass in the middle of the Florida rainy season.  Some people grow slow like grass in the dessert, in the summertime.  On top of the growth process we must all go through, we will always make mistakes.  Mistakes that range from simple foot-in-mouth disease to falling, through weakness.   

When we go to church we go to gather together but even Jesus knew there were some people in the church who were only there to cause trouble.  Ask God to direct you to the right church for you.  When you get there, ask Him to direct you to the right groups and the right people.  Ask Him for wisdom and for discernment,  'For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.' 1 Corinthians 14:33.  What I am saying may sound mean, but the point is we need to be strong enough to be able to deal with and interact with all types of people and personalities or we can break under the pressure.  That is not God's best for us.  As Christians we are all God's children, but He did not call us to personalize every one's issues and worldly attitudes because they have not grown to where they should be.  In those instances we must pray for people then let go and let God.

Stop making excuses for not attending church.  Stop allowing people, their personalities, and yet worldly attitudes stop us from our blessings.  God has a way of directing our paths and answering our prayers for a job, a house, a car, a spouse, then why not a church?  

'Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.' Hebrews 10:23-25.

Focus

I tend to be a focused person.  Once I decide to do something it gets done.  Otherwise, you got it, what's the point?  The one time I had a problem with this work ethic was when I started college right out of high school and was for many years a perpetual student.  That was until one day my Dad made a comment about starting something and not finishing.  His comment so convicted me that I decided to finish college once and for all. 

I decided on a school, signed up, and set a schedule that I stuck to for two years. When I graduated with my degree in May of 2012, it was with a pretty decent GPA.  During those two years of school everything took a back seat: sleep being one of those things. I didn't see the point of going back to school to slide through and not take classes seriously. 

When my youngest nephew was much younger, I had the opportunity to take him to one or two of his soccer games.  I used to drill the word focus into his beautiful little soul.  So much so that he wrote me a letter thanking me for taking him to his games and for telling him all about the word focus.  You know I still have that letter right? 

Lately I have felt  my focus trying to slip and since I have no intention of letting that happen, I have checked myself.  We have to recognize when we are slipping, and check ourselves before we find ourselves having to start over.  I don't know about you, but every minute counts once you pass age 40, although since we don't know how much time we have on this planet, we should make every minute count regardless of age. 

Know on what you need to focus, and stick to it.  Don't let high drama, people who have no goals, and people who don't want you to meet yours, take away your focus.  Remember, you only have one life to live.  Fortunately I also have friends and family who mean well and try to keep me balanced.  Thank you.        

Now that I am back in school I face another year and some months of four to five hours of sleep,  working a full time job, not to mention the one or two other commitments I have allowed on my plate.  Let's just say time is a commodity.  Yes, every once in a while I stop and go to the beach, go to the movies, or meet friends for lunch or dinner; but my friends and family know Civilla is in school, Civilla is focused.  That's not such a bad thing to be known for is it?  On what are you focused?     

Blessed not Bitter

I've been thinking about decisions lately.  The book I'm working on is consuming my every waking thoughts probably because I wish I had more time to work on it.  Much of the book is about the decisions some women made long ago, and decisions we must make today.  Every day we have to make choices.  Should I make coffee at home or buy some on the way to work?  Should I wear a blazer or a sweater?  Should I take a left to get to work, or should I go straight? Should I allow life to get to me or should I 'let it go.'  You know, 'it', when customers yell at you out of their personal frustrations, when people get offended over a molehill they decided to turn into a mountain because of their personal issues.  What about when your life just did not turn out the way you expected and people blame you.  Yes, even absolute strangers.  People are amazing.

Even so, bitterness will hurt us more than it will hurt anyone else.  We cannot allow bitterness to take root.  Bitterness does not add it takes away. Bitterness makes us sad, angry, grouchy, and pathetic; or should I say apathetic?  On the other hand, taking on an attitude of blessing sends a message to ourselves as well as others, that we will allow God to work in our lives.  Of course we will have our moments, we're human, but we have to make the decision to turn it around.  'It', the feelings of bitterness that try to rise up.
You know what I've noticed about the valleys of life, they make us stronger, and if we allow God to work in those valleys, He will make all our crooked ways straight.  He will right our wrongs, He will step into our lives and make things better than we could ever expect.  He will even walk with us through the valley.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13. 

Like many Christians, Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite Bible verses but most people forget about the verses before and after.  If you read verses 12 and 13 closely you will see that we have to seek God and we have to seek Him with all of our heart.  You know, I never noticed that last 'me', it's italicized, which typically means an emphasis.  That means to me that God is the only one, the only 'me', we should be seeking.  When we do this we will find that bitterness cannot stay in our hearts and minds very long.  We will have no choice but to decide to be blessed. 

Let's make the decision to be blessed not bitter.  Sometimes the decision is minute by minute, sometimes its day by day,  but make the decision and let God do the rest.