I got Questions...

1. What does it mean to be a Christian?  
2. What makes someone a Christian?  
3. Is it defined by accepting Jesus as your Savior and believing His death and resurrection... or is it more than that?  
4. Can someone be a "Christian", accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, cuss people out and be critical of others every other day AND still make it into Heaven?  
5. Is being a Christian the same or different to be a follower of Christ?  
6. What does it mean to be Christ-like? 
7. Does God want us to be like Christ or Christ-like?  
8. If God is our only judge, and Christians are supposed to be followers of His Word, why do Christians feel they can and should judge others?
9. Are we, as Christians, supposed to hold ourselves to a higher standard simply because we're are Christians?
10. If so, is that why Christians can be judgmental?
11. If we are Christians, God is Love and we are followers of God and His Word, why is loving ourselves and others so hard at times?
12. If we are all blessed with gifts, talents and skills, does that give any of us the right to govern over the other?
13. When Christians genuinely want to help other Christians, why is it often seen as an offensive act by the recipient as oppose to an act of encouragement?

Isn't it ironic how God blesses us with love, mercy, grace and forgiveness but His representatives, including myself, have a tendency to fall short in these departments?

I've reached a point in my walk that I Got Questions about my walk, my faith and my future.  I will never renounce God or Christianity... but I'm really trying to define it for myself.  What Christianity and my relationship with God is SUPPOSED to look like.  I need Him.  I know that more than ever.  But I Got Questions.

I've posed these questions to the world because I believe that since Ms. Houston's funeral aired all over the world for believers and non believers to see, we have a duty, responsibility and accountability to represent Christ as we are supposed to.  For the purpose that God Almighty made us.  He made us in His Image to represent Him.  And as I am convicted, even as I write this blog, I realize that the point is the spread His word and show mercy, grace, love and forgiveness just as He does.  But do we?

I can speak for myself - in my marriage, towards my children, towards my parents and friends - I thank God for His mercy because I don't think I measure up according to His Will.  Not yet anyway.  I try, I'm working on it, and daily I feel I get better... but it's those back slides that get me every time.  That bring on the guilt.  I've always had an issue with controlling my tongue.  I've graduated from cussing everyone out whenever I feel like it to giving you a piece of my mind without cussing to speaking out of turn frequently to choosing my words wisely before speaking to not speaking nearly as much as I would like to.

My biggest struggle is self control.  I want to make my Daddy so proud that it brings me to tears sometimes. Especially because I know He loves me either way.  At the end of the day, I want to get to the point that I can shed the feelings of guilt and accept the self-conviction, make conscious changes and turn it around for His Glory.  I guess I can be my biggest judge.  Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm not sure.  But what I do knows is that I'm developing, I'm healing and I'm changing.   He guides me in everything that I do and I thank Him for ordering my steps.  Glory be to God.  Great things He has done!  I'M MOVING FORWARD FOR HIS PURPOSE!

Amen

Be Blessed in BEING AN GOOD EXAMPLE OF YOUR FAITH

Being the 'Bigger Person' cont...

Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.

1 Samuel 2:30 NIV

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I wanted to continue on the thought about being the 'bigger person' because I recognize that being the 'bigger person' takes more than an overnight decision to change. Change comes from a thought, a choice and a decision, no doubt, but if I know anything, I know about the poison that tries to drown out good decisions, making it increasingly difficult to change.

What poison am I talking about? The same poisons I have been talking about from the beginning - unforgiveness, baggage, anger, insecurity, jealousy, bitterness and lack of self-control. These issues have a direct correlation with your inability to exhibit patience and be the 'bigger person' in every situation.

Let's use me as an example, because I have no shame. When I first got married, I was travelling heavy with a lot of baggage that I had tucked away so securely, I was bursting out at the seams and didn't even know it. Anyway, for those of you who know my husband, he's a fairly peaceful, quiet guy. Quite the opposite of me at times. So when he would confront me about matters that needed to be discussed, I would automatically get my back up (Sound familiar anyone?). Not because he was being rude or disrespectful but because I had a problem with being challenged. I would feel like "who's this guy talking to?" and of course, that thought would come out in my speech and actions.

Needless to say, it created a lot of issues at the beginning of out marriage. But to be fair (to me lol), I really didn't know any better. Most behaviour's are learned through observation and/or experience and I had become so accustomed to doing things my way and being my own authority. Being the 'bigger person' challenged my vulnerabilities and my insecurities.

As I said before, learning to be the 'bigger person' has been my challenge because it meant submitting, respecting and honouring my husband and God through my obedience. I had to learn that all from scratch and that meant unloading all of my junk, day by day. I'd say I'm about 80% there but I definitely still have my 'old Margo' moments.

WWJD (what would Jesus do) is such a precise question/statement to live by. I used to laugh it, excusing myself by saying 'well, I'm not Jesus.' But I've come to realize that the statement isn't really saying 'be like Jesus' but rather it's encouraging you to be the 'bigger person', walk in love, forgive, treat people as you want to be treated and honour God in everything you do. WWJD helped to keep me on my path of righteousness any time challenging situations faced me.

So I would encourage you to put WWJD in your Positive Thought Rolodex (PTR). And next time someone takes your parking spot or brushes you the wrong way, ask yourself 'What would Jesus do?' Then smile... and walk away.

Be Blessed in HONOURING GOD IN EVERYTHING YOU DO



Being the "Bigger Person"

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

Romans 12:21

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For those of you who are just getting to know me, if you haven't caught on already, I have been working REALLY hard on stripping myself of alot of issues and baggage that I was carrying around for a while. And I had alot. More than I even realized when I started this process. And what's funny is that more and more issues/baggage keeps popping up when I think I have everything under control. Which brings me to today's thought: Being the 'bigger person'.

Whoever came up with that cliche must have been sniffing glue because it is ALOT easier said than done sometimes. I could never understand how people like Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus could take the ridicule, abuse and outright injustices that they endured and still preach a message of love. I mean, if anyone had the right to wipe out a nation with the snap of a finger it would have been Jesus. But instead he died for his enemies. He turned the other cheek. Speaking of cheeks, that the other cliche that I never understood. I figure, I only have 2 cheeks, so once you get me twice it's time for you to feel my wrath.

Thank God I've come such a far way because trust me, my rage could go from 0-150 in under a second. To me, being the 'bigger person' meant puffing up my chest and telling you about yourself, your mother, your grandmother and her neighbour. TThankfully, that Margo came to quick halt when I read the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) and Jesus said that it is our duty to forgive others "seventy times seven". Now, I'm not a mathmetician but I can do simple math so I know 70 times 7 equals 490. 490. If someone was to disrespect or act a fool towards me EVERYDAY for the next year and four months, I would have to forgive them... 490 days, 490 times. I would have to be the bigger person. (If you haven't read this parable, you have to because it will dead every and any arguement you have in respect to unforgiveness, revenge and bitterness.)

Needless to say, being the 'bigger person' has been my biggest, ongoing challenge in my walk to wholeness. So, I've come to the conclusion that God thinks He's funny. As I have MULTIPLE people around me trying my patience EVERYDAY and based on the Word, I'm expected to be the 'bigger person'. God is definitely a natural comedian. But I'm learning. God always has His way of doing things and if you take a step back for a second and take a look at your life you'll see that in all honesty God deals with people and situations better than you could in a million years. And if you don't know that yet... stop playing God and let Him do His work. If you're not going to be obedient to His instructions, atleast stop doing what you're doing because chances are if you're trying to take matters into your own hands, you've made it worse, dragged it out and exhausted all of your resources. And whatever you've been fighting still hasn't changed. Trust me, I know. Been there, done that and still do it sometimes. Let God be God.

I wanted to share this thought because I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Being the 'bigger person' is asked of us always - in marriage, at work, in relationships, at home - everyday in most situation. And being a 'bigger person' is CRITICAL in forgiveness, letting go and moving forward. I just have to say though... I'm sooooooo glad it wasn't me that had to go the cross because I know NONE of us would have been saved. Thank you Jesus.

Be Blessed in BEING THE BIGGER PERSON


Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink." - Romans 12:19-20a

"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." - Leviticus 19:18