Saturday, May 30, 2009

color me christian

Life is like a coloring book. I know, I know...it sounds like I'm going on a Forrest Gump route...trust me, I'm not. Allow me to elaborate...

Like most kids, I loved coloring. I wasn't much of a scribbler though, I was more interested in the end product. I wanted a beautiful picture, not a mess of color.

Staying inside the lines took more time, concentration and work; while scribbling was much easier, quicker and, at times, more fun. The end product of scribbling was never anything grandeur though. Definitely not anything I was proud to hang on the refrigerator.

Staying inside the lines could be hard though. Sometimes there were intricate details, my hand would slip, my brother or sisters would knock my hand or move the book, I would get distracted or I was just too lazy or tired to pay attention to what I was doing. Luckily, if I messed up on a picture, I could just turn the page and have a blank slate to start all over again.

That's kind of how I see life. God has set the rules, guidelines, boundaries...whatever you want to call them...for us in the bible. He then gave us free will. Just as in a coloring book, we choose whether or not to stay inside the lines. Sometimes there are outside forces making that more difficult. Often those force aren't coming from the outside at all.

Then God sent His son to die for our sins. So when we mess up, and go outside the lines, we can simply turn the page and start anew.

Monday, May 4, 2009

single

Though I've always thought it would be great to have a boyfriend who had a passion for Christ, it was never a deal breaker. It was more of a bonus if they went to church. But, as I grow more in my faith, I find that my priorities have shifted.

I strive to live my life centered around Christ and I need someone who's on the same track as I am. Someone who understands how to get through trials and tribulations by faith. Someone who will encourage me to stay on track and not lead me astray. Someone who will go to church with me, pray with me, do devotions with me. I want a partner in Christ.

I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus. I believe He is the son of God. I believe He died and rose again. I believe He paid for us all. Yes, I know those are lyrics but they state my feeling perfectly. Saying that I am passionate about my faith would be a gross understatement.

When I have kids, I want them to be raised in the church. I want them to be emersed in the faith, taught about Jesus, shown the Christian lifestyle. That's not something that can be accomplished if they only see it on Sundays. It needs to be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It needs to start at home.

In my minds eye, the purpose of dating is to find a boyfriend. The purpose of having boyfriends is to find a husband. I plan on having children with whoever my husband ends up being. So why date a non-believer? To date someone who doesn't have the same integrities would be against my values and a contradiction to my beliefs.

I believe that somewhere out there is my Godsent. I believe that we will meet when the time is right...when we are both ready for eachother in the eyes of God. Until then, I will be patient. I will not waste my time or his or His with someone I know, in my heart of hearts, is not my soulmate.