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.

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.

domino disposition

Lately I've been noticing that my daily interactions with people tend to set the tone for the rest of that day. Whether it's due to that encounter heightening or lowering my mood is up for discussion...though that's the conclusion I'm reaching towards.

Yesterday was a great day. Nothing extraordinary happened...just a good day. I woke up before the alarm today...always a good thing. Nothing like not being startled awake in the am! Got up took a nice, hot shower...gotta love those...made myself an everything bagel with cream cheese, filled up my water bottle and packed up my backpack. So far a fairly typical day.

My roommates grandmother is in town and she was up. Had a nice convo with her while I was getting ready. This wasn't a grandeur talk...maybe 10 minutes in total...no serious topics were broached...just some simple, good-morning-how-are-you-have-a-good-day small talk that ended with a hug and a see you later. But it was pleasant and so I left the house in a good mood.

I got to work, had 5 clients back-to-back, and just as a grumble was starting to creep up on me, my 3:00 came in. I had worked on him once before and he had come back and asked for me. He is a Christ-follower and I remembered him well because we had had a good talk about Christ and being a Christian. My mood instantly relightened as I awaited what our conversation, if any, might entail. I was not disappointed.

I left work with a smile on my face. I then headed off to home team, which is always good for my mood and spirit. All in all, it was a great day that started off with what may seem to have been an insignificant beginning.

Conversely, today didn't start off as happily. I, again, woke up before the dreaded alarm, grabbed a bagel, packed a lunch and headed off to catch the bus.

My first encounter was with the bus driver. Typically the drivers are quite nice. We exchange pleasantries and I go about my day. Today, however, she was not so pleasant. I told her the bike rack was bent making it difficult to put the bike on correctly and she snapped back that it didn't matter. That's fine. I was just letting her know so she could pass along the information. Her attitude certainly put a damper on my mood.

Isn't it funny how one person can completely change your disposition? It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I need to depend less on others for happiness and more on myself and God. What if the tone of my day was set by how great of a prayer session I had that morning rather than by the snide remark someone made on the bus?

unwanted suitors

Allow me to vent for a moment.

I ride the bus on a regular basis (that may be a bit of understatement...I take 4 buses a day to get to and from work) and, while not ideal, this is kind of my alone time. Time that I put on my headphones, listen to my favorite radio station, spiritfm, read a book or magazine and just sit.
I am not riding the bus, or sitting at a bus stop, waiting for Prince Charming to come along and sweep me off my feet.

Don't get me wrong here, I am open to chatting with my fellow commuters and/or the bus driver. My headphones are always low enough that I can hear what's going on around me.
What I don't appreciate is being hit on, or asked for my phone number when I am clearly tuning my surroundings out and after I have concisely and politely informed the suitor that I have a boyfriend. It is none of your business how long we have been together or how serious the relationship is.

Telling me that I'm pretty and look 18 and then proceeding to say you're in your late 40s is just creepy. If you thought I was that young, why on earth are you hitting on me?? You'd be old enough to be my father!

Asking me if I'm available and then, after I say no, asking if you can have my phone number is just plain disrespectful. Would you want to date someone who gives out their number to random strangers within 2 minutes of meeting them? I wouldn't!

So, seriously, if you're sitting beside me, or anyone for that matter, on the bus or at a bus stop and you feel the urge to open up those lines of communication, don't let this rant stop you. I have had several nice conversations and even exchanged numbers with people I've met on my commute AFTER speaking with them several times and with honest, good intentions.

I am merely speaking out against the creepers. The ones who ogle anyone with 2 x chromosomes. The ones, who after you politely answer whatever question it is they had, then turn away and put headphones in, continue you to tap you on your shoulder and ask about your personal life. The ones who feel it is within their right to tell you they're a better match for you then the one you're with...even though they have yet to learn your name.

Follow the Leader

Last night, we started a new curriculum in my bible study. Go Fish by Andy Stanley. It centers around Matthew 4:19. "and He said to them, 'follow me and I will make you fishers of men'. "

God wants us to not only live our lives for Him, but also to bring others into His light. I struggle with this -- not because I disagree with the notion; I wholeheartedly agree -- but because I find myself feeling unworthy of such an important task.

Who am I to tell others how to live their lives? What gives me the right, the fortitude to dictate what others should do? Now don't get me wrong here, I fully believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I ardently believe that it is our jobs, as Christ-followers, to shine His light for others.

My qualm is more in that I struggle with my faith on a daily basis. If I don't feel that I am 100% right with the Lord, how can I tell someone else that they need to be? So the question ensues, do you need to be the perfect follower to lead?

When I take the question out of the context of myself, I think absolutely not. We are human. We all fall short. That should not, cannot, take us out of our faith. If anything, it should bring us closer to God. We need to use our trials and tribulations -- past, present and future -- to show others what we have found in Christ. We need to think outside ourselves, we are not the main objective here. Jesus is.

So while you absolutely have to follow in order to lead, you, in no way, need to be perfect. So long as you are living you're life for Him as best you can, He will help you the rest of the way. So go on, be fishers of men -- and women -- for Him.