About 7 years ago I began to experience something that confused me but now makes sense. I began to "suffer" from a skin disorder called Eczema. My skin get severely dry which causes it to crack and bleed. It also itches severely. I don't think you would understand how bad it itches unless you actually had Eczema. I will at times scratch my hands almost uncontrollably. I have also unfortunately passed this trait down to my two sons. I have at times thought about why I would have developed this disorder out of the blue in 2003 and why I haven't always had it.
I have also wondered how a crack addict can never get enough and will do anything to get his fix. I have wondered why an alcoholic always needs another drink. I have wondered why "meth-heads" would go to such suicidal extremes to get high. I have wondered why dogs return to their vomit. You see for those of us who have never tasted those things it is difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of a drug addict or alcoholic. It's hard for me to understand why someone will steal from his family just to get more of something that is ruining his life. I never knew why it is so hard not to scratch that itch until I had Eczema. Eczema is that thorn in my side that allows me to put drug and alcohol addiction among other things into perspective. I was once very bitter and confused about this shin disorder. I know find myself thankful for another one of God's weird life lessons. So when you find yourself with a thorn in your side like Paul, allow God to show you why it is there.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Live to Love
We are all born with Love. We are all full of Love. Yes, we are born in a world filled with hate and sin, and we are born into sin (thanks adam and eve!), but we are born full of Love. We were made in God's likeness, and God is the very definition of Love. Our problem is finding where to put our Love. Where is it supposed to go?
Family...friends...stuff...hobbies...jobs...pets...boyfriend/girlfriend...?
We take chance on where to place our buckets full of Love and often have them just knocked over by people. We expect to receive Love when we give Love and we should. But we get frustrated and angry when we misplace our Love in the wrong spots and don't get Loved back. We tend to give up on the Love we have to give. Our Love grows cold and dark and starts to decay. Our Love must be put in the proper places for it to grow. There are 3 ways our Love must be lived out.
1. Worship. We were created to worship. We spend our lives searching for that someone or something to give our Love in worship to. When we worship anything other than our Creator, our Love decays. Misplaced Love in worship turns to hate.
2. Relationships. We were created for relationships with people and our Maker. Our Love must be poured out in the right Godly relationships. We waste our Love on relationships that drive us away from God.
3. Cause. We were created for a cause. We must have a cause to spend our Love on. Whether it's making the world cleaner, defeating starvation and poverty, fathering a fatherless generation, or stopping abortion, we must have a cause.
People hurt us, disappoint us, and abandon us. This world is messed up and probably won't get any better. Teenagers are killing each other, men are cheating on their wives, and hate is running rampant across the nation. But I can't help but thinking that if this world could just put their Love where it is supposed to go it wouldn't turn into hate. I think it would help.
Family...friends...stuff...hobbies...jobs...pets...boyfriend/girlfriend...?
We take chance on where to place our buckets full of Love and often have them just knocked over by people. We expect to receive Love when we give Love and we should. But we get frustrated and angry when we misplace our Love in the wrong spots and don't get Loved back. We tend to give up on the Love we have to give. Our Love grows cold and dark and starts to decay. Our Love must be put in the proper places for it to grow. There are 3 ways our Love must be lived out.
1. Worship. We were created to worship. We spend our lives searching for that someone or something to give our Love in worship to. When we worship anything other than our Creator, our Love decays. Misplaced Love in worship turns to hate.
2. Relationships. We were created for relationships with people and our Maker. Our Love must be poured out in the right Godly relationships. We waste our Love on relationships that drive us away from God.
3. Cause. We were created for a cause. We must have a cause to spend our Love on. Whether it's making the world cleaner, defeating starvation and poverty, fathering a fatherless generation, or stopping abortion, we must have a cause.
People hurt us, disappoint us, and abandon us. This world is messed up and probably won't get any better. Teenagers are killing each other, men are cheating on their wives, and hate is running rampant across the nation. But I can't help but thinking that if this world could just put their Love where it is supposed to go it wouldn't turn into hate. I think it would help.
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