So, I have been thinking a lot about being active in my faith. In fact, I spoke on it this past Sunday in Youth Group. You see, we live in a world and society where everything comes quick. There are fast food restaurants, microwave meals, one cup coffee makers, eggs pre-prepared, and yes even the media with the cell phones with Internet access and all the social networking sights.
We have apps for this and for that on our "nooks" (i do have one of these), "cell phones" (I also have one of these, and then there are the countless messages and "whats on your mind right now" with face book and my space.
Seems like we are actively lazy, allowing all the current inventions to do everything for us. Oh, and when you get these latest and greatest gadgets it isn't a few months before the next level comes out. Think about it. I-phone then the I-phone 2; I-pad and now I-pad 2. Same goes with everything. Computers, cell phones, Internet servers, browsers, e-books, cars, jobs, and the viscous cycle continues on and on and on.
Everything seems to go into these cycles. The media just helps the revolving door to continue on it's endless fast spin. Style matters, not intelligence unless it's intelligence with looks and the latest style. Nerds are in but only in a "Chuck" way and geeks are completely out. There isn't just goth anymore now there is the multi defined "emo." Someone says it's in that has influence and it becomes the all powerful in for the moment until another person decides it's out and something else is now the best, the new rave. Can you hear the revolving door speed up and feel it blow the wind in your face? You should smell the stench of hypocrisy and rotten intentions for the pursuit of money by those who own it all and lay the foundation for the direction our society continues to move in. The fast lane. All leading down the path of destruction and self pleasure with never ending want and desperation to have more!
To be active and aggressive is something that takes more than just determination. It takes an attitude and spirit deep within and a change of self re-defining who we are and crossing the barrier until who we are becomes who we were and to look back and who we were makes us physically ill. Almost like a gut check moment that opens your eyes and removes the veil that has shrouded you in blindness, like someone diseased with anorexia who sees themselves as fat in the mirror when in reality they are skin and bones and clothes hang off their bodies. It's when the veil is lifted that we are disgusted by what we see. Then and only then there is a seed planted. The seed of desperation to change and become something new. A rebirth! But, the rebirth I am talking about is more than temporal sense of newness. It's the kind of birth that brings an excitement and desire to be aggressive about what has changed us.
I have become more aggressive with my faith over the past few years. Not in the sense that I am more overpowering with my opinions and a borderline fanatical Bible thumper. No, something much more. In fact, so different that I have been changed. Don't get me wrong this kind of aggressive mentality of change still is seen as offensive to humanity, even "Christians."
I don't carry around my Bible swinging away hoping that I hit something and someone anyone will listen. I am aggressive in every area. I will admit that like anyone living a life of responsibility I get overwhelmed and temporarily set back. For instance, I have for the most part been more aggressive with my marriage. I show a different kind of love than I was shown. When I fall back I become ashamed and am even more aggressive in fixing it even when it requires me to fall to my knees and ask my beautiful wife and best friend for forgiveness.
The same rings true with my Savior. You see, He's the reason for all this anyway. He willingly gave His life for us. We don't fully comprehend what it meant for Him to do this and what kind of change it brought to humanity because we weren't there before he gave up his last breath. I imagine Christ sitting next to the Father and weeping as He watches His children who He died for act out in such stupid and reckless fashion. I think about when I have told my children "no" to something because I know what's best for them. When they act out it doesn't make me happy, it saddens me and at times breaks my heart, and even more hurtful is when I have to punish them in the form of timeouts and spankings.
I am actively aggressive to continue to the change within me. I am on a continuous pattern and have chosen a new revolving door that has options for me to get off at any point in time. The difference is that I don't want to get off. I know what the other revolving door holds. It's that bitter stench of loveless pursuit of nothing!
How aggressive are you in your Faith? Not faith in general but Faith in Christ Jesus.... All is for nothing if you have not faith. Faith that moves mountains. Faith that says "I can do anything."
Blessings,
Mike III AKA: Big Daddy
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