Article: Wimps and Barbarians

One of my classes this semester is "The Nature and History of Manhood".  I like to call it my "Man Class" hehe :)  The following is a very interesting (and I think true) article written by my professor.    

Click HERE to read "Wimps and Barbarians"

Video: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

Matt Maher: Sing Over Your Children

Omega Point: Who or What is Yours?

Pastor Tim Keller has such a profound gift for clearly proclaiming the truths of the gospel.  In his sermon “The Cosmic King”, Tim Keller makes a point that “You don't serve God to get things. You serve God to get God. God is His own happy ending.” Keller explains that our omega points are the things of which we say, “Unless I have ______, my life is meaningless.” I was so convicted by this, and I have since done a lot of reflecting. Am I purely serving God and using Him as the means to my own end?  Well, how do I know if I am simply using God in this manner?  Well, how do I respond to God when things don’t go the way I would like?  Do I come before God in frustration and say “I’ve done_______, _______, and _______ for You, so why is _______ still happening?”  Or maybe even, “Why haven’t I received _______ after all I’ve done?”   If so, this is a telltale sign that I am using God as a slot machine—I expect to put in my time, prayers, and service in return for the “stuff” I want—my “omega points” as Keller calls them.

Tim Keller makes a profound point in his sermon, one which hit me hard.    Essentially, he states that if you are using God to reach your own ends, you are merely treating him as “chopped liver”, and in the end you will find yourself without God and without the “end” or “point” you were pursuing.  Keller states, “The things that you want the most, you’ll never get if you want them the most.  Because anything you want the most is your omega point, and any omega point but Jesus Christ will self-destruct.”  Secondary things cannot become ultimate things, but oh how quickly we elevate them to that position!   When we do this, we are essentially treating God as if He is negotiable, and our own ends are non-negotiable.  Often as a result, when we don’t get the things we want, we stop using God because He has “failed” and so we turn to other things to help us reach our end-goals. What a difference from the way we were purposed to live our lives, serving God to get God!

My prayer is that Jesus Christ will be my greatest end.  I want to serve Him to get Him without the ulterior motive of using Him to meet my other, lower end points.  Every moment of my life is meaningful and meant to be centered on Christ, and so only the things that are done through Him, for Him, and with Him will truly last.  Christ will last—nothing else will! In Christ I have everything, and as Keller points out, anything outside of Himself that He chooses to bless me with in this life is gravy. In the midst of the busyness of this spring semester, my longing prayer is that I will have a heart and a passion for God, accompanied by a deep hunger to know Him and make Him known.  May I never make use of God as my means, for He is the only true and glorious omega point!     

CLICK HERE to listen to Cosmic King

Mark Driscoll: How Dare You

I have recently come along a good friend and joined her in prayer for a friend of hers. This particular girl’s family is in the midst of being torn apart by the actions of an abusive father and husband.  This man is not engaged in the lives of his wife or children, and the message they receive from him is loud and clear—they are meaningless to him.   However, this man doesn’t only fail as the leader of his home because he has neglected them.  As if that weren’t enough, he also bears down on them with a reign of terror. In fact, it has recently become so bad that the mother is now too afraid to go to bed at night for fear of facing her husband’s bitter hatred.  She has thus resorted to crawling into bed with her daughter, both of them hugging and crying themselves to sleep as the night drags on.  Afraid to seek help from the church for fear of what the father will do, this mother and her children have resorted to submitting to this man’s tyranny. Having experienced a similar situation with my own family, it both breaks my heart and angers me to hear of other families suffering such horror and heartache.  The families in today’s churches are under attack, and I believe Satan is waging war against the Christian home, seeking to destroy the lives of men and women who profess the name of Christ. In fact, I’m sure we would be shocked if we knew how prevalent this is in today’s church.

Satan has done a masterful job at distorting the two divine mandates of headship and submission. Sadly, it is not uncommon to see men who authoritatively control their families in a selfish, self-serving way. On the other extreme, today’s church is filled with men who cede the responsibility for guiding the family to their wives. Likewise, while some women are dominated by their husbands, others seek to “wear the pants” and control the relationship.  This is not God’s ideal, yet we have so quickly abandoned it! We are in desperate need of husbands and fathers who have the courage to stand upon the Word of God, men who honor their God-given responsibility to lead, guide, protect, and provide for their families. 

This situation with my friends reminds me of this this clip from Mark Driscoll.  It is very powerful!  He boldly confronts the men in his church, men who are neglecting, dishonoring, and abusing God’s daughters. This snippet is taken from his "Marriage and Men" sermon. Fed up with the havoc wreaked by men acting like boys, Driscoll calls out the men in his church, challenging them to grow up and treat women the way they are called to be treated. It is a very sobering message, and I'm sure many women wish the men in their lives had the ears to hear it.

Since the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first fell in sin, the realm of marriage and family has been a raging battlefield.  Today, I believe the church has a responsibility to shepherd its flock, supporting and challenging its members and, when necessary, practicing loving church discipline.  Just as church leaders will be held accountable for how they shepherd their community, so too will husbands and wives.   My prayer is that God will give husbands the courage to seek accountability and provide the loving leadership God intended them to exercise, and wives the grace to respect and support their husbands.

Tune it out. Turn it off.

I have a confession to make: My occasional “guilty pleasure” is watching The Bachelor (yes, the one where you get to hear the bachelor and dozens of women say week in and week out, “I came here looking for love”).   Bit by bit, I have been sucked into the drama of this reality dating show.  Who will get the first impression rose?  Who will be sent home?  And that sneak peek on next week’s catfight…which woman will subject the other to tears?   Society’s idea of love has become so twisted.  Seriously, who in search of “true love” goes on a national game show where the prize is a marriage proposal?  In the midst of all the drama and conflict that arises from twenty plus women trying to share and ultimately win one man, standards and morals are thrown out the window.  It all comes down to attention.  Who’s getting it?  Who’s not?  This drama unfolds as these women throw themselves at the bachelor day after day.  They are willing to humiliate themselves on national television and give themselves to a man who is in a relationship with several other women.  Are they really ready to love and marry a man who is in a relationship with countless other women, many of whom he can’t decide on?  And if they do make it to the end and are proposed to, what happens after the cameras are off and all the extravagant dates come to an end?  Real life hits.  The result?  Most often, it is break-up.  And for those few couples who actually do go through with the marriage, even fewer last.  So, what are the messages I am bombarded with?  When it comes to love, it’s all a competition.  Ultimately, the thinking goes something like this: Do what you gotta do to get the man.  Yes, even if this means compromising yourself and doing and saying things you normally wouldn’t!

How then, is this message God-glorifying?  Let me put is simply: It isn’t.  So why do I continually and willingly (even eagerly at times) subject myself to something that I know stands in complete opposition to everything I claim and believe to be true?  I may be like the child C.S. Lewis describes when he writes, “We are half-hearted creatures like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”  Yes, I am sadly far too easily pleased (or entertained, or whatever other word you would like to use). My identity is in Christ, and I need not (and should not) look to these things to satisfy me.  I was intentionally and purposefully created by my heavenly Father, and as a daughter of the King who is washed in Christ’s blood, I am precious.  I am His, and I am set apart.  All children of the King are.  We were made for HIM.

What does the Bible say on being set apart in a fallen world?  Well, it has a lot to say!  Here are a few verses:

Matthew 10:16 “Be wise as serpants and innocent as doves.”

1 Peter 1:16  “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price.”

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Peter 2:1-5 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Galatian 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

That’s convicting!  The Bible is clear that as a Christian, I am called to be different.  Keep in mind, however, that does not and should not stem from a “holier than thou” attitude.  Rather, my love and gratitude towards my Lord and Savior for saving me from myself should overflow into every area of my life, permeating and influencing all that I do—from the words I say, to the things I let my thoughts dwell on, and to the things I allow to fill my time, all of it should be done with the intent of bringing honor and glory to Jesus Christ.  

And so, that being said, can I watch The Bachelor to the glory and honor of Christ? I think not.  Maybe there is a way, but I certainly haven’t found it yet (and even if I did, I think it would be quite the stretch). I do, however, like what John R. Rise writes: “Any pleasure that would keep you from Christ is a sinful pleasure that will doubtless cause you anguish, heartache, tears and remorse.”  Does this sound extreme?  Could watching The Bachelor really do this to me?  Well, the show per se might not, but its messages can and will if I give them a hold on my mind and heart. 

We must examine our lives for areas in which we are still living for ourselves, areas which are likely causing discontentment. Is there anything that is tempting us towards discontentment or even compromise?  If so, we mustn’t put up with it.  Tune it out.  Turn it off.  That is what I am doing, starting with The Bachelor.  The world will take every opportunity to whisper in our ears, and so we must guard ourselves against the incessant murmurings that seek to wear us down and draw us in.   I am called to be set apart, and as believers, we are all called to higher standard.  I am not saying that christians cannot watch The Bachelor.  I am merely saying that for me, it is something I have been convicted about so I am choosing to tune it out and turn it off.  

Gorgeous Day!!!

It's the Sunday before classes start and campus is still very quiet.  This afternoon as I was walking up the hill, however, I had to stop and take this picture with my phone.  It's pretty cold, but the sun is shining and it's an absolutely beautiful day!  God's handiwork is everywhere!     

Louie Giglio: Laminin

The Best Road Map Available

So, I’m finally back Hillsdale for the second semester of my Junior year.  Yikes!  Classes don’t start until the 18^th, but I have to say it’s very nice being back and enjoying some down time before I get back into my hectic class and work schedule.  Campus is extremely quiet, but I love it.  Not only have been able to unpack, organize and clean (not my favorite but it has to be done), but I have been able to spend so much time in prayer and in God’s Word.  I have to say I am so excited about this upcoming semester, yet I am somewhat nervous as to how it will unfold.  I’m not really nervous in a sick-to-my-stomach way.  Rather, my nerves stem from knowing that God will continue to be at work in my life this semester, but not knowing what that will look like exactly.  I have areas in my life that I know need desperate work, and I’ve asked God to change me in those areas and mold me as He will.  It’s just that when you’re the clay, you have absolutely zero control—the Potter, on the other hand, decides how He wants to fashion His clay (in this case, me!).   I believe it is this that is causing my eager-yet-nervous anticipation.

My aunt recently gave me a 365 day devotional by Sara Young, titled Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence.  Today’s devotional was perfect for how I’ve been feeling.  As I read it, I could just imagine God wrapping His arms around me, and as He held me tight, whispering:

“Let Me prepare you for the day (and semester!) that stretches out before you.  I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it.  You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey.  You’d feel more prepared if you could somehow visualize what is on the road ahead. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today: Spend quality time with Me.  I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey. My living Presence is your Companion each step of the way.  Stay in continual communication with Me, whispering My Name whenever you need to redirect your thoughts.  Thus, you can walk through this day with your focus on Me.  My abiding Presence is the best road map available.”

Oh, how true this is! What a sweet and beautiful promise we are given! When we immerse ourselves in God’s Word and eagerly seek His presence, He does not hide.  Rather, He draws near us, giving us the strength to place one foot in front of the other as we draw near to Him in trust.  My prayer is that I will do this!  May the busyness and stress of college life never pull me away from God.  If I start to doubt and question God’s will for my life this semester, may it only serve to drive me harder to God and spend more time with Him! As I look forward, my prayer is that I will seek fervently after God as I rest in His presence! 

Are you ready?

Frederick Beuchner write, “Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us.  We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true.  On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives would go on forever.”   The Bible also touches on the subject.  To those of us who say “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit,” James writes “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14).

In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes:

As a pastor, I'm often called upon when life "vanishes like a mist."  One of the most powerful examples I've seen of this was Stan Gerlach, a successful businessman who was well known in the community. Stan was giving a eulogy at a memorial service when he decided to share the gospel. At the end of his message, Stan told the mourners, "You never know when God is going to take your life. At that moment, there's nothing you can do about it. Are you ready?" Then Stan sat down, fell over, and died. His wife and sons tried to resuscitate him, but there was nothing they could do-just as Stan had said a few minutes earlier.  I'll never forget receiving that phone call and heading over to the Gerlach house. Stan's wife, Suzy, was just arriving home. She hugged me and cried. One of her sons, John, stepped out of the car weeping. He asked me, "Did you hear the story? Did you hear? I'm so proud of him. My dad died doing what he loved doing most. He was telling people about Jesus."  I was asked to share a word with everyone gathered. There were children, grandchildren, neighbors, and friends. I opened my bible to Matthew 10:32-33: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  I asked everyone to imagine what it must have felt like for Stan. One moment, he was at a memorial service saying to a crowd, "This is who Jesus is!" The next, he was before God hearing Jesus say, "This is who Stan Gerlach is!" One second he was confessing Jesus; a second later, Jesus was confessing him!  It happens that quickly. And it could happen to any of us. In the words of Stan Gerlach, "Are you ready?"

Wowsers.  Talk about convicting!  How am I living my life?  Am I living in pursuit of my own vain desires, or am I pursuing Christ wholeheartedly in all that I do?  Am I living life as if there is no death, or even putting off “important” things until later?  I claim to know Christ, but does He know me?

I know that God not only ordained the day of my birth, but He has also ordained the day of my death, and when He calls, there will be no stopping Him.   God could call me home this instant or sixty years from now—I do not know.   When God decides my time here on earth is complete, what will be the testimony of my life?  Will I be remembered as a woman after God’s own heart, one who was selfless in her service to others as she sought after God’s will?  I heard someone once say, “No one buries a bastard.” This sounds extremely harsh, but consider it for a moment and you’ll find it is quite true.  Even upon the death of the most wretched man or woman, people will find something positive to say, even if they have to scrape down to the bottom of the barrel to find it.  Some day when I die, I want my life to be a testimony to the grace and faithfulness of a mighty God towards me, a sin-soiled sinner.   My prayer is that throughout my life, I will live in such a manner that I bear witness to the reality of my Savior and His love and mercy towards His children.  I can’t delay to prepare myself to stand before the Creator of the universe some day.  I need to be preparing and pursuing Him now.  Am I ready? Are you ready?

Mercies Anew

Mercies Anew by Sovereign Grace Music:

Every morning that breaks There are mercies anew Every breath that I take Is your faithfulness proved And at the end of each day When my labors are through I will sing of Your mercies anew When I’ve fallen and strayed There were mercies anew For you sought me in love And my heart you pursued In the face of my sin Lord, You never withdrew So I sing of Your mercies anew And Your mercies, they will never end For ten thousand years they’ll remain And when this world’s beauty has passed away Your mercies will be unchanged And when the storms swirl and rage There are mercies anew In affliction and pain You will carry me through And at the end of my days When Your throne fills my view I will sing of Your mercies anew I will sing of Your mercies anew

Warrior Trailer

A few months ago my younger brother called me to tell me about a movie he had just seen: Warrior.  I was told, "Sara, you have got to see it!  It's absolutely amazing!"  All he told me, however, is that it was about two brothers involved in MMA.  My puzzled response, probably like most young women, was "MMA what?"  Well, Mixed Martial Arts of course!  At that, I instantly wrote the movie off.  (Sorry, my apologies for being a girl.)   

Well, I recently saw this movie and it absolutely blew me away.  Warrior is possibly the most powerful movie I have ever seen.    It is absolutely heart-wrenching to watch this dramatic story unfold as two brothers come together after years of separation to face each other in a mixed martial arts contest.   Sadly, their relationship is fraught with bitterness and resentment, whereby the only thing the brothers share is their despise for their alcoholic father who has recently become a Christian.  The family is extremely dysfunctional, to say the least.  While there is a lot of violence in Warrior, MMA is simply the back-drop for the larger story of brokenness, forgiveness, and redemption. It is fiercely moving.  

Grab some Kleenex.  The whole box.  Sit down. Watch it.         

"House Rules" for God's Church

I occasionally poke around on Tim Keller’s blog and I happened to stumble across this list the other day.  Keller states that this list of “one another” commands embodies the “House Rules” for God’s church.  Needless to say, as I scrolled through the list I was very convicted by my failure to live out these commands, for they are exactly that—commands.  These are not suggestions I can follow as I please or when I just so happen to be in the right “mood.”  No, as a member of Christ’s body I am called to serve and encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, even when it requires sacrifice on my part.  In fact, if I am wholeheartedly pursuing Christ, I should be more than eager to lay aside my own pride and selfish desires as I pour into those God has so graciously placed in my life.

1. Be at peace with each other (Mk 9:50)

2. Love one another (Jn 13:34)

3. Be joined to one another (Ro 12:5)

4. Be devoted to one another (Ro 12:10)

5. Honor one another (Ro 12:10)

6. Rejoice with one another (Ro 12:15)

7. Weep with one another (Ro 12:15)

8. Live in harmony with one another (Ro 12:16)

9. Accept one another (Ro 15:7)

10. Counsel one another (Ro 15:14)

11. Greet one another (Ro 16:16)

12. Agree with each other (1 Co 1:10)

13. Wait for one another (1Co 11:33)

14. Care for one another (1Co 12:25)

15. Serve one another (Gal 5:13)

16. Carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2)

17. Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32)

18. Forgive one another (Eph 4:32)

19. Submit to one another (Eph 5:21)

20. Bear with one another (Col 3:13)

21. Teach, admonish each other (Col 3:16)

22. Encourage one another (1Th 5:11)

23. Build up one another (1Th 5:11)

24. Spur one another on (Heb 10:24)

25. Offer hospitality to one another (1Pe 4:9)

26. Minister gifts to one another (1Pe 4:10)

27. Be humble toward one another (1Pe 5:5)

28. Confess your sins to one another (Jas 5:16)

29. Pray for one another (Jas 5:16)

30. Fellowship with one another (1Jn 1:7)

"Whatever..."

 “Whatever….I quit.”

“Whatever….I’m sick of having to put up with him.”

“Whatever…I just don’t care anymore.”

“Whatever….I’m tired of talking about this.”

Whatever.  Whatever. Whatever. How many times a day do we hear this?  From how many people?   Do you say it? I know I do.  In fact, my “whatevers” often aren’t said in a bright, cheery manner, but tend to stem from irritation (somehow this irritation tends to manifest itself in a bothered shrug of the shoulders and a dramatic rolling of the eyes).   Sound familiar? 

Well, just read the New Testament and you’ll find that the apostle Paul was a man of “whatevers”.  Yes, he really was.   Now before you write me off as some  crazy college student trying to put a taint on Paul’s upright standing,  let me explain.  From what I’ve read of Paul’s writing, never once have I found that he uses “whatever” to express his frustration and resignation with the early church (although he easily could have).   Instead, Paul uses “whatever” to emphasize completeness (or wholeness) and total, heartfelt commitment.  Just look at these verses:

 “So, whether you eat of drink, or WHATEVER you do, do all to the glory of God.” -1 Corinthians 10:31

 “Finally, brothers, WHATEVER is true, WHATEVER is honorable, WHATEVER is just, WHATEVER is pure, WHATEVER is lovely, WHATEVER is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” -Philippians 4:8-9

“And WHATEVER you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:17

“WHATEVER you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ.” -Colossians 3:23-24

Not how we generally think of “whatever”, is it?  Just as Christ submitted to whatever his Father willed, Paul is encouraging us to live a radical “whatever” lifestyle.  No more half-hearted, apathetic “whatevers”—our souls need to be on fire with the love and respect we have for our God as we seek to bring Him glory and honor in all that we do.  We need to be sold-out to Him.  

The Valley of Vision: The 'Nevers' of the Gospel

O LORD, 

May I never fail to come to the knowledge 

of the truth,

 never rest in a system of doctrine, however 

scriptural, that does not bring or further 

salvation, 

or teach me to deny ungodliness and

 worldly lusts, 

or help me to live soberly, righteously, godly; 

never rely on my own convictions and resolutions, 

but be strong in thee and in they might; 

never cease to find thy grace sufficient

in all my duties, trials, and conflicts;

never forget to repair to thee

in all my spiritual distresses and outward

troubles,

in all the dissatisfactions experienced in

creature comforts;

never fail to retreat to him who is full of grace

and truth, the friend that loveth at all times,

who is touched with feelings of my infirmities,

and can do exceeding abundantly for me;

never confine my religion to extraordinary

occasions, but acknowledge thee in all my ways;

never limit my devotions to particular seasons

but be in they fear all the day long;

ever be godly only on the sabbath

in in thy house, but on every day abroad

and at home;

never make piety a dress but a habit,

not only a habit but a nature,

not only a nature but a life.

Do good to me by all thy dispensations,

by all means of grace, 

by worship, prayers, praises,

And at last let me enter that world where is

no temple, but only thy glory

and the Lamb's.

Give Me Love

As a Christian, I believe I have a responsibility to reach out to the lost souls around me.  This can be a difficult thing, however, especially when it calls me out from the safety of my numerous comfort zones. This past semester, for example, I had the opportunity to reach out to a friend who was struggling and near reaching rock bottom.   Praise God He gave me the strength to pour into her, however, because I know that apart from the Holy Spirit’s conviction I would have likely continued on my merry own way without a second thought.   God worked miraculously in my friendship with this particular young woman, and while I originally reached out to her thinking that I could help her, God rapidly flipped it around and used our relationship to grow and challenge me.  This particular friend and I are polar opposites in even sense of the word, and it was both exciting and beautiful to see how God worked to transform my friend’s life over the course of the semester, meanwhile humbling me as He brought me face to face with my own pride and selfishness.   I say this because by the end of the semester this friend and I were practically joined at the hip, and I confess that this was not what I had initially planned on happening.   I guess I hoped that I could help her without getting that close to her.  Yes, it’s horrible, I know.  There were occasionally times when I struggled with being inconvenienced or even embarrassed by being with her.  Like I said, we are polar opposites, and my fear of man would set in at times whereby I would become worrisome with what others thought—I didn’t want to be “guilty by association”.

So, what did God use this particular friendship to teach me?  In my sin I am proud and selfish, and when I allow these things to consume me they work against the Holy Spirit in my life.  When I give in to my pride and selfishness, I remain where I am, failing to spend myself for the sake of others. Yes, it may be uncomfortable at times, but it is called “sacrifice” for a reason.  Just look at Jesus and what He went through.  I thank Christ that He didn’t look upon me as an “inconvenience”!  I have had my fair share of failures and missed opportunities, but I don’t want to be a cop-out.   My prayer is that God will give me eyes to see the broken and needy, and to look upon them with love as Christ so graciously looked upon me. May He transform my heart, for only when I see others in this light will I have a heart filled with grace and mercy to turn towards them.   And not only will I turn, but I will run towards them, on fire with the love that God has planted in my heart.