Daily living

I feel like this James bible study is very hard hitting. James writes about life issues in very black and white terms. There doesn't seem to be a lot of gray issues with him. It's been difficult for me to look at my faith and choices under James' microscope and evaluate myself. But who am I to judge, even myself? I can say that doing this has prompted me to take action. I am trying *key word trying* to live out my faith like James describes. Although, I feel like I mess up everytime. But, Jesus still loves me!

Some of the points from the study over the last few weeks:

Ya know how when you have a scab and it's healing, but you have to go and pick at it until you break it open again? Isn't temptation like that? We all have temptations and we keep returning to them and ripping them open a little more, and when we do, we are screwing it up by ripping it open. I do believe that temptation is a process. Maybe you think about it once, then return to it again, then imagine, then act, act again, pretty soon it's a habit. It's a slippery slope no matter if your temptation is food, a person, drugs, you name it.

But, a silver lining in my pessimistic rant today, ALL GOOD THINGS ARE FROM GOD! Think of all the good things that have happened in your life. Maybe just all the good things from today. You woke up. You have your health. You have a home and a family and friends. I petted my dog. All good things. And God gave them to me. I can tell you that I definitely haven't earned them! What good things can you think of? On the same hand, don't we feel that sometimes God is holding out on us? We feel that we aren't living up to our full potential or that we need something and we will just take what we want? I have A, B, and C, but I want D and I want it now. Trying to force a situation that isn't in God's timing can have heart wrenching consequences. Waiting on God's timing can seem like the hardest thing in the world, but won't it be worth it when our D does happen?

I had a moment 2 Sundays ago where I really felt angry at Satan. Our laypastor went in for a major surgery for her colon cancer on Thursday and they announced it on Sunday. I thought, this is an attack from the enemy! Can't anyone be cancer free anymore? I feel like pretty soon everyone will have it. But you know what. He cannot break us. No matter what he does, we are God's children. He cannot take us from God's hand. In our earthly terms what is the worst case scenario? Death. Well guess what, where are we then? HEAVEN. Forever. An eternity with God. Satan cannot win.

It is easy for me to say these words when I am not close to the situation. I would hope that my words would remain the same if it was my situation. ( And I pray that it won't be.) But what simple thing can we do when we feel hopeless and angry at God? We can ASK for an increase of faith. That has never really occurred to me. I thought of faith as something you have that is given to you at a certain level, but no, we can change it. God wants to give us all these great things, and all we have to do is ask!

God, increase our faith.