On Sunday, We were encouraged to “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. On Tuesday, I talked about how we need to “shush” ourselves and really hear what God is trying to say to us. On Wednesday, the post was about how we may trust God, but we don’t trust him enough. On Thursday, I discussed that sometimes we put more focus on fearing what God has to say than on respecting Him. On Friday, I discussed how singleness is full of uncertainties and how we can counteract them through trusting God with our whole heart.
Below are some questions from comments you left this past week. Check out my responses.
Shhh…That Was God Talking! This is not a response to a question, but a point of clarification. The MAIN point of this post was to say that we must learn the art of “shushing” so that we can hear God talking to us. “Shushing” means to stop assuming we know the answers and to stop doing what we have always been doing. It also means to be receptive to what God is trying to tell us.
Trusting God On The Down Low. This is not a response to a question, but another point of clarification. This post is not about praising God, but about trusting Him completely. Most of us only partially trust Him. We tend to fall back on bad habits and on so-called conventional wisdom and we tend to use Godly wisdom only as an emergency position when the other stuff we have been doing is not working.
Trusting God On The Up and Up. This is not a response to a question, but another point of clarification. Trusting God on the up and up should be our goal. But when we have doubts and we express our fears, we do not fully trust Him completely. We often do not recognize it or sometimes we do not want to admit it, but we are not consistently trusting God on the up and up.
“I am sure you know that I am going to say you are single and not in a relationship by choice...” People often make this statement without fully understanding what they are saying. I addressed this point in “My Choice” on September 6 and also in “Your Choice” also on September 6.
“As someone said in an earlier post, “Men have the advantage in relationships, 95% of the time they are the ones who get to choose”; Men get to find and seek a mate which in order with the word.” Let’s assume that men do have the advantage in relationships. My response is “So what?” In my post, “You Already Have It” on February 6 and in “This Week In Review” on February 10, I talked about how God has already given us the tools we need to answer the problems we face and how creativity is a spiritual gift. For women, you may be at a disadvantage, but what creative ways are you going to deal with this disadvantage? In “This Week In Review” on Feb. 10, I suggested some things women can do to increase their odds at finding a mate. Most women responded with statements like, “I can’t do that” or “I am not used to doing this”. If those suggestions are not for you, then what other suggestions are you going to come up with or are you just going to complain and not do anything to change your situation? God did not create you or I to be a victim!
“My pray for all of us are that God will teach each us to love one another as we are and get beyond the physical because as we age these things will change…and perhaps pass away.” Does God expect us to get others to love us just as we are? I would strongly suggest that the answer to that question is “NO”. Is my hair too gray? Am I overweight? Do you wear too much make-up? Do you look better in a dress or in slacks? We should constantly ask and answer these types of questions and always seek to improve ourselves. Our posture should not be that others should love us as we are, but that we will accentuate our positives as a reflection of how much we love ourselves. Nobody can love us beyond the level at which we express self-love. Concerning our love for others, if what we are expressing is Godly love, it will help the other person to be their best, physically and spiritually. Lastly, it is just wishful thinking that our attention to physical attributes will go away. If things did “just pass away”, then why do older men trade in their wives for younger women? Why do older women desire younger men? (Hint: It is not because of their spiritual attributes!)
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4 comments:
Mr. Writer,
First of all, I commend you for your honesty. I usually find pleasure in reading your postings but the weekly review dated 3/2/2007 may have been what you call truth but it was quite disappointing coming from a Christian. I totally disagree with many of the things you posted but I am sure what the reader thinks was the last thing on your mind when you posted this one.
I am a little let down at your worldly view on several points but not all surprise because you are a man…The last couple of points you made were totally off the mark and uncalled for, we as Christians must love each other as we are. For you see Mr. Writer I could careless about the worldly views because we are in the world but not of the world.
I obviously struggle with being the one to initiate a relationship for the fear of rejection and after reading the below article I am grateful to God the thought of actually asking you out diminished and I am glad I never got the nerve to actually ask you out because we see things so differently not necessary wrong or right but different. I still state as we age things will change and perhaps pass away and God does expects ME to love people just as they are…or not love (romantic) them at all…We all need to take care of ourselves this is part of the our wholeness but this trading in thing is totally against God’s Will…and that is what I am living for His will not man’s will.
I am so glad I don’t think so kernel when it comes to finding a mate…Although I do love you as my brother in Christ I encourage to remember we are here to build one another up…
May God continue to bless you in your single ministry and I hope you will season the things you post because this article has the potential to hurt a lot of women…I am sure my opinion does not count for much but I at least had my say.
Do whatever you feel with this posting…because at this point I don’t care…
Love you madly,
I ususally wait until the end of the week to respond, but let me say a few things about the reader's comments.
First of all, I do care what the reader thinks of my writings. I do not shrink away from things that make them uncomfortable because I think that is a sign that they are experiencing a growth opportunity.
Secondly, this blog is not about me asking my readers out or about them asking me out. This is a ministry. In an earlier post, I mentioned something about how we sometimes try to make "mating opportunities" out of "ministering opportunities". My one and only purpose for writing in this blog is to minister to my readers as I believe God has inspired me.
Thirdly, God loves us not just for who we are, but also for what He knows we can become. His love changes us for the better. When we love others as God would have us love them, our love has the power to change and redeem them. Should we love our enemies as they are or should we love them for the potential for them to be redeemed by the power of the Godly love we show them? Should we love a prospective romantic partner just for who they are or for the potential we can help lead them to according to God's purpose? I think it is very UN-SPIRITUAL and quite WORDLY to "just love others as they are". That is selling them, yourself and God short.
Lastly, God has given us the capacity to deal with the challenges confronting us. Our choice is to use the creativity He has given each of us to claim the victories He has promised us or we can sit back and whine and not do anything. The latter is an example of being a victim. That is so worldly and so unspiritual!
The week in Review
There is not much to state on Lift Every Voice and Sing. It speaks for itself.
Shhh....When you want something or you need an answer from God.
When you fast and pray, you know when it is coming from Him and not you. There is no mistaking when He talks to you. Sometimes it can be through His word or even a friend.
Down Low. I am still trying to get that one. I trust Him and I wait for Him to do His thing. I get impatient and want to take things in my own hands. But thats when I mess up. The thoughts are still there for me to do, but I am learning to be still and let God. I think this also goes with the Up and Up one too.
You Already Have It. Okay, where is it? I'm still looking and I don't see it.
Mr. Writer,
I have done my homework I went back and read “My Choice” on September 6 and also “Your Choice” also on September 6...while there I read several other postings which tell me alot about the writer and help me better understand your point of view so next time I will not be so quick to state "you are alone or not in a relationship by choice"...I am also finding out you are not that different from me and we have some of the same struggles...
(NO by no means do I think I have you figured out)
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