I was talking to my students recently and I asked them, “How do you treat your friends? How do they treat you?”
Have you ever had one of those friends that after a while doesn’t seem like much of a friend cause every time they get a hold of you they want you to do something or give them something? How do you treat your friends? Are you the person that is always doing the asking?
I hope not, most of us realize that a good friendship is one where we help and nurture each other. Maybe not on a mushy gushy level but we love one another and help each other out. We share interests or passions. We support each other in our endeavors. Maybe we work or play a sport or other extracurricular activity together.
Point is, a friend is supposed someone that we share our time with that we care about. It’s a mutual two way street of giving and receiving. Sometimes with friends we say things that we don’t want to, but because we love them we do cause we care about our friend.
I have asked people to tell me what God looks like. I usually get a variety of answers from “I don’t know” to “Some old guy with a large white beard…” Thing is when I look to my past I realized that I might have thought God looked like the old man with the big white beard, but I treated him like an ATM or a Genie. God wants to be your friend. He loves you and is waiting for you to love him in return. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in trouble and prayed something like, “Oh geez God please get me out of this one or give me this money I need and I will do whatever you want!”
I hope this doesn’t sound familiar.
I have never walked up to a friend of mine and asked them, “Hey I am supposed todo the dishes tonight you want to come over and help me? Actually you can wash and dry I will supervise. Oh, and after you are done can you wipe down the counters, stove and what not? Oh and that nasty, slimy food in the drain strainer can you clean that out too cause I hate touching that stuff.” God wants a friendship, he wants a relationship. He doesn’t just want to cleanup after you. He already knows you but he wants you to take the time to get to know him. God has so much to share. He even sent his son, Jesus, to tell us about him. Jesus not only taught us about God but about each other and how to love everyone you meet. Jesus took the time to teach us to create a little heaven here on earth. Problem is not many people listen. After Jesus left God sent the Holy Spirit cause God NEVER wanted us to be without him. God NEVER wants us to be alone, why, cause God loves you. You are amazing otherwise God wouldn’t have made you. God only makes good things. It’s man and Satan that corrupts and turns things bad. Your potential is amazing. You have abilities and talents that you might not even know you have. God is waiting to help you tap in to all that he has given you. God wants you to find peace and happiness, and it all starts by being a friend of God. All you have to do is pray, talk, open your heart to God. Take 15 minutes everyday and read a bit of the Gospels. Once a week goto Church, are you nervous or afraid? There is no reason to be afraid. Jesus is waiting for you. He made the Church for you. Church is a gift for you. If you are nervous, pray. Ask for help from the Holy Spirit. Ask for courage to go to Church. Ask that nerdy church guy/gal where they go to church.
Every year I have one thing I want for Christmas. I want all my family and friends to goto Church with me. For me that would be so cool. That would be the best present ever, to be able to share my faith, and my source of peace and happiness with everyone I know.
God gives so much. He all he wants is for you to return in love to him so that he can share even more.
Luke 17:11-19
11On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama'ria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." 14When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
Michael
Whisper Behind the Light
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