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too many folks have become hardened to pain and suffering. for me, it's very difficult for me to find a balance between tenderhearted, affected, and sensitive versus removed enough to be capable of being productive and not reduced to an emotional mess.
it scares me a bit because i know that in a previous time in my life i mastered compartmentalization to the degree that i shut all my pain into a closet that eventually ate me alive and pushed me towards rather unhealthy choices and eventual numbness.
maybe this should be a thread... i'd be open to hear how others handle such things.
I
persNickety, God bless, take care. There is so much evil in the world, and ISIS is truly Satanic. We in the West sit around fat and happy, obsessed with our little problems and entertainments. That Christian children are being butchered in Iraq is, well, we all agree it is too bad and everything, which is why watching the news is so depressing and... reaching for the TV remote... What channel was that game supposed to be on? There, that's better! We have an attention span of three seconds. We think we are exempt from real suffering because, well, we are over here and they are way over there and and that's too bad and everything but, no point in getting too bothered about it. We are lucky. We are special. We are exempt. Just because. We think we are suffering if the the neighborhood supermarket runs out of our favorite brand of ice cream. Lord have mercy.
T
What's going on? I haven't been here for a few days, I've been at a conference about being Surprised By the Holy Spirit. The persecution of Christians is a dark and horrible thing but it's been going on for ages. I receive a daily devotional about persecuted Christians every day. It's so dark, depressing and draining. I'm not one to shy away from knowing about the evil in the world and I do pray about such things but sometimes it's so overwhelming and you wonder if life's worth living. You have to just step back and realise God's in control. Pray into the situation and then if God calls you to action in a different way, do something about it. We're meant to love and cry out and weep etc. with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we're not called to carry the burden alone. That's asking too much and we're always going to be disappointed with people. For those who do care about what's going on the world, there are different levels of understanding and passion. Some people are called to look out for certain people and people groups that others aren't. If they don't have the very same passion you have, don't hold it against them. God has probably given them a different passion and a different calling. We all have different roles in this life.
Today in the youth group, I was given 15 minutes to share a message with the group. I spoke about all the negative things happening around us in the world. I exhorted the group to prepare for His soon coming AND to intercede for the suffering people. I saw one or two face cringing in pain, but the rest gave me blank stares. I couldn't continue beyond a point as I released my message was reaching only a couple of people. Where are the Elijahs of today??? It took one man's prayer and tears for God to start a strong revival across the land of Israel.
In other news, I made a dry dish out of beef and some spices. It was yum and my folks loved it.
Moo mooo! Mooo moooo!
Nomnomnomnomnom
*Burrrrrrp*
In other news, I made a dry dish out of beef and some spices. It was yum and my folks loved it.
Moo mooo! Mooo moooo!
Nomnomnomnomnom
*Burrrrrrp*
Friday my sickness was the worst it has been all week. I went to bed around 10 and slept for 11 hours. I felt better in the morning and was still determined to go to the lake.
It was fun. I wore my pants and T-shirt, and I'm not sure if my sister said anything to the other couple we were with beforehand, but no one asked any questions or mentioned anything. My paleness was teased a bit, but I went along with it because I know it's true and I'm okay with it. We rode on the boat for a bit, swam for a bit. Unfortunately, it was cut short because of oncoming storms. I was a bit disappointed, because I adore swimming and the lake was so blue and clear and cool and perfect, I could have just stayed out there for hours and hours. Even though the lake time was cut short (we were only out there for 2 hours at most), afterwards we went back to their house and played games which was fun.
Last night I slept for another 10 hours. I'm still not at 100%, but I can tell I'm recovering fairly quickly now and should be back to my normal self by the end of the week at the latest.
That lake is only about an hour away, and it's a gorgeous drive and the lake itself is huge and beautiful, so I'm hoping that my roommate and I can drive down there one Saturday and just swim off the dock. Something about water and swimming is just so refreshing to me.
It was fun. I wore my pants and T-shirt, and I'm not sure if my sister said anything to the other couple we were with beforehand, but no one asked any questions or mentioned anything. My paleness was teased a bit, but I went along with it because I know it's true and I'm okay with it. We rode on the boat for a bit, swam for a bit. Unfortunately, it was cut short because of oncoming storms. I was a bit disappointed, because I adore swimming and the lake was so blue and clear and cool and perfect, I could have just stayed out there for hours and hours. Even though the lake time was cut short (we were only out there for 2 hours at most), afterwards we went back to their house and played games which was fun.
Last night I slept for another 10 hours. I'm still not at 100%, but I can tell I'm recovering fairly quickly now and should be back to my normal self by the end of the week at the latest.
That lake is only about an hour away, and it's a gorgeous drive and the lake itself is huge and beautiful, so I'm hoping that my roommate and I can drive down there one Saturday and just swim off the dock. Something about water and swimming is just so refreshing to me.
