here's to those that encourage us

my friends joy and heather always write such meaningful, uplifting and thought provoking posts. after reading their posts, I always come away with a new perspective and time for reflection.

I tend to steer clear of these types of posts for the most part; I've had a few, but I rarely feel as though I can successfully relate the Biblical thoughts, sentiments, and prayers that I might be experiencing. why is this? I think it goes back to how my faith and walk with God have changed throughout my life. for a long time I held a narrow and lacking in understanding viewpoint of what it truly means to be a Christian. don't get me wrong, I don't have it all figured out yet by any means, but I am eagerly learning! then, for a time I drifted far away from study, faith and all things Biblical. I don't feel as though I ever completely lost my faith, but I definitely put it on the back burner and did not try to be an imitator of Christ. since then I have been rediscovering and redefining my walk with God ... and my attitude and heart have changed. part of this was a result of turning away from some things and some people that were distracting me; part of this was turning TO the points and people in my life that were more important; part of this was being given the incredibly amazing responsibility and charge of raising a child that loves and serves the Lord; part of this was seeing family members and close friends struggle with health and personal trials; and the list goes on ...

I say all of this because I felt as though if I publicly shared certain sentiments, discoveries, and lessons from Scripture, that I wasn't "qualified" from a knowledge and experience perspective, to have an opinion on such matters. Some time ago, I also had the erroneously cynical and judgemental thought about people's motives for publicly sharing such things. However, as time has passed, I have come to realize that whatever Biblical experiences are written on a blog, whatever words of faith are shared by a celebrity, whatever letter is received by an organization, and so forth, we are to always view these in a positive light. For I am no judge of any person's heart. And, how encouraging it is to read something that is joyful, meaningful, and hopefully shares the goodness and grace of Christ rather than another news story about crime, abuse, greed, and poor decisions?

So, as I attempt to find God's purpose and love in each small daily event and experience, I pray that I keep Galatians 5:22 close to my heart and my lips, so that my actions and thoughts represent the fruits of the Spirit ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. And I pray that for every person that might read this post and roll his/her eyes and maybe even think "what a long and rambling post!" there will be another who might find encouragement in thinking about the fruits of the spirit and how those fruits are so wonderful! And, when I find myself struggling with clothing myself in any of these, I can turn to Him and ask for His help ... for this is what He intended. Not for us to do this alone, but only with and through Him. And when I fall short in this effort which I most certainly will each day, I know that it doesn't matter how much Biblical knowledge I possess, how many times I ask for help, and what my "old" state of mind was, He is unchanging and His love for us endures forever.

so here's to joy and heather, who have unknowingly helped me get out of my "comfort zone" and realize that sharing God's love, in word or action, can never be "uncomfortable" in God's eyes. you are both such great encouragers!