wait, you don't like me?

is there anyone else out there like me, stuck in wanting to be liked by all? i say 'stuck' as if it's a temporary thing. but you know, you seek to be liked. and maybe it's not something you'd readily admit. it might not be an outward showing as you want to remain tough and strong, but deep down inside it's something you desire. it's wanting that validation from those close to you, to a stranger in a store.

we just want to be liked by everyone.

that doesn't sound unrealistic, does it?

i was really thinking about this today. and as i was driving, this concept was put into perspective for me. call it a divine intervention, if you want. i came to realize that not everyone likes God, so how can i expect everyone to like me.

did you catch that....not everyone likes God, so how can i expect everyone to like me?

in fact, there's times when i know i don't like God and i don't like myself, so why hold others to that same level? and really, does it matter in the big picture if other's don't like me? no, it really doesn't.

and when i think of things that way, it's a little easier to swallow, a little easier to digest.

i have to realize that no, people aren't going to always like me. God and i will just have to live with that.

for some reason, knowing that i'm not alone and that He's with me in this makes a difference.

calling the sinners

matthew 9:13 reads, "but go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

my friend recently texted this verse to me and asked me what it meant to me. when i began thinking about it, i began focusing on the end of the verse..."for i have not come to call the righteous, but sinners". i love how Christ recognizes that. He clearly states that He wants the sinners, calling us by name. He's not interested in those who have it all together, the ones who act like they are free from any wrong doing.

Christ wants the sinners.

He wants those who don't have it all together, those who are a mess. the ones who have made countless bad choices, yet still try. people who know that they are sinful human beings. He calls the ones who fail on a daily basis. Christ wants the ones who are in need of grace and mercy, that only He can provide.

He calls you and i to Him.

He just wants to be with those who need Him.

open to new things or stuck in the old?

how often do we carry our cross, sometimes longer than necessary? i know that might make a few of your cringe or want to argue with me, but it's true. i'm just as guilty of it as anyone else. sometimes we carry our cross because it becomes comfortable and it's easier to carry it than to face the uncertain in changing ourselves.

"...forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, i press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." philippians 3:13b-14

so let's press on and let go.

when it's time to let go of our crosses, let's be brave enough to do that. and i write the for myself and for you. because when it comes down to it, the goal and reward is so much better than anything we will endure here on earth.

mary magdalene

i have recently been thinking about mary magdalene and what her life would have been like, to live at the time of Jesus. i know she gets a horrible rap for the choices she made and the way she chose to live her life. and you might be thinking, "beth, she's one of the most noted woman sinners of Jesus' time. why are you thinking about her? what could she possibly teach you?"

you see, she's a sinner just like you and i. the difference is that her life and sinful nature is written about in the bible for all to read, and thankfully mine is not.

and amid all her sin and troubles, she was a devout follower of Christ. i guess that's what i see when i look at her example in the bible. i see how she continually followed Jesus, even in her hard times.

i think that's a good lesson for us all. when the world is looking at us and judging our sins, we should find hope our in Lord.

Easter

today is Easter sunday. it's not a surprise to me and may not be a surprise to you either. but i think of all those who don't know what this day really, truly stands for. i think of those who are caught up in the cadbury eggs and jelly beans. those who look to the easter bunny for colored eggs and fun toys symbolizing spring is here.

i look at how big the world is and wonder how can this be.

i see posts on facebook today declaring that 'He is risen!' and this will be seen by believers and nonbelievers. a few might respond by saying 'He is risen, indeed!' some will go about their day without really acknowledging it. others may will see it, know it's something, but not ask what it's really about.

and that makes me sad.

because i know that the tomb was empty.

and i want others to know that too.

garbage

a friend recently shared the following story with me...

...during my run, a man in a beat up van was driving slowly through the neighborhood. i was slightly scared at first, but kept running towards him. i saw that he got out of the van, walked to the garbage can, and took out a rug that had been thrown in the trash. he then proceeded to next can to find more 'treasure'...

and as i reflect on this story, i wonder if i would intently look for my 'treasure' that way. would i want to dig through other people's garbage to find that one special thing? and then i wonder if i can look at others in that same way, past their flaws and see them as a treasure.

you see, God does that.

He's looking for us, amid all the garbage and turmoil that we may have weighing us down. He doesn't care how much toxic waste, trash, or bad choices are in our lives or in the way. He will dig through all of that just to claim us. He is able to see through all that down to the core of who we really are...

because we are His treasure

something to ponder

what does it mean to believe in Jesus?