This passage is the parable of the unforgiving servant. Many people know this parable. The servant owes his master 10,000 talents, and his master forgives him his debts, then the servant turns around and strangles a guy who owes him 100 denarii. The master gets pissed because the servant who had been forgiven had been so unforgiving. It's got an easy messge to understand, we have been forgiven a lot, so we shouls forgive those who owe us less.
The lesson takes on a whole new significance, however, when we focus on the amounts owed. 1 denarii was a day's wage for a laborer, and owing someone 100 denarii was about the same as 1/3 of a year's wages. The servant was owed a lot of money. If you look at a 30,000 dollar salery, that would amount to about $10,000. There are very few people who would look at forgiving a debt of $10,000 very easily, until you look at the next number. A talent was worth about 20 years wages for a laborer, and this guy owed 10,000 talents (without interest) That's 200,000 years worth of work. Comparing that number to a $30,000 salery, the amount would be roughly $6,000,000,000. You end up comparing ten thousand dollars to six billion. Imagine having to pay a six billion dollar debt when you are making thirty thousand dollars a year, and you still have to pay your normal expenses, such as house payment, phone bill, gas, electricity, and all of the other expenses. That would put you down to pay a maximum of about 10,000 dollars a year, and you could NEVER pay off six billion in a lifetime. Comparing that to the ten thousand that the servant was owed, the ten thousand hardly seems like much at all, it's about the leftovers after bills and expenses each year.
This is the extent to which we have been forgiven for our sins by God, and the comparatively small amount is how much we have to forgive others who have sinned against us. It seems like people have wronged us in significant ways, but when we compare how much we have wronged God to how much we have been wronged, we see that nothing significant has been done to us. This passage not only talks about how we should forgive because we have been forgiven, it also talks about how much more we have been forgiven than we will ever have to forgive.
Our responsibility upon understanding how much we have been forgiven is clear. We need to forgive others, even though what they have done seems large to us.
We also need to recognize God for the sacrifice that he made to forgive us for our sins. God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ's death on the cross, and all we have to do is accept that forgiveness. If you have not accepted God's gift of forgiveness, I would beg you to do so now. Simply admit to God that you cannot pay back that debt by yourself, and thank him for paying it for you. If you understand the numbers and the concept here you have to understand that there is no way we could ever earn salvation in our lifetime, our debt is just too great, and it only continues to grow the longer you don't accept God's forgiveness. No matter how large it grows though, he will always pay for you.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Hindrances to Discipleship
Lately I've been reading a book that I got for Christmas last year. I went through the book, but I never took notes are really shared my thoughts on it, so it was a complete waste of my time. I've decided to go through all of the books that I've gone through before and this time mark them up and share my thoughts on them, via blogging and sharing with friends, so that I can actually remember the things that I get out of them.
This first book that I have started is called "True Discipleship", and this post is named after chapter three. The chapter starts off with a well-known passage of scripture, Luke 9:57-62, which talks about three would be disciples.
The first one said to Jesus, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus's reply to him was, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head."
It seems at first like Jesus's answer didn't make any sense with what the guy was saying to him, but when you actually think about it, Jesus was telling this guy, "You're really fast to say you'll follow me, but consider the cost. I have nothing, not even a place to sleep at night. If you follow me you will have to live the same life."
The man was never heard about again in the gospels, so it can be assumed that he did not end up following Jesus. He loved his Earthly comforts too much to follow Jesus and give them up. He had a desire to follow Christ, but that desire in and of itself was not strong enough to break the bonds of the other vices in his life. It is not a sin to be comfortable, but when we put that comfort above our dedication to Jesus we are saying that Jesus is not the God that we follow. Likewise, there are people today who want to follow Jesus, but they don't want to give up on the things that give them comfort or pleasure. There are several individuals who want to be pastors, but they also don't want to give up on their individual beliefs and follow what God says is right. It is not just a matter of material comfort, but also a matter of the things that make you fit in and seem to be a part of the crowd.
The second man was a man who Jesus said, "Follow me" to. The man replied, "Lord, let me first go and bury my dead." Jesus replies to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."
The request of the man is a legitimate one, but he is putting something ahead of Christ nonetheless. Jesus's response was simply that he could leave it to somebody else to do. It could be better translated (for our understanding) as him saying, "Don't spend your time on things that the unbelievers could do just as well or better."
We can easily be sidetracked by our jobs or duties, but they cannot take precedence over Jesus and seeing the gospel spread throughout the world. A job is not a bad thing, we are even called to provide for our families as Christians, so what was wrong with the guy's response! He said that his responsibility was more important than a direct command from the Lord. He was telling Jesus that he needed to wait until this man was ready to follow him.
You see a lot of this in the world today, especially from young people who think that Christianity is a thing for when you get old and retire. They are telling God that they'll follow him when they get around to it. What they don't realize is that they can die at any moment. When they tell God they will do his work on their time they are saying that their lives are more important. These people are not worthy of the kingdom of Heaven, as we see in verse 62 "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Heaven."
If God is truly God then he deserves our respect and he deserves for us to let him be the God of our lives. If he is not the God of our lives then we are not fit for the kingdom.
The third man was like the first, in that he said to Jesus, "Lord, I will follow you..." But he finished off the statement by saying, "but first let me go and bid them farewell who are at my house." Jesus's response was what I wrote above in verse 62, that no one is fit for the kingdom if he looks back.
This man wanted to go and say goodbye to his family, which is yet another legitimate request, but it is wrong in the exact same way as the other two were, in that he is putting other good things ahead of God. Family is good, and it is a blessing, but it is a blessing from God, and to put our family before God is to put the gift ahead of the gift-giver. There should never be any situation in which we put the gift ahead of the giver. If someone gave you the latest model of iPod, you wouldn't say "This gift is amazing, and I like it more than the person who gave it to me." You would loook at the person who gave you the gift with even more affection. So why is it that we think we can do the opposite with a creator God?
All three of these men had legitimate requests, (though the first man wanted comfort, which is the least legitimate of them, we must remember that comfort is not a bad thing, he was just looking for it in the wrong place, forgetting that we serve the God of comfort) but they put good things that God had given them ahead of God, and that is why they are not fit for the Kingdom of God.
If we truly want to be followers of Christ we will have to give up on some of the things we want in life, whether that means we will be less comfortable, we may pass up on a promotion understanding that our job is not the top priority in our life, or we may be disowned by family. Itcould even be something as simple as a mother who we don't want to upset by going overseas to do missions work in another country. No matter what our reasoning may be, we are putting something above God, and that is never ok.
This first book that I have started is called "True Discipleship", and this post is named after chapter three. The chapter starts off with a well-known passage of scripture, Luke 9:57-62, which talks about three would be disciples.
The first one said to Jesus, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus's reply to him was, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head."
It seems at first like Jesus's answer didn't make any sense with what the guy was saying to him, but when you actually think about it, Jesus was telling this guy, "You're really fast to say you'll follow me, but consider the cost. I have nothing, not even a place to sleep at night. If you follow me you will have to live the same life."
The man was never heard about again in the gospels, so it can be assumed that he did not end up following Jesus. He loved his Earthly comforts too much to follow Jesus and give them up. He had a desire to follow Christ, but that desire in and of itself was not strong enough to break the bonds of the other vices in his life. It is not a sin to be comfortable, but when we put that comfort above our dedication to Jesus we are saying that Jesus is not the God that we follow. Likewise, there are people today who want to follow Jesus, but they don't want to give up on the things that give them comfort or pleasure. There are several individuals who want to be pastors, but they also don't want to give up on their individual beliefs and follow what God says is right. It is not just a matter of material comfort, but also a matter of the things that make you fit in and seem to be a part of the crowd.
The second man was a man who Jesus said, "Follow me" to. The man replied, "Lord, let me first go and bury my dead." Jesus replies to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."
The request of the man is a legitimate one, but he is putting something ahead of Christ nonetheless. Jesus's response was simply that he could leave it to somebody else to do. It could be better translated (for our understanding) as him saying, "Don't spend your time on things that the unbelievers could do just as well or better."
We can easily be sidetracked by our jobs or duties, but they cannot take precedence over Jesus and seeing the gospel spread throughout the world. A job is not a bad thing, we are even called to provide for our families as Christians, so what was wrong with the guy's response! He said that his responsibility was more important than a direct command from the Lord. He was telling Jesus that he needed to wait until this man was ready to follow him.
You see a lot of this in the world today, especially from young people who think that Christianity is a thing for when you get old and retire. They are telling God that they'll follow him when they get around to it. What they don't realize is that they can die at any moment. When they tell God they will do his work on their time they are saying that their lives are more important. These people are not worthy of the kingdom of Heaven, as we see in verse 62 "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Heaven."
If God is truly God then he deserves our respect and he deserves for us to let him be the God of our lives. If he is not the God of our lives then we are not fit for the kingdom.
The third man was like the first, in that he said to Jesus, "Lord, I will follow you..." But he finished off the statement by saying, "but first let me go and bid them farewell who are at my house." Jesus's response was what I wrote above in verse 62, that no one is fit for the kingdom if he looks back.
This man wanted to go and say goodbye to his family, which is yet another legitimate request, but it is wrong in the exact same way as the other two were, in that he is putting other good things ahead of God. Family is good, and it is a blessing, but it is a blessing from God, and to put our family before God is to put the gift ahead of the gift-giver. There should never be any situation in which we put the gift ahead of the giver. If someone gave you the latest model of iPod, you wouldn't say "This gift is amazing, and I like it more than the person who gave it to me." You would loook at the person who gave you the gift with even more affection. So why is it that we think we can do the opposite with a creator God?
All three of these men had legitimate requests, (though the first man wanted comfort, which is the least legitimate of them, we must remember that comfort is not a bad thing, he was just looking for it in the wrong place, forgetting that we serve the God of comfort) but they put good things that God had given them ahead of God, and that is why they are not fit for the Kingdom of God.
If we truly want to be followers of Christ we will have to give up on some of the things we want in life, whether that means we will be less comfortable, we may pass up on a promotion understanding that our job is not the top priority in our life, or we may be disowned by family. Itcould even be something as simple as a mother who we don't want to upset by going overseas to do missions work in another country. No matter what our reasoning may be, we are putting something above God, and that is never ok.
Friday, May 22, 2009
High School Graduation
I was thinking this morning about how Hoover is graduating their seniors tonight. If statistics are correct, only about 20% of people will continue going to church after graduating high school and going off to college, though some studies have given a number as low as 3%, hopefully more because a lot of students will be going to DMACC and still living with their parents. The point is, in a school as diverse as Hoover, the Christian population is pretty small anyway, at best it's three or four hundred. When you look at the number of people who are going away for college though, and I mean out of their parents house, typically out of Des Moines, and out of the county, it's probably significantly lower. You also have to factor in the people who are not going on to college, the ones who will either find a place with some friends or continue to live with their parents. Once you get into those numbers, there are maybe 200 hundred people who have families that would want them to go to church, and if you look at it statistically, if between 3 and 20 percent of those students continue going to church, you are looking at around 6-40 students who continue a relationship with the Lord, so looking somewhere in the middle ther, you'll get around 20. I would say that that's probably a high estimate for the people that will continue to follow the Lord even beyond college. Some of them will walk away and come back around eventually. Some will call themselves Christians now and call themselves agnostics when they get into college, and some will fortunately come to know the Lord once they are in an environment other than the one where they grew up. It will be their choice to follow the Lord, not the choice of their parents. It's a scary thought to think that that many people will walk away though. I'm not saying that they won't ever go back to church, but the chances that they'll go sometime before they start a family is pretty low, and when they do go back, they will most likely be one of the families in their church that doesn't get involved. They might go to a church where they will make friends, but everyone is more interested in socializing with each other after the message than actually listening to what the message has to say about their lives. This world has come to a place where I can look ahead to going to see my friends graduate tonight and only feel sad that so many people are going to walk away from God because they will no longer be under their parents' roofs.
Monday, April 6, 2009
My thoughts on handling Death
I'm going to say something that sounds horrible, but I know that everyone who has been in the same situation as me will understand, and quite possibly agree. I am so tired of my friends telling me to pray. My friends who know that my faith in the Lord is not going anywhere think that the best thing they can tell me to do after my Grandmother dies is to pray. Do they think I haven't done that already?! I know that they're trying to help, but they have no idea what my thoughts or feelings are about the whole situation. Not just my grandmother's death, but her funeral as well. I will have to see my father for the first time in over a year, along with the man that he left my family for. I know just how bad the funeral will be for me, because I'm the only conservative in my family, and every time we all get together they seem to think that discussing religion and politics with me is a good idea. I'm not stupid, and I could easily crush any of them i a debate, but they have no interest in being civilized. All they want is someone to take their anger out on, and it always ends up being me. So yes, I have been praying. A lot. I spent over an hour last night just driving around and talking to God as soon as I heard. My first reaction was to spend time with God to discuss it.
The hardest part about my grandma dying is that I don't know whether or not she was a Christian. I have no idea whether or not my Grandma is in Heaven or Hell, and the first thing that people ask me when I share that she died was, "Oh, I'm sorry. Is she saved?" I have no idea, and I hate that. How can I go to the funeral not knowing whether to mourn or rejoice for my own grandma. I know everyone else will be mourning. It's easy to mourn when you don't believe in Heaven. But I think that it's harder to not know than it is to know that they are in Hell. And some of you reading this are thinking that there's something wrong with me right now. You're thinking that you would rather have hope than know for sure that they are suffering. Well this is how I feel, so forget about what you think is better and focus on the fact that these are my feelings. You're entitled to your opinion, but I really don't care what it is. I don't want to have to go through my life wondering if I will ever see my grandma again, annd the same is true for my grandpa who died last year. I don't want to have to wait fifty or sixty years to know whether or not I'll see them. That's fifty-sixty years of building up hope only to be disappointed.
I understand that God is still sovereign, and that prayer and scripture are good in a time of trial, but if you spend all of your time trying to help a mourning friend talking to them about parying and sharing verses you fail as a friend. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. You need to ask someone how they feel. Ask them to share what they think before you try to share a verse that you know will be good for their situation when you don't even know what their situation is.
I don't mean to sound unappreciative, I just want to make it clear that I know the verses and I know that I need to pray. I just want people to understand that they need to know the situation before they can truly try to help.
The hardest part about my grandma dying is that I don't know whether or not she was a Christian. I have no idea whether or not my Grandma is in Heaven or Hell, and the first thing that people ask me when I share that she died was, "Oh, I'm sorry. Is she saved?" I have no idea, and I hate that. How can I go to the funeral not knowing whether to mourn or rejoice for my own grandma. I know everyone else will be mourning. It's easy to mourn when you don't believe in Heaven. But I think that it's harder to not know than it is to know that they are in Hell. And some of you reading this are thinking that there's something wrong with me right now. You're thinking that you would rather have hope than know for sure that they are suffering. Well this is how I feel, so forget about what you think is better and focus on the fact that these are my feelings. You're entitled to your opinion, but I really don't care what it is. I don't want to have to go through my life wondering if I will ever see my grandma again, annd the same is true for my grandpa who died last year. I don't want to have to wait fifty or sixty years to know whether or not I'll see them. That's fifty-sixty years of building up hope only to be disappointed.
I understand that God is still sovereign, and that prayer and scripture are good in a time of trial, but if you spend all of your time trying to help a mourning friend talking to them about parying and sharing verses you fail as a friend. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. You need to ask someone how they feel. Ask them to share what they think before you try to share a verse that you know will be good for their situation when you don't even know what their situation is.
I don't mean to sound unappreciative, I just want to make it clear that I know the verses and I know that I need to pray. I just want people to understand that they need to know the situation before they can truly try to help.
Friday, April 3, 2009
It's not the promised land anymore...
Until today I have generally been proud to call myself an Iowan. I live in a state where the majority of people are social conservatives or people who just jump on the bandwagon. There are some liberal activists, but generally speaking there are more conservatives. And yet today the Iowa supreme court decided that what is best for Iowa is that the minority gets their way, and so gay marriage has become legal in the state that I love. Liberal judges who we did not elect to represent anyone, but rather to decide whether or not people were following the law, have decided that the law was not good enough, and have now condemned Iowa for at least three years of Gay Marriage being legal (unless the democrats actually decide to discuss it in congress this session, as if that would happen). We now live in the fourth state in the USA to allow Gay Marriage. What happened to the values of the heartland? It is a beautiful day outside, but I can see the storm clouds. This has become a battleground, and no matter what the judges have decided this case is anything but closed. The problem is that now people will see Iowa as a rallying point in their cause. It will be inviting for Gay people to come here and get married, and they will not want to leave. Well I know where I stand. I stand behind my God, who says that it is an abomination, and I stand behind my country, no matter how deluded the leaders may be. Because if everyone who was displeased with the leaders were to leave there wouold be no chance of the country ever getting back to where it needs to be. This is not an issue of discomfort about homosexuality, it is an issue of the fact that God knows better, and I will follow what God says. My twin brother and father are both living a gay lifestyle, and because I love my brother it was very difficult for me to decide to follow Christ, because I did not want to have to admit that my brother's lifestyle is wrong. But I will not deny that God knows best. I will not stand by while this country that was founded by Christian men is changed by people who don't care what God says, or even if he exists. It is an outrage to see that ungodly people are the ones making the decidions in this country that was founded on Godly principles. I'm aware that I will have upset some people, but I don't care. My life's ambition is not to please men, it is to follow the word of God until the day that I die.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Real Me
Lately I've been feeling like there are two different parts to my personality. There's the part that everyone sees, and then there's the part of me that no one knows or understands, which is the autistic part of me. The me that everyone sees is this big guy, I'm emotionally stable and very social. They don't see me as being afraid of any sort of social experiences, because I show them that I'm not.
But then there's the other part of me, the part that it the complete opposite of the me that you see. The part that is afraid of people who are in authority positions, easily scared when people are angry with him. He doesn't know how to look people in the eye, and is always afraid of being inadequate. He doesn't like confrontation, and is very easy to walk all over. People can take advantage of him, and he won't complain, even though he understands the injustice of the situation. He is afraid of offending anyone, but at the same time is incapable of pacifying everyone, and so is at a loss for what to do. He cannot look out for himself, not because he doesn't know how, but because he cares more about making other people happy than looking out for himself. Most of all, he is afraid of himself. He is afraid that he will be like he once was; unable to control his anger, violently lahing out, and unable to care for people because of the fear of being left by the people that he loves. He knows that he is a fool for not looking out for himself, but he can't go back to how he was. Even though he knows that things are not black and white he has to be extreme in either direction, because he doesn't know how to stop himself from going too far, and prefers to err on the side of himself getting hurt rather than others. There are times he feels absolutely helpless. He can't change the things that are going on unless he changes himself to be more on the aggressive side, but is afraid of going too far, and so can't change. The concept of being unable to change himself scares him, because he knows that it means people will continue to take advantage of him, or worse, be dissapointed in him because he's not doing well enough due to trying to please everyone.
I understand that most people who read this will be at a loss as to what to think, and I don't blame them, but the fact of the matter is that this timid one is my real personality. I don't display it because I know that I will get hurt, but everything you say to me is processed through that child-like personality, not through the one that people see. I know that this goes more in-depth into my personal life than a lot of people would feel comfortable with, but I've been faced with the dilemna during the last several months of not being able to interact with others in a way that is beneficial to me. If you ask me to do something I will end up doing it, and I will end up overcommitting myself and being underslept. I seem to have reverted on the inside since starting college, though my outward personality has stayed the same. I think that a large part of it has to do with being in a new environment. Change has always been hard on me, and I don't know if that will ever change. I'd imagine that as I grow more comfortable here at Drake my inner child will be less afraid, but as long as I am still getting used to things I will be terrified of doing things wrong. Even now the main thing going through my mind is the hope that I have not offended anyone by writing this note, and I think that that shows just how timid I really am. It's been really hard for me to go through this last few months, and I think the thing that has made it the hardest is just that no one has known how hard it has been, and so no one has been able to make it easier on me.
But then there's the other part of me, the part that it the complete opposite of the me that you see. The part that is afraid of people who are in authority positions, easily scared when people are angry with him. He doesn't know how to look people in the eye, and is always afraid of being inadequate. He doesn't like confrontation, and is very easy to walk all over. People can take advantage of him, and he won't complain, even though he understands the injustice of the situation. He is afraid of offending anyone, but at the same time is incapable of pacifying everyone, and so is at a loss for what to do. He cannot look out for himself, not because he doesn't know how, but because he cares more about making other people happy than looking out for himself. Most of all, he is afraid of himself. He is afraid that he will be like he once was; unable to control his anger, violently lahing out, and unable to care for people because of the fear of being left by the people that he loves. He knows that he is a fool for not looking out for himself, but he can't go back to how he was. Even though he knows that things are not black and white he has to be extreme in either direction, because he doesn't know how to stop himself from going too far, and prefers to err on the side of himself getting hurt rather than others. There are times he feels absolutely helpless. He can't change the things that are going on unless he changes himself to be more on the aggressive side, but is afraid of going too far, and so can't change. The concept of being unable to change himself scares him, because he knows that it means people will continue to take advantage of him, or worse, be dissapointed in him because he's not doing well enough due to trying to please everyone.
I understand that most people who read this will be at a loss as to what to think, and I don't blame them, but the fact of the matter is that this timid one is my real personality. I don't display it because I know that I will get hurt, but everything you say to me is processed through that child-like personality, not through the one that people see. I know that this goes more in-depth into my personal life than a lot of people would feel comfortable with, but I've been faced with the dilemna during the last several months of not being able to interact with others in a way that is beneficial to me. If you ask me to do something I will end up doing it, and I will end up overcommitting myself and being underslept. I seem to have reverted on the inside since starting college, though my outward personality has stayed the same. I think that a large part of it has to do with being in a new environment. Change has always been hard on me, and I don't know if that will ever change. I'd imagine that as I grow more comfortable here at Drake my inner child will be less afraid, but as long as I am still getting used to things I will be terrified of doing things wrong. Even now the main thing going through my mind is the hope that I have not offended anyone by writing this note, and I think that that shows just how timid I really am. It's been really hard for me to go through this last few months, and I think the thing that has made it the hardest is just that no one has known how hard it has been, and so no one has been able to make it easier on me.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
What breaks my heart.
Something that I see more and more these days breaks my heart over and over again. The way that I see women being portrayed in society and the way that they react makes me want to cry. It's so sickening to see how women are objectified and made to feel that they have to look a certain way or that they aren't worth anything. I just spent an hour and a half talking to a girl who has self-esteem issues because of how the world tells her that she needs to act and look. She is a very attractive girl, and yet she feels that she is ugly. She thinks that she needs to put on make-up every morning so that guys will see her as beautiful, and doesn't understand that those guys' opinions don't matter worth a darn. It is terribly upsetting to see a girl who has so many reasons to be happy crying because she doesn't feel like she's even adequate, let alone loveable. She spends hours working on her make-up every morning, goes tanning at least once a week, and works out all so that she can feel like men like her, and then the guys that do notice her only want to get her drunk and use her. I am thankful that she has decided not not have sex before marriage, but she seems to mistake physical closeness with emotional closeness. What she is looking for is a guy who will tell her that she is worthwhile, to say that she is loveable, and she can't get that as long as she believes the lies that the world tells her. It just broke my heart to listen to her talking about how she spends all of this time trying to look good so that she can feel wanted, and then all that happens is she gets drunk and makes out with random guys. And yet she won't change anything because she is so afraid of even losing that pitiful affection that these guys show her, and they don't even show it to her, they show it to her body. They couldn't care less about her as a person, all they want is to have physical relations with her, and they don't give a crap if it causes her any sort of emotional damage. I shared God's love with her, but all she wants is some guy that she can see to make her feel worthwhile. It makes me sick. How can any guy treat a girl that way? What is wrong with us that we care so much about satisfying our own flesh that we don't give a rip if it causes severe psychological damage to someone else?! The sad thing is that this isn't an isolated incident. So many women feel the exact same way, and they just can't comprehend that there is something so much better waiting for them.
This issue came into my mind while we were at Faithwalkers. I met a couple of girls who were very flirtatious, and it got me thinking. I've obviously met flirtatious girls before, but they were always people who knew me, and knew that they would be around me, but that wasn't the case with these girls. One of them just tried to get my attention as she was driving by when we were on the highway, and then sped off when I ignored her. I can't help but feel sorry for her that she is at a point in her life where she feels she has to be attractive to strangers. She knew she would never see me again, and yet she was honking her horn and acting like a complete doofus just to get me to give her a little attention. Another girl who I actually got to meet was a girl who worked at the Burger King at Tan-Tar-a. I went there for lunch one day because I didn't like what was on the menu for the conference, and the girl working the cash register seemed to feel compelled to flirt with me. The last thing I ever want to do to a girl who is speaking to me is to ignore her, because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so I spoke with her, but it was very obvious to me that she was just trying to play the game, and I was just trying to get my lunch, she even gave me a larger drink than I ordered for no reason at all, other than that she wanted to.
It bothers me to know that these girls, who knew they would never see me again, would spend so much time trying to get my attention for such a short period of time. It bothers me even more that the reason they act that way is because the men who matter in their life aren't giving them the attention that they deserve. There are some girls out there who just want to mess around and have a good time because they think it's fun, but I strongly believe that for the most part the girls who act this way do so because they do not get affection from their fathers or boyfriends. The men who are in their lives are ignoring them, and so they seek this attention in the only way that they know how; by flaunting their bodies and trying to get guys to notice them for the one things that they know we want. They are willing to lose their dignity for just a few moments of attention and physical closeness just because they don't feel loved by theiur fathers or boyfriends. It's sick that we have driven them to that point.
I may not be a woman, but I experienced several similar problems when I was younger. I would constantly be seeking the attention that I wasn't getting from my mother by trying to be in relationships with other girls. My mom didn't make me feel loved, and so the only people I ever spent time with were girls. I wanted to know that I was able to be loved, and so I did so many stupid things just to get the attention of these girls. It's only by the grace of God that I haven't lost my own purity, and i don't blame any of these girls for the troubles they are going through. It breaks my heart to see what is going on in the world that so many women feel unwanted. When I see things like that it almost makes me want the Lord to just come back now and send all of those men who play around with these womens' emotions straight where they belong. I just get so mad at thinking about how badly people can treat eachother. This world is so lost and broken that it is beyond repair by anyone but God, so to him be the glory when even one neglected person comes to know him! To all of you who are reading this, I hope that you feel the love of God so strongly that you will never need to be loved by anyone else, and that you understand that the love of other people is nothing compared to what God feels for you.
This issue came into my mind while we were at Faithwalkers. I met a couple of girls who were very flirtatious, and it got me thinking. I've obviously met flirtatious girls before, but they were always people who knew me, and knew that they would be around me, but that wasn't the case with these girls. One of them just tried to get my attention as she was driving by when we were on the highway, and then sped off when I ignored her. I can't help but feel sorry for her that she is at a point in her life where she feels she has to be attractive to strangers. She knew she would never see me again, and yet she was honking her horn and acting like a complete doofus just to get me to give her a little attention. Another girl who I actually got to meet was a girl who worked at the Burger King at Tan-Tar-a. I went there for lunch one day because I didn't like what was on the menu for the conference, and the girl working the cash register seemed to feel compelled to flirt with me. The last thing I ever want to do to a girl who is speaking to me is to ignore her, because I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so I spoke with her, but it was very obvious to me that she was just trying to play the game, and I was just trying to get my lunch, she even gave me a larger drink than I ordered for no reason at all, other than that she wanted to.
It bothers me to know that these girls, who knew they would never see me again, would spend so much time trying to get my attention for such a short period of time. It bothers me even more that the reason they act that way is because the men who matter in their life aren't giving them the attention that they deserve. There are some girls out there who just want to mess around and have a good time because they think it's fun, but I strongly believe that for the most part the girls who act this way do so because they do not get affection from their fathers or boyfriends. The men who are in their lives are ignoring them, and so they seek this attention in the only way that they know how; by flaunting their bodies and trying to get guys to notice them for the one things that they know we want. They are willing to lose their dignity for just a few moments of attention and physical closeness just because they don't feel loved by theiur fathers or boyfriends. It's sick that we have driven them to that point.
I may not be a woman, but I experienced several similar problems when I was younger. I would constantly be seeking the attention that I wasn't getting from my mother by trying to be in relationships with other girls. My mom didn't make me feel loved, and so the only people I ever spent time with were girls. I wanted to know that I was able to be loved, and so I did so many stupid things just to get the attention of these girls. It's only by the grace of God that I haven't lost my own purity, and i don't blame any of these girls for the troubles they are going through. It breaks my heart to see what is going on in the world that so many women feel unwanted. When I see things like that it almost makes me want the Lord to just come back now and send all of those men who play around with these womens' emotions straight where they belong. I just get so mad at thinking about how badly people can treat eachother. This world is so lost and broken that it is beyond repair by anyone but God, so to him be the glory when even one neglected person comes to know him! To all of you who are reading this, I hope that you feel the love of God so strongly that you will never need to be loved by anyone else, and that you understand that the love of other people is nothing compared to what God feels for you.
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