Brownies, Eggs, Coffee, and Bibles

      Let me prequel this by saying that the things I write about are almost always things I struggle with. So when reading this, just remember that - I don't have this all figured out, rather I'm working on the application of it :)

      I was just in the kitchen whipping up a batch of brownies (no, not homemade - but still good! :) As I was going through my normal ritual of "cleaning the bowl" (ie, eating the batter that never made it into the pan)  I suddenly thought about a friend of mine. See, this friend finds eating batter disgusting (cookie, brownie, whatever) because of the raw eggs in it. As I sat there I found something curious: I would never eat a raw egg, in fact the thought makes me slightly queasy, yet I've always loved batter. So how do I rationalize eating the batter, knowing the raw egg is there? I decided that since there are enough things in it that I like, it gives me reason to ignore the fact that something I'd normally avoid is in it too.

      Don't we seem to do the same thing with sin? An ugly sin, out in plain sight of everyone, is something we avoid, detest. Yet, when Satan mixes up a sin with a little something fun - perhaps even good - we partake, choosing to ignore the sin that we know is still there.

      It's kind of like with coffee. I don't really like the taste, but over the summer (due to lack of sleep) I would start drinking it mixed with hot chocolate - something I like. Little by little, I became more and more use to the taste of coffee - perhaps one day I may get so used to it that I'd drink it plain. In the same way, Satan slips us sins. First highly diluted ones. These then open the doors of us potentially getting sucked into bigger and bigger sins. We get used to the lifestyle/taste, and let our guard down.

      Lastly, this whole thought process made me think about ingredients, and the question: how, if someone wants to keep something out of their system, a person can avoid it? Answer: Look at the facts in the ingredient list of course!

       Many people read labels on food to see what is in it. They don't just take the item at face value (even if marketing people created the greatest logo and catchphrase). A conscientious person will look at the ingredients - see what is hiding beneath all the fun. This simple awareness of what we are really putting into our bodies can make the difference between a healthy and unhealthy person.

       Now, where does a person look to keep spiritually healthy? The Bible of course! Considering God created us, and has the best plans for us, it goes without saying that we should look to Him when we are trying to figure out what is really good. The world will "market" many things to us that it presents as good, but we must be vigilant to check the things that the world gives us against the truth of the Bible. This way we can avoid being taken down by the things of this world that can bring us a spiritually unhealthy place.

Change Anyone?

     I decided to consolidate some of the notes I've written on Facebook to this Blog - it's the organizer in me.

     I re-read this particular note for the first time in a while today, and God used words He gave me nearly 2 years ago to remind me of a lesson I still haven't quite gotten straight. I hope that even if you've read this before, God can use it to remind you as well.

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"Change Anyone?"

                  I was lying in bed – attempting to sleep, but my mind was going a mile a minute. I felt God was laying the following thoughts on my heart to be shared (something I too often ignore doing). So I climbed down from my loft, and typed them. Forgive me if it is choppy … but it is 12:34am ...

Change – it can be uncertain, scary, potentially painful, exciting, or hard, but to be changed for the better… well, that is always worth the cost.

          My roommate Melissa has needed a new glasses prescription for some time now, and a few days ago she finally got the new, updated pair. With her old ones she could see, but not sharply. There was a time those glasses were exactly what she needed, but time had passed, and new glasses were in order. These new glasses have sharpened her vision for the better, but now she must go through a transition time with them. Wearing the new ones gives her better vision, but also comes with discomfort and coordination issues as her body learns to adapt to seeing differently. Of course she could just go back to the old pair, the comfortable one, but she would then be missing out on all the beauty in this world that she could be seeing clearly.

          In my life it seems people usually resist big changes. Even with the knowledge that changes God intends for us are for the better, it can be disconcerting to see things differently – to leave something we are used to, even if we know it is for the better. But the longer we fight the change, the more we are missing out on...

If there are changes going on in your life right now - be encouraged, God is faithful ^_^

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     This message was pertinent back then because I was struggling with big life changes that were going on - by way of a relationship break up. God had to remind me that relationships can be used by Him for good, but also sometimes must be let go of for the better. This message is pertinent to me now because I've found the transition from college student to adult to be something terribly daunting.

The cover for an old Overflow album captures how I've been feeling best:

     I've always liked this picture. It looks so silly, but I find myself acting like the fish in the bowl way too often. I need to embrace the changing seasons of my life, not be scared of them, knowing that each stage pulls me closer to what God has in store for me.