Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Conversations


I read part of Deuteronomy this morning, I was struck by the emphasis it carried on how we should "talk".

And you must commit yourselves WHOLEHEARTEDLY to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.

I feel as though people's faith seems to be hard to talk about or even "hush-hush" to some.  Having a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus is some much more than going to church one day a week!  It's not something you check-off at the beginning of the week to make sure you're a christian.  We're supposed to talk about the guidance of the Holy Spirit AGAIN and AGAIN.  At home, on the road, in the morning, at night.... that covers A LOT of time during the day.

How much time do you take to talk these things? Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in an environment where people consistently seem to talk about "other" people.  I believe there is a time and place for that, but there is a fine line between sharing and being nosy/gossiping.  Why do people feel the need to share about their neighbor, 2 houses down whose nephew got a ticket.  Or see a tv box in the garbage of the neighbor to your right and you just have to see if your neighbor on the left saw it. I'm not saying it's wrong to talk.  I do want to ask this question though: are you sharing with other people who TRULY CARE.  By that I mean, they will stand along side of you to pray prayers of thanksgiving or get on their knees and cry out to God for intervention and justice.I'm not going to point fingers or trying to stand above the crowd here.

I know I'm not perfect and I'm not going to pretend am I.  If I'm going to point a finger, it's going to be at myself.  I am however, trying to do the best I can at talking about the things Jesus desires for us. I'm trying to do it WHOLEHEARTEDLY and from the deepest places of my heart, I desire for others to do the same. of talking about somebody else, let talk about our own joys and struggles! Lets ask people about theirs and lets dive into The Word to encourage one another through it all!  I want to hear about YOU, not be a source for information about others. I'm continually learning that life is no cake walk.  I see death, heartbreak, addictions and injustice all around me.  BUT I know I serve a God who is bigger than any of these and his faithfulness will carry me and you through the valleys and the mountain tops.  I want people to know me for the honest, heart-felt, God centered conversations I've had with them.  Not the conversations I've had about other people with them.