Holiness and Happiness vs. Grace and Faith
It has been a week since I blogged. My last entry was about Learn Nothing Day. I have yet to finish the series covering the Jerusalem Council, but it is on my list.
First I feel I should explain why I have not written. Last Thursday, my sister was admitted to the hospital with an infection in her leg due to a cat bite. She was just released yesterday. This past week also happened to be my last regular test and my final for my algebra class. (Algebra is not my strongest subject. Especially when my plans to study do not pan out exactly as I had hoped). I also work overnights and was helping to take care of my sister's pets three times a day.
Not that I am complaining.... Oh, wait. I did complain a few times. There were a few times I got mad and vented. Wasn't very holy was it? At least not according to some theologies.
Well, at least I stayed happy and found good things that happened each day.... No, I can't claim that one, either. There were some days I was so tired all I wanted to do was fall into bed. Some days I felt like I couldn't do it all. Some days ended up with tears.
What about keeping positive - not thinking negative thoughts? Yeah, right. The only thing I was positive about was I would never get through it all.
Hmm. What to do? I lost my temper at times, so I can't say that I was a model of holiness. I definitely did not always see the positive side of things. And let's not even talk about happiness, okay?
But that's when I turned to God instead of to man-made ideas about what God wants us to be. I told Him what I was feeling. I told Him I couldn't do it I told Him what I hated. And you know what? His response was not, "Be more holy and think more positively!" His response was love and care and understanding.
As I said above, yesterday, my sister was released from the hospital. Yesterday was also my final. It is only the grace of God that got me through it to pass with a high enough score that I passed my class with a B.
That's the difference between faith to tell God what we're feeling and His grace to cover our humanness and man-made ideas of holiness, keeping a positive attitude, and the idea that we should find the good in all things. God's going to work that last one out. We don't have to.
First I feel I should explain why I have not written. Last Thursday, my sister was admitted to the hospital with an infection in her leg due to a cat bite. She was just released yesterday. This past week also happened to be my last regular test and my final for my algebra class. (Algebra is not my strongest subject. Especially when my plans to study do not pan out exactly as I had hoped). I also work overnights and was helping to take care of my sister's pets three times a day.
Not that I am complaining.... Oh, wait. I did complain a few times. There were a few times I got mad and vented. Wasn't very holy was it? At least not according to some theologies.
Well, at least I stayed happy and found good things that happened each day.... No, I can't claim that one, either. There were some days I was so tired all I wanted to do was fall into bed. Some days I felt like I couldn't do it all. Some days ended up with tears.
What about keeping positive - not thinking negative thoughts? Yeah, right. The only thing I was positive about was I would never get through it all.
Hmm. What to do? I lost my temper at times, so I can't say that I was a model of holiness. I definitely did not always see the positive side of things. And let's not even talk about happiness, okay?
But that's when I turned to God instead of to man-made ideas about what God wants us to be. I told Him what I was feeling. I told Him I couldn't do it I told Him what I hated. And you know what? His response was not, "Be more holy and think more positively!" His response was love and care and understanding.
As I said above, yesterday, my sister was released from the hospital. Yesterday was also my final. It is only the grace of God that got me through it to pass with a high enough score that I passed my class with a B.
That's the difference between faith to tell God what we're feeling and His grace to cover our humanness and man-made ideas of holiness, keeping a positive attitude, and the idea that we should find the good in all things. God's going to work that last one out. We don't have to.
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