You ever get so busy with things that you don’t know whether you are coming or going? So busy that you can’t remember what you were supposed to be doing. You know that you should make a list to help you remember but then a couple of days or even a couple of weeks later you remember what it was that you were supposed to do and so you just tilt your head back and sigh in exasperation.

Well, lately, that seems to be my life. I’m sure that the majority of the people reading this have encountered the same issues. Our lives are just way too busy!!! Sometimes, it is not the busyness of the body but the busyness of the mind that wears you out.  I believe a lot of the hype about New Year’s resolutions come from the busyness of the previous year and years past, as well as the craziness of the holidays. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year’s Day, by the way. I also pray the year that we are heading into will have many breakthroughs for each of us and will be a year that is life giving.

Speaking of life giving, slowing down and taking a moment to meditate on things helps us to think more clearly. Which is helpful because the more clearly we think, the less we will be deceived. I was praying and meditating with God and I feel like He just poured this into me so that I can pour it out to you.

I want you to think and meditate on some things. Are you a parent or grandparent, or are you just starting out in life ready to take on the world? I think all of us, regardless of our station in life, have someone in our family or know of people in other families that we would call the black sheep of the family. You know the one I mean, the one that no one wants to be around. It actually may not even be that bad, maybe you just know someone that just seems to mess up at every turn. Let me ask you, when you see that grown-up individual, do you think man the parents need to get their act together or that they are at fault for what their grown child does? Better yet, do you think, that person is grown and is accountable for his or her own actions? If you chose the latter, then great you are on the right path. I would say that most of us think that they are accountable for their own actions.

I know that this line of questioning may seem weird but I promise you that I am going somewhere with these questions. I want you to really think about this because the next thing I am going to ask you is why then do we blame God for the actions of others? Why do we blame Him for His children’s mistakes? For those that claim to be Christians but then you can clearly see that their claim to being a Christian does not hold true because they do not reflect God’s love? As a Christian, Jesus is who we are supposed to be acting like but if we are being honest, a lot of the time we don’t look anything like Him due to our actions. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that if you are having an off day or week that you are no longer a Christian because we do have trials and situations that can knock us down,  but I am making a point that people are watching us and believe that God is flawed because we are.

Unfortunately, in the worst case scenario, people blame God when they see a minister that should be Godly doing ungodly things. We have seen it throughout history and I have seen it in person in my 24 years of being a Christian. I could give you details from a first account perspective but I am sure you have seen some things as well. I could also elaborate on things that we have seen in the news over the years, but that would take too long because the list is filled with way too many things that people have done throughout time that has brought shame on God’s name.

First, I would like to say that if you don’t have a relationship with God, if someone talked to you about Jesus and the Holy Spirit but you didn’t want to give your life to Him because of some of the things that you have seen by other Christians, then I apologize. I am truly sorry and I repent for that on their behalf. Becoming a Christian in 1997 was the best choice I ever made. God is gracious and gives us free will, He sent many people my way to minister to me but it took me a while to get there. I could see that as a negative because I wasn’t raised in church or I could see it as a blessing because I can be used for His glory because I know what it is like to live without Him and be totally lost in the world. I am thankful every day because He didn’t give up on me.

God totally turned my life around, and He filled me with His joy in the midst of the chaos that was happening in my life at the time. I do my best to represent God and give Him honor, but there are days that I mess up. What I do know is that when I mess up, I run back to God, repent of my actions, and do what I can to do better next time. Do you want to know the great thing about that? When I do humble myself and repent, God hears me and forgives and raises my head to have the courage to keep going. I can tell you that I don’t like religion. I know, I can hear you say, “WHAT???” all the way from here. Lol, seriously though, I don’t like religion because religion leads to death because it is all about man made do’s and don’ts. That doesn’t mean that I don’t go to church, quite the opposite. I go to a church that knows that there is only one way, and that is God’s word. If the word doesn’t say it, then they don’t make up their own rules. They stand on the living word of God. With that said, please message me if you would like to talk more about my amazing God and the relationship that we have because Jesus made the way, the only way.

With that said, that does bring me back to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. What are we doing daily to be more like Jesus and bring honor to His name. Please don’t be the reason that someone turns away from God. Those who are in the world can only know God through His children because sometimes we are the only bible that someone will ever read/see. No, they shouldn’t blame God for His children’s actions, whether they are truly His children or posers working for the other side. However, that is the way of things in a fallen world. The world needs us now more than ever so my last question is, are we going to rise up and press into the presence of God so that we can be changed daily to look more like Jesus, or are we going to continue and do things the way that we have always done them and expect a different result. I don’t know about you, but God has done too much in my life for me not to lay down my life for Him. You see, it’s not about me. It’s about Him and what He wants, and right now, He just wants the lost to be found and for His children to declare His gospel so that the lost will come home. May God bless you on your journey this year. I pray that He stir up a hunger and fire within you that no one could tame, and this would be the year that you step into your calling. Our calling is to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. He will take care of the rest. Be blessed.