Who Do You Think You Are?

Some of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible come from the book of Job. Yes, Job. I know - depressing book, God let's Satan take everything away from Job, including his kids, makes him sick with boils all over his entire body, and leaves him with a nagging wife and 3 friends who tell him just to curse God and die. I can see why most people choose to gloss over this book, it's not very uplifting (at first glance). But if you haven't read it, I encourage you to. But don't quit before the end, that's my favorite part.


Synopsis:


So after all these horrible things have happened to Job and he has a grand pity party(chapters 1-31), a young friend of his decides to speak up and begin to put things in perspective for him a but (chapter 32-37.) Then it happens - after many long chapters of silence, God speaks. It actually says "God speaks to Job out of a storm". For those of you who don't live in Texas, you may not be able to conjure up in your mind what that might look like, but I have lived through one of the worst Texas storms Ever - in a tent (and then the cab of my truck), so I have a pretty good grasp on what Job must have experienced that day. All I can say is WHOA!!!


Basically God says (this is the Jan Paraphrase), "Job, you sure seem to think you know it all. Now stand up and take it like a man while I tell you a few things and give you a little fresh perspective."


God proceeds to describe some of the things He has done like:

• telling the waves how far they can come
• telling the sun rise and sun set when to happen
• creating the storehouses for snow and hail
• telling each lightning bolt where to land
• creating all the star constellations and telling them when to appear
• creating great beasts of the land and sea who are subservient to no one but Him (including a dragon that I am pretty sure Disney ripped off for all his movies.)
• and walking on the bottom of the Ocean just because He can (one of my personal favorites. Sorry I just have this picture in my head of God talking a little stroll on the bottom of the Sea and hanging out with creatures we don't even know exists yet because they live so deep)

I mean it goes on for 5 chapters so you get the gist. But I really encourage you to read it yourself.

I think I just need to print out these chapters and tape them to my wall so that every time I find myself wanting to have a little pity party (which I was last night), I can gain a little perspective on my life and Who it is that is in control of it. I certainly don't want to get so far gone that I have to hear God speak to me out of a storm.

All that to say - He is God and I am not and I need to trust that as long as I lean on Him, He has my life in the palm of His hand and can take care of anything that would threaten to harm me. He'll do that for you to if you know Him. 

If you don't know Him and want to, send me a message and we'll talk. I'd love to introduce you to Him. He will change your life!

P.S. The story does have a happy ending. But you'll have to read It yourself to find to what happens. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.

Modern Day Slaves

Did you know that today, April 21, 2010 there are more slaves in the world than ever before in human history. It is estimated that there are somewhere between 27 & 30 million slaves, but some counts are as high as 200 million. The most distressing fact is that 80% of those are women and children forced into some form of sexual slavery. 80%!!!

Last night I went to a advanced screening of a new documentary film done by a group of students (Artists for Abolition) at Texas A&M Commerce called Worth Fighting For. The event was compelling to say the least. To walk into the room and be confronted with girls behind a chain link fence holding signs with their age and how much it would cost you for an hour of "pleasure", all the while being explained the process by the "sales man" - well it was extremely unnerving! One of the most disturbing parts was that as the girls got younger - the price went up. It made me sick, especially since the girls portrayed were the same ages as my girls. I learned that 6 people are sold into slavery every 2 minutes. In the time it takes me to write this blog post, there will be about 60 more slaves on this planet, some as young as 4.

When the film began, there was not a sound in the room, except the occasional sound of tears being shed for those oppressed. One of the guys that helped create the film said something that will be burned into my memory forever (I HOPE!) He said that when he was confronted with the reality of this injustice in our world he wept. He went to his campus and laid face down with his open bible on the quad cement and cried out to God saying "Lord, I want someone to weep with me." He then felt God answer him by saying "I want someone to weep with me too."

I think we have become so callused to the injustice in our world that we forget that God weeps over it and he longs for someone to weep with him. It brought to mind a line form one of my favorite songs that says "Break my heart for what breaks Yours..." a line that in daily life is pushed to the back of my mind and replaced with my everyday, suburban to-do list. What on earth has happened to me that I have become so comfortable in my life that I forget that God weeps over the enslaved and the broken hearted and the lost?

Well, as I am still trying to process all of this and what it means for my future, I know one thing for sure - I have been changed at my very core and now I have a decision to make: Will I sit and let apathy kill me and others, or will I  embrace this new adventure God seems to have put in front of me, let Him take the lead and just follow?

"For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he yearns." - Psalm 12:5