There are a lot of things that I struggle with. Just because I am on this side of the cross does not mean I am not jacked up in some way. We all are and if you are thinking that you have it all together and things in life are just perfect - email me and I will send you a mirror. We all have to take a look at ourselves from time to time. As I sat with a friend yesterday morning and listened to her share her valley that she is in - it became apparent to me that all through life we are told to listen but very few of us really know how to listen. As I sat and shared what little I had in my heart to encourage and offer godly wisdom - it was so clear that my friend just needed an ear. She needed a few kind words to let her know that she was not alone, that God was not done with her story and that life is meant to live forward and not looking back over our mistakes and choices and regrets. We all have them but are we to continue walking with them and letting life just make us drag our feet all the time?
Last night I took the time, because I admit I don't nearly take enough time, to take miss Carol out on a date. We dropped Kyle off out a dear friends house and headed to uptown Charlotte where we shared a great meal, had great conversation, had an incredible Waiter who waited on us like we were the only ones in the place and I left an appropriate tip for that service! We then headed to a young startup church that has been meeting on Tuesday evenings uptown in an old beautiful church. As Carol and I walked up, the place was packed with young people - like 18-35 maybe. The stage was awesome and had 3 video screens that under each of them was a lit up skyline of Charlotte and as the music began to play the people all stood and sang with arms up, hearts open, some crying .... 400+ young folks - in church - Tuesday evening - Uptown Charlotte. WOW. As the message was delivered from a visiting pastor from Chicago I really dug into the message series - Relationships - Complicated.
As I look into those relationships in my life and the people around me ... they are complicated. Some more than others but the defining factor lays just underneath all the mess and complications. Are they godly relationships?
90% of Americans say they believe in God but a very small % really know God and walk with Him closely. Very few really let God have the say and control in their lives. Very few really walk with God in every moment of every day. Very few really lean in and have joy when life is in the valley and is really hard. Very few wake in the morning and put their feet down on the floor and say - Satan, Im up and I have victory over you in my life through Christ Jesus. Very few make decisions and choices in life that reflect Gods heart and will over our own selfish ways. Very few share the love of Christ with others because they think that is someone elses job and that they just don't feel called to do that. Very few spend a lifetime helping others in practical ways that would honor Christ as his hands and feet. Very few lay awake at night hurting and tossing over a loved one who is walking away from their faith or in the process of making a bad choice in their life.
God wants a relationship with each of us. Its that love and acceptance that is our model for all our relationship in this life. Its burned into our DNA to have relationships and folks to do life with because God has given us a relationship with us if we chose to have one. He won't force it on us just like we can't be forced to be friends with someone we don't like or get along with. It just wont work out. But in that relationship, in order for it to be a good friendship, a growing friendship - there must be forgiveness and humility. We have to put the needs of others before our own. We have to serve our friends and loved ones otherwise it becomes a one way street and that leads to bitterness and control over others. Forgiveness is something that will come no matter how hard or how close you are to a person. It will happen, lets face it, we are all different. If that relationship is worth saving, worth fighting for, worth going beyond the surface level of checking in and saying - How was your day? Weather is good and sunny.. blah blah blah ..there will be times of giving forgiveness. Saying sorry is just part of life and people doing life together. God is part of all these things. He has to be the underlining in our friendships and in our relationships.
Colossians 3:16 - Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the word of Christ - the message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

The other translation says to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. I just love that. Dwell means to be at home in us. God desires his word to be so AT home in us, that his whispers in scripture are like pieces of conversation with him throughout our day. Shame that most folks don't even listen. I do my best each day to listen every moment I can - to listen for Gods whisper. To notice when someone comes across my path because God put that Divine meeting in place. I smile when I notice God poking my heart to reach out to someone or to do something for someone even if it doesn't make sense.
It was awesome last night seeing the hands raised and singing praise to our heavenly father. God thank you for every step of the way and for the people in our lives.
Loved ones, my prayer today for you is to dwell in God word and that you have a hunger to be saturated within it so that when we're caught off guard by lifes circumstances, we reflect and hear Gods wisdom and his nudges so much so that those whispers live in us in our day, at school, at work, in that conversation with a friend, at the lunch table, while talking with the lady at Lowes Foods - where ever life takes you. May it dwell in our hearts.
Lonnie~