It’s just my allergies

I’ve been there,  you’ve been there,  your wife’s best friend’s husband who has muscles protruding  out of his muscles has been there. That time that something  just got you, something happened and tears began to well up and flow.  Your mind starts to race with thoughts of ” What am I going to say. Am I going to tell everyone that I cried?   Or am I  going to tell them that I got emotional or am I going to play the  ”it’s just my allergies” card. I don’t know about you but,  when my seasonal allergies are  acting up it doesn’t look the same as the emotional allergies,  so why lie about it? The truth is that finding Christ helps find our emotions.  It brings an inner peace into your life knowing that what the world thinks doesn’t matter, what the world sees doesn’t matter! What matters is that Christ is seen through you! Did Christ never show emotion?  Is it wrong as a man to do the same?  So it wasn’t your allergies,  it wasn’t Earl’s third degree burn wings that made your eyes well up like that.

Last night I found myself crying at church as we had back to school night for our kids. It’s a night where we gather around and pray for each kid one one by one.  As it  got started and it went kid after kid after kid I found myself praying peace over all of the kids and then they begin praying for Grady they begin speaking beautiful wonderful thoughts over him! Bring wisdom, strength,  safety and friendships and a mind for Christ over him and I began to tear up and it became uncontrollable I was sobbing as I watched 50 kids and multiple adults pray for my gift,  for my child and then they finished and they moved on as did I. Gaining  my composure along came Bridger  and then came “my allergies”  again. I was overcome with emotion due to the simple fact that I know that he is getting an education in Christ he is getting the same exact prayers that they gave Grady.  They spoke compassion over him, wisdom and peace and leadership. As I looked over Bridger head faced the other direction. I just found myself praising God that he has such a tight group of friends that I had nothing else to do but weep tears of joy as my kids were given something that can never be taken from them.

 vs .

You see as I have gotten older I have began to care less and less about what the world around me says and more and more about the One who is IN me believes and knows!  My family has a relationship with Christ and that can never be taken from them!!  So the next time your “allergies” act up step back and ask yourself, do I need a claritin or is that just Christ showing through me?

So I finally feel like I have like I might be losing touch with my youthful side!!  At Wednesday night church Pastor Reeses sermon was appropriately called YOLO to which I had no clue what that meant!  These days there are many of these things…… What are they called LOL, Rotfl, lmbo, and the aforementioned YOLO which stands for You only live once, but the truth of the matter is YODO…… You only Die Once!! We all as Humans, believers or not will live twice!  The death rate in the world is 100%!  From the day we are born we creep steadily closer to our final days!  Our first day is celebrated by grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles and of course dear old mom and dad!  The last day is celebrated by all that you had an impact on, good and maybe even the bad!! Who knows?!?, but to say YOLO is a travesty to yourself and all of those around you not to mention the fact that is a bold face lie!!  That infamous day that will be your last will not be your last, it’s just your last on earth!  I can’t really say or give a time frame from the time you take that last breath until you stand face to face with Jesus, but what I can say with out a doubt is that the last breath you take  won’t be the last breath you take!  So before you take a second and use that little 4 letter abreviation ( what are they called ) think twice before you tweet out YOLO because it might be your last night on earth and you should have live like it was a YODO night instead!!

#YODO

As Christians I don’t believe that we are held to a different standard by God, we simply choose to live a different way in our day to day lives!  Part of the thing I had to learn was that the sinful nature that we live in is an easy life to stay in.  To walk the Christian walk and to stand tall on your rock of faith will come with stares of ridicule or simple disbelief! You see to live a life of ease and immorality is kind of like cooking with a wooden spon!  I love to cook and I love using my same wooden spoon for my spaghetti sauce every time because it soaks all the seasons and herbs and to taste that oregano and rich cilantro and fresh sage as you perfect that scrumptious delectable sauce worth every second it takes to make it, but in life I’d rather be one of my wife’s rubber spoonula things so that all the things of the world can not soak into my pores and eventually be part of me like all those wonderful herbs that are infused into my wooden cooking spoon!  So I ask which utensil are you or maybe a better question would be which do you want to be because it’s never to late to make the switch!!!

If I said to you both of these boats would make it to your destination which would you choose? Let’s be honest our gut says to take the smooth easy ride on the calm sea, but man that sure would be a lot of work when the big boat seems to have a rough ride

 ahead, but you already know that it’s going to make it! These two boats have to have one thing in common, a captain! Who is the captain on your ship because that my friend, that is what will get you to your destination! In Matthew Chapter 14 it says Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds.23  And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.24  But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.25  And in the fourth watch [between 3:00–6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.26  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright.27  But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! 28  And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.29  He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.30  But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]!31  Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

You see we as Christians fail every day, it’s simply in our nature to fail, but that is why God is such an awesome God because even when I fail just as Peter did Jesus is right there to step in and say “ why did you doubt” You see the water was calm Jesus told Peter “it is I” yet as the wind picked up Peter crumbled, I’d like to say that if I saw Jesus face to face there is absolutely nothing that could stand in my way, that I would be strong enough to withstand the trials that come my way to look fear in the face and say I am not scared, and by the Grace of God and only the grace of God is that possible! We all will come against trials in our lives that will try and punch us like a Mike Tyson upper cut, but with Christ in our corner there is no white flag to be thrown, there is no blood to be shed and yes even I can stand after taking the dubious upper cut that took down so many great fighters when Christ is in my corner! I don’t think it’s coincidence at all that Evander Holyfield the Boxer that wore his Faith proudly across his Championship belt was know as the toughest boxer around! He knew that God did not give him a spirit of fear. He knew that He was the best and that not only was his trainer in his corner So to was Christ!!!!!
Just like In Matthew Chapter 8 where Jesus slept…….
And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.25  And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!26  And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).27  And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

If you will remember in the beginning I asked you which boat you would ride in? I hope and pray that your answer will be prefaced with a little wondering of who the captain is because it doesn’t matter the size of the boat or the depth of the wave if your ship is being led by the right captain then it really doesn’t matter the circumstance because your destination is already planned out! My Captain is getting me here!!!
Is Yours?