Happiness

We had a great sermon at church today, one that has had me pondering all day. Our awesome new Pastor discussed the selfishness of human beings, and had us asking ourselves what would make us "happy". My immediate reponse of what would make me "happy" right now was so selfish that it makes me want to vomit.

He asked why Christian struggle so much with their selfish natures, and it was a great question. It made me think back to my Truth Project days, and the question: Do you really believe that what you believe is really real? And honestly, if we really did believe what is preached every Sunday, and what is taught in the Greatest Book Ever, we would all be acting a lot differently than we do now.

If we really believed, we would be taking the money given to us through God's gifts, and using it to further His Kingdom, not to fuel our materialistic needs.

If we really believed, we would help everyone who needed it.

If we really believed, we would never be judgmental.

If we really believed, we would be telling our friends and neighbours about Jesus.

Harsh? I guess so, but I'm the first to admit that there must be some doubt in my mind, because if I really believed I sure wouldn't be acting the way I do a lot of the time.

I guess it's these tough times that bring us closer to God, because there's no other way out but to find His guidance.

But I'm so selfish.....

Matthew's Party

Matthew is a bit of an "odd" child; he talks to himself, spins around on the floor, and generally can't be bothered with other people. Still, it broke my heart when, year after year in school, he was not invited to one birthday party, other than one in kindergarten. I can't imagine how many times he heard other kids talking about upcoming parties, and wondered why he was never invited.

However, since he changed schools and found his little gang of friends, everything has changed. He has been invited to at least a couple of parties since June, and right now he is downstairs with his little gang, chatting about lego, acting like boys, and having the time of his life.

This was Matthew's first "invite kids from school" birthday party. He never wanted a birthday party since he never had friends to invite. We were blessed in the past two years to spend his birthday with good friends of ours; a family with more than enough kids for a great party!! Two years ago, it was a surprise party at their house, and last year it was bowling and dinner with them. Now that they have moved away, I'm so thankful that Matthew can fill their void with some buddies from school.

I feel so content hearing them laugh playfully in the basement, and I wonder if they'll be friends all through school. I'm guessing yes - they are like four peas in a pod.

It's just a reminder of what's truly important in this life, and how these moments need to be protected and cherished forever. It's a good step back for me; a step back to look at life and what it's all about.

And I'll give God all the Glory for this one.

I played volleyball last night!!

I'm thrilled to announce that I played volleyball for two hours last night, jumping, stretching, spiking, diving, and other than some sore knees this morning, I feel great!!

Finally.....I'm starting to feel healed.

A Sad Tale

A few posts ago I wrote about how I couldn't be a Saviour in the lives of some of the people I meet down in the inner city, and it really hit home last night. I went in for my usual shift, it was VERY busy, but my favorite community member was not there, and I remembered how he told me on Tuesday that he might be out doing drugs before he headed up north for his new job. I thought he was kind of kidding, and I thought maybe I had talked him out of it, but no such luck.

And it was even worse than that.

His buddy came in and told me he had started drinking on Thursday and had been doing drugs Friday and Saturday, so obviously wouldn't be popping into the Mustard Seed on Saturday night. It was a sad revelation - all of my chatting and positive words did nothing to help this guy, and it sounds like he's on a downward spiral after having such a postive past few weeks.

However, I'm not going to give up - there are lots of others who need positive words of encouragement, and just because I couldn't save my favorite, doesn't mean I won't have an impact on someone else down the road.

That's Better!

I'm feeling much better today than on Monday - the hectic deadline of January 31 is over, and February 29th seems light years away. I can relax (relatively), ponder, and enjoy my day rather than frantically working towards half a dozen deadlines. However, as quickly as January passed by, February will also pass by, so I had better keep on top of things.

Later!