Being Contagious

    Have you ever had a disease or an illness that was contagious?  Usually the doctor prescribes an antibiotic or prescription that helps you combat your sickness.  Then after a few days you aren't contagious anymore.  What if I told you that we as Christians need to be contagious?  Sounds kind of silly, right?

    We as Christians should be so contagious in our joy, happiness, love, and grace that others want to be like us.  People will question, why are they so happy?  Or they will want what you have.  Our Christian attributes "catch" on with others and they start becoming like Christ.  Our mindset is that of Kingdom people and not Worldly people.  So how do we do this?

    I think a good starting point is with the "Be Attitudes", also known as the Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus shares with us how we can be blessed.  And I think once we see our Kingdom blessings and not worldly blessings we become more contagious.  

    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how those who are poor in spirit are blessed.  But what does poor in spirit mean?  It means that you are so broken in your self (your abiltiies) but you are confident in Jesus.  You realize that you are His vessel to be used and place your confidence in Him instead of yourself. 

     Jesus says "Blessed are those who are humble" or meek, for they will inherit the whole earth (vs 5).  But what does it mean to be meek?  It means you realize that the power resides in God's control and not your own.  It means that you don't rely on your abilities to control situations or circumstances but understand God has ultimate control.  This is particularly hard for me at times as I want to be able to control some things in my life (and honestly I have tried).  

   Later in the scripture Jesus said we need to be merciful.  Where does your foundation in competitiveness lie?  Do you keep records of wrongs?  Are you quick to forgive others?  Do you put other's needs before your own?  

     "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God" (vs 8).  I know that we want to all say, "Yup thats me" and quickly bypass this one and go to the next.  I struggle with this.  My heart and my intentions do not always line up with each other.  Seeing the best and being merciful to those who hurt you is hard, that's for sure.  Yet the thought of being able to see my God if I strive for this is the best motivation I can have.

     I could go over all of the "Blessed are those who..." but I think you get the point.  The Be Attitudes are a road map for us to use.  Not to pick and choose which ones we want to follow.  But to honestly pray to God daily to have the heart and mind of Him.  My bible notes say, "Are your attitudes a carbon copy of the world's selfishness, pride, and lust for power, or do they reflect the humility and self-sacrifice of Jesus, your king?" (Tyndale Life Application Study Bible, NLT)  Are you being contagious with your attitude and your lifestyle for Christ or does it mirror the world?

Dealing with Hurt

     Have you ever dealt with hurt?  I mean the deep down hurt that makes you question things?  A while back I had a situation that came up that left me hurt.  I questions what I did wrong, was I too close to this person and trust them too much?  Should I have prayed harder, listen more closely, or reacted differently?  What could I have done differently so that the outcome would have been different?
      What made this hurt more pronounced was the fact that it dealt with a friend.  At some point in your life you will realized that certain petty things don't matter.  You become more mature and you tend to grow up.  And hopefully that maturity and growth stems from having a deepening relationship with God.
     The other morning while taking my son to my mom's house I heard a Pastor say, "Show me your fiends and I'll show you your future" (Greg Laurie).  I pondered this statement and how I can use this one quote to look at my hurt in a different light.  How do my friendships effect my future.  Am I spending time with my friends in a Christian, loving, and caring environment?  Are my friends lifting me up and challenging me to be a better Christian?
      Back to the hurt....If you have ever been hurt you know what it is like.  There are times you feel like you are moving on.  That you are finally getting over the hurt.  Other times something can re-ignite the hurt and you are back at point one.  If you are going back to point one, like I am at times, then realize you probably haven't forgive that person.
       God calls us to forgive someone 7X70 times.  In other words, we are to continuously forgive individuals just like God continuously forgives us.  I know that this can be hard.  Satan wants us to believe that old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me" saying.  Yes you might have to adjust your relationship with the person hurting you, but that does not mean to love them any less or pray for them any less.
      The situation that left me hurt, I doubted my positive influence.  My insecurities took over and I felt like I had been the one that was in the wrong.  However, when I look back I realize I could have done a few things a little differently.  I tried to be the lighthouse God has called me to be.  I tried to shed some positive light on the situation.   I had other friends supporting me and helping me look at the situations from a different view.
     Don't give up.  Find a way to forgive the person that hurt you.  Remember, "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" Galatians 6:9 ESV.   Seek God in all you do and how you handle situations.  Pray for His will to prevail and not yours.