Because sometimes you need to talk it out with a friend. This starts off with the types of "religious" conversations I have with my boyfriend. The names have obviously been changed to conceal our awesome, secret, super-hero identities.
Friend: how does the conversation usually go, like what do you guys talk about?
Me: well its small stuff
Me: like yesterday we talked about tattoos
Me: and how when my mom was still alive we all had a mentality that it was a very bad thing to get a tattoo
Me: and then he asked me" well that seems hypocritical given the fact that your dad had a tattoo"
Me: to which i replied: "he got it before he was converted"
Me: and then he said, did your mom convert him
Me: and I said, no, he converted before he met my mom. and my mom was converted before she met my dad.
Me: and then he said: well if tattoos are soo bad, why did Jane (my little sister), Joe (my older brother) get a he get a tattoo?
Me: recently?
Me: and I said its because we had a very "religious" way of thinking when my mom was alive
Me: (i don't know why btw)
Me: but when she passed away, it was as if though we had a totally new mentality
Me: like we were liberated from all that "religious" mindset.
Me: and then he asked, well then why do Christians think its bad to get tattoos?
Me: why did it become a "religious thing"
Me: and I said, theologically speaking, when someone got a tattoo in those days, it was because they were worshiping another god.
Me: and as a sign of worship to that god, they would inscribe symbols--or tattoos on their bodies
Me: and that's why the bible states that you shall not inscribe symbols into your body.
Me: but somewhere along those lines, it was interpreted in a way that ALL tattoos were bad
Me: and that's how that conversation went
Friend: and in the same text it states you shouldn't cut your hair a certain way and so on
Me: exactly!
Friend: it had to do with the worship and the context it was in
Friend: it's all about context
Me: exactly!
Me: and that's how I explained it
Friend: people twist the Bible in all kinds of directions to fit what they want it to say
Friend: good
Me: he seemed content with my answer
Me: im glad we didn't argue about it
Friend: the funny thing is, it sounds like he's getting off on very tedious "religious" details when the message is about salvation from death through Christ
Friend: not about whether you can drink wine or get tattoos
Me: but this is the type of stuff that we discuss (sometimes) when ever we talk about religion
Me: YES!!!
that's good, 'cause it opens the door to conversation
Me: yea...the only thing is that he's paranoid that my friends are going to preach at him and he hates the idea
Friend: i've always heard it said that we need to keep the main thing the main thing
Me: exactly
Me: i hate it how people make comments and don't back it up
Friend: so like when it gets that way, spin it back to Jesus...make a point quickly about the topic and then guide it back to what Jesus did for us to save us from ourselves
Me: i went through that phase though...where i used someone else words and spirituality as my own
Me: instead of looking for the answers on my own
Friend: oh believe me i know how that is
Me: and rationalizing them in my own mind
Friend: i've done that and it's really scary
Me: as apposed to someone else opinions
Friend: 'cause you don't want to misrepresent God
Friend: yeah, i know what you mean
Me: yea
Friend: but God always has a way of showing His children (those who are in Christ) when they're wrong without a shadow of a doubt
Me: you know what, i'm going to be completely honest, I had stopped reading my bible for a while and I found myself not being able to answer any questions or counter my Boyfriend's comments--he would stump me.
Friend: yeah i've been there too
Me: But I've been reading every night and even though the thing i read is totally unrelated to things that I would talk to my Boyfriend about on a normal day
Friend: i dont' read it as much as i should, which is every day
Friend: well that's good though
Friend: the Holy Spirit will give you the words, just pray for guidance
Me: i found that God has been empowering me
Friend: that's AWESOME
Me: like I would have NEVER had had that logical tattoo conversation with my Boyfriend had I not been in my word
Friend: and if you don't know the answer or aren't sure....just say that and then look up the answer together
Me: to tell you the truth, i have no idea where that even came from
Me: and how I even responded the way I did
Friend: haha i know what you mean
Friend: and you just know it came from God
Friend: 'cause you're like...how did I know that????
Me: and now that i look back on it, i feel that it was my "Jeremiah" moment and that God put the words in my mouth
Me: and my Boyfriend had nothing else to say about the topic--which is weird cause he ALWAYS has something to say
Friend: LOL
Me: AND ironically, i've been reading Jeremiah this whole month
Me: Thank you Jesus!
Friend: AMEN
Friend: God knows exactly what you need when you need it
Me: yes!!
Friend: i've been learning lately that it's not that we ask Him to be Lord and Savior and then still try to be in control of our lives and wonder if He's going to guide us
Friend: it's that we ask Him to be Lord and Savior in our lives and then trust in Him to guide us completely
Friend: He says that we shouldn't worry and that basically He's in control of everything
Friend: EVERYTHING
Friend: we just need to trust in Him and abide in Him
Friend: that's IT
Friend: He'll guide us through the rest of it
Friend: we just have to submit our will to His
Me: Thanks Friend, honestly, i really needed to hear that
Friend: and ask Him to rule us
Me: my whole life i thought my life/destiny was going in one directly
Friend: we have such a tendency to make things so difficult
Me: direction*
Me: and I always felt that I made a BIG mistake getting in to a relationship with my Boyfriend
Me: and maybe I did
Me: but for the longest time
Me: I felt like I was carrying a HUGE burden
Me: (because i had to step down from my worship team simply for the fact of dating a "non christian")
Me: and then one night, a couple month ago,
Me: i was watching tv and the movie i was watching ended
Me: and then
Me: oh God, i forgot his name
Me: the preacher in texas, with the smile on his face
Me: you know who i'm talking about?
Friend: John Hagee?
Me: no
Friend: oh wait no
Friend: Joel Osteen
Me: he wrote a book
Me: YES!!!!
Me: Joel Osteen came on tv
Me: and i've never been a big fan of him (i think it's cause he's WAY to happy for an average man..) but that's just me
Friend: LOL
Friend: i take what he says with a grain of salt
Friend: i feel like i need to check his message with the Bible more than other preachers HAHA
Friend: but a preacher i listen to, Chuck Missler says...don't trust what I say, always check the Bible
Friend: like the Bereans
Friend: they always checked what Paul preached to them against the Word of God to make sure it was accurate
Friend: they tested everything by the Bible
Friend: didn't mean to interrupt...please continue :-)
Me: i totally feel you! haha
Me: anyway, i usually change the channel when he's one
Me: on
Me: but for some reason, i didn't
Me: i felt that i needed to listen to what he said
Me: and what he said REALLY impacted me
Me: he said that people live theirs lives thinking about their past
Me: and their burdens
Me: and not being able to let go
Me: but the one thing we should know is that God KNEW your life before you did
Me: and that he prepared EVERY step of your way
Me: and that just straight out made me cry
Me: because this whole time i felt like i was carrying a burden
Friend: totally....i know what you men
Friend: mean
Me: much like the lady from the "scarlet letter"
Me: and that no matter how i tried to justify it
Me: or pray or worship, that there was a big "A" (figuratively speaking) in my forehead that I could not get rid of
Me: but when i heard those words, i just cried
Me: because God KNEW that I was going to take this direction in my life
Me: and he made his perfect plan around that
Me: and that lifted that burden
Friend: that's awesome
Me: i mean, i had read that in the bible before, you know?
Friend: it's hard for us to wrap our minds around that even thought we've messed up, God knows all about it and He loves us anyway
Me: that he knew that she was going to die and such
Me: but Joel really put it into perspective
Me: because i was feeling THAT burden at that very second
Friend: yeah i know what you mean
Friend: and it's so difficult to carry a burden like that
Friend: but Jesus takes that burden away when we repent and give it to Him
Friend: He knows us from beginning to end and through eternity
Friend: there's nothing we can think, do, say, feel that He doesn't know about
Friend: i fail God on a daily basis, not that it excuses it but when I repent, I need to trust in the fact that I am forgiven of that
Friend: 1 John 1-9 says, "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Friend: that's a very important verse to understand
Me: yea, totally
Me: but it's so easy to forget
Me: and being human we hold on to those things
Friend: very easy
Me: and i totally hate myself for it
Friend: yeah, and we think there's not way i'm off the hook for this
Me: because i am forgiven! i am the daughter of the most high God! NOTHING is impossible for him
Me: NOTHING
Friend: i've done things i wish i had never done too. and you start to think that i must have to do something to make up for it
Friend: but we can't make up for it
Friend: if there was a way for us to make it right, Jesus wouldn't have had to go to the cross for us
Me: Wow
Me: what an AWESOME way to put that
Me: because in the end, everyone falls short
Me: But thank God for his continued mercy
Friend: Romans 3:23 is another favorite verse for me
Me: yes!!
Friend: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but are justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
Friend: He really is amazing
Friend: we totally deserve hell because we have sinned against and offended a holy and true and perfect God who loves us and we basically slapped Him in the face
Friend: but He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins so we could still be forgiven
Friend: it's not that God is going to send us to hell for being bad, we've sentenced ourselves to death by our sins
Friend: God is offering a way out
Friend: that's the choice we have to make....if we want to continue on our path to destruction that we're already on, or accept His forgiveness through Jesus Christ
Friend: He's not after us to condemn us but to save us
Me: Amen.
Me: There are so many questions in my mind that i cannot process
Me: but in the end, i just think, it's true God works in mysterious ways, and maybe it's better that we don't know this
Me: he has a plan for everything and everyone
Friend: yeah....but still....we do have the free will to choose our own path
Me: regardless of whether or not we understand it or not
Friend: He'll put things in our life to bring us to Him but it's still our decision whether or not to accept Him
Friend: and i think it happens in steps
Me: exactly
Friend: i think in some way He presents the choice to everyone
Friend: and it's up to them whether they want to go with Him or go the way of the world
Friend: it's like we're on a cliff that's crumbilng and He's offering the only way out
Friend: you have to leave all the treasures and stuff you ahve with you on that cliff and give up yourself to be saved
Me: yea
Friend: or you can hold on to what you have on the edge of that cliff for the short time you have left
Friend: and really
Friend: life is way short
Friend: it's so hard to do, but we have to keep an eternal perspective
Friend: look ahead to the real prize of eternity with HIm
Friend: we can get so blinded by the enticements of this world
Friend: and that's not saying we can't enjoy His creation or the people in our lives or the gifts He's given us
Friend: but in a Godly way that brings honor to Him
Friend: and nothing can become more important with Him
Friend: important than* Him
Me: absolutely
What a great way to end a great conversation. I'm so thankful to have a friend like this.
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