Being a Christian as a teenager in high school is a lot easier than being a Christian as a young adult in college.
I remember back in high school I had little to no doubt about my faith.. I wasn't hassled or constantly questioned about my drinking habits (which actually have little to do with my faith).
Being a "good kid" wasn't such a weird thing because it was expected of everybody. Unless one did it in private, no one really drank or slept around or any of that stuff.
College is such a trial to your faith. From what we learn in our classes, to experiencing freedom from our parents control, and especially spending most of our time with people who aren't in our youth group. There are attacks coming in from every side and sometimes even from yourself.
People used to be so sensitive about my faith to the fact where it was some times annoying. I got tired of hearing "No we better not do that because Bri is a Christian and she won't go for it" and the like. But now you walk into a science class and the teacher basically teaches the class that everything you hold to be fundamentally true isn't even considered.
I know that this world is not catered to us as Christians because this is where the Enemy runs free. He runs free over the lives of the people who don't even believe in him, and some times even manages to affect us Christ-followers.
It's rough.
The point I'm getting at is that as I am getting older, I'm struggling with these internal things that pastors always warned us about. The types of things that, as a young person, we hoped would be the type of things we struggled with and not things like addiction or loss.
A friend of mine came out of Christianity and he explained that he sat down and gave God one last chance to give him a sign before he walked away. He sat for a couple hours waiting for God to do anything but alas, He did not and this left my friend with no faith.
A year or so ago I found myself doing things like this quite often. I used to cry out "God speak to me!! I need SOMETHING Jesus, send me a sign!" Of which, I had always hoped a truck carrying a bunch of signs would drive by, like in the film Bruce Almighty. Unfortunately, my response was much like my friend's... silent.
In fact, I don't think God has ever spoken to me in those situations, despite how much I wanted him to. I can't be sure if this correlates, but I'm reminded of Satan tempting Jesus. (Matthew 4:1-11)
Surely, we are not Satan and I don't think we are tempting Jesus but something about sitting and demanding God to show you a sign seems wrong.
In my travels, I have found that God speaks what he wants, when he wants. Not according to our agenda. Some times he'll actually speak when you hoped he would stay quiet. I'm sure we can all vividly remember God tugging on us to do something, and we just suppressed it and tried to convince ourselves that it wasn't actually God speaking.
Isn't it funny how he works?
But there is something in this thought (the thought that when we are desperate for His voice he seems quiet, and when He does speak we are scared to do what he asks so we tell ourselves it's not Him talking) and that is what this whole crazy long post has been about.
We need to give God every area of our lives. We need to submit when he requests us to do something.
How many times have you heard this? I'm gonna guess somewhere around 10,000 times.
"Give God each area of your life"
-Joel Olsteen
-C.S. Lewis
-Joyce Myer
-C.S. Lewis
-Billy Grahm
-Pastor Tom
-Your Mother
Okay, you get the point.
But as I was sitting in bed last night after some worship, I was feeling upset that God wasn't really speaking to me. I told him that I want faith that'll move a mountain and I don't want to have this doubt.
And then it hit me.
God gives me chances to prove me faith, like, a hundred times a day but I never take them.
Just this week:
He called me to honor my mother by doing the things she asked.
I didn't.
He called me to show kindness a person I don't like.
I didn't.
He called me to be Christlike to a group of friends.
I didn't.
He called me to not be slothful and get up and go to sleep at a decent hour.
I didn't.
I mean, the list go on!
This whole time I was waiting to be able to save a bunch of kids from a burning bus, or to jump off a cliff to save a drowning baby, to grow my faith, when God has been calling me this whole time and I didn't listen.
I heard but I didn't listen.
God has called us to follow him all in. In the bible, Peter and Andrew and John and James, literally stopped in the middle of what they were doing, dropped everything, and followed Jesus. (Matthew 4:19)
What's the big idea (Veggietales reference):
- As we get older, Christian life presents new and deeper challenges that we did not expect. Whenever you are feeling challenged, remember that this is part of the Christian experience. As we get older, the social standards we learned growing up start to really weigh heavy on us and this could cause us to put what God wants for us second.
- Don't put God on trial. I don't think that has ever worked for anyone. Be patient and he will talk when it's time to talk.
- "Every area of your life" means every area. Not just the gritty, deep-seated stuff in your little closet of secrets, but the average every day stuff. In the long run, these are the types of things that are going to affect us the most, anyways.
What little things in your life are you ignoring?
