I think those of us who are Christians know how hard it is to, well, be a Christian. It’s funny how you go day-to-day doing your usual thing, saying your usual words, thinking your usual thoughts…and don’t really realize what you are doing, saying, or thinking. It all becomes “normal” to us. Until one day..”ZAP!” [...]
I think those of us who are Christians know how hard it is to, well, be a Christian. It’s funny how you go day-to-day doing your usual thing, saying your usual words, thinking your usual thoughts…and don’t really realize what you are doing, saying, or thinking. It all becomes “normal” to us. Until one day..”ZAP!” you realize that you’ve sort of fallen into this hole of sorts…where you start to question what really matters.
I’ve been a Christian all my life. I love and believe in Jesus. And I believe that sometimes as Christians and people that have believed all our lives, we sort of lose track of what is important and start to focus on things that are not-so-important. It’s happens to all of us.
For instance, church. I admit, I haven’t been good at going. It’s just something that happens once in a while…I fall into a pattern of not going. But this past Sunday, as I was sitting in the living room, I glanced at the clock as it inched towards 8pm. I thought to myself, “Church starts at 9. Yeah, it’s a little farther than I’d like to drive…but for the love, what is stopping me from going?” So I threw on a pair of jeans, grabbed my Bible, and I went. God surprisingly doesn’t care too much about appearances. :) And as hard as it was for me to get in the spirit, the message was something I needed to hear. I left that place feeling a little more whole. I can’t say it was a total life-changing experience…usually things like that aren’t as obvious…but it was definitely something I needed to do. And something I need to make a habit of.
This is just a reaffirmation that you cannot do life by yourself. As much as you say you love God and as much as you try to tell yourself you can live life on your own…your own terms, your own rules…you just can’t. You start to realize that living a true Christian life and leading a true Christian walk affects not only you, but how you treat other people…your daily interactions. And without God, I just suck. I may not have been this terrible, horrible person by any means…but I definitely wasn’t the Aaron I wanted to be. It wasn’t the Aaron I felt others needed to know. And I think eventually, it would have gotten worse.
When I started taking pictures a few years ago, the only way I knew I could get better is to put time into it and grow to where I wanted to be. It’s a continuous evolution…every time I pull my camera out of my bag, I try something different. I try to learn something new. I try to be the best photographer I can be…and then try to top myself the next time. I surround myself with creative and talented people that want to grow along with me and will push me to be the best I can be.
Like everything else, the same goes with faith. I need to take the time to really be the person I want to be. I need to make a conscious effort to treat people the way I think Jesus would treat them. To love the way Jesus loved. And I need to make conscious efforts to learn new things…to be the best Christian guy I can possibly be. And I need to surround myself with faithful, compassionate believers (aka church) who push each other to grow.
I may not have “rediscovered” God. All this time, I knew He was there. I just need a reminder once in a while about what’s important and Who I’m really living for. And I need to listen a little harder to what He’s trying to teach me…everyday.
So, I am taking advantage of this time to get my blog on. I haven’t had a crush in a long time, but I’ve seen this girl popping up lately and I thought I would give her a little shout…
Those puppies are soooooo adorable, I wish I could have one, too!