Finally July 26, 2007

Ok, so I have finally had some time and inspiration to write a blog… ENJOY!

This past weekend I drove up to Salt Lake City, Utah (area) to visit my little sister Elisa. She is in a locked down facility up there and so a few of us went up to visit her. (Since I haven’t seen her since last October.) I was so nervous to see her, and I guess there was justified reasons for that, because when she left we weren’t on the greatest of terms. As I hung out with her all weekend I began to see the changes she has made in her life and I was so thankful to God for all He has done in her life.

But I also began to think, WHY? And HOW? Why and how did all this happen? I began to think back to when Elisa was about 13 or 14 (she is 16 now). I thought about the the “warning” signs that are now so clear. How did we miss it? Why didn’t we take things seriously? I hate to say it, but when Elisa was going through all of this stuff we almost didn’t believe it. And alot of people told my parents she was fabricating stories to get attention! Then when it all hit the fan, we began to realize that it wasn’t fabrication, but the truth. It was so hard to believe, but it was true…

Elisa was not only severely on drugs, she was selling them. She also was bulimic. She was also hanging out with boys and doing only God knows what?! HOW DID WE MISS THAT? THAT KEPT RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND! At her “school” (the facility) she showed me where her NA meetings were… and I also met with her therapist. (Who THANK GOD is a very level headed lady, with amazing insight!) I just kept looking at my little sister thinking of everything she had been through these last few years, and we had no clue. We knew she was getting into trouble, BUT we didn’t know how severe… until it was too late!

I have to admit, I felt like a failure. Not only as a sister, but as a Christian. How could I allow someone, MY OWN SISTER, to fall so hard and not be there to catch them? Not be there to bring insight and wisdom, and guidance? I know this is almost ridiculous thinking, but it was defiantly going through my head.

When we left on Monday, Elisa asked if we would all pray with her…She said she hadn’t prayer out loud in almost a year and she missed praying with others. (Almost everyone in her school is Mormon.) So we prayed, for almost half an hour in her school parking lot, crying out to God. Then I told her, that last year, Alli, Melissa, and Lauren (who were all in Utah with me) and I prayed for her at last year’s summer camp. We prayed God would protect her, and bring her back to Him! WHAT AN AMAZING MOMENT THAT WAS! Here is was, one year later, and SHE WAS PRAYING! Thanking God for protecting her, guiding her, and giving her the strength to move on from her sins! It was awesome!

As we were driving home, I began to get worried. (again) Elisa is coming home in August. She has finished her programs and passed with flying colors! She has been clean for 9 months… and is continuing to press on. But what worries me is her coming back here. So often when people go through a major crisis like this I see that people avoid them…. they become the “bad seed”. People don’t see them as changed, they see them as a problem. I know because I have done it too. I have been the one to look down on someone for their sin, instead of embracing them, supporting them, and loving them, as I should. The one and ONLY thing these “bad seeds” need is the love and support of family and the church. But so often those are the only two places they CANT find it. I pray that when Elisa comes back, God will give her an AMAZING support system of friends and family who can love and encourage her to show her that no matter what sins you have committed, you can be forgiven and welcomed back into God’s family to be restored!

I thank God for what He has taught me through Elisa’s situation. Not only can I spot the warning signs from a mile away… but I will also accept and love people who have gone astray. The church should be the first place they find love and compassion. God accepts them, and so should we. No longer will I judge so harshly the things people have done… but I will pray for them, that God gives them the strength to overcome the temptations that so easily entangle them. And I pray that I can be the light, and the lifeline to God for them. If I am the only glimmer of HOPE in their lives, I hope I can shine BRIGHT!

June 29, 2007

Sometimes in life things just get out of control crazy… When my life seems to be doing this I always seek someone to help me figure out what is going on with me. This last week my Auntie Debbie gave me this article, and it spoke volumes to me…. So please take the time to read it and ponder what it has to say!

 

Dealing with Disappointment

Cinde Lucas

 

Lately I have noticed that I tend to be more “testy” than usual. I’ve noticed it, but haven’t addressed it. So this morning I asked, “Where is this anger coming from?” I had my Bible program open and so I put in the word “anger.” One of the words that came up was “disappointment,” and immediately I knew where the anger was coming from.

 

Each of us has hopes and dreams for our lives. God actually designed us to be goal- and vision-oriented. Proverbs 29:18 says that without a vision we actually perish. So it’s not a bad thing to have plans, goals and desires for our lives. But what happens when those plans are diverted? Proverbs 13:12 says that hope differed makes the heart sick. My heart had become sick with disappointments and I hadn’t even realized it.

 

Disappointment is a part of life that every person deals with. Our kids disappoint us; our spouse disappoints us; our friends disappoint us; we even disappoint ourselves. Left unchecked, these disappointments build up and begin to dam up the River of Life that God desires to flow through us. We must regularly ask the Holy Spirit to shine the light of Truth into our hearts and dislodge the hurts, disappointments, and offenses that threaten to cut off the fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives. Bearing good fruit is God’s greatest desire for our lives (John 15) and so it is no wonder that Satan works overtime to dump garbage there! What we do with it greatly affects our life and the lives of those around us. All those little foxes destroy the vine of our lives!

 

I had to admit that I’ve had several disappointments over the last several months. Then I had to repent and ask God to forgive me for carrying them. Rather than giving them over to God (Matthew 11:28) and allowing His Spirit to strengthen me, I had ‘stuffed’ them, causing a dam to be built in me. Praise God I saw it today and not twenty years from now!

Don’t be afraid to be honest about what you’re dealing with. When we agree with God, His grace empowers us to do that which we cannot do on our own. And I don’t care how much you try, you can never overcome without the Holy Spirit’s Help. Apart from Him you can do NOTHING!

 

I pray that today the River of Living Water will well up inside of you and dislodge all the hurts and disappointments in your life. I ask the Holy Spirit to work within you to bring healing and restoration to your body, mind, soul and spirit. May you be filled with the fullness of God’s love and may your life abound with lots of good, healthy fruit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, gentleness, and self-control! (Gal. 5:22-23). May you be empowered by God in your inner being so that you may be completed flooded with His grace, His power and His peace.

 

In His Victory,
Cinde

 

Cinde Lucas is an ordinary person, who happens to LOVE to encourage and motivate people! She has a passion to share the Love of God with people and to let them know that God is GOOD and He has an AWESOME plan for their lives! Cinde truly desires to lead people into a closer relationship with God through music; her prayer is that the ministry we share will uplift and encourage people to be all that God created them to be. Visit Overflow Ministries at www.CindeLucas.com.

Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11544376/

Dealing with sinners :) June 25, 2007

So here I go.  My first blog ever!  

 

After a few discussions with people on this very topic I think its time to blog about and see what everyone has to say. 

 

Dealing with people who are in constant sin is a struggle for me as a Christian.  Now I know you are all thinking well we are all sinners, but I am talking about a lifestyle of sin.  Someone who refuses to change their ways and still claims to know Christ and comes to church and the whole sha bang. 

 

My struggle comes from a few areas.  On one hand I feel that God would want me to love and encourage these people who are struggling so much and who cant seem to give up their lifestyle.  After all, Jesus did that with sinners.  (Tax collectors, etc.)  He ate with them and was friends with them right?  But one the other hand there are rules on dealing with people who will not “turn from their ways”, so to speak.  (And isn’t one of those separating yourself from that person, no longer associating yourself with them?) 

 

I also don’t want my willingness to love them and be around them to be misconstrued by them to mean that I accept what they are doing.  I want them to know that I firmly believe they are in sin and they need to repent.  But I don’t want to shove it down their throat.  On the other hand I don’t want to never speak to them again.  WHERE IS THE LINE?  How do you love someone and yet keep your distance?  How do you make someone understand the seriousness of life, and the choices they make? 

 

What would God have you do?  Continue to let this person live the life they are living and love them, no matter what, even if they think you are condoning what they do? (Because obviously you cant change them?)  Or should you cut ties?  Not talk to them?

 

I think I struggle with this because it hits so close to home.  It drives me crazy  that through the situations I have dealt with the person I have spoken to about what they are doing has cried and said they want to change etc.  But then they go off and do something even worse?!  What do you do with that?

 

Like I said, I want opinions…  Thanks for reading!  

Hello blogging world June 14, 2007

So here I am.  I have found myself reading everyone’s blogs and mumbling my opinions to myself thinking why don’t I just start a blog and take part in the fun!  So after talking with my best friend Lindsay, HERE I AM!  I am so excited to begin blogging and taking part in these awesome discussions that I have only ever read!  YEAH FOR BLOGGING!