Lots on my mind

I have spent the last two days at a conference that the church I attend is hosting. I've been helping out, but what I've done a lot more of is watching, listening, and thinking. This conference is more of a support group, where they talk about something that the church has ignored for many years. To watch people attend something that proves that they have a "struggle" in their lives has been convicting to me. A couple of songs have been going through my head:

First one is by Natalie Grant, called "Perfect People":

Never let 'em see you when you're breaking
Never let 'em see you when you fall
That's how we live and that's how we try
Tell the world you've got it all together
Never let them see what's underneath
Cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

[CHORUS:]
There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

Second one is by Kari Jobe called "Beloved":

You're My beloved
You're My bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your cares down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole.

Looking at the first song, we are such broken people. I remember a sermon that I heard by one of our pastors two weeks after Jared died on this very subject. Each one of us is broken, we all have struggles, some are more obvious than others, but that doesn't change anything. Society has taught us ignore it, never let them see you when your breaking. We live our lives hidden behind a mask and forget to be honest with each like God tells us to, i.e. bearing one another's burdens. We are filled with pride, wanting people to only see the surface. Don't you appreciate it more when people are honest with you? I know it makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one that doesn't have it all figured out/put together. If we could only look at one another the way God sees us. This is where the second song comes in. We are His beloved, bride, He sees no stain on us anymore (if we are His child), and we are beautiful to Him! That is the other thing that we focus on, the struggle or sin that ensnares us instead of letting God take it away and making us more like Him. Why can't we (and I mean "I") remember that!

One of the speakers tonight used the following verse:

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Can you imagine if we were filled with Christ's love like that, how much more we could pour out that love to others, not judging them for the "stuff" that is in their lives?!

Sidenote, the other speaker, one of our pastor's wives, was so good tonight. I have never heard her speak and it was a great encouragement to me. She spent the time focusing on the future, what God will do in people's lives if we let Him. It was interesting because during some downtime today, I went back to my office to get some work done, then I began to work on my Bible study. One verse that was in the study was:

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exult you at the proper time.

It stuck out to me, because I'm working through some things right now, and God is humbling me a little (ok, maybe a lot). Interesting thing, she used that same verse, yeah, God's talking to me again......

That's all for now, goodnight.