Ears Open, Mouth Closed

Last Sunday's teaching/discussion at Passage definitely pertained to me. Granted, it pertained to a past me a little more, but still.

We're currently inching through James. In this case, our slow pace is a good thing! Way too often people don't take the time to read the Bible. Instead of really getting anything out of it, the goal is just to read as much as possible. I guess quantity seems equal to holiness? Anyways. We're slowly making our way through James, usually a verse a week. It's really good because we're able to really focus on what we're reading, as well as discuss it. Always good to hear lot of opinions on matters. 


So I used to be a very angry person. Not in the "I hate the world! Kill everyone!" sense, but just that I got mad a lot. Well. I still do. Just not as much, it's definitely a work in progress. God has been super gracious and helped me a lot though. I was able to finally recognize that my automatically frustrated responses to my family was hurting them, and injuring our relationship. That made me want to change. Wanting to change meant I was putting forward effort as well as asking God for help, and I think I've at least started improving! Not being around my family 24/7 helps of course. I pray that when I'm home over the summer though I'll still be able to treat them with love and respect. 


So James 1:19-20 talks about anger. Anger hurts God, it doesn't please Him, and it doesn't glorify Him. That's good to hear. It's yet another reminder of how important it is to change. It reminds me that I'm not just working on this for myself or my relationship with family, I need to be working on it because of God.

Anger is such a bad example to the world. If I have a fish sticker on my car (and virtually everyone knows that represents Christianity) and then cut someone off, flip them off, develop road rage (which I can periodically have a tendency towards), then that anger is associated with God/Christianity. It's hypocritical and absolutely 100% does not glorify God. Our lives should be about honoring Jesus. 


If you think about it, we aren't here very long. I mean maybe 80 to 100 years on this earth. Currently that seems like an eternity, but in actuality, it isn't. Every second of the life we have should be living for Jesus. It should be full of love, compassion, care, service, and joy. That's super hard. But Jesus knows that, due to sin, living a perfect life is impossible. He still wants us to try though. He wants us to trust Him also, trust Him to help us. We have to place our lives in His hands and let Him shape us into who He wants us to be. 

He'll work through us, through our crazy, sinful lives. I think that's really cool. God will use me. He doesn't NEED me in the sense that He cannot survive without me, but He still wants me. He wants me because I can bring Him glory. He wants me to share His great love with others. He wants me to love Him. He wants me to love others. He wants me to live for Him. He wants my life...and He can totally have it. 


A super huge part of living for God is loving and listening. Listening is harder than it seems! I know I have a way too difficult time with it...just ask my sister. Or maybe my problem is more that I love to help. And by help I generally mean give advice. Half the time people haven't even finished their story and I'm trying to fix it. At times that can be good, but often people just want someone to compassionately listen. 


Listening = loving. When we take the time to legitimately listen to someone we're showing them a lot of care. We're taking time out of our busy schedules to spend with them. That's a sacrifice of sorts, and people really appreciate it. Really genuinely listening  means so much to people. Asking them questions that prove you really heard them and care is huge. People love to talk, and we should love to listen. That's what I'm working on at least!