Notorious Twenty Something @notorioustwentysomething - Tumblr Blog

Candyman (1992)

Goodbye Notoriety

This is my last full week of being the Notorious Twenty Something. Next week, I will say goodbye to this uncomfortable and anxiety filled decade of my life. A decade that seeped with insecurity and fear.

And yet, a decade in which I was blessed beyond measure. When I entered this decade I had so many questions about the steps my feet would take. At times the darkness was so deep that I didn’t even think the road existed beyond where I stood. I wondered if I would get to this point - looking over the edge into the next decade.

As I did on the eve of my twenties I ask myself, with a good amount of fear, where I will be ten years from now. I want to leave this decade with an anthem in my heart, and so I leave these words here - and I speak them prayerfully into the darkness of the next decade. Let these be the words I set out upon as I find the road.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me

seekelslearn

Anger is a Monster Inside You

Anger is a monster inside of you. When someone does something to hurt you or someone you love, that sleeping monster wakes up with the ferocity of a dragon. It burns up your insides and roars its mighty voice. It bites, scratches and tears at your heart and it’s strength will surprise you. You’ll think it will never go away. But never let the monster use your voice. Wait for the monster to get tired, as it always does. It will burn itself out like a candle and then you can speak again. You can even tell the person who wronged you about the monster and how it felt as it burned you up with its flames. But never let the monster speak.

thesovereignword

I don’t know if you can feel God’s presence in your life right now or not, beloved. But please know that, regardless of your feelings, He’s there. He’s with you. And He’s not going anywhere.

tiredwitch

stephaniecheryl

I was only good at one thing: words. I had read more, much more, than anybody else, and I knew how words worked in the way that some boys knew how engines worked.

Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? (via stephaniecheryl)

booksandteaaaa

just-a-geeky-hipster-deactivate

Completely me!!! 📚

themotivationjournals

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive.

Howard Thurman (via themotivationjournals)

walkbyfaithxx

Consider the Samaritan

I’ve been considering a question lately.

As Christians, I believe we are meant to live out scripture. We are meant to obey the teachings of Jesus and walk in his footsteps. We are not meant to BE Jesus. We can never be Jesus. But we are meant to be beacons of his message during our time on earth.

The question I’ve been considering is this - if we know we can never be Jesus, why even try? Further, is it okay to admit we can’t do it, and do the opposite?

Think of the Good Samaritan. I capitalize Good because I believe this particular fictional character is properly Good. Good with a capital G. Good in a way I am not.

The story is familiar: Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbor?” A Jewish traveler is beaten, stripped, and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite come by, and ignore the man. A Samaritan stops to help him.

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

-Luke 10:36-37

Jesus commands us to love our neighbor. He commands us to love our enemy. He commands us to look at the Good Samaritan and go and do likewise. Yet, I am not Christ, and have never been able to weave this bit of scripture into my heart. I sometimes feel incapable of following this command - and scripture is not vague on how it values it. Christ calls it the second greatest commandment, to love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matthew 22:39)

I consider this question because I wonder - who is my neighbor? I can’t escape the obvious answer no matter how hard I try. My neighbor is whoever needs my help or needs my love. That may be a friend, an enemy, a stranger, someone close, someone far, someone alike, or someone different. My neighbor may sometimes be someone I love - but even those I do not love are my neighbor.

It seems so tempting to follow the directions in scripture I find self serving.

I can devote myself to fellowship and prayer - those around me will praise my faithfulness.

I can practice hospitality - those around me will admire my culinary skills and straightened home.

I can post scripture on my Facebook and Twitter timelines - everyone will warmly give me likes and stroke their own spiritual egos.

But if we are not willing to try to follow all of the commands of Jesus is it worth it to follow some? Is it worth it to paint ourselves with our faith if we are not willing to do those things which are not self serving? Is it worth it to love ourselves only - and not our neighbors? Is it okay to say, “I can never be Jesus. I can never be the Good Samaritan. I am Good at loving and serving myself, but not all my neighbors. I will love some neighbors, and sometimes I will walk on by.”

I ask this question now because this season in our country puts all those neighbors I’d rather ignore front and center. I am not Jesus, and I find it too difficult to love these neighbors oversees who I do not know. Who may harm me, or wish ill for me. I know that Jesus would love them, I know that Jesus would serve them, but they may risk my safety or my comfort.

I think of the neighbors nearby who I may not think deserve my love. Who I may not think deserve to be fed and clothed and sheltered. Who find themselves in metaphorical ditches at their own fault. Jesus calls me to help them, but surely someone else deserves my help more.

So I consider the Samaritan. Maybe the Levite was on his way to do good elsewhere. Maybe the priest was serving another. But the traveler needed help, and neither of them was there. I consider this question to hopefully grow more like Christ in looking for answers. I pray that I would be a little bit more like the Good Samaritan. I pray we would all consider this.

#christianity #christian #goodsamaritan #jesus #scripture #devotional