today is my last day as a 24-year old. in reality, tomorrow i will have completed my 25th year of life. so crazy to think about.
i was sitting in my office at work today, trying to figure out exactly what i wanted this particular post to be about. it could be one of those cheesy, reflective "let me tell you everything i have learned in almost 25 years of life" posts,... or it could be one of those depressing "i'm now 1/4 of a century old. i could now be at 1/3rd of my life expectancy" posts,... or it could be a "yay! celebrate me! i'm turning 25! it's all about me!" kind of post... to be perfectly honest, i would prefer it not to be any of those.
what i'd really like it to be is somewhere in between, because i think it is important to occasionally reflect (tho it does not necessarily have to be on a birthday). and i think it is fun to celebrate making it thru 25 years of life. i have no desire to complain about how old i am... unless i'm talking about my constantly popping joints, or... just kidding. i really just want to post about a few discussions i have been involved in recently.
one occurred sometime last week. i wasn't exactly involved in the conversation, but it was happening around me. one of my friends mentioned that she didn't always like it when one of our pastors prayed on sunday mornings. because she felt like he prays in a very personal way... as if we are just privy to his conversation with Christ. and in a way, i think she's right. but her thought was that we shouldn't be listening in on that. and that he should save those prayers for his personal time, as Matthew 6 seems to imply (i'm inferring here,... i could be wrong. she may not have been referencing this verse):
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)i agree with her to some extent, but i also disagree. i do believe that when our pastor prays, we are often overhearing a conversation that he his having with the Lord. however, i believe we can look at that as a learning experience. i really enjoy listening to him pray, because he often prays in ways i wouldn't think of, or about things that i wouldn't normally put much thought into. and it is refreshing.
so...should this be the way he proceeds with prayer in front of the church? should we not be able to listen in? i'm honestly not sure...
switching gears: another conversation that occurred lately, happened at the small group that meets at our house. we had one girl come who is searching. she doesn't have a church background, and she doesn't know a lot about the Bible or even Christianity in general. however, she has a desire. we, as a small group, have been given a pretty awesome opportunity. not only an opportunity to witness to her and to try to answer her questions, but also to view Christianity through an unfiltered lens.
what i mean by that, is that oftentimes as Christians, we tend to start thinking and talking and even listening with a "church filter." we use our church words and carry our big churchy books and Bibles. we sometimes forget what it is like to be searching for fulfillment. for salvation. for redemption. it was really cool to sit back and listen to this girl, desperately seeking the Truth. and it was necessary for me to hear things as she views them, so that i can remember that we're not all the same...we process things differently. but on the other hand, we are the same: "for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
anyway... i feel as if i'm getting ranty... one more thing. in small group last week, a newly wedded friend of ours came over. her husband was unable to come with her. nobody really said much about it. this week, another girl asked about girl #1... "is she a newlywed?" yes... "i can just tell. she has that glow." :) and it hit me. that is a beautiful picture of how our relationship with Christ should be. He should be so evident in us that we glow. people should know we are married to Christ just by the glow we have!
