I've been trying to keep my posts up on here.. but I apparently forgot one the other day. ~ That's what happens when you try to keep up with too many sites at one time... I am now posting on wordpress and have been copying the new posts and pasting them onto my blogger account. It worked pretty well in the beginning, but then I began overlooking it accidentally...
I am still posting. Just to let you know. :) Not as regularly as I would like to, but I am still writing just the same. I wanted to keep up my posts on blogger because I know of some people who read it on here specifically.
At this point, I think I am going to just be posting on wordpress, but I intend to leave my blogger address up and running. Every so often I will probably check back and update with some newer posts.
My address at wordpress is: http://pianogirl.wordpress.com, and I imported everything from blogger onto this address. It is nice because it has stats and so many more options than blogger. Plus I think it's easier to use. I was somewhat skeptical when a friend of mine first told me about it, but I quickly shared her opinion. ;)
So.. anyway, thank you all so much for reading, and for your input and feedback on my writing. I so love to hear your thoughts. :) Feel free to drop by my page at my other address!
Looking up while the world looks on,
Tara :)
*1 John 2:5-6*
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
following Christ
Yesterday morning I was sitting in open lab for my digital design class, and as we worked, a friend in my class and I talked. Just like most Monday mornings this semester. Well, I forget just exactly how this came up, but somehow we began talking about the job she had before deciding to come back to school.
She told me that she’d shared a job with another girl, and this girl made it a point to tell her that she is a “Christian.” My friend said this girl had “religious icons” all over their shared work space. You’d think that, especially after putting such an emphasis on being a “Christian,” she would at least make an effort to live it out.
My friend described to me her time of working with this girl… she was constantly belittling my friend, talking about her behind her back, emailing other co-workers and telling them not to send work to her because she didn’t know what she was doing (on their shared email address!)…
I cannot completely express how sick this made me feel, to hear what this girl had put my friend through. I know I have written on this topic so many times, but I really believe it cannot be stressed enough.
The New Living Translation says it like this, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)
Hypocrisy is so unattractive. Nobody wants to be around somebody who says one thing and does another. Nobody wants to be like them. When people don’t live what they claim (or.. when they don’t claim what they live..), that turns people off, and I really cannot say that I blame anybody who says they don’t want any part of Christianity because of all the hypocrites they know. It breaks my heart to see and hear people saying this, to know that there are people in the church today who are ruining the church’s reputation and pushing others away.
Honestly, this is a major reason for my decision to not go out and tell people directly that I am a “Christian” when I started at my college. I know this statement can be so easily misinterpreted, so please.. let me explain myself. Because of the way many people view Christians these days, I decided to conduct an experiment of sorts. If people asked me, I would definitely tell them that, “yes, I am a Christian.” But I was not going to go around saying that to everybody I ran into. I wanted to have a chance to escape the stereotypes; I didn’t want to gain a reputation before having the chance to make one for myself. I decided that I did not want to rely on my words to tell others what I believe… I made the choice instead to rely on my actions and the way I live my life. I guess I figured that if these things were not enough to show others that I follow Jesus, then there’s something wrong. If these things were not enough to speak of the One I love, then it would be better for all of us that I not tell anybody that I claimed I was a Christian, because I would be just another hypocrite.
I am not at all advocating not speaking up and sharing what you believe. I’m all for telling others about God and His love. But if we are going to go and share with our words, then we need to make sure that our lives reiterate what we are speaking. Because.. otherwise.. we’re just turning people off. We are not giving them an accurate picture of who Jesus really is.
I can’t even tell you how many people I have come in contact with - even in just these past two semesters - who had an experience with a “Christian” who didn’t live what they said they believed.. I have had the same basic conversation as the one I had with my friend in class yesterday morning.. so many times.
If I am ever living so that my words and my actions don’t line up with each other… I want to know. I want people to come to me and tell me. Please. I don’t want to be a part of pushing people away or turning them off to the beautiful love of God. I want to live to be an example of how Jesus loves us.
I want people to notice that there’s something different about me. I want it to be obvious that I love and follow Jesus. — Through my love and compassion for others, through the way my words and actions match up, through the things I say and don’t say… I want it to be said of me that I am a follower of Christ.
She told me that she’d shared a job with another girl, and this girl made it a point to tell her that she is a “Christian.” My friend said this girl had “religious icons” all over their shared work space. You’d think that, especially after putting such an emphasis on being a “Christian,” she would at least make an effort to live it out.
My friend described to me her time of working with this girl… she was constantly belittling my friend, talking about her behind her back, emailing other co-workers and telling them not to send work to her because she didn’t know what she was doing (on their shared email address!)…
I cannot completely express how sick this made me feel, to hear what this girl had put my friend through. I know I have written on this topic so many times, but I really believe it cannot be stressed enough.
The New Living Translation says it like this, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35)
Hypocrisy is so unattractive. Nobody wants to be around somebody who says one thing and does another. Nobody wants to be like them. When people don’t live what they claim (or.. when they don’t claim what they live..), that turns people off, and I really cannot say that I blame anybody who says they don’t want any part of Christianity because of all the hypocrites they know. It breaks my heart to see and hear people saying this, to know that there are people in the church today who are ruining the church’s reputation and pushing others away.
Honestly, this is a major reason for my decision to not go out and tell people directly that I am a “Christian” when I started at my college. I know this statement can be so easily misinterpreted, so please.. let me explain myself. Because of the way many people view Christians these days, I decided to conduct an experiment of sorts. If people asked me, I would definitely tell them that, “yes, I am a Christian.” But I was not going to go around saying that to everybody I ran into. I wanted to have a chance to escape the stereotypes; I didn’t want to gain a reputation before having the chance to make one for myself. I decided that I did not want to rely on my words to tell others what I believe… I made the choice instead to rely on my actions and the way I live my life. I guess I figured that if these things were not enough to show others that I follow Jesus, then there’s something wrong. If these things were not enough to speak of the One I love, then it would be better for all of us that I not tell anybody that I claimed I was a Christian, because I would be just another hypocrite.
I am not at all advocating not speaking up and sharing what you believe. I’m all for telling others about God and His love. But if we are going to go and share with our words, then we need to make sure that our lives reiterate what we are speaking. Because.. otherwise.. we’re just turning people off. We are not giving them an accurate picture of who Jesus really is.
I can’t even tell you how many people I have come in contact with - even in just these past two semesters - who had an experience with a “Christian” who didn’t live what they said they believed.. I have had the same basic conversation as the one I had with my friend in class yesterday morning.. so many times.
If I am ever living so that my words and my actions don’t line up with each other… I want to know. I want people to come to me and tell me. Please. I don’t want to be a part of pushing people away or turning them off to the beautiful love of God. I want to live to be an example of how Jesus loves us.
I want people to notice that there’s something different about me. I want it to be obvious that I love and follow Jesus. — Through my love and compassion for others, through the way my words and actions match up, through the things I say and don’t say… I want it to be said of me that I am a follower of Christ.
let it shine..
April 12, 2007
So.. there are three more weeks in my semester before finals week. Then comes graduation. Everybody says that is so exciting.. and I can see that. Yes, it is exciting. At the same time, though, I am finding it somewhat depressing. I’ve spent the past three years in school, and honestly, I really enjoy it. So maybe I’m crazy. But I tend to enjoy what I’m doing.
The attitude we take into whatever our circumstances happen to be can have such an impact on how we look at things and how others see us… and it is contagious. If we take a negative attitude to school with us and complain about everything that comes up, others are going to see that. They’re going to complain too, have nothing encouraging to say, and they are not going to want to be around us.
It works the other way, too, though. If we take a smile to school, and when things might not be going our way we find something to be glad about and smile anyway, people will notice that too. Just smiling and saying hi as you walk through the hallways can have such a ripple effect… you never know when a smile is all it takes to brighten someone’s day and make them feel loved. It might even save their life. You never can tell…
Anyway, I got off on a little bit of a rabbit trail there..
At the beginning of my fall semester at Edison, I wrote something about wanting to make my time at school count. I didn’t want to waste any moment.. but instead take advantage of it all. I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to help someone out or to smile or to make a new friend. I can honestly say that I’m pretty happy with the way fall semester went. I made so many new friends. I’ve seen how much influence and impact I can have on others, just by living for Jesus.
But.. now it’s gone. And not only is fall semester gone, spring semester is nearly there as well. There is not much time left. It makes me really think.. how much emphasis do I place on what needs to be emphasized.. on the things that are truly important, the things that make a difference in life? How much do I focus on the stupid little things that will never matter?
Just as I went into the fall semester wanting to make a real difference, I want to end my time at Edison in the same way. I’ve got four more weeks there.
“like the sun swallowed up by the earth, like atomic bombs in reverse, as if a glass could contain the sea, that’s the way You are in me…” (by the Afters)
That is what I want. I want to have so much of God in my life that it’s like an atomic bomb in reverse, like the sun swallowed up by the earth. I want His light to shine through me. I guess I feel like this is my “last chance,” in a way. I don’t know exactly what comes next. He does though, and I intend to trust Him with that, but that’s a whole separate story.
I love this line from Natalie Grant’s song “Live for Today”… “I’m gonna let my little light shine like there’s no tomorrow..”
Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I want to shine for Him… How well am I doing? Well.. I guess you’d have to ask those around me. It is always so encouraging to me though, when people ask me, “Are you a Christian?” ~~ and I have had that at school.. since writing my post about wanting to be effective and productive and shine for Jesus there. I love when they see my life and ask me this, because that means I’m painting a picture for them of how Jesus lived on the earth. I don’t want to live how so many “Christians” live today. Honestly, I don’t want to be associated with the hypocrisy and fakeness that people think of as “Christianity” today.
“… if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6)
That is real Christianity. It is what following Christ really looks like. It might mean befriending some people that others look down on you for befriending. It might mean getting out of your comfort zone in a new way.. It might mean some hard things. But Jesus is worth it.
I am “gonna let my little light shine — like there’s no tomorrow.”
So.. there are three more weeks in my semester before finals week. Then comes graduation. Everybody says that is so exciting.. and I can see that. Yes, it is exciting. At the same time, though, I am finding it somewhat depressing. I’ve spent the past three years in school, and honestly, I really enjoy it. So maybe I’m crazy. But I tend to enjoy what I’m doing.
The attitude we take into whatever our circumstances happen to be can have such an impact on how we look at things and how others see us… and it is contagious. If we take a negative attitude to school with us and complain about everything that comes up, others are going to see that. They’re going to complain too, have nothing encouraging to say, and they are not going to want to be around us.
It works the other way, too, though. If we take a smile to school, and when things might not be going our way we find something to be glad about and smile anyway, people will notice that too. Just smiling and saying hi as you walk through the hallways can have such a ripple effect… you never know when a smile is all it takes to brighten someone’s day and make them feel loved. It might even save their life. You never can tell…
Anyway, I got off on a little bit of a rabbit trail there..
At the beginning of my fall semester at Edison, I wrote something about wanting to make my time at school count. I didn’t want to waste any moment.. but instead take advantage of it all. I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to help someone out or to smile or to make a new friend. I can honestly say that I’m pretty happy with the way fall semester went. I made so many new friends. I’ve seen how much influence and impact I can have on others, just by living for Jesus.
But.. now it’s gone. And not only is fall semester gone, spring semester is nearly there as well. There is not much time left. It makes me really think.. how much emphasis do I place on what needs to be emphasized.. on the things that are truly important, the things that make a difference in life? How much do I focus on the stupid little things that will never matter?
Just as I went into the fall semester wanting to make a real difference, I want to end my time at Edison in the same way. I’ve got four more weeks there.
“like the sun swallowed up by the earth, like atomic bombs in reverse, as if a glass could contain the sea, that’s the way You are in me…” (by the Afters)
That is what I want. I want to have so much of God in my life that it’s like an atomic bomb in reverse, like the sun swallowed up by the earth. I want His light to shine through me. I guess I feel like this is my “last chance,” in a way. I don’t know exactly what comes next. He does though, and I intend to trust Him with that, but that’s a whole separate story.
I love this line from Natalie Grant’s song “Live for Today”… “I’m gonna let my little light shine like there’s no tomorrow..”
Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I want to shine for Him… How well am I doing? Well.. I guess you’d have to ask those around me. It is always so encouraging to me though, when people ask me, “Are you a Christian?” ~~ and I have had that at school.. since writing my post about wanting to be effective and productive and shine for Jesus there. I love when they see my life and ask me this, because that means I’m painting a picture for them of how Jesus lived on the earth. I don’t want to live how so many “Christians” live today. Honestly, I don’t want to be associated with the hypocrisy and fakeness that people think of as “Christianity” today.
“… if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6)
That is real Christianity. It is what following Christ really looks like. It might mean befriending some people that others look down on you for befriending. It might mean getting out of your comfort zone in a new way.. It might mean some hard things. But Jesus is worth it.
I am “gonna let my little light shine — like there’s no tomorrow.”
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