Food for Thought:

Today was a very very thought-provoking day...

-Last night I continued thinking about my friend from Six Flags and what he'd said and where he's been. So I decided to research a way to go on a mission trip to Haiti, just to see how much it would cost (a lot by the way). I e-mailed the most promising website/organization I discovered, and today I've done a lot of thinking about if I really should go or not.

  -My friend's youth group was going rafting today, I was tagging along. On the road to the rapids we were listening to a few songs that sparked a conversation. Gimme Your Eyes - Brandon Heath; Jesus, Friend of Sinners - Casting Crowns; and God So Loved the World - Charles Billingsley (sung by, not sure it was written by him). As Christians, we are called to love the unlovable, as Christ did. I saw a picture that was making fun of the Chick-fil-a ordeal. It showed a bunch of people lining up outside of Chick-fil-a on August 1st and the text said something like "You would never see that many Christians helping out at a homeless shelter or food bank...and that's something Jesus actually said to do." Though the picture was making fun of Christians, it has an element of truth to it. We shouldn't just serve others when it's convenient, when we get chicken out of it, but we also need to sacrifice just a little bit of our time and help those broken ones in the world.
Jesus died for them too.

 -On this rafting experience, I was struck by how amazing and beautiful God's creation really is. We get so caught up in our daily lives, we forget to just take some time and look around us, and see all the wonderful things God has truly blessed us with so that we may enjoy life here on earth.

-I can't swim; therefore I am afraid of water. I am afraid of water; therefore I can't swim. Yet today, I was completely fine. I didn't hyperventilate or even fall out of the raft. I enjoyed myself. This showed me that though I'm scared of a lot of things the future may bring, God will take care of me, and He's gonna make it truly awesome. And just as beautiful as the fog on top of the water this morning; though you can't see what's coming next, it's beauty cannot go unnoticed.

-I work at a diner. I've been working there for about 2 weeks. And I find myself, whenever I'm telling someone about my new job, complaining about how rude and how disgusting the customers are. It's as true as the sky is blue. Yesterday was probably the WORST day for rude customers. So bad I almost wanted to quit. But today, not a single rude customer approached me. I was in a fairly good mood because my rafting trip just before work was just as fun as it was exhausting. One teenage girl hadn't spoken up to her dad in time to order a milkshake, and her mom told her she should've said something earlier with somewhat of a disgusting tone in her voice. The girl just walked off, obviously upset. When I was cleaning a table nearby, I saw this girl and her family. She still looked upset, so I told her I would make her a milkshake, and that I wouldn't charge her for it. She lit up and I made her a chocolate milkshake, putting my dinner money in the cash register. But it was so worth it! She was so happy, and she couldn't thank me enough. Sometimes it's the little things you do that can really brighten someone's day.

-Less than an hour later, God told me that my kind act hadn't gone unnoticed. I was about to go clean a table that this woman was leaving, and I noticed she was putting her pizza pan and tray by the trash can, and throwing her trash away! That hardly ever happens, so I was thoroughly impressed. I walked over there, thanked her, and started cleaning up the two high chairs she had used. Then, surprising me even more, she apologized for the awful mess her baby twins had made! I would have been just as touched if it had stopped here, but she set down a few dollars on the table before smiling and walking away. I was shocked! And now I had some money to get something to eat! I thanked her, and smiled real big. That one woman put me in the best mood I've ever been in at work, and I pray God doesn't let her kind act go unnoticed either.

I can't do this alone

-Driving home after closing a few hours ago, the song Lead Me - Sanctus Real came on. I personally love this song, I think it has a great message, it's sung well, and I like the tune. While driving, I was singing along, not really thinking too much about it, but the last line struck me as I was turning into my street: "Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone!" Right then, I knew God was speaking to me. I'm putting too much of my decision making in my hands, in my friends' hands, in my parents' hands, in my various mentors' hands, when I should be putting it all into GOD'S HANDS.

-I was planning on writing all of this tonight, but when I turned on my computer and a Facebook notification told me that a friend of mine who I like to keep up with had a new post, I read that first. Her status: "Did you know that 80% of what you tell people is negative and 20% is positive??? Think about it!" And, of course, this made me think a WHOLE lot. I won't go into much detail because I'm rather tired and this point is fairly self-explanatory. But her post helped me figure out how to write this post, as bullet points!

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 |   |Just some food for thought...|   |
Love God, Love People~Luke10:27