Do you follow through when asked to pray for someone?

When someone asks for prayer or states a prayer request, do you really listen?  Do you actually fulfill your promise to pray for them or the request? 

When you tell a friend, “call me if there is anything you need”, do you actually mean it?  Do you follow through?

Have you ever wondered whether or not your prayers make a difference? Do you want to pray more for others, but aren't sure where to begin? Or are you more like so many Christians; taking the time to pray for your own needs, but failing to cover others in prayer?

In the book of Luke (chapter 5, verses 17-26) we read about four loyal friends who carried their paralyzed friend on a mat to see Jesus. They were seeking healing on their friend’s behalf, and when they encountered difficulty in getting to Jesus, they persevered and found another way. In the end, Jesus healed the paralytic. And the Word says Jesus healed him because of the faith of his four friends.

With regard to your prayer life, let's think about these four friends. They were not like Job's friends, questioning the cause of the situation and attempting to cajole a confession of sin from their friend. Instead they were his friend in and through his need, and when they heard about Jesus they took their friend to Him. And they persisted in finding a way to get their friend to Jesus, even in an embarrassing way. (When is the last time you ripped a hole in someone's roof and "dropped in"?)

We can, and we should, pray for the needs of our friends, bringing those needs before the Lord with persistence and faith. One day, in eternity, we may well find out how many miracles were due to the prayers of friends and how many miracles were not. Don't miss out on an opportunity to do good deeds when you have the chance; this applies to all of life, including your prayer life.

So let me encourage you to spend time in prayer for the needs of your friends, the needs of your family, your own personal needs, and even the needs of your enemies. And thank the Lord for friends who have labored in prayer on your behalf. What a blessing godly friends are!

©Betty Jean Bowers

A soul mate or just a mate?

The idea/definition/meaning of a soul mate is something that’s been written and romanticized about since the beginning of man. We all wade through this world looking for some sort of companionship or love. The main concept of a soul mate: a person one shares a feeling of deep and natural affinity, love, intimacy, sexuality, spirituality, and/or compatibility.

 

Now, I do not subscribe to the traditional interpretation of a soul mate. That is to say, I don’t necessarily believe there is only one person you’re destined to be with for the rest of your life. I’ll go even further and say I believe a person can have multiple/different soul mates in their lifetime. As big as the world is I find it hard to believe that we are only truly compatible with one person. I also believe you can love more than one person throughout your life.

 

People yearning for a soul mate and searching for “the one” is not happenstance. I believe people think of the soul mates like The Gatekeeper and The Keymaster from the movie Ghostbusters. In the movie two characters are possessed by demons. These demons were sent out to find each other because they were “soul mates” and could bring the end of the world. The Keymaster (Rick Moranis) searched aimlessly throughout New York City looking for his “soul mate” the Gatekeeper (Sigourney Weaver). I think many of us have that perspective on relationships: that there is one man searching for you or one woman waiting for you because you are kindred spirits meant to be together.

 

A while ago, I was out on a date.  I asked him why his past relationship didn’t last and he explained (for a VERY long period of time) how they weren’t equally yoked and were incompatible. I asked him, “What, exactly, does that mean?” He began a long tirade, detailing monotonous nonsensical things that don’t mean anything important to a relationship at the end of the day (my words, not his).  Needless to say, we didn't date again.  He was just too wrapped up in himself.

 

Now, I am not saying we shouldn’t have things in common with our mate but I do think as a society we take that ideal too far. We watch too many movies and read too many books that build upon the pipe dream that there’s only one person for us. We think that our soul mate has all the same things in common, like watching the TV show NCIS, they’re a Georgia Bulldog fan, and they love Alabama music as much as we do. 

A soul mate is bigger than Romeo and Juliet, two star crossed lovers meant to be together against all odds. We need to let go of all these preconceived notions. The meaning of a soul mate is on metaphysical level that takes time to understand. That process begins through learning and understanding ourselves, a deeper knowledge of who we are. A soul mate should be a person whose soul has grown with yours and has become intertwined. A soul mate is one who is able to evolve with us, mind, body, and soul. This is done through hard work, choice, and spiritual consciousness. Many of us will never be able to find our soul mate because we are incomplete. How can we help complete someone’s soul when we aren’t striving to become more complete?

 

The following two quotes give a clear and precise explanation of my beliefs. The first is a post from Zo Williams, a speaker on Sirius’ Satellite Foxxhole radio. He has a weekly relationship show called “The Voice of Reason”: 

“In my opinion there has always been only one soul which is the source of all things.  It is God himself.  In the world of relationships a soul mate isn’t someone you meet, it’s someone you recognize!!!!  It’s someone you divinely know by way of intimately knowing yourself!  This is the only way to “recognize” a soul mate, by my logic if there is only one divine SOUL which everyone shares, it then stands to reason that one may have more than one soul mate by way of recognition of the one soul in all people places & things. The reason behind the belief that one only has one soul mate, or one shot at true love is linked to the extreme difficulty linked with the process (More of self-realization, or self-actualization). Most people struggle to reach a place of dynamic self-awareness, so then relationship becomes or is imagined to be solely a place of refuge where one can accumulate social images and cultural roles as a means of protecting themselves from the fear of not having a comprehensive knowledge of one’s self! A soul mate isn’t only limited to two beings…If you are aware of the soul in yourself, you then have the capacity to become aware of the one soul in all.”

 

All this to say, you can’t really find your soul mate until you yourself are complete within yourself.  There is no one perfect.  You both must be able to grow together.  Yes, I believe God has the mate or mates out there he has for your future.  But remember the adage that God puts people in your life for a reason, a season or a life-time.  You may grow apart or you may outlive a mate and God may have others in your future.

©Betty Jean Bowers

 

There is a God; you are not Him

There is a God; you are not Him

One of the best things I learned at Brewton-Parker was when a professor wrote on the board "There is a God. You are not Him." Boy has that proven true! Over the years I've discovered how unwise, inexperienced, and ignorant I really am. Also, I've noticed that God doesn't consult me with making decisions about running the universe. And, if that isn't humiliating enough, He doesn't take any of my suggestions about how things ought to be in my own life. I don't understand why God doesn't take my suggestions. But, it comes down to one thing: There is a God. I am not Him!

The Mormons teach you can become gods. The New Agers teach that you are, basically, already god(s) in nature. Certain heretical "Christian" teachers on TV say we are little gods. And, some religions teach that when you die you join with the god-consciousness so you can "realize your full potential in oneness with the divine essence"...or whatever that means. They sure have high opinions of themselves.

When I look inside, I don't find a divine nature. I find a sinner, a person who is struggling with sin and hoping to please the true God as he stumbles through life. I also find the indwelling Lord who has cleansed me and continues to cleanse me of my sins. Praise is to Jesus.

"There is a God. You are not Him," is a delightful piece of truth. Think about it. Who created the universe? Was it the infinite and wise God, or was it me... or you? I have not heard whether if God consulted any of you about how universe should be run. If He has, please let me know. But as it stands now, He doesn't need our help.

When I look back on my life and I remember some of the prayers and desires of my heart, I find that I'm quite happy He has not answered most of them. Many times I have reminisced and winced at some of the immature and self-centered requests I have laid before God. The older I get, the more my prayers include thanks to the Lord for not answering my prayers. Now, I find myself praying that God do with me as He wills and that He teach me what He wants.

Since I am not God -- and the more I realize that -- the more I accept the fact that God knows a lot more than I do and is quite capable of seeing the future. He is perfectly able to weave into my life (and yours) answers and denials to prayer requests. In fact, He is quite good at providing for us in ways that we have never even conceived of. He is so wise and so perfect and so incredibly good, that we can trust completely Him to hear our prayers and know what is best for us, even if we don't lift it up to Him.

Now, sometimes this means that we must confess our ignorance before God since we do not understand why He will not answer some prayers such as healing others or saving others the way we want Him to. But, it is not for us to decide what is and is not answered. It is not our world. It is God's world. We are His people and we are to follow Him and seek His will in our lives, no matter what it is. He is to receive the glory, not us.

Have you tried to be the God of your own life? Have you tried to inform God how things should be done? Have you spent your prayer times expressing self-centered desires and wants? Of course, I have. But, I have also sought the will of God and asked the Lord to work His will in my life -- in spite of me. It is comforting to know that God is in control and that I am not. It is comforting to know that God loves me more than I can imagine. It is comforting to know that God can see the future and that He has it all mapped out for me. It is comforting to know that I'm trusting in an infinitely good and holy God and that He will provide for me, no matter what.

If you truly understand that there is a God and that you are not Him, then you can begin to relinquish your own rights, hopes, desires, and wants and submit them to His will. Bend your own will to submission to His work in your life. Trust Him in all things. He is God and you are not.

THANKS BE TO GOD for this truth!

©Betty Jean Bowers

 

Do Young Adults today realize the reality of life?

Do Young Adults today realize the reality of life?

 

gim•me 

Informal

Contraction of give me.

adj. Slang

Demanding material things or especially money 

Disclaimer:  The following blog does not pertain to any specific person or persons.  It is an on-going narrative of some of the complaints and concerns about young adults who refuse to grow up and take responsibility for their life and actions.

 

Turn around and look at young adults today, and ask, have we raised a nation of children who believe the world owes them and we owe them? Do we realize in "giving them everything we missed or never had" failed to provide the greater gifts parents instill on children? Do divorced parents try to make up for time that may not be spent with the child/teen/young adult; or by placating when the parent might not be able to show up for an event or trying to out-do the other parent?  Have parents taught them about appreciation, respect, true self-worth and realistic goals and expectations? Or do we have a generation of rude, demanding, spoiled and lazy young adults? Do we call them the "gimme generation?"

 

Does the possibility exist that we have not taught our children that failure is the flipside of success and that life is full of success and failure, and that failure is not because a person is a loser, but instead a lesson for success in the future? Did we raise a generation of young adults where everyone is the same, no one is lesser or great, a sort of unrealistic utopia that the "real" world will crush later in life? While a positive self-image is undoubtedly positive for all children, but a positive self-image that borders on superhero, untouchable and perfect, how indeed will these children survive in a world beyond the shelter of over indulgent parents?

 

Have we become lax as a society about teaching the excesses can and do harm people one day. As we have created an artificial environment for many young adults, young adults without boundaries indulge in excessive behavior. A favorite excuse for excessive behavior is "we will die of something one day," so I am going to enjoy life, drink, get high, and indulge in sex unprotected or promiscuous behaviors. Perhaps there is truth to the expression of "Youth is wasted on the young." (George Bernard Shaw)  What is scary is when you see young people post YOLO – (You only live once).  More and more are not scared of the outcome of their choices.

 

Are words such as accountability and responsibility missing from the lives of so many young adults? Has the “Gimme” mentality allowed for the development of irresponsibility and the consequences of such actions? Have we taught our children empty words such as "I am sorry," but no authentic remorse or attempts to fix whatever the situation, paying for damage or other actions because true responsibility and accountability is lacking?

 

Perhaps we are too quick to remove those disciplines that raise children to be well-adjusted responsible and contributing adults. Perhaps we have forgotten the point of having children, and have evolved from instilling into children good solid values into bottomless pocketbooks of empty placations. "Things" never replace quality time spent with children teaching, sharing and loving them.

 

Children hitting, screaming, insulting and demanding of parents, when did such actions become acceptable, even condoned by parents? These behaviors are not teaching children respect for themselves, their families or communities. These behaviors are also shaped by the endless giving to children. Parents lose and children take control of the family situations providing an endless drama for families. Constructive discipline isn't abusive, but instead teaches important social skills and boundaries they will take into their future lives and families.

 

“Gimme” children have an endless pit of wishes and desires. "It's only, it's just, it's all I want," illustrate how many children do not know the cost of items, the value of time and effort, as they demand, beg, expect and whine for whatever item of the moment has their attention. Opportunities to encourage children to go out and earn these items so that they will appreciate the item are lost as our parents bring out the credit card, the bank card or the cash to purchase the item.  These grow up to be over indulgent, under appreciative young adults.

 

An unfortunate result of such actions is a belief by the “gimme generation” that they are owed by parents and the world owes them. Many “gimme” children lack ambition because they believe their parents must care for them for as long as they wish. These young people will admit they have been spoiled and blame their parents for their condition. Some of these young people will even go as far to say that "they didn't ask to be born so it is the parents' responsibility to care for them forever."

 

No easily quick solution exists to change this “gimme generation”. Too many parents are caught up in a give cycle, because they have busy schedules, work long hours and do not realize what is happening with their children. Unfortunately when many parents realize what has occurred with their children, the damage will be done and opportunities to raise well-adjusted children into adulthood are gone.

 

©Betty Jean Bowers