Runnin' on Empty

Hey everybody! It has been a while since I last posted anything. The reason for this is because I wanted to hold in my thoughts as I experienced day to day life. I didn't want to know that I'd be writing about my experiences before I had any. So in a wierd way I planned on tricking myself. But anways, on to the blog..... I spend a lot of time walking around campus. I go to class, then come back from class, go to the rec. center, or to the diner. A vast majority of the people that I see or stand next to on the corner, waiting for the walk signal, has an iPod stuck in their ear. After about a week of debating with myself, whether or not i should listen to my ipod when i walk around, i decided to go ahead and give it a try. I mean, what could it hurt? Well it was amazing! Who would have thought that just listening to your ipod while walkin the busy streets of birmingham could be so exciting?! I threw that thing in shuffle mode and took off. There was an instant satisfaction when i pushed play, and i couldnt help but smile, haha. But why was it so good and satisfying? What is so cool about listening to music and walking? Well, this is what i came up with.. We spend a lot of our lives watchin tv shows and movies, both of which have music. They have music for everything; the intro song, music between scenes, for movies theres music playing during the movie, and then the outro music. The music is usually relevant to the mood of what is happening, if it is a sad moment, a sad song or melody, a happy moment is paired with happy music, and so on.. This is the same idea with the ipod. I could walk down the street in the middle of the city with traffic and construction (lots of loud noises), on my way to a class or lab that i really dont feel like going to at the moment and only hear whatever was playin on my ipod. Well, a couple of weeks ago, that was my situation, i was goin to class, and didnt really feel like goin, but i was listenin to Nat king cole "almost like being in love" . I mean it was silly at first, the song, considering my location and the people standing around me, but when that was all i heard, i thought,, "this is my theme music!" you know, the music that plays during a movie scene where people are performing daily routines and theres no dialogue, that song or music kinda sets the tone. Well this upbeat song set the tone for that few moments, and really for the rest of the day. I walked and looked at my surroundings through different eyes. There is just something great about knowing that you have your own theme song, you become important and dont feel alone. There is an extra sense of beauty in everything. I was walkin up the block, and it was late after class, so of course its rush hour. As i watched all of the people in their cars at a stand still, not one of them was smiling, or seemed relaxed;however, my theme music had me pumped. The fact that there was a lot of anger just a few feet away from me didnt phase me. Though without my ipod, my walk back to the room would have seemed long, my legs would have gotten sore from walkin up the hill, i would have been thinking about all the stuff i had to do for the next day, i probably would have had to wait 10 min for the walk signal, the elevator would have been broken, the list can go on.. but with the constant music, none of this mattered, (it all happened anyways). I believe this same principle applies within ourselves. Get past all of the music and physical aspects and look into your inner being. We listen to the music (our theme song) because it makes us feel important. Thats the same reason we have God fill our souls; so we can have meaning. HE soothes our hearts as the song soothes our ear. There are so many distractions which bring us away from God, and most of the time we fail to realize it. Oddly enough, it took my ipod to help me realize beauty, and that i was empty. We as Christians strive daily to please God, our friends, and ourselves. Since so many things must be met, we are going to eventually run out.. of what?.. of ourselves. We spend a lot of time running on empty just trying to squeeze out the last bit before we have to fill up again. One thing i learned as an intern this past year, is that filling up is the only way you can pour out. And so as i watched all of these people listen to their ipods, they were filling up as i just walked along, only pouring out just enough. I needed my fill. If you haven't caught the metaphor yet, this is how we are to live. And so many people want to make it complicated, and make excuses. Well i didn't even talk to any of these people on campus and they ministered to me just by filling up. I realized how much we need God. If a "theme song" can make things so much better, God can do inifintely more. God is the song we should live by. He is the song and theme we live to, but sometimes we become deaf to the music. But how simple?! They listen to their ipods as we should just pray, or read a few passages from our bible (trust me if you read your bible in public people will notice cause, who can't pick out a bible from any other book?). You dont have to go out with a microphone, or Jesus written on your forehead. But just by filling up daily with what God has to offer, withoug meaning to, you will spill, drip, and soak those around you. I challenge you to fill up,, it's free! Go and affect people by the way you live.

Where is God?

Many people like to ask the question, "Where is God?" There are so many times in which we hurt and suffer. There are other times in which life seems so unfair. God has promised us many things, but He has not promised us that life would always be fair, or pain free; however, many people still get the illusion that because they become a Christian then life is all downhill from there. Well, yes and no. No, just because you become a Christian doesn't mean that you get one of those "easy buttons" from staples. You may sometimes go through a hard time whether it be struggling with sin or just random things in life that kick you in the butt and you wonder "God where are you in all of this?" Then there's the "yes" aspect of this. Because you become a Christian and accept Jesus into your life, you no longer have to let sin run your life. You now have a savior who rescued you from death, from eternal pain. You recieve a God who loves you , who has loved you, and will love you forever. With a God of this magnitude comes an all knowing God who knows your every need, thought, passion, struggle, and pain. There are many passages involving this subject, but there is one that I chose: Psalm 139:1-18. 5 (read)

In this Psalm, David talks about how God knows his every thought before he thinks it, and every word before he speaks it. That God is everywhere and that you cannot escape His presence. Verse 12 says that darkness cant even hide you from God for He shines like the day. And even before David was born God had planned out each of his days. In verse 17 "How precious to me are your thoughts, God!" David is saying, "God I don't know what your will for me is but I know that as long as I'm faithful to you and your word that you have great things in store for me. I am not afraid to give you my life and to let you take control."

So where is God? From what we have read, He is everywhere and in everything. To feel His presence you must be aware of Him first. My challenge for you is to go out and find Him. Where out in the world is He? But most importantly, is He in you?