Christ_empowered
Member
I get the sense that my parents are moving closer to me. They actually ate downstairs last night, after they cleaned the living room (usually, the eat upstairs in their den...my bedroom is downstairs). Its little things, like...when they go grocery shopping, they get little things I like, like Hummus and ice cream and flavored coffee creamer. Our brief chit chats are more pleasant and warmer, somehow.
Its no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me (praise God). Christ has made it possible for me to be part of the family again, and that's amazing. My great-aunt...she's one of the few of that generation of the family remaining, she's 88/89....she's been in touch with my dad. She even sent a picture of us--me, my family, my grandparents--together from about 20 years ago. My dad put it on the refrigerator. One of the more recent times my people went out of town for a bit, my dad gave me my aunt's cell and house number (she's his sister). That was most unexpected.
Putting off the old, putting on the new. Truth is, without Christ, I could never have become part of the family again. In all likelihood, had I not gotten saved, I'd be in a mental hospital or...need to be in one, lol.
God is good (all the time). Its crazy...before I got saved, actually...until recently...I could read and kind of understand, at a surface level, things about Christ, Christianity. I didn't really get it. Now, I'm "getting it" a lot better, much more than before.
I came to Christ, like anybody else, dead in my sins. More so than a lot of other people, I had 0 to offer Christ, my family, society, anybody. I mean...nothing. I don't think it was all my "fault," if you one must assign "fault" in a situation like this, but...in the world, nobody really cares. Now, I do have raw material to work with, but that's not the point, not really. I've been forgiven (and then some). Its like the Teen Challenge people would often say..."Jesus didn't die for your sins. He died for YOU."
OK, Teen Challenge...I get it now, or I think I do. Our God is a God of reconciliation. Our God is a god of yet another (undeserved) chance. Like I wrote above, I kind got it, at a shallow, surface level, before. I don't know what kept me from having faith sooner...to be fair, I did have all that electroshock, lol.
I'm rambling. Point is, Christ has already done so much, and now...well, it looks like I get to be part of the family again, for the 1st time in over 10 years. My parents have been blessed, too...their years of hardwork have paid off (finally) and their careers are going well. It looks like they should be able to retire "on a high note." That's a big blessing, especially for my mom...politics in their workplace often leave peoples' careers in shreds, no matter their credentials.
Please pray that the family reconciliation continues. And...thanks for all the ongoing prayers and support.
Its no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me (praise God). Christ has made it possible for me to be part of the family again, and that's amazing. My great-aunt...she's one of the few of that generation of the family remaining, she's 88/89....she's been in touch with my dad. She even sent a picture of us--me, my family, my grandparents--together from about 20 years ago. My dad put it on the refrigerator. One of the more recent times my people went out of town for a bit, my dad gave me my aunt's cell and house number (she's his sister). That was most unexpected.
Putting off the old, putting on the new. Truth is, without Christ, I could never have become part of the family again. In all likelihood, had I not gotten saved, I'd be in a mental hospital or...need to be in one, lol.
God is good (all the time). Its crazy...before I got saved, actually...until recently...I could read and kind of understand, at a surface level, things about Christ, Christianity. I didn't really get it. Now, I'm "getting it" a lot better, much more than before.
I came to Christ, like anybody else, dead in my sins. More so than a lot of other people, I had 0 to offer Christ, my family, society, anybody. I mean...nothing. I don't think it was all my "fault," if you one must assign "fault" in a situation like this, but...in the world, nobody really cares. Now, I do have raw material to work with, but that's not the point, not really. I've been forgiven (and then some). Its like the Teen Challenge people would often say..."Jesus didn't die for your sins. He died for YOU."
OK, Teen Challenge...I get it now, or I think I do. Our God is a God of reconciliation. Our God is a god of yet another (undeserved) chance. Like I wrote above, I kind got it, at a shallow, surface level, before. I don't know what kept me from having faith sooner...to be fair, I did have all that electroshock, lol.
I'm rambling. Point is, Christ has already done so much, and now...well, it looks like I get to be part of the family again, for the 1st time in over 10 years. My parents have been blessed, too...their years of hardwork have paid off (finally) and their careers are going well. It looks like they should be able to retire "on a high note." That's a big blessing, especially for my mom...politics in their workplace often leave peoples' careers in shreds, no matter their credentials.
Please pray that the family reconciliation continues. And...thanks for all the ongoing prayers and support.
