taking things for granted

Have you ever really thought about how much in life we take for granted? Especially in our culture and our society we take a lot of things for granted. Have you ever really seriously thought about it?

It's something that has been on my mind for the last couple of days and most definitely is now. I just got home from the Starfield concert in Kelowna tonight. (It was awesome!) The concert that was the first one after they watched the floor collapse in front of them at their concert in Abbottsford on Friday night during their second song. You could see in their faces and hear it in their voices when they spoke about it that they were still struggling with all that happened that night. (Praise the Lord, there were no fatalities! But there are injured people and others at that concert that need our prayers right now.)

All this got me thinking . . . we take so much for granted in our lives everyday . . . even something as simple as the floor beneath us not collapsing. We just assume that it always will be there; which we should be able to most of the time, if the building has been built right. We take for granted that the floor we walk on is secure and won't buckle and collapse underneath us. And that's not even all that we take for granted.

In our part of the world we take for granted that there will be food on the table for each meal, that we will have a warm bed to sleep in, that we won't be shot or tortured for what we believe . . . and so many other things. And for the most part, those will be things that we can count on to be there for all of our lives. But, that should make them reasons to be thankful for what we have, not something that we take for granted and assume will always be there for us.

Think about it: What do you take for granted in your life?

The list for me is pretty long:
- that I have a loving family behind me every step of the way
- that I have a good job to go to each day
- that I have enough money to buy what I want for food and clothes
- that I have amazing friends and roommates to come home to each day
- that I have a (mostly) reliable car to get me where I want to go
- that I can go to church without worrying about what will happen to me because of it
- that I can sit in a park on a gorgeous day and read my Bible without fear
- that I have a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in
- that I have amazing, caring friends to walk the journey of life with
That's what comes to mind when I think about what I often take for granted in my life. And there's probably more that I could add to that list if I thought about it more.

Think about it: When was the last time that you said thank you to God for all these things He has blessed you with that you take for granted? When was the last time you let those people you sometimes take for granted know how much you appreciated having them in your life?

I know for me, before tonight, it had been way too long. I'd gotten used to them being there - so used to them that I'd forgotten what a privilege and blessing they are. But, tonight I was reminded of that. Now I just need to figure out how to keep myself from taking it all for granted again . . . or atleast remind myself regularly that all those things I take for granted are incredible gifts from God that I have been given.

ramblings

So, I was out with some friends tonight and I had a great time. But, at the same time it was also a realization for me that I'm still dealing with things from my uncle dying five months ago. It seems like certain things just bring things up that I hadn't realized.

Like having a drink with dinner or going to a club. If done responsibly, as I see it, there really isn't any problem. But, tonight was probably the first time I've been around people who were having a drink or anything like that in these last five months. And for me it was a challenge tonight. I watched my uncle's life be destroyed by alcohol . . . and ultimately that's what killed him. I hadn't realized how that affected me until tonight. The conversation around having a drink and the jokes about getting drunk . . . five months ago wouldn't have fazed me or bothered me at all; in fact, I probably would have laughed along with everyone, knowing that no one at the table had that intention to begin with. But tonight, just the jokes about it bothered me. This time I just couldn't see how people could joke about something like that. Just because it's legal, doesn't mean it doesn't destroy people's lives and families. Not that I want to dictate to my friends or anyone else how they should view alcohol. For me, it was really just a night of realizing and clarifying where I stand on it. And I know that my view will be somewhat different from that of many others. After tonight I know that I can't go there just because of what I've watched go on in my family.

I don't think we ever realize how much of an impact even some of our more distant family members can have on us until they're gone. I mean, until the last three years or so I didn't really know my uncle or see much of him. But, in the months since his death, I've begun to realize the impact that he had on my life. Unfortunately, most of it was in pointing things out to me that I didn't want to do in my life . . . but he had an impact nonetheless. But also a few times where I saw a completely different side of him . . . and how much hurt had and how incredibly much he cared about his family despite not seeing his own kids grow up.

It has all got me thinking about how many other people there are in my life who have influenced me in one way or another - either for the good or the bad. There's a lot of people . . . some who were in my life for just a short time and some who have been a part of my life for many years. There are a lot of people that I would like to let know about the influence they have had on my life and the ways they have helped me to grow. So often I don't say these things, but I should. Really . . . how do we know for sure that person will still be there later? In recent months I've really just been challenged not to let these things go unsaid . . . but to tell people that I appreciate them, to tell them how they've helped me grow, to encourage them in their own walks. I don't how long they will be around or I will be around . . . not that I think morbid thoughts all the time. But I've come face-to-face in a more personal way with my own and others mortality in the last few months, and it's made me want to be (and hopefully actually follow through) more intentional about telling people these sorts of things.

Well, I think that is the end of my rambling tonight.

the Holy Spirit

When was the last time you went to church and they talked about the Holy Spirit as the message? And no, I don't mean sat in a Bible college class or chapel and heard about it. I mean sat in your typical church service or young adults service or whatever and that's what it was about.

Until last night, I don't think outside of my time at Bible college I had ever heard a sermon preached on the Holy Spirit. I think that because the topic is one where there is so much that could be said and there are so many things that could cause conflict and division because the church doesn't agree on them. But, I don't see those as good reasons to avoid talking about a specific topic. I think those are exactly the topics that need to be discussed.

For me, growing up in church, you received the Holy Spirit when you became a Christian - He now lived in you and was supposed to be guiding you. And that the Holy Spirit was part of the Trinity. But, beyond that, I remember very little being said about the Holy Spirit. Not to fault the church I grew up in . . . it was pretty conservative when I was a kid.

But, I never really understood how the Holy Spirit guided you, or why He came into your life when you became a Christian. It all seemed a little strange to me . . . and then I would hear from some of my friends that grew up in more charismatic churches about speaking in tongues and being slain in the Spirit. I think that just confused me more. It took some Bible college theology classes to help me better, although still not fully, understand the Holy Spirit and His role in the life of the believer.

Needless to say, I was interested to see what would be talked about in the message at Alive last night. After taking theology classes at Bible college where we spent time talking about what the Bible had to say about the Holy Spirit, there wasn't really anything in the message last night that I hadn't heard before. But, it was good to hear and be reminded.

There was one thing that has kind of stuck with me since then. The speaker talked about the difference between having the Holy Spirit indwell us and having the Holy Spirit fill us. About how we can allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives, but limit the areas of our lives He can enter and limit His influence in our lives. Or, we can allow the Holy Spirit into our lives and give Him access to every corner - to every area - of our lives and allow Him to really influence how we live our lives.

It got me thinking, I know many people who are Christians but you would never know it from how they live. And I know many people who are Christians and there is absolutely no doubt about that. There is a huge difference between allowing the Holy Spirit access to one part of our lives and allowing Him access to every part of our lives.

What about you? Are you filled with Holy Spirit? Or have you only allowed Him to dwell on your life and limited what areas of your life He has access to?

I think I often go through times of both in my life. I have times when I allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me where He wants and I follow willingly. And I have times when I close off parts of me to His access - when I don't allow Him to have influence in areas of my life. My guess, from conversations I have had with friends, is that that is the case for many people. But, my prayer that is that I would live full of the Holy Spirit - that I would allow Him complete access to every part of my life. And that is my prayer for you as well.