What IMPRESSES You tells God Alot about YOU...and You About Yourself

I had an interesting experience, almost sad , as when I heard these words come out of a young teenager's mouth one evening...it made me realize what we are impressed by , reflects who we are, and where we are heading.
We were having a nice dinner out last week , and there were about 10 people there, and across from  me was a fun young teenager. His dad was two people down from me, and my husband was near him. The young teen was explaining, sort of out of the blue...but obviously it was top-of-the-mind-awareness...of how rich all his friends were. Stinking rich. Millions of dollars rich. He then went into great detail, what they had, how much money their dads made...on and on and ON.
I sat and mildly smiled at him, then looked up into my husband's eyes...and we spoke to each other , without words...about how far-off this young teen's values are. While the young teen was talking, his father was smiling and nodding in agreement...as money is apparently a big subject to them both, the whole family discusses it alot, and always has. They are very well -off , and money IMPRESSES them. Greatly.
I then interrupt the litany of riches he is going on and on about, and say,
" You mean rich in MATERIAL things, right ?" He looks at me like he has zero idea what I was saying.
Then I say, " Riches are not always material things, the richest...", and then I was interrupted by the young teen by him saying, " Oh, but they are so rich. "
My concept was foreign to him, he did not have a clue, not a clue what I was insinuating. 
My husband smiled at me with his eyes, and I looked over an the young teen's father, to see if he ' GOT' what I was saying. It actually looked like he vaguely understood...but what impressed him...impressed his son. 
So he gave me a slight annoyed look, and kept smiling at his son. 
Money is not the problem here, the LOVE of money is. 

 " For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." I Timothy 6 :10

I recalled that conversation while I was out walking early this morning . Walking for miles ,breathing deeply, watching the new sunlight dapple on the trees , hearing the birds sing to me.
I considered what impresses me. Kindness would surpass all, then someone who is peaceful...as that is a quality that has eluded me most of my life. Then in no apparent order, someone who is very good at what they do...be it a waitress or a managing director of a large company. Seeing someone who is physically fit, not buff to the max...not perfection in physique...that's a bit boring, to me. But someone who takes care of the ONLY body God will ever give you on the earth. And the older I get, that is even more important. Younger people always take their bodies for granted, I know I did....I used to push myself way too hard physically. Trying to be more gentle with myself these days.
 I also like to see a person dressed nicely. Not Sex and The City 2 ( GARBAGE values ) nicely, but just nice ...you know when they are at church or going out to dinner. Not all the time .
Someone who is an excellent artist impresses me , as I value art very much.
Intelligence has always impressed me, but not as much as it used to...as I have run into too many amazingly smart people who are condescending and arrogant, and who dismiss God as they have no evidence ( they think ),  to believe in Him.

I could go on and on, someone who is a great cook, someone who is very neat and tidy...that impresses me as I am behind in those areas.

I am challenging you to stop and think...what REALLY impresses you ? A job title ? Money ? a beautiful woman or handsome man ? A luxury automobile ? Expensive jewelry ? A big expensive home ?
What do you talk about at home, with the kids around even...what do you tell your spouse, what news seems to get you the most animated ? See if it revolves around money , the media , material possessions, romance, gossip ...whatever.
Listen to yourself.
God wants us to be impressed by the eternal things He has given us. Love, hope, peace, the beauty of nature and especially Himself and his Son , Jesus . More things too , but I know you get my direction.
If you stop and examine yourself, as God tells us to do...DAILY, we can see where we are heading...what direction, and I am not talking about Heaven or Hell...though that may be an eventual destination.  I am referring to what you teach those around you, and what impresses you...does it bring you closer to God ? Or does it push you further away ?
Final question is ask yourself:
"Would____ ( fill in the blank ) impress God ?"

That is something I will do more myself.


Bless you and yours today,
Gina


 " Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test ? " (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

The PEOPLE Who LEAD Us to GOD vs The Ones Who DRAW Us Away

I heard something interesting the other day on the radio, I cannot recall who said it...Joyce Meyers, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll...maybe some other preacher...but it was a comment that was telling who Christians should keep in their lives, and who we should not.

It was not an exclusive, meaning excluding some person as if we were ' better " , than they were. It was a comment that had to do with who we spend the majority of our lives around. Like our spouse, our friends...and more importantly, making us stop and consider who we allow to be close to us.

The statement was , " Do the people you associate with or want to be friends with , or consider to marry...do they draw you closer to God, or further away from God? '

The speaker then said , " That should be the biggest questions you ask yourself, for the rest of your life, because the right people in your life can encourage and keep you close to God."

And the wrong people in your life, can draw you AWAY from God.

Now this brings me to the car wash incident that happened with me and my little boy the other day.

Let me set the scene, car wash and oil change 29.95.

Great deal.

We go one day after I pick him up from school, I tell him to bring his backpack and his homework ( always way too much home work for a third-grader lately ), and we pull in...drop off my car...and go inside and sit and wait.

My little boy spies some Oreos for sale, I give him the money to go get them, he throws his backpack down...and I sit back in my chair with my Antiques & Art magazine...ready to relax for a bit.

But no.

Because I spy out of the corner of my eye...a salesman.

That set off my first defense mechanism.

He was walking around from customer to customer...giving them his business card and chatting for a few minutes.

He had a strong Northern accent , in a Southern car wash...which I thought was amusing. His hair was slicked back with something shiny, and he had a briefcase. 

I immediately did NOT want this man to come over to us.

My son comes back and rips open his cookies, while I keep watching over my magazine this salesman going around.

My defense mechanism, my quills , if I was a porcupine, were now in full alert mode.

He was getting closer to us.

I look down, start reading my magazine, figuring he will take the hint , and not come in my SPACE.

Not bother me or my son.

Not a chance.

Within just a few minutes, there he is , above my magazine, very politely asking me if I would take his card ? He replaces windshields in cars for free and he would appreciate me calling him and keeping his card if I ever needed that service.

He was about 1 foot too close to me and my son for my comfort level.

He had set foot in MY inner circle.

Guess what Ms. IMPERFECT Christian bad example for her son did ?

I looked up at him, no smile, you see he was physically in MY SPACE.

( I went to a therapist many years ago  that told me I was territorial, which she thought was fine...just how I was wired).

Anyway, I take his card, again feeling he is too close to me and my son, all defense mechanisms and postures ( as much posturing as a woman in  workout clothes and tennis shoes can project ), and I put the card in my purse, nodded at the man , he said thank you and walked off to someone else.

The ridiculous thing was I was the ONLY one that I saw that did not say Thank You back to him, or smile at him or be that sweet Southern polite person that is fairly common here in the South.

Nope, I was the one person, with the little gold cross around her neck...who did not want this man in her SPACE, to get close to her.

The other absolutely ridiculous point of all that is I was a terrible example to my son about how nice Christians are supposed to be to people. He saw , as he was watching too, that other people around us were fine with this man in their space, just not his Mom who likes to talk to him about God and Jesus all the time.

How we are supposed to be kind and polite and show love.

Again , God is up in heaven, wanted to thump me on the forehead and say, " Wake up Woman ! "

Getting back to the decision we have concerning who to allow to get close to us...I was off-kilter with this salesman...but in real life , the day to day choice of who I know or meet...do they draw me nearer to God or further away from God  is a sobering question.

My son trying to pull me over backwards at our State Fair

The other questions we need to ask ourselves is does that person inspire us to learn about God , do they make us consider the things of God, or do they make us consider the things of this world more ? 

Who do you allow to get close to you ?

Who are you willing to let in your very personal space ?

What kind of conversations do you have with this person ?

What kind of places do you go with this person  ?

What kind of thoughts do you have about them ?

So many questions we can ask ourselves about any person or circumstance or action that can draw us to God or far away from God. 

Letting that be a barometer is difficult , as Christians we are supposed to go where the sinners are ( and most Christians know that they are sinners as well ), and be with them and witness there.

This statement does not negate that we minister or associate for brief periods of time, or help someone who does not draw us close to God...because the act of ministering to their needs can draw us close to God. It is the habitual fellowship, or ' hanging-out ' , with un-believers that can draw us very far from God.

We are not as strong as Jesus was to dis-associate ourselves from the world's lusts and pleasures and people , to keep putting ourselves smack in the middle of sin and expecting to come out clean.

We are told to guard our hearts and minds , to stand strong.

I am trying to do this, and it is easier than I realized to discern who draws you close to God or further away from God.

The hard part is the actual ACT of putting it into action.

The lust of the flesh , of the world , is a hard , relentless adversary.

But now I can ask myself that question , and be aware.

Mrs. Territorial wishes you many blessings today,

Gina

" Hear my son and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the drunkards and the glutton will come to poverty.." Proverbs 23:19-21