Humbling Beginnings!

This past week and a half has been mind blowing, exhausting, exciting, fantastic, a wonderful learning experience, and most of all....humbling! To recap...I recently started working for a well known pediatric hospital in Dallas! I LOVE IT! The first two days were your basic boring orientation and computer based training. The rest of the time I have been getting acquainted with departmental policies, paperwork, and the ins and outs of things! It has been exhausting trying to get myself back on a schedule! But, all in all, I love it and it is awesome!

I feel blessed that God has given me this opportunity! I feel blessed that God has allowed me to go to school, get both of my degrees (without putting myself too far into debt), all the while being happy and healthy! I am blessed, and I realize that I don't deserve these blessings! I'll explain....

Our church is starting a new series called "The Barbarian Way!" We are following a book written by Erwin Raphael McManus. (If you haven't read it...DO!) Without doing a complete song and dance about the book/series...I will summarize it for you! Basically, the gist is this...we as Christians are called to follow God 100%...not 95%...not 90%...BUT 100%. And, when I say follow, I don't mean get in line with what people are telling you what God wants you to do or believing the cultural-istic view points of the Christian world. This means...you give of yourself (and your life) completely! You do what he calls you to do regardless of how it affects you! Secondly, (and I think this is deep, honest, and true!) just because you follow God, does not mean that you are entitled to a blessed life! He promises you a future with Him, but not a life filled with blessings and answered prayers! This book/series is honest, blunt, and in someways brutual!

Since I started reading the book, I can't put it down! For those of you that hate reading, don't worry it is only approximatley 150 pages! I think that all Christains should read it, if for nothing else than to remind yourself of what we as Christians are expected and called to do and be for God, not what he is to be for us!

With all of that said....I mentioned in the first paragraph that I have felt very humbled in my new job and I have! While begining this book, God has reminded me that the blessings that I have been given were not earned or deserved. Simply, He blessed me! In the past week, I have worked with children who had gun shot wounds, physical impairments, mental impairments, etc. And, while I could sit and easily find the blessings in their lives as well...I realize that I never have a right to complain or be disappointed if God doesn't bless me with the things that I pray for or the things that I believe I deserve because I have plenty!

Today, I encourage you to do three things:
1. Go buy and start reading "The Barbarian Way" By: Erwin Raphael McManus.
2. Remind yourself everyday of the blessings God has already given you.
3. And, finally, remember what God has called you to be as a Christian. Someone who is willing to give of themselves completely and (if need be) make an ultimate sacrifice, just as He did! Remember, we were never promised a blessed life here on earth, but an eternal life with Christ!

God bless each of you and all my love!