Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
8:22 PM | 
Posted by
Rebecca Aragon
First, let us start off with a cool picture for the day:
Ok, maybe two pictures. I couldn't decide which one was cooler. They work better together than apart. These were taken by Clark Little. Bravo, sir. Very cool!
Ok, now on to the item of the day.
My roommate and I were talking the other day, and the conversation turned towards the way people think about "knowing" God. You see, for a lot of people, and even for a lot of Christians, knowing God just means that they know who He is. They know some of the stories about Him, they've gone to church, they've listened to preachers and other people talk about Him. But despite all the head knowledge they may have of Him, they don't really know who He is.
This is the difference between knowing about someone, and actually knowing them.
Think about it this way: Say you have a favorite celebrity, and you know all sorts of things about them. You can know their name, the names of their family members, what their favorite foods are, and where they live. You can know their likes and dislikes, their pet projects, and what they stand for. You may even claim to love this person, respect and esteem them. But if you've never spent time with this person, no relationship exists there. In all likelihood, they don't even know you exist. You can't truly know someone until you've invested time in building a relationship with that person. It doesn't matter how much head knowledge you have. Until you have built heart knowledge about that person, you don't really know them.
It works similarly with God. Many Christians today only know him through what they hear about from others. They get their weekly dose of God and Christianity on Sunday morning, and the rest of the week they just coast through and do their own thing. They say they love Him. They believe He's there. They may even try to adjust their behavior to suit what they think He wants. But what kind of relationship is that? There's no communication, no expenditure of effort, no heart knowledge. You can't know God by spending an hour once a week listening to someone else tell you about how they know Him.
What God wants from us is not a charade of obedience over an indifferent, distant heart. He wants to know you. To really know you. He already knows everything about you. He created you. The Bible says He knitted you together in your mothers womb and knows the number of hairs on your head. But that's not enough. He wants relationship with you, and He wants it enough to have sent Jesus to die a horrible death to allow that relationship to exist.
And yet, rather than embrace that opportunity for the prize, the treasure that it is, we let it pass us by. We're content just to squeeze all of God into a Sunday morning sermon (if even that) and go on without Him the rest of the week. But that doesn't even begin to encompass what it means to know God.
To know God, you must die to yourself. You have to spend time with Him. Read the Word for yourself and talk to Him through prayer constantly. How else is a relationship supposed to grow? Just as with earthly relationships, if you don't spend time with someone, the relationship atrophies. If you only speak to Him on rare occasions, of course it will feel awkward when you do. But it's not meant to be that way. When you spend the time to get to know someone well, you become more comfortable with them. The same is true with God. The more time you spend with Him, the easier it becomes to talk to Him and to hear His voice. And only then will you truly begin to know God.
So don't settle for just knowing about God. Take advantage of the sacrifice He made so that we can truly know Him.
Ok, maybe two pictures. I couldn't decide which one was cooler. They work better together than apart. These were taken by Clark Little. Bravo, sir. Very cool!
Ok, now on to the item of the day.
My roommate and I were talking the other day, and the conversation turned towards the way people think about "knowing" God. You see, for a lot of people, and even for a lot of Christians, knowing God just means that they know who He is. They know some of the stories about Him, they've gone to church, they've listened to preachers and other people talk about Him. But despite all the head knowledge they may have of Him, they don't really know who He is.
This is the difference between knowing about someone, and actually knowing them.
Think about it this way: Say you have a favorite celebrity, and you know all sorts of things about them. You can know their name, the names of their family members, what their favorite foods are, and where they live. You can know their likes and dislikes, their pet projects, and what they stand for. You may even claim to love this person, respect and esteem them. But if you've never spent time with this person, no relationship exists there. In all likelihood, they don't even know you exist. You can't truly know someone until you've invested time in building a relationship with that person. It doesn't matter how much head knowledge you have. Until you have built heart knowledge about that person, you don't really know them.
It works similarly with God. Many Christians today only know him through what they hear about from others. They get their weekly dose of God and Christianity on Sunday morning, and the rest of the week they just coast through and do their own thing. They say they love Him. They believe He's there. They may even try to adjust their behavior to suit what they think He wants. But what kind of relationship is that? There's no communication, no expenditure of effort, no heart knowledge. You can't know God by spending an hour once a week listening to someone else tell you about how they know Him.
What God wants from us is not a charade of obedience over an indifferent, distant heart. He wants to know you. To really know you. He already knows everything about you. He created you. The Bible says He knitted you together in your mothers womb and knows the number of hairs on your head. But that's not enough. He wants relationship with you, and He wants it enough to have sent Jesus to die a horrible death to allow that relationship to exist.
And yet, rather than embrace that opportunity for the prize, the treasure that it is, we let it pass us by. We're content just to squeeze all of God into a Sunday morning sermon (if even that) and go on without Him the rest of the week. But that doesn't even begin to encompass what it means to know God.
To know God, you must die to yourself. You have to spend time with Him. Read the Word for yourself and talk to Him through prayer constantly. How else is a relationship supposed to grow? Just as with earthly relationships, if you don't spend time with someone, the relationship atrophies. If you only speak to Him on rare occasions, of course it will feel awkward when you do. But it's not meant to be that way. When you spend the time to get to know someone well, you become more comfortable with them. The same is true with God. The more time you spend with Him, the easier it becomes to talk to Him and to hear His voice. And only then will you truly begin to know God.
So don't settle for just knowing about God. Take advantage of the sacrifice He made so that we can truly know Him.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Valentine's Day is coming up! So guys, you've got to get ready. I know this can be a time of stress and pressure for all of you, so let me try to help you out a little. I'm going to give you a girls perspective on some Valentine's Day ideas. Disclaimer: I am only one girl. These pointers are not all inclusive, so you have to take your date's personality, likes and dislikes into account when considering these things. But I'm going to help you out. Here are some things that almost every girl will appreciate.
1. Buy her roses.
You can hardly go wrong with roses, unless your girlfriend is allergic to them. Roses are romantic. They are beautiful. They say, "I value you; I think you're beautiful." Color is important though. Don't you dare go buy your date yellow roses for Valentine's Day. Those say something different. Romantic roses should be red, or sometimes white. A mixture of red and white is also nice. Pink can sometimes work too, but they are a little more sweet than romantic.
Of course, roses are not all that original (though that doesn't really diminish the pleasure of receiving them) so if you want to get a little more creative, that's fine as well, but make sure you think about what the flowers are saying. Carnations aren't nearly as romantic as roses, for instance. The point is, make sure the flowers you buy her make her feel beautiful and cherished. And by all means, if she has a favorite flower that you know about, buy those for her. It will show her that you listen.
2. Be a gentleman.
Hopefully, this is not just a once-a-year thing for you, but at least this once, go all out. Be the perfect gentleman. When you go to pick her up (with your flowers, of course), go to her door and knock. Don't sit in your car and text her, "I'm outside." For real. And if you do that on your other dates, stop it. Always go up to her door. Always.
Once she's answered the door and you've given her the flowers, walk her to the car and open the door for her. When you've arrived at your destination, open her door again. Even if you have to tell her to stay put to allow you time to get around to her door, do it. Believe me, it says a lot when you're obviously trying to treat us well. We like to be taken care of. It makes us feel special. So open all the doors for her. Pull out her chair (if you can do so without accidentally pulling it out from under her....). Even if you're just going to McDonalds, these little things don't go unnoticed.
3. Write a note or love letter.
We understand that most of you guys don't really like to talk all that much about your feelings, but we still like to hear them. We want to be told how much you value us, how you feel about us, and so forth. A love letter is a beautiful way to do this. This is something that doesn't have to be done just for Valentine's Day. And even if it is for Valentine's Day, don't necessarily give it to her while you're on your date. If you're with her, be with her and tell her things face to face. But maybe a letter in the mailbox a day or two before or after, telling her how excited you are to spend Valentine's Day with her, or how much you enjoyed your date on Valentine's Day, along with some sweet (and genuine!) flatteries and such is always a nice gesture. Even just a short little note hidden somewhere for her to find later is an incredibly appreciated gesture. And don't worry. If you're a really terrible writer, get someone to help you out. Just make sure that the content of your letter is from your heart. It doesn't make you less of a man, so get over it.
4. Buy her a gift.
It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be flashy. You can go with the traditional chocolates, flowers and jewelry if you like, but as that's become somewhat cliche, you might want to get a little more creative with it. Whatever your choice, make sure it's significant to both you and her. It's the thought that counts, but make sure that it's an actual thought, not last minute panic. Start thinking now about what you could do. Maybe enlist one of her friends to try to figure out something she'd appreciate. Surprise her with something personal and sweet.
5. Make it romantic.
There are lots of ways to go about this. You could go all out, cook her dinner and serve her at a candle lit table for two. You could take her to a favorite restaurant. You could have a picnic under the stars. Take a long walk if the weather is nice. Cuddle up on the couch for a good movie. What you do is really less important than how you do it. Choose something that you know she likes -- even if it's not something you like. Make sure she knows that the evening is all about her. I had a date once who made me a CD with favorite love songs on it, which we listened to over dinner at his house. It was a sweet gesture and a lovely surprise. See, it doesn't have to be expensive and elaborate -- it just has to be heartfelt.
So let the V-Day preparations begin! Don't panic though. Make it fun. Enjoy yourselves. Be yourself and let her do the same.
Good luck!
Oh! And I did promise to post the picture of my finished drawing, so here it is:
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Welcome!
About Me
- Rebecca Aragon
- Hi! I'm a college student from Texas, getting an undergrad in painting. I'm enjoying life and discovering who I am in my art as I go along. I'm a painter and a graphic artist and I dabble in all sorts of other mediums as well.
