days 25-28: lessons learned.

I have no idea who reads my blog. I have no idea how what I write affects people. I would like to think i'm funny, but for some reason, I doubt that. I also have no idea who notices when I go several days without writing a thing... ;) These last few days have been days full of lessons. What exactly? Maybe this is my chance to sum them up. Maybe you're the one reader who needs a glimpse of God that hopefully i'll give. Maybe no one reading this needs it, I just need to put my thoughts into sentence form... regardless, here's my heart... on a silver platter, if you will...

Lesson #1 – life is simply not fair. I don't know if this lesson is more convicting or comforting. Someone will ALWAYS have a nicer car. ALWAYS. Someone will ALWAYS have nicer shoes. ALWAYS. Someone will ALWAYS have a not long-distance relationship. ALWAYS. Someone will ALWAYS have a better job. ALWAYS. Someone will ALWAYS be in a better mood. ALWAYS. Someone will always get what they want more often. ALWAYS. But Someone sacrificed His life to readily provide forgiveness and unending love for a pathetic, lame, pity-party-throwing, whiny, annoying, slow-learning, awful sinner... ALWAYS. Life may not be fair, but 2 Corinthians 10:12 says “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

Lesson #2 – came in Bible class Tuesday morning. We cannot earn salvation by doing good things or trying to appear righteous. We are sinners. I know that! I can't earn salvation that way, neither can I earn favor with God that way after I'm saved. Good works are in vain if not done for the glory of God. The Bible condemns hypocrisy and vain strivings to appear better than one really is. How often is my life like that!?! How often do I try to act like I have it all together??? More often than I ever should.

Lesson #3 – I can get more exercise walking around the mall than I can going on a walk. Krisanna loves walking. I love shopping. So, we go on a short walk around the neighborhood, but I could walk for HOURS around a mall. That's how we exercise. I exercise my heart so I don't drop dead of an irregular heartbeat as soon as I probably should; I exercise my Portuguese as I say “obrigado” for my purchases; I exercise self-control when I walk through the shoe store and realize that my suitcase and the scale can't handle many more shoes (and neither can my budget... lol); and I exercise my social skills as I smile at strangers who just glare or stare back at me. See, I DO exercise!

As for the last few days? They've been days full of learning. And teaching. :)