"Maybe you're the one no one notices in the crowd"

Are you important or are you simply another face in the crowd??? Do you ever feel like you are simply another face in the crowd??? I'm sure all of us have had days where we felt absolutely worthless. But how many have walked through life for the amount of years and walked through school, or in your job and just felt invisible? How many of you have asked yourself why you even woke up every morning only to feel invisible and unwanted and unimportant??? How many of you have felt this way in a place that is suppose to be a Christian environment, a place where everyone should feel welcome???

This is NOT okay!!!!! Nobody should ever walk into any place and ever feel invisible or unimportant. Especially not a place that is suppose to portray and share God's love and acceptance. Neither should a person stay in that environment for a prolonged period of time and continue to sink into a depression.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

For in the same way you judge others, you

will be judged, and with the measure you use,

it will be measured to you."

Matthew 7:1-2

"Therefore, as God's chosen people,

holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves

with compassion, KINDNESS, humility,

gentleness and patience."

Colossians 3:12

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,

peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

Galatians 5:22-23

Don't ever stay in a place because you feel you have no other place to go. There are places where you can go and feel accepted. There are places you can go and KNOW you are important and wanted. Don't give up after the first try. Keep searching. There are places where you can go and everybody is treated the same, not shown favoritism. You are NOT a number, or just another face in the crowd. You are valuable.

"A true friend is someone you can trust with ALL your secrets"

FRIEND! What's in a friend? Webster's describes a friend as one attached to another by affection or esteem, an acquaintance, one that is not hostile; one that is of the same nation, party, or group; one that favors or promotes something (as a charity); a favored companion. If you ask me all of those are very vague in telling what a friend is. Here's a few descriptions that I believe describes a friend...

"For holding a hand in need,

raining happiness,

inculcating the gospel of love,

ending solitude,

negotiating problems,

dabbing tearful eyes a friend is there."

"Friend derives from a word meaning "free."

A friend is someone who allows us the space and freedom to be."

"A friend is someone who reaches for your hand,

but touches your heart."

"A reassuring presence, a LIGHT when times are dark,

A hand reaching out is what friendship is about."

Being a friend to others may seem simple at times, but making friends is not always simple. Making friends can be very difficult and very scary. Especially when all throughout your life you've been constantly hurt and disappointed for various reason by people who you thought were your friends. Making friends should be simple though. I mean how hard can it be to introduce yourself to a person and than proceed to get to know that person. It's more difficult than you might think. It can be absolutely terrifying. This year I am challenging myself to make a conscious effort to meet new people and not be scared to get to know them. Each relationship we have, God gives us for a reason, and a purpose. However, if you don't make the effort to get to know that person you may never know what that reason and purpose is.

"Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,

and do not go to brother's house when disaster strikes you -

better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away."

Proverbs 27:10

"Truth is the strongest bond that exists between two people,

if you lie or break a promise then you have broken that bond,

which only time can heal."

"Friends aren't jumper cables,

you don't throw them in the trunk

and pull them out for emergencies."

"True friends not only protect you from others

when something goes bad, but from yourself

when you try to take blame."

"Friends are like walls.

Sometimes you lean on them

and sometimes it is just enough

to know they are there.

"With friendship it doesn't matter

how many fights you've gotten into

or how long you've known each other.

What matters is who said 'I'll be there for you

always', and PROVED it."

Every person God gives us the blessing of being a friend with is a part of our life for a reason even if that reason is only for a season. There are also those very very FEW and RARE friends who you are completely thankful and completely blessed to have them because you know they will ALWAYS be a part of your life. Those who would be there at 4:00 A.M. Those who would pay an arm and a leg for a plane ticket just to visit you wherever your career might be. Those friends who will let you rant and understand that at that moment all they need to do is listen.

Friendship is something that should be treasured and taken seriously. It is not to be taken lightly for any reason. Every person has a story, and whether or not you know the story of their past does not give you a reason to treat them any less than how you would want them to treat you. It in no way gives you any reason to judge them for how they live in the present simply because you know nothing about their past. One day every single one of us will be judged. And some will be punished for their judgmental thoughts and actions. Take the time to look somebody straight in the eye and see if you can see the pain they feel every day.

Every temptation is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God

We are all tempted everyday. Why are we tempted? God allows Satan to tempt us in order to prove our allegiance to him. We should not be shaken by temptation. Job wasn't! We should expect temptation, we must be able to detect it, and be able to reject it. Satan is determined to attack and ruin the lives of every person on earth. If you are to remain strong in your faith you must be vigilant in your spiritual life and remain firmly anchored to God. In Job 2, Job is tested a second time.

"Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruim him without any reason."

Job 2:3

"But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.' So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head."

Job 2:6-7

In Job 1, Satan took all of material possessions from him. In Job 2, he attacks his health. Yet his faith still is not shaken. Satan's sin, not Job's is to blame for Job's suffering. His wife thinks he is stupid because he will not curse God. And his three "friends" arrive to "comfort" him. However, unfortunately the best comfort they did was to be silent for seven days and seven nights. If God were to take EVERYTHING you had from you would you continue to praise God? When you do stand firm in your faith how many of your so called "friends" put you down for walking in God's will?

"His wife said to him, 'Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!' He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, not trouble?' In all this Job did not sin in what he said."

Job 2:9-10

"Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Matthew 16:22-23

How many times has God told you something and then somebody who didn't know any of the situation tried to contradict what God said? Sometimes the best counsel to a person who is hurting is to be silent. Unfortanately his friends were only silent for a short time. What the devil spoke through Job's wife he would speak even more convincingly through his three friends. Do you maintain integrity through trials and suffering? Do you fully trust God even though you may not understand why something is happening? Do you surround yourself with godly people who can offer you sound counsel?

Fearing God is quite simply, taking him seriously in our lives and giving him the unrivaled place of honor that belongs to him alone.

Most of us go through life and expect life to be all full of joy. When life starts to be not so joyful is when we get scared. We get scared that we've done something wrong. When many times it is just the contrary. God allows us to go through suffering not because we've sinned, not because he's trying to punish us. When actually it's quite the contrary. God allows the righteous to go through suffering because of what we're doing right.

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.

This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and

shunned evil."

Job 1:1

"Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. 'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Satan replied. 'Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.' Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord

Job 1:8-12

Job was the most faithful man who lived during his time. He was blameless and upright. That does not mean he was sinless, it means he could not be charged with moral failure. He was not only godly but he was also a wealthy businessman. God gave Satan permission to take away EVERYTHING Job had, but told Satan not to lay a finger on Job himself. Job lost his 10 children, his cattle, his servants...EVERYTHING. But he didn't curse God, instead he continued to praise God. Questions raised in Job's tragic journey are Why do the righteous suffer? Where is God when tragedy strikes? If God is all loving, how can he allow human suffering? Does he not care? Is God worthy of worship in tough times? Or must he buy worshippers with blessings?

How many times have we ourselves asked those questions about trials and tribulations that we go through? We have a bad day and we think God doesn't love us. Job's friends Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz tried to help. But they turned out to be more of a burden than of help. They condemned him, and thought he must have sinned for him to suffer so much. Also, not only did his three "friends" condemn him but God remained silent throughout his nightmare. Job never understood why he was suffering. There were no explanations from God, no behind the scene reports. In the absence of any God given insights, Job's faith was stretched to the very limits. He was forced to simply trust God. In the emptiness of his soul, not knowing why he was suffering so much, Job arrived at a place where all he could do was to cling to God. With no explanations and no relief visible, he was put in the difficult position to rest in divine mystery.

How many of you can say that is how you react to suffering? Probably not many. Instead of clinging to God, we fear that because God is silent that he has left us. We fear he has moved, or that he doesn't love us anymore, or that he doesn't want us to be happy. But that's not true at all. God never leaves us! In his eyes, no matter what we do, he will always love us. He most definitely wants us to be happy. But he also wants us to focus our eyes on him. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to cling to Him! We give God honor when we wait patiently on him as we endure suffering. Being patient however is never easy! But, God doesn't want it to be easy. God doesn't want us to get comfortable! Because when we get comfortable, than we take life for granted, we take people for granted, and worse of all we take God for granted. A person of great faith will suffer by divine appointment for the sake of righteousness. When God brings suffering your way I challenge you to respond as Job did. I challenge yout not to run from God in moments of silence, but run to him. I hope you will respond with true faith in God, believing that he rules over all things according to his own perfect will. Only he knows what each day will bring. He knows how we will react before we even go to bed the previous day. I also challenge you to ask yourself these 5 questions...

1. Am I blameless in both my actions and words?
2. Do I recognize and submit to God's sovereign rule over my life?
3. Do I own my possessions or do my possessions own me?
4. Do I immediately turn to God when tragedy strikes?
5. Do I praise God even in the fiery trials of life?

"You see my anxious heart you see what I am feeling and when I fall apart You are there to hold me how great Your love for me"

God created all of us for a purpose. Exactly the way he created us is exactly what He wants us to be. However, because of the way other people have perceived us we have become jaded, and have changed. The words people say to us are not meant to change us but they do. Words are a powerful thing. Words can uplift and encourage a person or they can bring a person down and make them feel lousy about themself. If somebody were to ask you "how do you define self worth?" What would your answer be? I have two more questions for you 1. Are you glad you are you? 2. Do you have a healthy sense of selfworth? To God you are perfect just the way you are. It doesn't matter what anybody else have ever said. It doesn't matter what your relatives have ever told you. It definitely doesn't matter what your classmates and coworkers over the years have ever said. We become miserable when we perceive our lives to have no value, no purpose, or no significance. God tells us in His word that we are so significant to Him that He always keeps an eye on us.

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place."

Psalm 51:6

God wants us to be open and honest with him about all of our emotions not just the pleasant ones. God desires truth and honesty at the deepest level and wants us to experience His love, foregiveness, and power in all areas of our lives. Experiencing His love doesn't mean all of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors will be pleasant and pure. It means we can be real, feeling pain and joy, love and anger, confidence and confusion.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10

God wants us to live our life to the fullest. Living an abundant life however does not mean that it will be a problem free life. Life itself is a series of problems that often act as obstacles to our search for significance, and the abundant life is the experience of God's love, forgiveness, and power in the midst of these problems. Our fulfillment in this life depends not on our skills to avoid life's problems but on our ability to apply God's specidific solutions to those problems. An accurate understanding of God's truth is the first step toward discovering significance and worth. An accurate biblical self concept contains both strength and humility, both sorrow over sin and joy about forgiveness,a deep sense of our need for God's grace and a deep sense of the reality of God's grace.

It is vital for us to understand that this hunger for self worth is God given and can only be satisfied by Him. Our value is not dependent on our ability to earn the acceptance of people, but rather, its true source is the love and acceptance of God. HE created you and me. Only he knows how to fulfill ALL our needs!!!!

Do you know how amazing you are?!?! Do you know God has an amazing plan for you?!?!?

You say love is just a word just four letters in a row

God has placed a person on this earth for each and every one of us. He knows when and where we will meet that person. He knows when we will be ready for that person to come into our life. Just because we may have never had any dating relationships in our life growing up does not necessarily mean that God is going to calling a person to be single. It just means that we haven't met that person yet. We have to come to a point in life where we can say to God "I am ready for you to show me who you have for me, and for it to be for your glory." God can reveal that person to you literally anywhere. You could meet that person on a dance floor at a bar, at a convenient store, in class, the possibilities are endless. The person God puts on this earth for us does not have to meet up with the standards of anybody else besides you and God. People may not understand what you see in a person. But, 10 years later you may look back and be a totally different family than when you first met that person. A person may be a person who likes to party in college, and 10 years later may be a person who God has changed dramatically. That same person who was a partier in college may grow into a person who is passionate about his or her family, a person who is a spiritual mentor to everyone around them, and even leading in ways and places that 10 years ago they may have never thought of leading.

Don't ever sell yourself short or settle for anything less than what God has in store for you. God made each and every one of you with an amazing plan for your life. "

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord,plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily arranged, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I know God has somebody absolutely amazing for me, and until recently I had pretty much given up and had decided that God was going to call me to be single. I do not believe that now though, God has still not shown me who He intends to be my partner. He is still preparing both of us. I look forward to the day when God will put him in my life and change my life forever.

Have you given up? Do you have the desire to have a partner to walk with you through all of God's decisions? I ask you not to give up, you never know what you will miss if you do. By giving up, you might even miss an opportunity for God to show you that person.