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Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their 4-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son, and twin boys born May 2011. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site …
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Rebecca Teti
Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in …
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Robyn Lee is a 30-something, single lady, living in Connecticut in a small bungalow-style kit house built by her great uncle in the 1950s. She also conveniently lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law and six kids ... and two doors down are her parents. She received her undergraduate degree from …
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Keeping Christ in Christian

Love changes things

Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Thursday, October 06, 2011 3:35 PM

A friend of mine recently shared this perfect cartoon and yes it’s obviously hilarious but it also gave me lots to think about.

It’s very easy, when trying to do the right thing, to get caught up in a black/white way of thinking. It’s easy to point out how others are falling short in being a Christian—and then lose sight of our own failings in the midst of that.

When I think about the times I have been converted—when I’ve been drawn closer to Jesus and closer to who I want to be as his follower—I realize that what those times all have in common is Love.

Yes, I have been corrected. I have done wrong and messed up, or had a whole trend of doing wrong and messing up. And the times I had the grace to change, to change my behavior or my attitude or how I treated others—it was always when someone lovingly and gently showed me Truth. In those moments when I have the grace to change, I have been inspired by humility and kindness and love—I am never inspired by harsh words and a wagging tongue.

So this cartoon, meant to be funny, was actually a perfect reminder that my call as a Christian is indeed to do the right thing and stand for truth and make good choices—but all with a heart of humility and love.

God is watching how I treat his people. I better treat them right.

Comments
4
Filed under behavior, grace, jesus, kindness, love

Comments

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Posted by Kristina on Thursday, Oct 6, 2011 7:07 PM (EDT):

I have to say, Rachel, that as I read your piece, it was with a “I’ve read it before,” “nothing new here” attitude. Until I read your last two lines. Oh how powerful! I try (but fail so often) to have that exact attitude. These are God’s children and I need to treat them as such. He is watching and I want to make sure that when I go before Him someday, He will be pleased with my efforts. I make most of my decisions by mentally placing myself before God and trying to imagine what He would like me to do. I’m so glad you wrote this and happier yet that I was blessed with the opportunity to read it. Thanks for the gentle reminder.

 
Posted by anon on Thursday, Oct 6, 2011 9:06 PM (EDT):

*Sigh* I have no luck with thinking of God watching or asking what He would do.  It just seems to… abstract to me.  I just try to treat people the way I would want to be treated or the way I think they (with what I know of them from their life circumstances, temperament, etc.) would want to be treated.  I try to be gentle, generous, and available to my family… but it has just never resonated with me to do it “for Jesus.”  I do it because I like to see my husband and kids smile, enjoy our home, and feel loved.  I suppose I get my ability to love from God, but it still doesn’t feel very “religious” to me… just sort-of like I am trying to be a basic, good person.  When I mess up I try to start fresh; when others mess up I generally try to figure out what else was going on in their life (bad day at work, headache, stress, etc.) and not take it personally.  Maybe I am missing something….?

 
Posted by Rachel Balducci on Thursday, Oct 6, 2011 9:18 PM (EDT):

It has to be personal, anon. Like a love relationship with Jesus. Which means to get there you have to spend time being with him. It’s complex, but not really. Very simple actually. Does that make sense? He’s the King of the Universe but really, he is in love with YOU.

 
Posted by Anne Marie on Friday, Oct 7, 2011 12:08 PM (EDT):

I offer my day each morning for the “glory of God”, the morning offering.  Along with loving my neighbor as myself because that is what “I” want to do, I also do it because that is what Jesus wants me to do. A me and “Him” kind of thing.  I probably am not explaining it right.


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