March thoughts

So another week goes past, and turns into a month.
I can't believe that it's march all ready.
How's things going?
I hope that things are going well for you.
I know that sounds a bit shallow, and probably a bit impersonal, coming from a computer.
I've been thinking about this post, and it's been a long time coming.
Because, I always find me thinking about things.
Have you ever questioned things?
Like faith, God and pain?
It's always hard, because we slowly, become immuned to things that we are strong.
Perhaps it's a shallow out look, but it got me thinking about something.
We don't want to experience pain, we try to avoid it at all costs.
And we always try not to harm ourselves, but we live in a world of risk.
And we are taking more risks than our parents or anyone before us.
So what happens now?
Did Jesus take risks?
Yes, each time he went to a different part of Israel, Jerusalem
He was told to leave many towns, because he helped people.
I was thinking of, it today, that do we really care?
How are you and me, Jesus hands and feet?
Are we waiting for the ''right time, right place right people'' to come along?
 Sometimes we need to grow up and just get out there and do it.
So the question isn't just to you, it's also to me.
How am I going to do this?
What am I going to do this week to make a diffince?
Each time you pray, you get an answer, it might be painful, but you always get an answer to what you pray for.
Maybe it's being kind to people who are hard, on you, perhaps it's respecting, those people who are high up than you, when you have the answer,  Jesus is there in that.
Jesus also uses everything to give you what you need.
It might be in that trusted friend, in God you're never alone.
God uses you in all you are, and loves you.
Perhaps you're holding onto pain, things that no one knows about, you're always noticed by God.
Forgiveness always makes a way, when you think pain is always your friend.
It's not, you really don't need to be a victim anymore.
There is no pointing finger, there is no one to blame you for what you've done, no matter how ''dangerous'' or hurting or painful, because lets face it, we all have it,
No matter how bullet proof vested, protected you are against pain or hopelessness, be in in depression or even Christian depression, God is always there.
You are worth more than gold.
When you're a victim of unspeakable things, it's easy to wear that badge, it takes good counselling to actually see the truth behind the pain.
Because Pain disguises itself as the truth.
God is the voice of truth.
You see the power of the cross isn't just because we died to pain that day, Jesus spent, 8 hours silently, dying there.
He knows the personal pain, of death, but doesn't end there.
We rose with him, and he fought for us, that love found us, and death has no sting anymore.
You might think, that's simple, but it's real, pain hurts, death hurts, it's final.
And yes there's a certain grief, that comes, because we are human and we are mortal, but we are immortal, with Jesus, because we rose with him.
We have the spirit of him in us.
When we die we die to things that we hold on to, and that's good, sometimes it's a personal grief, it's something we all have to do.
But we also rise with Christ, Jesus, goes before us, always.
Jesus doesn't leave it there, he is walking with us, through what we are going through.
He isn't there for a short time, he's there for along time and he will see that you get what you need.
When you have a friend in Christ, you know that he won't let you down.
He's there for the whole distance, like a long distance drive, he's there not just when you need him but when he needs you.
It's not just a 2 way street, when you believe in Christ,  you are also strong in him, he carries you through things you can not face alone.
My friend, if you are feeling lonely, because all you hear is a good message from church, it doesn't help your faith, because all you hear are good things.
Like children we need to grow, babies don't stay on milk for all their life.
Likewise with the Christian walk, we need to get a bit gritty.
You may struggle with this, should we pray for hardship?
 no, but we can help people who are going through it.
Babies grow to children, and children grow up and become adults, if we are just in a church pew hearing good things, how are we going to become stronger if we don't grow?
Jesus is there, and it's no use being a clean dish on the outside and being dirty in the inside.
Love is hard, it's always warm, love is hard, because it always reaches out, because love believes through thick and thin,
God created that love, because it is stronger than anything else.
We are called to love, and to be there for the long haul, not just for a short time.
We can't have short time fun, we can but it doesn't really last all that long.
We need people who know all about us, who care about us, who are in for the long haul, not just for the Sunday afternoon drive through the Christian life.
So perhaps it's time to go back to Christ, go and be strong, go and be clean on the inside not just the outside, to find the people who need to be there for the long hauls, not the Sunday afternoon drives.
Chloe