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Sunday, June 26, 2005

Wow..i don't think a sermon has ever hit me so hard before... due to the content and nature of the sermon, i felt sooo uneasy the whole time... i felt hurt... i felt like God was slapping me in the face... sometimes i even felt like i wanted to cry... the stuff that pastor talked about hit so close to my heart...

this issue that has been looming at the back of my mind for the past couple of months keeps finding ways to appear again.. the first time this term was during a Bible study in which a part was on loving our neighbours... the second time was this morning... i think this is God's way of telling me that i can push the issue aside or not deal with it, but sooner or later i will have to make amends... perhaps first within myself...

*taken from church bulletin*

Because of our sinful nature, all of us need recovery from hurts, hang-ups, and habits... Sanctification cannot occur without recovery.

so for me, i definitely need recovery from hurts... the wierd thing is, it's not even a hurt bestowed upon me in action, but more of hurt bestowed upon me in a loss of trust and respect... i do not really harbour any hate, resentment, or anger... but more feelings of just being hurt... and i've never even thought to recover from it before now...

RECOVERY:
Realize that I'm not God.
Earnestly believe God exists, that I matter, and He has the power to help me recover.
Consciously choose to submit to Christ.
Openly examine and confess my faults.
Voluntarily submit to God's changes in my life.
Evaluate relationships. Forgive and make amends. **
Reserve daily time with God.
Yield to bring Good News to others.

** this is the hardest one for me now... is it possible to forgive someone yet still feel hurt by what they've done? i think i have been forgiving... but hurt still arises...

Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the thigns I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)