Hi Guys :)
So Brianna and I have a lovely friend named Kendall (I would post a picture of her if I had any, but ya know :P), and she has agreed to write a guest post about passion in Christ. I loved this post in how she showed how passion for Christ and living a life for Him could encourage her to have such good responses, and how it could lead her to encourage others through her words. So without further ado, here's a guest post by Kendall :)
So, I've been recruited to do a guest post on this awesome blog, sweet! I am also supposed to write about a passion for Christ...even sweeter! I've been thinking a lot lately, about why we're here. We're here to spread the glorious new of the gospel. That's the reason for life. Hang on tight, 'cause this is gonna get deep here in a second. Let me tell you about a recent conflict that occurred while I was babysitting my 3 younger brothers. So here's what went down: Ryan smashed Matthew's lego airplane. Uh oh. So Matthew gets angry with Ryan and lashes out with his words. So that's when I walk in. I try to keep a quiet patience as I attempt to fix the problem (being the babysitter, this is my job). I send Ryan out of the room so that I can talk to Matthew alone. Matthew then begins to tell me all about Ryan has done. He continues on and on until it's my turn to make an observation. "Matthew," I say, "I know that Ryan did that, and it was wrong of him, but what did you do wrong in this?" He seems upset at this and replies more about how he had worked so very hard on the plane Ryan smashed. He will not accept the fact that I am trying to confront his own sin and not Ryan's right now. (Keep with me here, it gets better I promise!!) After a little more of this, I remember an illustration someone shared at church that really spoke to me, so I decide to share it with Matthew.
"Matthew, trying to be perfect is like trying to jump over the Grand Canyon. Even if you can jump 10 feet and Ryan jumps 5, you both fall. So what difference does it make who jumps farther? When you fall, you die, and when you die, you can't explain that you jumped farther than he did. That's why we need a bridge. That's the reason God sent his son to die for us. Because we've all sinned and we've all fallen and we cannot jump across the Grand Canyon. We need a bridge! Jesus is that bridge for us, and he will carry us all the way to the other side. We just have to say 'No. I cannot do it. I cannot jump that far. I need a savior.""
I left him with that. This was a big step for us and I sincerely hope Matthew understands who Jesus is a little better. Afterwards, I remembered something from the sermon we'd heard that very same day:
(Matthew 10:19-20) "...do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. (20) For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." It really made me think. God was in that moment with Matthew. He used me to speak to him! Matthew came to me later and thanked me for sharing that with him and said that it really helped him. But I know that it was not me who thought of that illustration, and it wasn't me who was speaking to him, but it was the Spirit of my Father speaking through me. What a cool feeling it is!
Thanks for listening to my crazy rambles. I hope this encourages you guys as much as it encourages me. :)
~ Kendall Hayden
So Brianna and I have a lovely friend named Kendall (I would post a picture of her if I had any, but ya know :P), and she has agreed to write a guest post about passion in Christ. I loved this post in how she showed how passion for Christ and living a life for Him could encourage her to have such good responses, and how it could lead her to encourage others through her words. So without further ado, here's a guest post by Kendall :)
So, I've been recruited to do a guest post on this awesome blog, sweet! I am also supposed to write about a passion for Christ...even sweeter! I've been thinking a lot lately, about why we're here. We're here to spread the glorious new of the gospel. That's the reason for life. Hang on tight, 'cause this is gonna get deep here in a second. Let me tell you about a recent conflict that occurred while I was babysitting my 3 younger brothers. So here's what went down: Ryan smashed Matthew's lego airplane. Uh oh. So Matthew gets angry with Ryan and lashes out with his words. So that's when I walk in. I try to keep a quiet patience as I attempt to fix the problem (being the babysitter, this is my job). I send Ryan out of the room so that I can talk to Matthew alone. Matthew then begins to tell me all about Ryan has done. He continues on and on until it's my turn to make an observation. "Matthew," I say, "I know that Ryan did that, and it was wrong of him, but what did you do wrong in this?" He seems upset at this and replies more about how he had worked so very hard on the plane Ryan smashed. He will not accept the fact that I am trying to confront his own sin and not Ryan's right now. (Keep with me here, it gets better I promise!!) After a little more of this, I remember an illustration someone shared at church that really spoke to me, so I decide to share it with Matthew.
"Matthew, trying to be perfect is like trying to jump over the Grand Canyon. Even if you can jump 10 feet and Ryan jumps 5, you both fall. So what difference does it make who jumps farther? When you fall, you die, and when you die, you can't explain that you jumped farther than he did. That's why we need a bridge. That's the reason God sent his son to die for us. Because we've all sinned and we've all fallen and we cannot jump across the Grand Canyon. We need a bridge! Jesus is that bridge for us, and he will carry us all the way to the other side. We just have to say 'No. I cannot do it. I cannot jump that far. I need a savior.""
I left him with that. This was a big step for us and I sincerely hope Matthew understands who Jesus is a little better. Afterwards, I remembered something from the sermon we'd heard that very same day:
(Matthew 10:19-20) "...do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. (20) For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." It really made me think. God was in that moment with Matthew. He used me to speak to him! Matthew came to me later and thanked me for sharing that with him and said that it really helped him. But I know that it was not me who thought of that illustration, and it wasn't me who was speaking to him, but it was the Spirit of my Father speaking through me. What a cool feeling it is!
Thanks for listening to my crazy rambles. I hope this encourages you guys as much as it encourages me. :)
~ Kendall Hayden
