Wedding Madness and Other Truths

For the first time in a year, I went up to Flagstaff about a week ago. Dena, one of my roommates from college, got married (yes, that is the happy couple to the right). The wedding was beautiful, the reception was a lot of fun (ducking people trying to make you dance when you don’t really feel like it is always entertaining to me), and it was great to see people I knew from NAU… at the wedding or just while I was in town. Quick shout out – Congratulations Dena and Andy! I am so excited for you two, and I know you will be a joy and blessing to each other as you go through the rest of your lives together. Just keep God at the center. 🙂

 

But I would have to say that the biggest blessing out of the entire trip was the ride to Flagstaff with Andy (different Andy than above… random fact, I know about fify million Andrews and Andys, so my apologies now if I confuse you) and Brian. When they aren’t posing for weird eating pictures like the one on the left, they’re pretty much amazing men who love God and are genuinely seeking out His purpose for their lives. There aren’t many times I can think of where I haven’t walked away from time spent with either one not feeling encouraged in some small way. I love them both dearly as brothers in Christ.

 

 So, like I said, I rode up to Flagstaff with Brian and Andy. We basically the entire way up there, and at one point the conversation shifted to how some people as Christians start analyzing everything they do, beat themselves up for missing a five second opportunity to serve God, and go from there to doing things out of fear or because they feel like they have to do it. What Brian had to say really, really struck me. He said that he doesn’t worry so much about those things because he’s more concerned about being a son of God. Everything he does comes out of that identification – “I am a son of God, so of course I’m going to spend time reading the Bible, and…”

 

I realized in that moment that while I don’t get analyze the things I do, I do base a lot of who I think I am as a Christian on the things I do. I mark points… Did I read my bible today? Did I say grace over the tuna sandwich I ate for lunch? Have I prayed yet? Did I do my devotional? Did I read the verse of the day on *insert website or social networking app name here*? Did I tell anyone about Jesus? It’s a mental to-do list, and not any effort to engage in a real relationship with my Creator whose son died and rose from the dead so a real relationship would be possible.

 

If I concern myself with being God’s child, my love for Him is going to grow… and my desire to show Him said love will grow too. I won’t have to worry so much about what I’m doing because I’ll be doing it out of a place where the point system doesn’t matter.