James 1:2 reads, ..count it all joy when you fall into various trials. In this life things will happen, it's inevitable and there is NO way of getting around it. All of the great men and women of the Bible faced trials, I mean even The Great I Am himself faced an ultimate unjust trial when he done nothing wrong, so the trials will come.
Now I'm not knocking anyone's theology or beliefs, but I hear song after song, quote after quote, where people say that it's only test that you're going through and that's true because these trials are tests of your strength, faith, and character but people hinge on the belief that these tests come exclusively from God! My question is that since God knows you and created you why would he feel the need to test you? What does God need us to prove by testing us. God knows that we will fail, he knows we will continually sin and that is why He is our God. That is why he sent His Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for us because he knew that we would continually fall short of His glory.
Instead of feeling like God is playing with you, learn to count it all joy. When David was going through, he encouraged himself, when Job lost everything but his right mind he desired a response from God, but he still kept his faith, repented and found his joy. Hannah was barren and ridiculed in the temple, at church! But she still counted it all joy. This goes on and on.
So you see where I'm going here? You have to learn to praise him through the pain. Learn to rejoice through the questions, doubts, and fears that will flood your mind. If anybody is testing you it's really that rascal devil because he wants you to blame God and switch sides! The mothers of the church sings, "Nobody told me the road would be easy, but I don't believe He's brought me this far to leave me.." And that's just it, why would he create you just to leave you? If anything when you're enduring life's suprises, trials, and tribulations find joy in it and keep going because guess what?! Weeping may endure for a night but joy WILL come in the morning! -Psalm 30:5. It may not be the next morning, or the next but joy will come!
So when life takes that turns for the worse or the unexpected, I dare you to go to your secret closet and tell God, " I'm enduring a setback, but I believe in you to continue to propel me forward. I know I'm in pain now but you'll convert that to just another testimony. You're not a man that you should lie so I'm depending on you to allow me to count all my trials joy."
If you learn to count the things that you think will break you as joy, imagine how you're going to praise him when he blesses you with the breakthroughs and earthly successes. Remember our ultimate goal is heaven and "in my Father's house are many mansions, if not I wouldn't have told you so"-John 14:2 so all the things you're enduring here on Earth is just setting you up for your Mansion, so praise him for your keys!
Praise Him for Your Pain!
The Real Fake Housewives of America
So finally I am writing my first blog and my first thought is, "Where do I start?!" So many things are going on in this crazy world we live in, what can I possibly say to avoid "beating the dead horse" that bloggers, journalists, and all other writers of today continually do day in and day out? Well, it finally hit me! As long as there's news, the dead horse will continually be beat because hey, we all have opinions and there's self-gratification somewhere in expressing one's thoughts, or views so hey I might as well enlighten you all with mine!
Now I'm sure unless you haven't had access to basic cable, or just live under a rock, that you have caught a glimpse of the new phenomenon of "The Real Housewives of....(insert city here)" where you get to witness the lives of dozens of women which somehow gets summed up in all of 8 hours, or 15-20 if you buy the season DVDs with behind-the-scenes footage. In these shows the families showcase their strengths (which are very minimal), their weaknesses (which are very apparent), and all that's in between. I am going to focus on the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Now the city where the show is cast, itself should come as a shocker. With a show set in Atlanta, Georgia you can only expect to be introduced to some characters and plenty of train wrecks. From the drivers to the random people wandering down the street, every person highlighted in this show seems to be extravagant and over-the-top which adds up to one heck of a show. I'm pretty sure that when they were casting their work was cut out because in Atlanta, you never know what to expect or what you'll see! Now I'm not bashing Atlanta because I love Atlanta but nothing suprises me in that city anymore.
First off, the show is obviously scripted. In order to keep viewers the producers have no choice but to go to the ends of the world to find the most jacked up, desperate D, E, and F-list celebrities and turn them into actors. Every now and then decent, upstanding individuals will make it through i.e. Eric Snow's ex-wife Deshawn and Lisa Wu-Hartwell, but as you can see they are no longer a part of the show and they are probably better off enjoying having actual credibility. I mean why would a TV show want to show successful, nice women who are actually wives, yes actually wives.
Minus Cynthia Bailey who just got married, and Phaedra Parks, no one is actually married anymore. How can you name the show The Real Housewives but the majority of the cast isn't even married or can't keep a husband or has someone else's. This is the picture they want to paint of marriage. The sanctity of marriage has been compromised and sold-out and millions and millions of viewers are being disullusioned by these extravangant characters.
The basis of the whole show is to show irate women fighting, lying, and clawing their way just to forgive and make-up later on which in reality is the Christian thing to do because hey tension overtakes all of us at one point or another but to base a whole show on just the theme of drama shows the level of lowness that American mass media has taken to attract attention, but here's the kicker; people actually glorify the foolishness of the women instead of the message that is really being portrayed.
My Twitter feed runs rampant with people updating Twitterland on the happenings of the show but not one positive aspect is pointed out from the show, just the negativity. So my question is where are the people who see right through this show, If 15 million people watch this show a week just for the drama and foolishness where are the viewers who actually are concerned about the well-being and actions of these women that our young ladies are looking up to. Yes this show may be for adults only, but I'm going to bet that the majority of women watching this show are watching it right next to their daughters.
