Love (The Samaritan Woman)

I posted this in my HisHolySpace, but I thought I would share it with my fellow friendly google bloggers. :) I'm kinda stuck on the Samaritan woman. It's kind of funny, but years back I posed as her for Marilyn Hickey's Outpouring Magazine....Just so I don't get into trouble, it was February 1991 Volume 14, No.2. Dang...that was 16 years ago...yikes. Check this out...then hee hee hee and now...wooo hooo...it must be the living water 'cause I haven't aged a bit (shhh...just let me believe that).

Anyway...on to my blog...

Love


What an awesome verb. How we claim to know how to show love, yet we fall short way too often. To say we accept and forgive is simple…to show it…not so simple.
Over the past eight weeks I have been pulled to John 4…stepping away and being pulled right back. It preaches like no other! I’ve learned about worship, seeking the lost, and love so deep that God sets aside the wrong done and fully embraces the undeserving.
Here’s my personal assessment pulled from my complete exegesis of John 4:4-26 (email me if you are interested in reading the entire thing…it’s pretty long, but awesome if I do say so myself):
The passage of the Samaritan woman is not just a portrayal of what Jesus did, but rather John writes about who Jesus is. Knowing the struggle that lay between the Jewish people and the Samaritans, Jesus entered Samaria with a purpose…they too were God’s people and he had to draw them back into fellowship with the Lord. Today, Jesus is the bridge that connects everyone to God. It is all too easy to take on judgments of other people neglecting the fact that they too belong to God. Jesus met the Samaritan woman where she was. Sure, she walked up to the well, but Jesus brought her to a level of reality that said he knew her and still accepted her. We all have baggage that we carry, but Jesus meets us in the midst of our everyday life and gives us a free gift of eternal life.
When Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman the life he had to offer, he didn’t tell her to go to Jerusalem to worship there because he was not concerned about the place of worship, but rather the condition of her heart. It is so important that we are not in a game of leading people to Christ simply to populate the house of God, because we are the temple; 1 Cor 3:16 says “[d]on't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” Relationship with Christ, as we see in this story, does not begin at a place of worship; it begins within the heart.
Though the focus of drawing the unbeliever to Christ is not to lead them to a church home, it is important to be in fellowship with people of like faith. Today religion is a plethora of whatever goes. Reality is no longer truth because truth is subjective. Many Christians today are being led away from the Christian faith to fit into the mold of the modern practices of worship which are no longer about the Lord, but about how we feel. The church of the United States, which prides itself on diversity, has passively sat by and allowed religious diversity to spill into the church just as the king of Assyria had planned for Samaria. Samaria knew the Messiah after Jesus’ meeting with the woman at the well, but their customs drew them back. Later, in Acts, we see Philip going into Samaria to preach the Gospel; without constant edification in the things of God, it is natural to slip back into the life we once knew.
God is love, and yet so many times we thrive on hate. Please be aware that every seeker can see through any pretentious stance we may carry. It is so important that we stay humble, that we not fear the rejection of people who have different cultural standards, that we view no one as less than - because we are all God’s children. What greater act of worship can we give God but to present Him with the sacrificial obedience of walking in love and reaching out…just as Jesus did…to those enticed away from the things of God in order to fit societies mold. That love that we pour out may transfer from one person to an entire city.

The Dating Escapades

The not so good…the really bad…and the borderline ugly.

I don’t know why after 15 years of not dating, I decided to try my hand at this ghastly practice, but here’s what I’ve been thinking:

• The aging process that has me frightened…I’m getting old and…oh my gosh…what about a family! I forgot to have one!
• My sister’s child already has children…ouch. Children are awesome! Every child I know is my child…except one - that seems to be missing from my life.
• I just want someone to be with. I’m so done with being alone. I have goals in life, and while I can accomplish them solo, the thought of having someone by my side with the same hearts desire would be phenomenal.
• Sex. Yeah, I’ve thought about a time or two…more recently than ever before, and…decidedly, I would like to have it before I die; but I am steadfast on not compromising my values!

So, with all that said, I took to the dating scene like a fish out of water. I have a few issues: I don’t get out much, except to study at Starbucks, and I’m very shy. So I went to the typical student study Starbucks…the only one open 24 hours (oh how I love that!), and actually had someone come up to me and start a conversation. It was a normal conversation…can’t quite remember, but it went something like…nice day huh … yes, very nice … do you have any plans to get out in the beautiful weather … not really, but I’m sure I will. At that, I walked off like a dummy head. He followed me and asked why I walked away, I was dumbfounded. I thought the conversation was over, but he handed me his number and said to call if I’d like to meet for lunch. Holy Smokes! My first date in forever…and he was cute…had that buff, Latino, let’s go out and dance kind of look. We went to a lunch and played at Dave & Busters, but as the night progressed and he began to toss back a few…it got a bit scary. I found out he was actually from Morocco and searching for a wife to take back to Africa…The date ended abruptly. Upon mulling over my stupidity of that first date, I remembered as a teenager I promised the Lord I would never date anyone who didn’t Love God first. Ooooh…I broke my promise. In my feverish excitement over someone finding me attractive enough to take out, I dove in and didn’t consult the Lord. So, what to do next…there has to be some kind of way to screen these individuals…’cause I certainly am not going to date strangers anymore. Ahh, the internet.

YES, I did the dating sites!

The internet is such a great thing. I posted what I looked for in a guy, I was specific, and I was fairly popular…woo hoo. Here are my noteworthy experiences:

Guy #1: Great guy, Christian (of course nothing else will do), average looks, rides motorcycles, and had a job…this guy is meetable. We meet just up the street for coffee. He’s nice, but he decides to lay everything out in the first meeting…why he didn’t say all this before we met is beyond my comprehension…maybe he thought we wouldn’t meet (which he would be right), but it’s better than meeting and then never meeting again. I understand people making mistakes in their life, and I’m all for their desire for self-improvement; however, this man was divorced twice with four children from two different marriages, engaged in many various sexual encounters (why he discussed sex on a first date…I don’t know either, but I’m finding it’s not unusual), and four months out of an extended stay in the pokey for a life mistake. No thank you…I admire your will to change…God bless you in your future endeavors…moving right along.

Guy #2: Nice, active role in his church, loves God, great job babysitting the Broncos and Nuggets, nice looking, and a stellar profile obviously enhanced after meeting a few interesting people – which I can appreciate. We met and talked for a while. He told me about all the interesting people he met online – every one of them addicted to something – sex, gambling, drugs, or alcohol. So, rightfully so, he asked me if I drank, did drugs, gambled, or was addicted to any other thing. He was very relieved to find that none of those applied to me and then he complimented me…my head swelled…I got dizzy. Ha ha. He said that from my profile he was expecting me to look very average, but he was surprised, in a good way, at how pretty I was. That constituted another date…this guy was smart too! Ha ha ha. Date two we dine at Applebee’s. We discussed what a relationship would look like for each of us…and then he dropped the “S” bomb. He said two people should show their imitate feelings for each other through sexual activity. Ohhhhh…show me that in the bible Mr Church Man. Apparently, I am archaic in my beliefs of premarital celibacy. He said “I would hate to wait until I was married and find out its bad.” I told him that sounded like he speaks from experiences I would never want to know about, and that kind of thinking would bring a level of unfair comparison and judgment into his sex life. When the time comes, I think I would prefer to learn with my husband…not from. Our date ended politely with a much too long (in my opinion) and awkward hug. I think there should be hugging etiquette for the dating.
While I stand by my morals, this one I have to say shook me up a bit because of the circumstances surrounding it. In January, Beth Moore did a radio broadcast in which she told women to get their check-ups done…which I didn’t ever see the need to do. Well, I scheduled an appt shortly thereafter and was absolutely horrified! First, the doctor came in and proceeded to rake me over the coals because I haven’t been in for this type of exam, then the doctor, even though I told her, upon examination, was a bit shocked at the truth of what I told her. I never thought anyone could actually lie their way through one of these appointments. The short of it: she asked me why I don’t have sex and don’t I want to have sex and asked if I was depressed and needed to see a psychologist. Ok…excuse me, but do you realize I am not wearing clothes and you are practically yelling at me and telling me there is something psychologically wrong with me for not having sex. Ohhh…let me get dressed and then we can battle…lol…but, I just sat there silently stunned and unable to think to even utter a word. With all these things (the date, Beth Moore’s chiding, and the Dr’s appt) all happening within weeks of each other, I questioned myself harshly for a good month, but came to the conclusion that even if I am crazy, my God is just as crazy and is even crazy for me, and I will serve Him with my heart and my body no matter what authority figures, peers, or society dictates.

I’ve gone on dates with a couple other guys who were similarly disappointing and I wonder if I am the one who has issues. I have heard it said that if you are thinking that everyone else has issues, then look inwardly. So, I’ve looked, and I am sooo not willing to compromise...issues or not...haa haa haa. So maybe I’ll be single forever, but I think I’ve found some answers to my points:

• The aging process…so what if I forgot to have a family…Jesus said “who are my mother and my brothers?” And while God was speaking to Israel, I like to take this verse as my own “For your Maker is your husband—the LORD Almighty is his name…” (Isaiah 54:5)
  
• Children are indeed awesome, but if I never have them…I still have them “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:1)
  
• Though I want someone to be with, I am never alone. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18) I guess that covers my need for a psychiatrist too. lol
  
• Sex. I haven’t got a clue, but this I know - though I’ve been taught that “sin is sin regardless of what that sin is” it is not true! There is something more powerfully wrong with sexual sin and is even in a way spoken of differently in the Bible. Check this out: “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” Then it goes on to say “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13, 18)

So, I’m done with the dating scene, I guess if it happens it happens, but I am rather doubtful, but am somewhat ok with it.

p.s. rather than typing a bunch of scrips, I got my verses from www.biblegateway.com. Check it out if you need a quick look up.