[pastor's wife]

I'm not where many of you are on certain issues, but many of the things mentioned I have changed my mind on.

On my list, I could put things like music and movies and clothes and outward standards but those are actually trivial compared to certain deeper things. I'd have to really think about those for a longer time than this quick reply, but let me respond to a couple comments above:

1. exfundy4Jesus wrote, "We must fix people and set them right." YES!!! Oh, what a relief to realize that I'm NOT responsible for other people. I just read a link a friend posted on facebook which included this line, "If you want your boyfriend to turn into a husband who loves you like Christ, make sure he is walking with Christ." WHAT?!!! THAT'S NOT YOUR JOB!!! That's between the guy and the Holy Spirit. You can choose not to date him based on his behavior/attitudes, but you can't MAKE SURE he is "walking with Christ." Good grief.

2. leo wrote, "It's OK to hate yourself." Oh, wow. I'm still working on that.

3. BigRed1, good list! I agree.

[Miss TTU Runner-Up]

1.If I miss God's perfect will for my life, I will be miserable and will not get a second chance at it.
2.If I am not in full-time Christian service, I am a second-class Christian.
3. The public schools are trying to indoctrinate children and get them yo reject God and hate their parents.
4. If I follow the rules, I will be happy.

[myotch]

Certainty.

[rsc2a]

(08-08-2016, 09:10 PM)myotch Wrote: Certainty.

Are you sure?

[myotch]

(08-09-2016, 08:18 AM)rsc2a Wrote:

(08-08-2016, 09:10 PM)myotch Wrote: Certainty.

Are you sure?

I hope

[pastor's wife]

I've just been thinking about this and was wondering where to post it, and this thread seemed appropriate.

I've changed my mind about the whole "denying myself" thing. I have to figure out how to apply that Scripture differently without throwing it out altogether because I do still want to be a follower of Christ and a Bible believer. But when I think the mess of my life that I've ended up in, part of me can't help but wonder if things would have been different if I'd chosen what I WANTED more than what I thought I was SUPPOSED to. If I WANTED something, it was suspect because my flesh was SINFUL and we were to deny our flesh.

Now I wish I'd spent more time learning what I wanted and following what I wanted. Trying to follow what God wanted (which was often what OTHER people wanted, like my parents or my husband or church members) has left me in a place I never thought I'd be and where I do not want to be.

[myotch]

I'm all about denying myself, in season, from certain things.

As a spiritual practice, it helps if you wan't to make the sacrifice, instead of duty, obligation, arbitrary rule.

A few years ago, I wnt vegan - because I wanted to. For 6 months, I had an eye-opening sacrificial experience that made me think about the food I was putting in my body. I benefitted in a few health areas.

I try to replicate that now only for the health benefits. It's a chore. It's joyless. I cheat, fail, and make it worse after cheating and failing.

The little thing that made it joyful.....I need that, it's evasive, it's undefinable.

But I think it has do do with wanting the experience, wanting the discipline, instead of just wanting the benefits, the payoff.

[pastor's wife]

Oops! I just realized this was in Non-believer Safespace. I'm not sure how I ended up on this forum! Sorry for intruding! I thought it was a different one. (Sometimes I think I'm too old for the internet - lol.)