Much will be required.

It is 3:30 in the morning and I am contemplating having another bowl of Frosted Flakes. The last two were really good. I think I have gotten this whole blog thing figure out - it really isn't that difficult. Anyway, considering I have to work in the morning, I should probably be in bed, but those things can wait.

I really feel blessed tonight. Lately, God has really been showing me all the things that He has given me. Maybe it is because I am thinking about what it is going to be like to leave the country for a couple of years. It also could be that being away from things and people you love makes you appreciate them even more. One way or the other, I can't get over how much God has done for me, and all that He has given me in this place where I am.

This is a good thing, but it also has me thinking about why God has blessed me so much. Aside from the fact that He loves me, and therefore wants to bless me, I keep feeling this enormous sense of responsibility. My entire life my mother has told me "To whom much is given, much is required." This is from Luke 12:48. My small group leader at the missions screening conference told me the exact same thing (word for word) during our one-on-one session. I can't help but think that God has given me so much because He is going to require a lot out of me. In the last two years, God has brought me to the point where I look at money and material possessions in that way - that He has given them to me to use for Him. It also hasn't been difficult for me to look at my talents and abilities like that. More and more, I am beginning to look at my life like that as well. Christ came to earth as the perfect example to us, and what did he do? He gave his life away. I am not trying to sound crazy, or like I think I am going to die on the mission field or something, but I believe that God calls each one of us to give our lives away. For me right now, that means giving up a lot of the things I have come to love and be comfortable with. I will be required to give myself completely to people I haven't yet met, so that some of them can come to know Christ. It reminds me of the old Michael W. Smith song that says "Love isn't love until you give it away." Christ provided the ultimate example of this idea, and told us that we are not worthy to follow Him unlesss we are willing to give up everything else as well. So, blessings are great, but I am learning that the reason I am blessed is so I can give it away - not just to a charity or to make myself feel good, but so that people would see the love of Christ and be drawn to Him. This is what true discipleship requires!

Have a great night, and by the way, that third bowl of Frosted Flakes was even better than the first two. Dios les bendiga!