one flaw in women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they
hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe
there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about
you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Passion:

Pronunciation: 'pash & n (n) from Latin pati to suffer –1: the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death –2: the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces; –3: the emotions as distinguished from reason –4: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction –5: an outbreak of anger; ardent affection –6: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept –7: an object of desire or deep interest.

Just recently, I have been thinking about the effect of passionate feelings on our lives and the way we live them out. We can be passionate about anything we choose, and sometimes we will throw our every waking moment into pursuing it.

Recently I went with my family to an AFL game at Telstra Dome in Melbourne to see St Kilda play West Coast. Apart from some passionate West Coast supporters who had travelled from Perth to see the game (there were many on our flight across to Melbourne) by far the most were there to support St Kilda. We couldn’t miss the true blue supporters who showed proudly their team colours and paraphernalia. (I know one ardent supporter who proudly has worn their colours for years even when they were at the bottom of the ladder!)

Back to the game though. We were surrounded by a continual out pouring of passion throughout the game. There were some there that I thought were going to have a coronary or such like in the way they reacted to the umpiring decisions or opposing teams players. Then there was one man who got up from his seat and ran down the concourse to give the umpires a real serve when he didn’t agree with their decision.

I, not having any particular care on who won the match, sat back, watched and wondered. “What difference would it make to the church today (as we know it) if we were as passionate for the Lord’s team if we followed the Christian life as passionately as the AFL team supporters do, or whatever sporting team or interests that you follow.

It is not just football fans who follow their interest so intently – there are those who are passionate about their hobbies, their craft, their car, their garden, their fishing, their music, etc. and many of us put a great deal of effort into having the necessary tools and items needed to follow our passion.

So where is this going? No, its not an excuse to talk about football but a way to look at how we respond to our passions, and line up how passionate we may be about the Lord and His impact on our lives.

To be the person Christ called us to be, we need to be passionate about Christ and the difference He has made in our life, and therefore show and tell it to the world. It is easy for us to be closet Christians because then we don't have to stand out and wear our team colours. We can just go along with the crowd or we can be passionate about the team – that we are not just supporters but members, and we need to Stand Up for Christ in all we do, say and act as it is the mission we have in life.

Christ stood up for us and was willing to go all the way to the Cross for us. How much then do we owe to Him for what He has done for us.

Let’s nail our colours to the Cross and really Follow Him.

Wise Link September 2007

The September Edition of WISELink is now available online.

This month's WISELink we are looking at the value of life and how we look at it through God's eyes.

I will again be publishing the feature article, please feel free to discuss the article in the comments area of the post.