Loving Those We Don't Feel Like Loving

HEY AGAIN!

Or if not again, welcome to The Attitude Of Adventure Blog!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane (the Goldendoodle), and I love pizza! No seriously. I could eat pizza Every. Day!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}

And now, for the reason you came here today!

Over the past few years, I've thought a lot about what it means to love like Jesus loves. I've listened to the way that other's treat each other. I've seen hate, sarcasm, shaming, judgement, and pain. I've felt each of these. But I've also observed love, patience, teaching, helping, kindness, encouragement. I've known what it's like to work under people with different strengths. I've thrived in a positive environment and hated, dreaded, and quit the negative. It's been an interesting, freeing, complicated, yet simple realization.

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." -Mark 12:30-31
"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." -John 13:34 NLT

BLURRED LINES + GREYS

It's so interesting to see the world from a different perspective you never knew existed. You're going along with life and doing your day-to-day under the influence of your childhood home. You don't know any different, then BAM! You realize that not all parents follow the same set of rules. That slide that you've always climbed up is off limits to your friend. That pudding that you eat as a snack? Well, in most homes, it's not a snack. It's a dessert.
Something happens in this realization and you start to wonder if there are other things that not everyone in the world agrees on. One day everything seems so black and white and the next, you're unsure where the line is. There's so much grey. You start to wonder, "What do I believe? Are my parents right? If not, why would they do it that way?" You start to realized that not everything is right or wrong. There's judgements everywhere. More and more grey.

So where should we land? How do we make these hundreds and thousands of decisions?
Should we boycott Target? Because gosh, darn it! They have such cute stuff! I just love Target. Should we let our children believe in Santa? Because we are technically lying to them, but it's so much darn fun and I just love the Christmas season so much! Should we start a vegetable garden in our back yard and only eat organic stuff and follow a super strict diet and whoa, whoa, whoa, don't you dare drink that soda. Because honestly, sometimes you've got to live a little and have a little butter on your biscuit and quit complaining about the calories because that diet you were on last week wasn't sustainable!

WHAT MATTERS?

Most decisions don't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's not going to kill your child if you add the correct about of water and sugar to your Kool-aid! The kids will actually drink it and want to come over more than if you serve them watered down, barely sweetened blue liquid that nowhere close to resembles Kool-aid! ...I desist.
But some things, some issues can't be as easily thrown one way or the other. Some things we've got to stand up for. No, we do not lie. It's true, murder is also a big no-no. We don't steal from others or cheat. These are things that the general population agrees on. These are things that you can ask pretty much anyone and we'll all agree.

But there is a lot of controversy around things like politics, gun control, homelessness, religion, abortion, gender, age, race, marriage, marriage rights, animal rights, recycling. I could keep going, but you get the idea. I believe it is our right to have an opinion about each of these. A lot of people have done extensive research into the whys behind their answers and there are people on every side of the fence.
Each one of us is passionate for something and we each have a good reason why. But we don't always align our reasonings with Jesus. We don't always look at how our reasoning might not be loving others as He loved us. Jesus was kind to those who were broken and hurting. He was caring and compassionate. He ate with people that most of us would cross the street to pass as we walked by quickly. We're so quick to judge. Are we missing what He called us to do?

SO FIRST LOVE YOURSELF

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." -Mark 12:30-31
The saddest thing to me is to see people hating themselves. I think this is the cruelest trick the enemy has played. He saw that verse and twisted our thoughts so that it wouldn't mean as much. "Love your neighbor as yourself". In other words, love anyone you meet as much as you love your own self. The sad thing is that we have come so far away from loving ourselves. TV commercials prey on it. They know that if they can make us feel bad about our weight, our skin, our hair, our whole selves, that we'll buy their products to "fix" us.
And we buy into it. We talk about it with our friends and they buy into it too. It's almost not okay to feel good about yourself because everyone is trying to be "better". So when it comes to loving others like we love ourselves, we don't connect as much intent and feeling. Instead we treat them the way we treat ourselves. We talk to them the same way we degradingly talk to ourselves. We tell them they should be better and different and fit the mold because being the way they are isn't enough. If it was, you would be fine too, but you don't feel fine. We tell our kids to do better, be better, because we're secretly disappointed that we're not.

Friends, we have to stop this way of living, this way of thinking. We must be loving and kind, not only to others, but first and foremost to ourselves. When we feel good about who we are, we don't feel the need to degrade others. All those people out there saying hateful things to those they don't know or understand feel just as worthless as they're trying to make us feel. They need love, they need compassion. 

AND THEN LOVE OTHERS

Jesus called us to love as He loves: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." -John 13:34 NLT
 We are not called to be the ones who mock or scorn or talk badly about those who are hurting. This doesn't just go for the homeless man you pretend not to see as you wait for the light to turn green. This is also true of that guy you know who identifies as gay. We're called to love on him the same way you would love on your best friend. This is true of that girl who seems weird and isn't very social. We're called to love on her the same way we love on our other piers.

We must reach out to those who are hurting and seek to understand. From a place of understanding comes compassion and love. Ask questions instead of coming in with your judgements. You may not change your mind on where you stand, but when you understand why someone believes and acts and speaks the way they do, you won't feel as strongly about having to "win". Loving them is the win.
Next time you see that person who you don't agree with, don't come in with flames blazing, ready to fight. Come with a humble spirit, ready to learn and seeking to understand. You may not agree, but you can still love them like Jesus did and still does.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I hope you enjoyed today's topic!
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.

Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure

I'd Love To Hear From You!

~M

Author: Morgan, Living Relational, Living Spiritual, Living With Value

A Sure Way To Know God's Will For Your Life

HEY AGAIN!

Or if not again, welcome to The Attitude Of Adventure Blog!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane the Goldendoodle, and I love pizza! No seriously. I could eat pizza every day!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}

And now, for the reason you came here today!

When my parents moved away almost 3 years ago, I was distraught. I was still living at home, I didn't have my own car, and I was working as an intern, making $400 a month. Georgia had been my home since I was 9 and I'd had a hard time calling it so. I was homeschooled and didn't have a ton of friends. I was lonely and I thought for a long time that I would eventually move back to Missouri, back to my friends, back to my church, back to my home. It wasn't until high school that I finally started to feel like I could embrace Georgia as my own.
Then, the tragic news came that my dad was following his job to St. Louis. Shortly after I had come to love and embrace Georgia, my life was about to be uprooted again. I couldn't bear the thought of starting over, but I also couldn't stand to leave my family. I was torn.
So how would I make this big life decision? How would I decide the trajectory of my life? If I stayed in Georgia, I would probably get married and start a family here. If I moved, the same could be true. How was I supposed to know where my future was?

FIRST PRAY

"Yeah, yeah, I know I should pray, but I'm not hearing God. I don't feel pulled toward one or the other. It doesn't seem like He cares which way I go. Now what?"
I've felt this often. My prayers turn from, "Should I or should I not?" to, "Lord, help me to feel peace in this decision."

Sitting in the silence and wondering should I move with my parents or try to stay and live in Georgia, I prayed harder and longer than ever in my life. I pray every day, several times a day.
I asked God to give me wisdom.
I prayed, God, show me the way.
I said, God, I don't know what to do.
I don't know which way to go.
And yet, I felt stuck. What should I do? Should I stay or should I go? My heart was sick. I became distant and short with my family. I stopped spending time at home and did everything I could to escape their eyes urging me to move with them. My heart was torn.
I prayed for peace. Lord, give me peace toward one decision or the other. Which one should I choose? What is your will?

MAKING A DECISION

Okay God. If you're not giving me an answer, I'm just going to choose. But how? In the midst of my grief in choosing, I went to a church gathering for college students. The pastor got up and gave one of those messages that will stick with me for the rest of my life. He said, sometimes it doesn't matter which one you choose. God lives outside of time and already knows which one you'll choose. He can use you wherever you go, whatever you do. It doesn't matter because as long as you're choosing to honor Him with every decision you make, you'll be making the right one.

I told my parents that I wanted to try to stay. I didn't know how, but I didn't want to leave. I felt I would lose myself if I left. They were moving to the middle of nowhere an hour outside of St. Louis where the exit they lived off of was that one with a gas station, a McDonalds, and a Subway. It's that exit that you drive past and stop for a potty break during a long trip to your final destination. This wasn't a place where I could see myself thriving. Thriving wasn't a word I used yet, but it's what my heart longed for. I wanted to be known, to be loved and belong, and to thrive.
I still remember what my dad said to me when I came up with my financial plan to stay. "You can't." It stung and I was shocked by his bluntness. "This is not enough money to make ends meet. You can't stay here. You're not ready. You're not responsible enough." I can still feel the sting in those words. I later found out that feeling like I'm not enough is a big trigger for me. I have huge amounts of anxiety around being enough. And here was my father who had supported me and loved me since I was born telling me I couldn't do it. I remember crying and feeling tremendous loss on top of the guilt I was already feeling for staying when my family was leaving. I wanted to stay, but how could I when my dad, the man who had been so wise and so smart, said I couldn't do it. I was not enough.
Then, in that sadness, I felt a clarity. I felt a peace with staying in Georgia that I hadn't felt before. I didn't want to move and I was going to do everything I could to make staying a reality. I started looking for another job. I started looking for housing. I started to figure out how to buy or borrow a car. My life in Georgia was going to happen.

LIVING WITH THE DECISION

Just because we make a decision doesn't mean life will be easy. It may not matter which option you choose; there are complications with every one. I'm proud of you for making a decision. Now stick with it. Just because it gets hard, doesn't mean it's time to quit or that you should have gone the other way. Be thankful that you got to choose and be specifically grateful for the little things that are good. If you had picked the other one, you wouldn't know this person or you wouldn't have experienced that or you wouldn't have grown in this way.

It was the clarity that I found and the peace I felt that gave me the courage to march forward. I found a basement to live in. God bless them, I don't know how I would have lived without them! I got another part time job that helped so, so much and payed way better. My parents gave me their minivan, yes a freakin minivan, to drive because I couldn't afford my own car. That was the only thing they gave me. The rest of the expenses were on me, but that van made it possible to stay. Imagine the horror of having to drive an minivan everywhere as a kid barely out of high school. I swear to this day that I will never own a minivan. Never, ever.
But once I had made the decision and they had moved and I was living my life, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. I still struggled with loneliness. I started having anxiety attacks and I hated being alone. And yet, I was thankful for the presence of people who cared if I was doing okay and checked in on my even months after they had gone. I was grateful that though I had to drive a minivan, I had a reliable vehicle. I was thankful that with the 2nd job I'd gotten, I would save almost half of my income every month to get a new car when the van died. I was intentional about being grateful and surrounding myself with people who poured into me and supported me.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I hope you enjoyed today's topic!
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.

Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure

I'd Love To Hear From You!

~M

Author: Morgan, Living Spiritual

My Favorite Bible & Translation To Read

HEY AGAIN!

Or if not again, welcome to The Attitude Of Adventure Blog!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane the Goldendoodle, and I love drinking homemade smoothies every morning!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}

And now, for the reason you came here today!

The Bible is a compilation of 66 "books." This collection of "books" are actually a mix of the following genres: Historical Narrative, The Law, Poetry, Proverbs, Prophesy, Parables, and Letters. It was written by 40 authors over a span of 1,500+ years! This incredible collection we call The Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic which is now translated into hundreds and parts of it into thousands of languages. There are 450 different translations just in English. So which one do you choose? These are my favorites!

TRANSLATIONS

When I am reading my Bible, I usually will flip between 2 or 3 different translations. It helps me to understand the passage better and each one has different little side notes.

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)
This is my favorite translation. I've found it somewhat easier to understand than NIV. The language leans more toward modern language instead of direct translation. It's hard to understand and relate to the situations that the authors of the Bible wrote about.
John 3:16-18 NLT - For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgement against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Hello! Obviously I had to put NIV. This is one of the most popular translations used, with King James Version (KJV) being #1. It's pretty easy to read and understand, as well as being an excellent representation of what the original texts said.
John 3:16-18 NIV - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Oh yes! The Message. While I do enjoy reading MSG which is written in every-day language, I never read it without also looking at other translations. It's great for new Christians because it's easier to understand. There are Bibles out there that have both MSG and NIV right next to each other like this one!
John 3:16-18 MSG - This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

You can see from the verses listed below each translation the difference in the language used.

I USE THIS BIBLE

My person physical Bible that I use most is actually an NIV translation called The Jesus Bible. I'm a huge fan of this Bible because it was put together by Passion City Church with lots of side notes and explanations by some great Christian pastors, authors, music artists, and speakers. There is also room in the sides to take notes of anything that catches my interest. I love looking back through and see how marked up it is.

Here are The Jesus Bibles available.

 Grey Linen Hardcover

Pink Imitation Leather

Black Imitation Leather

Blue Imitation Leather

Brown Imitation Leather

BIBLE APP

If you don't have the YouVersion Bible App, you need to go download it right now. Along with being completely free and easy to use, it has devotional plans, tons of translations, highlighting capabilities, audio, friends, and so much more! My favorite part is how easy it is to switch between translations. I can be reading a passage in the NIV and in 2 seconds be reading it again in NLT, then in 2 more seconds be reading it in MSG.

Another great feature to take advantage of is all of the free devotional plans. There's plans for all kinds of genres and stages of life. There's also a great range of authors and plans based on Christian books! Some of my favorites have been Comparison Trap and Breathing Room by Sandra Stanley.

SO NOW GO READ YOUR BIBLE

Go download the YouVersion Bible App and figure out which translation you love, then head back here and let me know! I love hearing from y'all!

Enjoy!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I hope you enjoyed today's topic!
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.

Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure

I'd Love To Hear From You!

~M

Author: Morgan, Living Spiritual

10 Reasons Why You Need To Stop Being Afraid To Ask For Help

HEY AGAIN!

Or if not again, welcome to The Attitude Of Adventure Blog!
I'm Morgan Deane and my mission with this blog is to give great, applicable advice and funny stories, so that you get a laugh, leave with something helpful, and keep coming back!
I'm a Christ follower, I'm married to the LOVE of my life, we're parents to Winston BARKtholomew Deane the Goldendoodle, and I love drinking homemade smoothies every morning!
{Want to know More About Me? Check it out!}

And now, for the reason you came here today!

Y'all. Asking for help is so hard for me. I am the type of person who doesn't want to put someone in a awkward situation or make someone go out of their way. I never want to be an inconvenience. I have this independence and pride that makes me think I can do it all by myself. My perfectionism leads me to do everything myself instead of delegating because I'm afraid they won't do it "right."
But gosh, when I do ask for help, I'm so surprised by how willing and happy others are to oblige. Maybe it's because I live in the south-east and everyone in Georgia is big on hospitality, but I'd like to think it's because helping others fills us. We get by giving to others.
So below are 10 Reasons Why You Need To Stop Being Afraid To Ask For Help.

ASK FOR HELP BECAUSE...

Below are 10 reasons why you should ask for help. They've helped me to accept help that is offered and ask when it's not.

People Want To Help

Really. They're more than willing to lend a hand. Let him get that door for you when your hands are full. Let her take half of that stack of books and lighten your load. Let them bring you dinner after you've had surgery. You don't have to do it alone. I'm always afraid of inconveniencing people. And honestly, it might be an inconvenience, but they're willing. Especially if they offer. Accept. The. Help.

You Just Cannot Do Everything By Yourself

Ugh. This one hurts because I like to think that I'm super woman and I can juggle all of the things. By myself. And make them all perfect. Yeah, no. I just can't. You just can't. Letting someone else take on something is so helpful and it frees you up to do that things that no one else can do. Delegation is something that I've been working on because it really is a strength. All the best leaders know how to trust those they work with and delegate what they can.

You Don't Know It All

Shocker. Sometimes I start a project with the knowledge that I have and it's going pretty well, but then someone comes along and has more knowledge and experience. It's so important to get other perspectives and learn from those who have done the same thing in the past. There's really nothing that you're doing that someone in the world hasn't done before. Whether you're asking a friend, bouncing ideas of your co-workers, or searching the web, asking for help can expand your knowledge and make the project better than you could on your own.

Teamwork Is An Important Skill

There are times in your life where you will have to work in a team environment. You'll have to sit next to someone or a group on someones and work toward a goal together. It could be you and a friend carrying a new couch into your apartment. Or working with a team of co-workers to create a budget for the next year. Whatever the team activity, you'll need to have the skills to work with someone else.

No One Thinks Less Of You Because You Had Help

This is so hard for me to remember. I get so caught up in thinking about what other people think about me, when most likely they're not even thinking about me. I need a book about this. Seriously, if you have a suggestion, leave a comment at the bottom! But really, no one is thinking that you need to do it all. No one believes you're SuperWoman. You're allowed to ask for help and get it.

There's A Better Yes

I talk about this below, but you need to prioritize your yes's. You have a limited amount of time and you can't say yes to everything. Whatever yes you're giving is a no to something else. Sometimes asking for help is because you just don't have the time to do it all by yourself. Twice a year, I have to take an inventory of the whole bookstore where I work. It's a huge undertaking and if I tried to do it by myself, I'd be there for days and my husband would wonder if I was ever going to come home. Then once I did, I would be so tired, I wouldn't be able to bring the best version of me to our marriage. Every time it gets close to the time where I need to take inventory, I send a quick message to my team and ask if anyone could spare a few hours. Most of them aren't in the store on a regular basis, but when they pitch in to help, we get it done in only a few hours. It's much less stressful for me and Andy appreciates me being home at a reasonable time. So say yes to help because then you can say yes to being home with the family.

Serving Others Is A Blessing

I always get so much more out of giving than I get out of getting. That sounds backwards, but it's true. Serving others feeds our souls. We feel so much better about ourselves and gain understanding that we didn't have. So if that's true, why would you say no to someone serving you? You'll both be blessed through the act. Don't get carried away and take advantage, but accept the help that's offered and if it's not being offered, don't be afraid to ask.

Even You Can't Get It "Perfect"

Like I said, perfectionism drives me to try to do everything by myself. I would rather do it all and do it "right" than have help. One time I had to roll a bunch of T-shirts - I'm talking hundreds of T-shirts. I was so consumed with the need for them to be perfect that I didn't ask for help until half way through. When I did, I showed those who were helping how I was rolling them and we got it done so much faster. They were not perfectionists and their T-shirts weren't rolled as neatly as mine, but do you know what? It didn't matter. The next Sunday when the T-shirts were handed out, no one cared if theirs was rolled perfectly or not. They just cared that they were getting the right size. So ask for help because it doesn't have to be your version of perfect.

Accepting Help Takes Humility

Being humble is a great skill. Humility is the opposite of pride and no one likes a prideful person. Everyone loves being around a humble person though. They admit their faults and mistakes, they're not haughty, they don't make excuses, and they're generally honest, good people. Part of swallowing your pride comes with accepting help from others. They may know better or have the time. But they have something that you don't and you need their help.

Yours And Others' Lives Will Be Easier

One of the most frustrating things can be working with or for someone who can't delegate. They can't let go and let someone else handle it. They hold onto everything and make it hard for others to work with them because they want to make all of the decisions. We have to let go of our "power" and give others freedom to help us. It'll make your life easier and theirs because they won't be fighting with you to do things they're fully capable of. They may do it differently, but you have to let go of that and trust.

SOME READS THAT HELPED ME

Y'all. These books and studies changed my life! If you haven't read one or more of them, stop right now, head over to Amazon and buy them. This isn't an affiliate link. I just really, really love and believe in the hearts of the women who wrote these. Plus they contain life-changing content.

The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst
Book or Study
I personally read the book or rather listened to the audiobook, but the study guide and DVD are great for a group setting.
Lysa talks about when you say yes to one thing, you're saying no to another. She challenges you to evaluate what you're struggling to say no to and look at what you're actually saying no to when you say yes to that one thing. If you say yes to helping out at your kid's school, you're saying no to grocery shopping and may have to do it with your kids. When you say yes to hanging out with friends, you're saying no to spending time with your family. When you say yes to house sitting for that friend who lives 20 minutes further from your work, you're saying no to sleeping later. Every time you say yes, you're saying no to something else. So what is The Best Yes? What is your Best Yes?

Breathing Room by Sandra Stanley
Devotional
Sandra's husband, Pastor Andy Stanley, spoke a series called Breathing Room in January of 2013. He had 2 closets set up on stage, one being extremely messy and stuffed to the brim, the other very neat, organized, and everything had a place, but there was less in it. He talked about how our lives can so easily look like the messy closet. We try to cram everything in and it is disorganized and disastrous. We need to create Breathing Room in our lives. Stop saying yes to everything and take time for what's important.
A few years later in December of 2017, Sandra released her devotional geared specifically toward women on the same topic. This powerful 28-day devotion has 4 videos that go with it. You can watch them for free when you download the free Breathing Room app on your tablet or smart phone. I highly recommend this study.

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
Book or Study
Again, this is one where I read the book, but the study and DVD are great for a group setting.
Shauna presses into an issue that a lot of women have - the feeling of needing to be perfect. Perfectionism has been a big struggle of mine and reading this book really helped me to let go of the need and to live more in the moment, to be present. She talks about how we try to be the best, but for what? Who is caring right now about how good it is? What you had 2 hours ago was a little less than what you have now, but no one would know the difference except you. Was it really worth the time? Perfectionism keeps you running, working, harder, stronger, faster. When you strive for perfect, you'll always fall short. There's always something you can do that will make it "better". You need to accept who you are and what you can do and leave it there. Trust me, you're going to have a lot more peace and you'll be able to live in the moment instead of thinking of what you can or could have done better. You'll be able to be Present Over Perfect.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I hope you enjoyed today's topic!
If you want to see more by me, check out my full list of blog posts.

Comment below or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, & Facebook @AttitudeOfAdventure

I'd Love To Hear From You!

~M

Author: Morgan, Living Spiritual, Living With Value

Will We Work In Heaven?

WELCOME!

Recently I was reading my bible and happened upon a passage in Genesis.
As I was reading, I noticed something that I had never seen before.

First of all, I do not have a theological degree.
I grew up in a Christian home and I work at a church in the bookstore.
I'm always looking for new ways to grow, whether that be spiritually, mentally, physically, etc.

GENESIS 2

This verse hit me the other day.
I've read it a million times, but I'd never really thought about it.

Context:
God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th.
If you read verse 5, it says that nothing was growing yet.
On the 3rd day, he had created vegetation, but it wasn't able to grow without watering and gardening.

He made Adam for the purpose of taking care of the world.

This was BEFORE the fall.
Before sin had entered the world, God created man to work.

If this is so on earth, will this not be the case in Heaven?

WORK IS FULFILLING

We were made with a purpose.
We were made by God to work and find fulfillment.
We were never meant to sit around and do nothing.
In fact most of the time we have to overcome laziness to achieve the best version of ourselves.

If you want to be healthy you need to work at it and exercise.
If you want to learn a new skill or talent it takes practice and diligence.

We are the best versions of ourselves when we work hard and feel purposeful.

Most of the jobs in the world, in one way or another, are serving someone else.
By serving others, you bring value to the world.

Work was made to bring us closer to each other and our Creator.

I don't just have anecdotal evidence either, statistics show people who go long periods without working are more likely to experience mental health issues and depression.
See this interesting article for more info.

When I go on vacation, I love being away, adventuring and having a great time.
But about 4 or 5 days in, I start to long for home.
I long for my regular schedule, to be back at work and home, getting things done.

I become more and more antsy the longer we're gone.
I miss feeling fulfilled by helping others and working hard.

READ MORE

I found an article on Billy Graham's website that talks a little more about working in Heaven.

He explains that before the fall and sin entered the world, work was not strenuous.
Genesis 3:14-19 explains the pains we must live under because of sin.
Before sin though, these pains didn't exist.

I believe that Heaven is much like what the earth was before sin.

Imagine not being in competition with everyone because you trust them.
They have your best interest in mind and you have theirs.
You're a team of people working toward a single goal.

No more ladders. No more comparison.
It would be beautiful!

MY FAVORITE BIBLE TO READ OUT OF

If you don't have the YouVersion Bible app, stop what you're doing and go get it!
This. App. Is. AMAZING!
{See why I love it so much in my post: The Most Used Apps On My Phone}

As far as translations go, I like the New International Version (NIV).
Not because it's the best or easiest to read, but because it's popularly used.
I can read along with most people because most use an NIV.

Other great translations include The Message Bible and New Living Translation.
The app makes it super easy to switch between them all.

My favorite physical Bible is The Jesus Bible by Passion City Church.
It's the NIV translation and has great notes and articles in the bible.
There's also room on the sides for notes.

My favorite part is that in the side notes and articles, it always points to Jesus.
When reading the old testament, you can see notes about what was being prophesied.
The authors of these informational tid-bits are well-known authors and speakers in the Christian community.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Have you thought about working in Heaven?
Does this surprise you? Let me know!

Comment or shoot me an email at AttitudeOfAdventure@gmail.com
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I'd Love To Hear From You!

~M

Author: Morgan, Living Spiritual