Self Reflection: Are you pleasing God or your ego?

                                                 (Photo via tumblr, edited by me)

    
     Today, as I sat and listened to a playlist of worship songs, I was presented with the opportunity to really relax and sit in the Lords presence for a while, something I've been meaning to do more often but always find myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of every-day nonsense that I've been cutting short my time with God, which can probably explain why I've been feeling so distant lately (besides during the week of my missionary trip, where my days entirely revolved around him, as they should every day). In that time I've realized all the things I've been worried about are inconsequential, irrelevant. I've been allowing myself to get discourages by things and ways of this world, as if I've forgotten the fact that I AM NOT OF THIS WORLD. I am not of darkness, greed, sadness, evil and disconnect from God, I am Light, I am hope, I am love and selflessness that can never be spread too thin, for it says so in 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 
"You are all children of the light and Children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober."
I've allowed petty things like my weight, schoolwork and looking too far into the future, allow me to build up anxiety and develop this dark covering to form over me for the past few months, placing me in a state of spiritual, physical and emotional paralysis and it's only now that I've truly come to grips with the fact that these things are of absolutely no substance or importance and my worrying is in vain. Whether or not I can grate cheese with my abs, go to Hardvard, make millions of dollars in my lifetime or find my "one true love" riding in through the fog with wind blowing through his hair, means little to nothing to God, for those things will not be taken with me into heaven, those things are temporary and I need to start thinking not about the future, but about eternity; have I done what God has asked of me? What God values is how faithfully I've loved and served Him and his people and that is what I must value as well; the everlasting, not the temporary, tangible, egotistical and materialistic aspects. 

THESSALONIANS 5:11-15
"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else."

These are the things I must strive to do daily, I must make not only strangers but the people around me know they are loved and their work is appreciated, as I often times come across as apathetic on the exterior, my true appreciation for people many times goes unseen. One thing I need to work on is not being afraid to feel and show others what it is I'm feeling, especially when it comes to emotions of joy, excitement and happiness, I have trained myself to contain it, never let it show on the exterior, which is a major faux pas (false step). I must go out of my way to do these things for people, no matter their reactions, I know I am doing the works of the Lord and for that, they will not go in vain. I'm definitely going to make Thessalonians 5 something I read daily as a reminder of the work in which I am asked to carry out daily, maybe even make it a checklist.

Today, I encourage you to think about the things you place worth and or value in, things you worry about and or are striving for and then think about whether or not those thing are valuable and pleasing to God and whether or not those thing are going to follow you into heaven. That will then present you with it's true value. I also encourage you to join me in on going out of your way to try to make at least one someone feel loved every day, let them know their work and existence itself is appreciated. 
On that note, I want to let you guys know how much I truly love, appreciate and care for all of you and as I've emphasized many times before I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU, please, never hesitate to ask questions, come for advice or just ask me to be a listening ear, that is what I am here for. You can always reach me at my email: asknathia@gmail.com or any of my other social networking links like twitter or ask.fm, my username is simply Natvice. We are a community here at Natvice, let's build one another up together!

"You’re weighing your value based on your life lived and what you remember and what you know about you. He’s weighing your value based on your created purpose, your destiny, and your potential when Christ is inside of you. He didn’t pay a price just to love what you’ve been and where you’ve been. He paid a price to love what He made you to be."

- Dan Mohler 

~ Nathia

P.S. Here are some pretty refreshing worship songs I've listened to today, Enjoy!

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