Monday, August 26, 2013

I Can Never Stray

As a woman walking through this unpredictable world with tempting offers left and right, I have found it crucially important to keep reminding myself why I can never stray from His love and grace. I found life to be especially hard in this area as I grew through the teenage and college years. I literally had influences waiting to pounce at every corner of my life, and choosing wisely which ones to chase after was the defining moment for me. I found myself in a position where I had to choose between old friends who chased after things I knew were wrong, just so I would have friends, or trying to fit in with a new crowd that did the right thing. Because of this decision (very tough at the time) I am where I am today. Who knows what may have happened between now and then, but I've always had that thought processing through the back of my mind "I can't stray".
I knew that I could never stray from Him. His grace was bigger than everything I could ever do, and running from it was suicide to my well-being. I faced decisions to "make myself prettier" through things that would hurt myself, but remembered that His love was made especially for me, and I didn't need the tactics of the world to feel accepted. Finding where I belong is easy, because I knew I belong in His arms, and He is with me everywhere I go. Who cares what other people think? Pleasing Him was all want. And because of the mentality of "I can never stray" I hold tight to His love only.
Choosing the guys I was with came with the same process. "I can never stray". I would ask God if he was right. Did he seem to know the Bible? Who God was? The REAL God? Did I need to sacrifice my faith to be with him? If any of those answers were shaky, I'd turn. You can change a guy. He can only have the will power to change himself (with God's help of course). "I can never stray" - not even for the potential "one". My life would sink if I allowed this. I dated to marry, and if a guy couldn't fit into my life from day one, it was a no go. Call me snotty, but this is my faith we're talking about. I am told to "guard my heart, because it is the well-spring of life." I could be a light to this guy, but NOT EVER through dating him. Another red flag - He comes to church because he likes you, but once you turn him down in the dating arena, he doesn't come anymore. He didn't come before you existed either. Yep...been there, done that. Good thing you didn't marry him.
"I can never stray." Why? Because everyday I live is because of Him. Everything in this world is unpredictable, scary, unknown, except for Him. Because I have come to realize that I am absolutely NOTHING without Him. If I turn Him away for someone or something that could compromise my faith in Him in any way and in any capacity, I have strayed. I run the risk of never getting back because that's what Satan wants. That's what a lot of the world wants.
He is always there to take me back, no matter how far I stray, but I never want to. 
I feel like I'm in a war with society. Everything points away from Him. I, however, will always point to Him. I choose to be in the minority of faith because I know I can never stray. I need His grace, His love, His salvation, His direction, His comfort, His everything, forever. He must become greater, and I must become less.
I can never stray. Pin It