Seven Days of Heaven

every day we should strive to bring a little bit of Heaven to earth..
How do we do it?

By taking up our cross, humbling ourselves, and showing the love of God those around us.

For the next seven days, I am going to strive to bring a little bit of heaven to earth..
actually, every day for the rest of my life, I am going to strive.
The world needs the love of a loving God.
The world needs to see Him.

So many people are hurting, struggling, and suffering. Carrying the cross means reaching out in ways that make us uncomfortable. We need to be challenged. We need to learn what it means to love someone more than ourselves. We need to set the example.

I pray that my life can be lived by example. I have learned that walk isn't the easiest, but it is, by far the most rewarding.

Join me, for seven days of Heaven...

Day One

Today, I was cruising thru the supermarket picking up dinner for work.  As I was checking out, I noticed a much older man waiting in line behind me. I noticed that he had some religious candles. I remarked on how pretty they were.

He began telling me that his brother was in prison and that he burned one candle a week for his brother. He said it helped him keep track on how long his brother was gone. 

I have always wanted to buy the groceries of the person behind me, and tell them how much Jesus loves them..so today, I bought the man's candles. I didn't plan on it. I just wanted to do it.
Today was one of those days that I relish. One of those days where the love of Christ flows naturally.
Today was one of those days when all cares and worries were left at the foot of the cross.
When we leave our cares at His cross, our hearts and minds become free and His love can flow from us with ease, grace, and fluidity.
Our love shouldn't be forced. It should come natural.

He began to tell me how he was disabled, divorced, and how his mother had died a year ago.

He then began to open up to me about church.

He told me that he was Catholic and felt bad because he hadn't made it to church in a long time. He said that he needed confession and communion.

I told him that God can meet him on his knees, all he has to do is seek Him.

I told him that I often pray and confess my sins to God and take communion by myself.

I know that a lot of people may not agree with that, but that's ok.

I'm sure it doesn't matter to God what church we attend as long as we seek His face and call upon His name.

I became sad because I could see a man missing out on God because of guilt.

Guilt because he couldn't fulfill his religious duties due to a disability.

But we serve a God of forgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. All we have to do is ask.

We talked for a few more minutes.....by the end of the conversation, the man was smiling.

Today, I made a stranger smile and I hopefully encouraged him to seek God.

To me, that is bringing a little bit of heaven to earth.

Side note:

I saw a gingerbread house in the supermarket. Surely, there will be gingerbread houses in Heaven.

Today, I was scrolling through my favorite blog, Terribly Interesting, and I saw this quote. I thought it fit the situation.

You don't need to go to church every time the door opens or fulfill the rituals of your religion. You just need to go to the cross." - Anne Graham Lotz

Don't let guilt keep you from missing out on God! Go to the Cross!


________

Is there anything keeping you from Him?
even now, I feel as if I am close to Him, but not even nearly as close as I should be or as I want to be.
Every day we should strive and seek more.
I try to examine my life daily.
What needs to go? Am I giving enough? Am I doing enough? Am I putting all of my trust in Him?
Am I leading anyone in the wrong direction? Or am I exemplifying Him through love?
I find myself continually asking these questions.
There are days when I condemn myself. Rachelle, you aren't doing enough. Rachelle, you should be doing this. or doing that.
Am I fully listening to His voice?
He says the path is narrow..
How narrow is the path I'm walking?
Am  I leading by His example or am I giving lip service?

I ask this a lot, but I think we should all be asking them...
Usually, even when I feel like a failure, I can still feel Him loving me. I can feel His presence and it makes me want to go even more, try even harder, give even more.
The entire purpose of this blog...isn't to condemn religions, but to let people know that God is there for each of us. He loves us all.Sometimes, we feel like we have to go to the moon and back...but sometimes, we only need to go to the Cross.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed.  Too many people have too many different ideas about which way is the right way. But He says that He knows us by the love that we have for one another.
His greatest commandments are to love God with everything within us...and to love one another, even as He loved us...such that we would be willing to lay down our life as He laid down His very own..
Are we loving each other in that capacity?
If not, we should strive for that.
We should strive even to love those who have hurt us the most. Because sometimes they are the ones that need it the most.
If we aren't showing that kind of love, do we even belong to Him?

All I know is that..when I go to the Cross...I continually find His love...and when I find that love...It becomes natural for me to share it with others...
even with those who have hurt me the most.

The answer lies in the journey to the Cross. And the journey begins on bended knees, with a humble heart.