Answer Key

Last week, my professor returned our first test to us. It had been a scantron test so all we had to look at were a bunch of bubbles. It told me at the bottom of the page that I had missed four questions. It did  not specify which ones they were, however. So as we were leaving the classroom I was anxious to compare my scantron to my friend's. I wanted to see what I had done wrong and what I had done right. Then, it hit me. Looking at his scantron won't tell me anything about my scantron unless he made a 100. His wrong answers won't be specified either. Even if our answers were exactly the same as the other, we would never know which were wrong until we looked at the answer key posted on the class website. 
This made me think of how so often I compare myself to others to see if I am doing alright. I look around and see if everyone is about the same as me and then I base my emotions off of that. 
How is that any different than my answer key and scantron problem? I can't really learn anything about myself and how to become more perfect and more like Christ without comparing myself solely to Christ. I need to stop basing my worth off of what I see or don't see in others. 
I will make my foundation in Jesus Christ because He is perfect and unshakable. I will make him my answer key. 


Matthew 7:27-29

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

We are powerful!

If you guys are like me, then I am sure you  have heard the various and compelling sermons about how we are powerful as Christians and creations of God. Don't get me wrong; that is true! However, I kind of glazed over that for a long time without giving it much thought. I always confined the concept to martial situations where two forces were fighting against each other. 

Recently, God has been showing me about how much power we have over people we are not fighting against also. For me, I think about my closest relationships which would be with my parents, my sister, and a couple of really great girlfriends. It is with these people that I share my closest secrets and my deepest pains. It is also with these people that I can feel the most intense swings of emotion. I can be the most intensely happy or the most intensely angry. It is because I allow them into the deepest circles of who I consider to be myself. I let down my guard when I am with them. It is this vulnerability that makes the relationship so special. 

However, it is when these defenses are down we are most receptive to either encouraging love or agonizing attack. We give others this power over us. The kicker is when others decide to give such a beautiful gift to us. How do we handle such a delicate offering. We have been given the power to build up or tear down their very being.

I have ashamedly caught myself in a foul mood pressing my little sister's buttons because in some despicable, sadistic way it salved my ego to know I had that power. It is an ugly thing to admit upon realizing the selfishness I am capable of harboring. How can I mistreat such power given freely and trustingly? 

So, I have come to great conviction, though not frequent enough to save me from my destructive words and actions, that I must respect others and love them because I have been given a great gift first from God and secondly from my loved ones. 

We are powerful in so many ways and we must use them in ways that are glorifying to the Lord.