After the Message: New World, Same God

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I usually ask like how people are doing, but I think I know how you're doing.

I don't know.

How are you we live together, so I'm pretty sure I know how you're doing, but how are you doing?

I'm good.

For everybody else.

I'm good.

Um yeah, just trying to figure out crazy life right now.

It's just a weird time.

Yeah.

Yeah, not a bad I mean it can be bad, but it's it's just so a different time.

Yeah.

It is strange.

I mean Yeah.

That's the only way I know how to describe it.

Strange is a good word.

Odd.

Odd.

Uncomfortable.

Oh, that's a good one too.

Yeah.

All around uncomfortable.

Yeah.

There's just there's so much to pay attention to, I feel like.

And there's so much to try and keep up on that it can get a little taxing and overwhelming.

Yeah, I think so much change is like exhausting.

What do you mean?

Just I think it's mentally exhausting.

So much change like change as in things are always changing.

Like the things we're experiencing right now, there's a lot of change.

Of um, you know, oh, we're opening back up and oh, all this stuff is happening.

Oh, do we need to close back down?

Like, you know, and it's I think it's just mentally exhausting for people.

Yeah.

Yeah, I agree.

I yeah, and the probably the difficult thing is I think chang I think people like change overall, but too much change and the process of change I think we don't enjoy.

Yeah.

I mean this may be an unpopular opinion, but I think change is really good um for just for growth and all that stuff, but it is extremely uncomfortable.

Um and I think this is an interesting time too because everyone is kind of in the same, is experiencing the same thing um as far as like, you know, COVID and um maybe staying at home or working from home, but people are experiencing it in different ways, I guess.

Um, but we're all going through a change all together, which is kind of interesting to me.

Usually people go through changes kind of on their own.

Like they they have their own experiences or seasons they're walking through, difficulties they're walking through.

We're like collectively all walking through this weird season together.

Yeah.

Which is interesting.

Yeah.

It kind of actually brings us to what what Pastor Tim said at the beginning of the message was the season is not your decision, but it's your discovery.

Yes, that was probably my he said a lot of great stuff, but that was probably the the thing that stood out to me the most was my favorite quote.

Like, I'll write that down, put it on a poster.

Because yeah, what I'm trying to do right now, the biggest thing is this is an uncomfortable, difficult, mentally exhausting season.

Um, but what there's gotta be something that I can learn from this season.

So I'm really trying to take it day at a time, one day at a time, and to and think, okay, what am I learning today?

Because if I look at it as okay, we've been in this uncertainty, uncomfortable season for like, I don't know, has it been like four months?

Has it been longer?

Yeah, I don't even know.

I try not to think about it.

March 13th, I think, is the day that sticks in my mind.

Yeah.

And we're in July.

Yeah.

So it's overwhelming when you think of how long you've been in this season, and you know, then you start thinking about, oh my gosh, like how much longer will we be be in this season?

It's really overwhelming.

Um, so I try to take it a day at a time.

What am I learning today um that could, you know, influence my life or impact me in a positive way?

Um, because if I start p picturing the whole thing or looking at the whole um all the days, it was just overwhelming.

Yeah.

I've been thinking about the biggest crime that could come out of this is to not learn anything from it.

Yes.

Or to learn something from it and then forget what you've learned.

Yeah.

I was talking to some someone that goes for a church at serve on serve day.

They were there and I was talking to them, and I was just like, man, I really want to I really don't want to have like amnesia whenever and I we keep saying this, it's not gonna be you know normal as we know it, but whenever we go back to whatever our new normal, our new normal, yeah.

So our new new world, same God, which was Pastor Tim's message title.

Yeah.

So for you, is there are there specific themes or things that you have been observing or maybe learning?

Like what's been your what's been your discovery?

And what are some things that you want to remember?

Yeah.

I mean, I think I'm still I'm still processing and kind of figuring out what I'm learning still, but there are some things that have stood out to me.

One of the things is I think I think everyone does this, and it's not um it's not bad, but um this season has been a lot about like being intentional, um, especially with like people's birthdays, which has been one of my favorite things.

So people who have had birthdays in um this season, um, a lot of us have you know been more intentional of like, hey, how can we celebrate this person when we really can't, you know, put it on the calendar because you can't do it the traditional way.

Yeah, like we can't put it on the calendar and say, hey, we're going to a restaurant on Tuesday, which isn't bad, but and we mean well by that.

But what I've learned in this season is how important it is to be intentional and how how much it means to somebody.

So we went, um, you and I went to um celebrate somebody's birthday.

We did like one of those like birthday poster drive-by's.

Like we had posters for somebody, um, and we um circled around the block and we had like birthday music playing.

Um, and they were so happy.

Like they said, I'm quoting them that they said this was the best birthday they've ever had.

Yeah.

And it made me wonder like, you know, my thought was it's because how intentional people were.

Like we all should we all took time out of our schedule to make these posters and get in a car and drive around the block multiple times.

Um, and that's the biggest thing for me this season is how important it is to be intentional and how I need to keep that same um that mindset that of being intentional throughout the rest of my life, not just in this season where yeah, we can't all go out to a restaurant like 15 people and all sit at the same table.

Yeah.

Yeah, and I think it's just because it's you know, we're we're forced to a new normal.

Yeah.

So if we had the choice, we'd probably just be stuck in what's comfortable.

So because we're forced to a new normal, you gotta get creative.

Yeah, and being comfortable isn't necessarily you're not doing anything wrong by being comfortable, but man, how much could you learn if you were able to step out and be willing to be uncomfortable for a little bit.

Right.

Which takes a lot of courage.

But and I think, you know, this season right now, we're we're being forced to be uncomfortable, which is very strange to a lot of people because usually it's sometimes it can be a choice for us to be uncomfortable and sometimes it just happens.

Um but you know, uh a choice of being uncomfortable is saying, hey, this is kind of scary for me, like recording a podcast.

It's kind of scary for me.

But I'm gonna say, okay, let me step out and be uncomfortable.

Um, because it could be a great learning experience experience for me.

So I think we we have choices where we can step out and be uncomfortable, and sometimes it just, you know, we have no choice.

And right now it's we have no choice in some things.

So with intentionality, how do you how do you take that with you the rest of the way?

That's something I'm still trying to figure out.

Um, because there's I think there's depending on the circumstance, there's some obvious things that we can be more intentional.

So, like for the birthday example, like I have um I've seen how it has affected people in a great way being intentional with birthdays.

So I'm thinking about how can I be more intentional with people's birthday?

And that could be, you know, depending on what you think, could be a small example.

But I don't know, even with like spending time with family, I know a lot of families have been um cooped up together, like just around each other a lot.

So um I think it's important for families to be together.

Um, I also think it's important, you know, to have some space also.

But um just being intentional with, you know, being with, you know, you, my spouse, and a family.

Um, I think sometimes, you know, when I think about before all of this, the staying at home, um we we can get really busy, just everyone in life, just putting so much stuff on the calendar.

And again, it's not bad.

Um, but what if we were a little bit more intentional with what we what we did?

We didn't say yes to everything just because we feel bad.

We s we we look at things and say, hey, maybe I need to say no to this so I can put energy and time into something that actually is really important.

Right.

So like being in being intentional with, you know, that could be with family.

So saying no to something so you can say yes to being with your family.

Yeah.

That's what I'm trying to think of too.

And and part of it is um with my schedule too.

Again, nothing bad with, you know putting things on your schedule, but um, how much is actually just busyness just for the sake of being busy, and how much is actually like good intentional things on your calendar.

Yeah.

You and you this isn't one of the areas of our marriage where we balance each other out because we both we both are like, yeah, we'll do it.

Yes.

You know, and for but I think maybe for different reasons.

I do it because I feel guilty if I'm not doing something.

I feel I feel like I'm being lazy if I'm not being active in something.

Yeah, that's so that's a I think a common mindset is I'm being lazy by not doing a lot of stuff.

Where does that come from, do you think?

I think it's from society too.

Yeah, but what what what in society has told us that?

I think in order to be successful, you have to be busy.

Yeah.

Is something that um, you know, is is what society has told us, which also is something that I also try to, you know, when I feel myself getting busy, I I take a step back and say, okay, my my worth is not attached to, you know, the busyness of my life or my even my work, you know, my worth, my my worth is attached to, you know, God and Jesus, like He has created my identity.

And um people put their identity in their jobs, not maybe not even knowing it.

Um, and I have to take a step back sometimes because my personality too, I think, plays a lot into it.

Because I, for any Enneagram folks out there, here we go.

I'm a two.

Here we go with the Enneagram, which is Nate has never taken it.

Well, that's another conversation.

Um, I'm a two, which is a helper, with a wing three, which is an achiever.

So what's the wing?

Can you explain the wing?

Okay, so I'm not an expert, so well, just do your best.

What's the wing?

I think I have, and this may be incorrect, so sorry, people.

Um, I have tendencies on like both, I guess.

Like I I help.

I think two is my strongest, but I have underlying threes.

Like, so I'm an achiever in some areas.

Again, I'm not an expert, so I may be saying this wrong, but um, I love to help people.

Like I enjoy it.

It's fun for me, it's like fulfilling for me.

It's just something I love.

Life-giving.

Yes.

Um, but I'm also an achiever.

Like I love to do, you know, a good job and everything.

I give 110% always, which you know, sometimes isn't it's great, but it also can wear you out.

Um, so part of my personality too is that that mindset of um working hard and being busy, because I think that's just part of my personality.

And I have to take a step back sometimes and realize, yeah, be more intentional.

That's a good point.

There's a difference between working hard and being busy.

Yes.

I can be busy and not be working hard.

This is true.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's a really good point.

Um yeah, I I think for me, like what learning learning along the way is kind of what you alluded to was margin.

Yes.

In my life.

And trying trying not to have feel a sense of guilt, you know, just because I don't have something every single night of the week.

Yeah.

But also not using that as an excuse to like not do anything.

There it's a the more and the more and more I learn about life, the more I realize there it's just they're not necessarily problems to be solved, they're tensions to be managed.

Well, that's good.

You know?

Yeah.

I didn't make that.

I forget who told me that.

I think I was like, eh, it's pretty good.

Yeah, for sure.

I was gonna steal that.

I forget where I heard it.

Um I think it was Pastor Charlie, honestly.

Sounds like Pastor Charlie.

Yeah, but it's Man of Wisdom.

It's uh yeah, there's no right or wrong to some things.

There's no solution.

Sometimes you just need to manage the tension and figure out what works best.

And sometimes it doesn't that that that's the hardest part for me.

That's the part of life that I don't enjoy, is sometimes the solution or the tension that you manage, or the way that you learn how to manage the tension in a certain moment won't translate to the next moment.

Yeah.

So you're constant and that's what managing the tension is, I guess, at its truest form is you're constantly checking.

I would rather just check the box and say, okay, that's figured out.

I know how to do that, you know?

Yeah.

And in some practical things in life, I guess that's I guess that's true.

But uh there is a sense to where it's it's it's just a constant, it's a constant thing to monitor.

There are certain things that you need to monitor constantly.

Yeah, but I think also because the circumstances are always the same, it's a great way to learn, even though it's really difficult.

What do you mean?

Like managing those situations, like you were just saying, like you, you say you have it figured out this one moment, and then the next situation is different.

Um but yeah, I think it's a great learning learning experience.

You just get it's like I don't know, this is a silly example, like going to the gym, like you get stronger and stronger, you keep moving up into different, I don't know, situations.

No, that's true.

Yeah.

So Pastor Tim, first of all, I wanted to talk about this at the beginning, but we just kind of got right into it, which is good.

The like, I wish there was an organ when when he was preaching.

There should have definitely been an organ in the background.

I mean, the the the keyboard's great and all with the pad, but what he was going for, I just wish the guy would have switched to straight organ.

That would have been amazing.

And just gone with him the whole time.

Yeah, it was great.

Because we you and I kind of talked a bit a little bit about the message this morning.

I think what he was he Pastor Tim obviously knew what he was doing in the sense that he was just trying to remind us of some things.

Yeah.

And trying to just be very encouraging.

Like there wasn't there wasn't like this deep digging or mining for some profound gold.

He was just trying to speak some simple biblical truths that we forget, and that's so easy to forget.

And man, I think we lose that in our lives because we're searching for the next the next profound thought.

Yeah.

And I think especially during this time, we need just those simple reminders.

Um because one of the ones that he I wrote down was God promises to guide you when you are confused, which is like the one I need, you know, in this season right now.

Um, but I think I think we as people just lose sight of those simple truths because we have so much, so much going on around us.

Um our world is filled with so much like like noise, like all the images and just life and everything just consumes us.

So we start focusing on that stuff and take our focus off of these simple promises of God.

And I think He did a great job of reminding us of these um these promises that um we I don't think is are new to people, but it's just a reminder.

It's just like reminding a kid that, like, hey, I love you, I love you, I love you.

You say that every single time.

Um, you know, every every chance you get you tell somebody you love them.

Um Well, look at look at the like look at his points.

God's promise God promises to guide you when you're confused, God promises to help you when you are tempted, God promises to st to support you when you're in trouble.

God promises to repay those who hurt you, God promises to keep you until his return.

Stuff we've stuff we've all heard and stuff that we say that we stand on.

Truths that we say that we stand on, but do we really?

Yeah.

Like whenever we're whenever we're facing decisions, do we really remember that God promises to guide us when we're confused about decisions?

Yeah.

Or do we panic?

And I think for some people, you know, especially people who are new in their faith, they have lived their lives with, especially with, you know, the panicking and the stressing of life, the stressful moments of life, they think, okay, how can I fix this?

Um, instead of, you know, asking God to come into that moment and say, Okay, please help me.

I'm confused, I'm stressed.

Can you take over the situation?

So I think a lot of it also is I I I use this analogy as like retraining your brain.

You're retraining yourself to instead of thinking first, how can I fix this, to let me ask God to come into the situation.

Um and I think I think and I think you had to do that, right?

Yeah, that's I've had to do that too because um, you know, in the past and and still now, I've I've struggled with anxiety.

It used to be a lot worse and it's gotten a lot better.

Um and that was one of the things because I would get so stressed out in some situations where I um, depending if it was work or whatever, I would get stressed out, so stressed out.

And it was kind of silly to get so stressed out.

But I would have to, I've had to almost like retrain my brain, like I was saying, and say, okay, I I'm stressed, and that's okay.

I'm it's okay to feel this this feeling, but let me ask God to come into the situation and help me figure this out.

Because, you know, he talks about like, you know, his yoke is light.

Like I don't want the burden of the stress on my shoulders.

Let me bring God alongside me to take some of that burden um and make it lighter for me.

You know, why wouldn't I ask him to help me?

Yeah.

So, but again, like I know that, you know, one of the one of the um the points was God promises to support me when I'm in trouble.

I know that, but I sometimes just forget it in the craziness of day-to-day life.

Yeah, because your default is to go back to I gotta figure this out.

Yeah.

So I love that he talked about these truths as a reminder for us.

And I think whether you're new in your faith or you've been, you're well seasoned is how I like to say it, um, we all of us need this reminder.

I think life can just overwhelm anybody.

Um, and these reminders are things that we need to constantly put on a post-it note or something, put it up somewhere.

Um, and his message too, it was something that I want to continue to, even when I'm out of this season of, you know, whatever you want to call it, COVID or whatever.

Quarantine.

Quarantine.

Um, to remember these truths because you know, life can still be difficult.

Um it's just it's just life, you know?

And we need to remember these as well, not just in this moment.

Mm-hmm.

One thing uh that I wanted to touch on that I did.

Did find was a little was new in what Pastor Tim was talking about.

He in his point about God promises to help uh when you're tempted, he said one of his temptations is to settle for less.

Usually we think of temptation as like sin.

Yeah.

Which I'm sure you could probably trace back settling for less to some sort of sin or whatnot, like not trusting God or leaning on your own understanding or whatnot.

But man, that that hit home for me because especially now it can be really tempting to kind of just settle and just wait it out and not try and pursue not try and get better.

Yeah.

Or pursue new things or to progress.

It's almost like being in a holding pattern can uh what am I trying to say?

Just to just not settle, you know, and and and being in this holding pattern can kind of you can creep into that or you can get into that pattern without realizing it that you're not really moving forward.

Yeah, and I think I keep going to the right now, which is again the COVID stuff and the season we're in right now, but I think right now that has been the biggest thing for me, for a lot of people, is because we want to go back to the quote unquote normal life that we used to have before all of this.

So we're I think a lot of us, including myself, we're we can tend to want to settle for the things that because we don't we're tired.

And I think a lot of it is the um the screen fatigue, I guess, like the everyone's like a lot of people are working from home and um they're just always on the computer.

And I know we're on the computer at work too, but it's different when you you don't get to really see a lot of people um when you're working from home, um, or everything's like online, all that stuff.

I think people are we're settling for things because we're tired.

Um and I think right now it's instead of pushing through, you mean?

Yes.

And I think it's totally, you know, I think there's grace for that.

Yeah.

Because some days we just need to chill out.

I just need to like relax.

Yeah.

Um, and just let my brain just like almost like zone out because I've been thinking so much.

Yeah.

Um, but I think if we stay in that, that could be the area that's that could be the like the moment that's not really great.

Like settling for, well, this is what it is right now, so we're just gonna we're just gonna sit here.

Instead of saying, okay, this is where we're at right now, it's not great, it's not ideal, it's not what I imagined, but let's push through it.

Let's look at the positive things.

What can we do?

You know, what can we do um to help people?

I don't know.

Like there's so many things that we could, you know, again push out of our comfort zone um and not settle for just laying around all day.

And some days you need to, though.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um This is gonna be a first in after the message hist well as as since I've been doing after the message, this is gonna be a first.

I need to fix this mic.

So we're gonna take a quick we're not gonna take a commercial break, but we're gonna take a quick break.

Okay.

Because we have some new equipment and I need to fix it because it's leaning, and I'm afraid it's gonna fall.

Okay.

Alright.

Alright, we're back.

We are back.

So okay.

I didn't tell the whole truth.

I told some of the truth.

Okay.

I don't like to think that what I had to go to the bathroom too.

Okay, well, we don't have to tell people that.

Well, that's what happens when you chug water right before you start recording.

Okay.

So I th I did fix the mic.

The mic is now at a more sturdy level.

But I also had to use the restroom.

Okay.

You're ready to make it.

We can keep going, yeah.

Well, we're we were talking about not settling.

Yeah, or not settling.

Yeah.

Do you feel like you're settling?

Um that's a good question.

I want to say, I'm sure in some areas.

Yeah.

I can't, nothing is popping up like supervisors.

We've started to try and be a little have a little bit more of a healthier lifestyle.

Well, that's true.

Physically.

Yeah.

We because when all of this first happened, I was making lasagna, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, a little dessert.

The quarantine 15, like that, we we were gonna surpass that at that rate.

Yeah.

It was gonna be like Oh, lots of bread too, homemade.

Quarantine quadrupled, it was gonna be a lot.

It was dangerous.

I had to stop.

But yeah, so yeah, we've been working out, which is nice.

Yeah.

Going on runs.

Yeah, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Yeah.

We're loving the Lord our God with our strength.

Okay.

I don't know about that.

I'll preach that.

But yeah, so I guess I I think for me the beginning was comfort food and just because it was everything was kind of crazy, and I'm like, I need something that's gonna make me happy, and obviously Jesus makes me happy, but like also food.

I love like a good thing of lasagna.

It's one of my favorite things to eat.

Yeah, I heard somebody say the other day that uh the Bible commands us to feast more than it does to fast.

Oh my gosh.

And I said, Amen.

Isn't that Pastor Brian?

Yeah, yeah.

Team conference.

Yeah.

I do like that.

So amen to that.

Yeah.

Um else you got for me.

I don't know.

What else you got for me?

What do you want to know?

What are you discovering this season?

You asked me, so Yeah, I mean I kind of I think what I said earlier was the importance of margin.

Um I really, really, really just want to I almost want to bottle up some of my thoughts or feelings and take them with me throughout life when it comes to slowing down.

Yeah.

Because I feel like we'll get back into the new normal, quote unquote new normal, and just fall right back into the same pattern.

Yeah.

That's what I'm scared of.

Yeah.

Okay, I want to give everybody a challenge who's listening.

Um I'm listening.

You're listening, and whoever else is listening.

Um, I would challenge you all to take like a journal or something that you have lying around.

Dollar store has some great ones too.

Um, I love the dollar store.

Always thrifty.

They've got um little journals, but I'm gonna I'm also gonna do this starting today, is I'm gonna write down the date, um, today's date, and then write down something I've discovered that day, how big or how small it is, so that you can take almost like you're bottling that up, you're putting it in a notebook and writing it down to refer back to later on when life gets to whatever the new normal is going to be, um, and to look back on it and reflect it.

Because I think, you know, you can process it in your mind and think, okay, this is what I've discovered, but I mean, I forget things.

Yeah, but I want to feel it.

Well, I mean like I have a five-year journal.

Yeah.

And if you don't know what a five-year journal is, it's basically where you it sounds like it would be ginormous to use a gen word, ginormous.

Ginormous.

But it's not.

It's just a it's just the size of a standard book, and it has each page is the date.

So what's today's date?

We're recording this July 14th.

So it has July 14th, like five different section paragraph sections of it, so that you can look back and see.

But I think also like reading it almost like reading memories or things that have happened in the past can it like stir emotions in you.

Yeah.

Almost like bottling those emotions up.

Yeah.

And I know for me, I'm not the best journaler.

I wish I was better at it.

Um, but even with the the few times I have journaled, I'll look back at that stuff and I remember the time I was in.

Um, you know, I have it dated and stuff, and you know, I describe what's going on.

So I know the time that it was and what I was feeling, and I can almost, you know, remember those emotions.

And sometimes they're good and sometimes they're not super great.

But I think writing it down can help um like stir those emotions up in you so you remember later on.

That's the closest thing I can think of of bottling your emotions is writing it down.

So that's my challenge to everybody and myself.

I'm gonna start it today is write down the date, take a notebook, write down the date, um, and write down something you've discovered that day and break it up in days so it's a little easier.

And if you haven't discovered anything in that day, it's totally fine.

I think I don't think you discover something every single day, but yeah, it could be something small, like I learned how to fold fitted sheets.

I think that's a great discovery.

That is a monumental thing to jot down.

Yeah, I don't know.

I've heard you can do it.

Yes, you can.

Have you ever done it?

Um once.

I watched a video.

Yeah.

But I think even something I mean, that sounds really silly, but that in this time right now, I think even those little tiny, like silly discoveries is just a little bit of um just like a mood booster.

But also there could be some really great, like, big discoveries too, um, or things that you would classify quote unquote as big, like, you know, hey, I want to be more intentional with things in my life, like I said earlier.

So I think just writing it down is great.

One thing I I really wanted to get your opinion on.

Okay.

God promises to repay those who hurt us.

Oh yeah, that one was intense.

I mean, it's in the Bible.

You we can, you know, we'll we can talk about it.

We can talk about it.

Yeah, so I think I think the thing behind that is to not harbor like anger, bitterness, frustration towards somebody.

I think that helps us to um those emotions to go away because that stuff will like I hate this word, but like fester.

Why do you hate that word?

I don't know.

Just like I think of like Oh, you don't like the sound of it.

No, like I think of like a wound.

Yeah.

So but it's true, like I think I think especially that point um is, and this is my opinion, um, I think it is so that we don't let that grow inside of us, that anger and frustration towards a person.

We say, okay, God is going to handle it.

I can then step away and take my hands off of it and not even think about it anymore.

Or have those emotions and feelings towards that person.

So I think it sounds kind of like I don't know, intense, yeah, harsh, but I think we can look at it in I think there's a lot of ways you can look at it.

Again, that's my opinion and persp perspective on it.

Yeah.

I mean, the Bible says it.

I believe it.

Yeah, what are your thoughts?

Um along the same lines.

Like it's good to know that sometimes we look at like Prince Charming Jesus, and we don't look at like the the entire like all sides, the holistic view of God.

The table flipping Jesus, which is one of my favorites.

Yeah, like some we sometimes we we don't we don't wanna we don't dwell on those things as well.

Um so it's good to know that like God's got my back.

Yeah.

And ultimately I think we just want to see people that hurt us.

And when I say hurt us, I don't mean I don't know, at what level God decides to repay someone, but I don't mean just some something minimal, but like deep wounds, you know, or some some somebody that has attacked us or whatnot.

Yeah.

Has called us has caused us real pain.

It's just good to know that that he's got our back in that.

Yeah, and I and again, this is my perspective.

I also like to think that you know, that repaying isn't always like some thing, I don't know, some Well, that's what I was trying to say is we just want to see it happen.

Yeah.

Like naturally we want to we want to make sure like they got theirs coming and and we were there to witness it.

You may not ever see or know what happened.

And maybe they're re and the maybe the way that God repays someone is not the way that you would do it.

It's probably not the way that you would do it, but it's the wisest way to do it.

Right.

And the most effective, because if you did it, all it may do is lead to more issues.

Well, that's what I was gonna say is I think God repays people um so that they they almost understand and experience not experience, but like understand from it.

They yeah, they feel what they did in a way.

Like they, if you were hurt by somebody, whether it was, you know, with words or whatever, um, and you have that hurt in your heart, they may like you know, realize what that actually feels like and ultimately change for good, is what I, you know, when I think of how God is gonna repay them, like they're gonna feel that pain, but also ultimately get better and be better people because we all want to, I mean, even your enemies or whatever you you would call them, people that wrong you.

Um, I mean, ultimately we should God says even you know, love your enemies.

So ultimately we want people who hurt us in whatever way that is to hopefully, you know, learn from it.

And that can be a really touchy subject though, because there are a lot of things that a lot of hurts and stuff.

So it gets real, you know, it gets real messy and stuff.

And you know, I I mean no offense when I say that with their, you know, people who have had um really a traumatic experience.

We're not trying to minimize their experience.

Minimize it or or diminish it or say like it it wasn't a big deal.

Those are huge things.

Um but like you said, ultimately God is going to handle that stuff in whatever way he thinks is best, which may not be what we want.

Yeah.

But yeah.

I think that's that's what true reliance and trust and faith really is, is to just ultimately give it to God.

Not in a not in a passive way, like whatever, God will take care of it, but just almost in a you know, a restful way.

Yeah.

And I think of when there are things that are literally out of our hands, like we have no control over it.

Yeah.

Giving also the giving that to God so that we the emotions don't like dwell on us and like almost like suffocate us.

Yeah and hold us and push us down.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, all of these things have have to do everything that Pastor Tim was was talking about and all of his points, God's promises to us, I mean, they have to do mainly with proximity to God and remembering remembering how close God actually is.

Yeah.

And if I'm honest with you, that's probably one of the hardest aspects of the Christian walk to me is to constantly remind myself how close God actually is.

Yeah.

I think that's a common thing for a lot of people.

In my my experience is that you see so much bad in the world or things that make me like really sad.

And sometimes, you know, the the thought creeps into your mind is like, man, God, where are you in this situation?

Right.

The situation that's really bad and and is just really messed up and makes people really upset.

Like, where are you in that situation?

So it's hard when you don't necessarily see God in those situations, which I do not think that means God is not in those situations.

I think God is still in those situations.

I think and you know, that's the mystery of God is we don't, we cannot, we don't know and understand everything.

So God is working in ways that we cannot see or understand sometimes.

And I and that's what I try to tell myself too when I get those thoughts into my mind of man, is God even in this horrible situation?

I try to think, okay, God is, because I have faith and trust that he is in in every situation, um, and he works in ways that I do not see or understand.

And he's working in this even if I don't really see it right now.

Right.

So I and that goes back to like, you know, just reminding myself, because I think that's a constant thing because the world is pretty crazy, and it's a lot of messed up and sad things that happen.

So having to constantly remind yourself that God is in those situations.

And that was one of the that was one of the great things about Pastor Tim's message.

I didn't I didn't have to sit there and I didn't have to sit there and just like think through everything that he said.

I could just receive I could receive the reminder almost.

And I was I was challenged in a way where he didn't have to tell me, hey, I want to challenge you with it.

Like I was challenged in a way where it was uh just a natural response to what he was saying because he was simply stating God's promises.

Yeah.

And more often than not, I can want I can want to walk away from a sermon.

Uh just almost like almost struck in a way to where, oh my gosh, that was the best thing in the world that I've ever struck.

Yeah, and and you know, I have the greatest notes, and you know, I I don't have anything to post to, but if I did, like I'm gonna post these.

Yeah, Nate has no social media.

So which is great.

It was just nice to be able to I don't know, just be encouraged and uplifted in in simple truths.

And and it truly did do I'm not just saying, like, it truly did do that for me.

E even listening, I listened to it a second time to get to prepare for this, it truly did encourage me.

Like some of the things that I have been worrying about, or some of the things that I've been stressing about, he spoke right to it by just stating simple truths and reading scripture over my life.

Yeah, and sometimes we think the we forget that the quote unquote like simplest things can also be the most meaningful or impactful.

And we sometimes just brush those aside.

Because we've heard it before.

Because we've heard it before, and we think, oh yeah, well, I know this already is fine.

But what if it's a reminder for you in the season that you're in right now?

And as again, quoting simple as it might sound or seem, it's it's something that is gonna be super impactful for you right now in this season.

Yeah.

And to just just just to listen.

Yeah, simple doesn't mean easy.

That's true.

So the things that he was saying and the promises that he was stating aren't necessarily just easy to implement or easy to recall, but they are simple truths.

Yeah.

I mean, because when you think about God will be with me every step of the way, when you're in like a really difficult situation, remember that.

Yeah.

It doesn't sound simple because your your situation is very, you know, it could be really difficult, really complex.

And that simple line, simple truth, doesn't seem so simple anymore.

Yeah.

When you're in those situations.

Yeah.

What are what are some things that you've done where you're able to look back and go, I actually handled that pretty well.

Anything?

Like and I think if I not necessarily like a specific moment or example, but when you look back and you think, man, that could have been a whole heck of a lot worse if I didn't do XYZ.

Yeah.

I mean, if I'm honest, what stands out to me the most is the situations I did not handle well.

Yeah.

But I have seen that in those situations, and I think that's natural for everybody.

We all have moments where we just don't handle things well.

The stress of life and just just everything gets to us, and we just, you know, say or do something that we didn't really mean or want to say.

But anyway, those moments stick out to me more because I take those as points in my life where I said, okay, this happened and I'm not gonna let it happen anymore.

And I remember a situation that never happened after that.

So I think of it as like a learning experience.

So I can't think of a situation where I'm like, man, I handled that so well because I've taken that one situation that wasn't great and learned from it, and it has never happened again.

I don't know if that makes sense.

No, it does.

Yeah.

But I can't think of anything like super specific that I'm like, man, that was great.

Well, I mean, that's a great way to answer that question, is to kind of flip that question on its head and say, well, I don't really recall, or I don't necessarily I can't pinpoint, oh, this is what I'm doing right, but I can definitely pinpoint what I'm doing wrong.

Yeah, and I don't say that in like a negative way as like, oh man, I'm looking at all the bad things I've done or the the the way I handle things incorrectly.

I'm using it as like, man, that situation has never happened again because I have learned from that and I've never wanted to do that again or handle it that way, whatever you want to say.

Um, and it has never happened before.

And I use those as not not a way to like bring me back to where I used to be, but as like a learning point and a reminder that, man, I'm I'm I've gotten so much better.

Or I've been able to handle situations so much better.

Yeah.

Because look at that situation, it never happened again.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sweet.

Anything else?

I I think that's it.

I don't know.

My first podcast, probably the last one.

No way.

This was good.

I mean, we could keep talking.

I don't know how much people would really want to keep listening, but I yeah, we're good.

I have no idea what I'm doing, so it's fine.

Thanks for doing this.

Yeah.

Love you.

Love you.

All right.

Okay.

Thank you for joining us for After the Message.

To learn more about Celebration Church here in Orlando, you can follow us on social media under the handle at Celebration ORL or visit our website at celebrationorl.org.