So this morning, well..i wouldn't call 12:17 PM morning, but as I lay there still in bed a poem sprinted inside my mind, out of Divine inspiration I can only assume. And well here it goes:

ok, so due to certain circumstances I've gone through and in light of an advice I had given a while back, I've compiled the 10 most important things and people who make me happy:

The introductory parragraph for the first 6 chapters in the bible I'm reading is the following:

May God Bless you All!! in Christ, Rita M.

(a): Translated from the bible "Tu Andar Diario" (Daily Walk Bible)
(b): Taken from BibleGateway.com (NIV)

I wrote this while reading proverbs which is like one of the best books in the bible ever..I know its a tad repetitive but that's one of the things I love most about the bible, it is not obvious in some teachings. In a lot of things you really have knock your head down thinking about the meaning of what you've just read. The fact that Solomon repeats things a lot in different ways is not accidental, he's only stressing the importance of a few things. I haven't finished reading proverbs but when I do I'll make a list of the wise advices I liked most and why. For now here's my little devotional on Patience.

I was watching a Film/Documentary of a man named Doug who one day lost his memory. Completely lost his memory. One day he was Doug the photographer waiting for a friend who was to sleep over at his flat, hours later he is an unknown white English male walking down the streets of New York, with a backpack on his shoulders and no documents to identify him. After turning himself to the police and finding a phone number of a person that came from his backpack he finally found someone who knew who he was. A female friend he had dated very shortly not too long ago. She told him who he was, the kind of life he led and all sorts of things. After that he embarked on a two year journey to find out who he was, his past friends, families. But the new Doug was no longer anything like the old Doug. The old Doug was a cynical, extroverted, sarcastic, cocky, cold English young man who lived life much like a lot of people in this world, having fun partying with his friends and enjoying himself. The new Doug is sensitive, emotional, kind of shy, a more intuitive and a more passive person. The old Doug lived a fast life, collected things, was once in the stock market, and not very happy with his life. The new Doug continued the photography classes the old Doug had started, didn't care much for collecting or keeping things, realized the importance of living life at a slower pace and was more philosophic about life and existentialism.
Doug got to a point where he just didn't want to remember anything at all anymore. He liked the way he was turning out now that he had been given a 2nd chance at life, if it can be called that. His friends though missed the old Doug.
As I viewed this movie I thought wow. Such luck. If only he would have been surrounded by Christian friends at the time wouldn't it have been more awesome to be born again with a, literally, clean slate? But you see we are given a clean slate. Our mistakes and sins are there for a purpose. You learn to appreciate your new life even more, knowing that the things you did in the past have been forgiven. But one must know what wrongs one has done in the past to truly know what one is being forgiven for, right?
Then I thought, look at how this person was changed completely by the "deletion" of his memories, his old attitudes, his old ways. Something big has to happen to a person in order for that person to change radically. In order to become someone else.
And then I remembered what happened to me the day I was given a clean slate. A second chance at this thing called life. Something "big" happened to me that day. I too like Doug was living life at a fast pace. And like him I changed completely. The old Rita sort of died off. She was "deleted" from the database. The memories are still there, but the person no longer lives in me. There are some traits still hanging on. But the old depressive, introvert, rancorous, rebellious, angry at the world, funny, "sweet" Rita was erased. That is my description of her at least. The new Rita is living life at a slower pace as well, I have a new view on life, a purpose, I live for God now, I don't drink, I listen to Christian music, I don't collect things, I'm shier, I'm sweet, and many other things that if you'd like to know you should get to know me. How others viewed the old Rita? Crazy, fun, drinker, emo, party girl, conversational, sarcastic, and many other things. They too have missed the old Rita.
The difference between Dougs friends and my old friends is, that they hang on to the hopes of him ever recovering his memory again while mine know that life for me is so much better and that I simply do not want to ever go back to being her again. The one thing Doug and I have in common? A chance at a new life and the desire of never becoming our old selves ever again.
This life is good. I can tell you that. Far better than any of the things I used to do and live for. To feel loved the way I do. To have a purpose finally!!!. To live for eternal things. To change. To have a second chance. To love. To be forgiven. To forgive. To be born again!

May the Lord bless you all. May He lead you through righteous paths, and may you all find a reason to live and be happy!!

Yours Truly,
Rita

So today was a pretty amazing day...I know I know its barely 3:00pm, but believe me a lot can happen in just a few hours. I had been praying a lot to know my purpose, my God appointed talent and my title as a christian. I'm a person of communication..God talks and I listen. Sometimes I don't follow through and sometimes I don't obey. But this is not the case that we are to be discussing now.
I had been praying and the Lord showed me many things. A project, an idea, flashing signs and finally a ceremony. For weeks I had been wanting to serve in some way at my church, not just that but I wanted to serve as a christian to non-christians and God in a dream gave me a project that had birthed from an Idea. But in my walk with the Lord I have learned to patiently wait.
So I did. I waited. And waited. And three weeks back the Pastor talked about when Isaiah said to God "Here I am Father, choose me to do the task" (paraphrasing here). My first flashing sign. A week after that reading one of the Encouragement Daily that I receive on my email, another flashing sign. It talked about Service, and about telling my pastor, or anyone at home, or anyone in school that I am available for service.
Then today the pastor was talking about many randoms things that John 21:1-14 had to teach and among those teachings was the act of Service, the title of being a Servant. He talked about the many qualities a servant has and that is when I knew it. I am servant. My gift is to serve. My purpose is to begin that project and Serve among the ones involved.
Finally a ceremony to mark my changed spirit took place after leaving church. At first I didn't understand the symbolism of the ceremony, but after thinking about and talking about with God I finally understood. As I walked down the sidewalk a few steps ahead I has seen the muddy path and so I stepped down the sidewalk to the street. When I reached the corner I decided to step unto the sidewalk yet again. I jumped a puddle of dark waters, reached safely the almost clean sidewalk and again ahead of me a muddy floor and a few scattered stones which I thought I could use as stepping stones to avoid the mud. But to my surprise the stones were not steady enough and my feet landed right into the foul mud. Ugh! what had I gotten myself into..I treaded ahead and sank both feet into the mud. I kept walking and reached the mini market bought a bottled soda and a small bottled water. Stepped outside and began to was my feet. The man next to me pointed to a faucet and so I went, and along came another man with a plastic cut out bottle to be used as recipient to carry the water out of the faucet and unto my feet. And so began the washing of my feet.
Marking the starting point of my life as a Servant of God.

May God bless you all and may your purpose in life be revealed as God revealed Himself to us. In flying colors and with all the Glory!

Rita M.


"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

Had an anxiety attack today...but nothing that a good walk and a good talk with the Lord couldn't fix. I guess i'm stil having some trouble getting over a few issues in my life right now. Mom struck a chord this morning so it kind of stayed in the back of my mind until the chord was struck again in the afternoon. It sucks though, just when you feel like everything is going just like its supposed to, and you've forgiven everyone, there is always something...some sort of set back. But that is how it is. If I were the wisest and most perfect person ever I wouldn't need God, and that will never be!! thank God!! :D:D I like being the old Pop's daughter and friend :D. Depending on God is something I do very well!! You see i'm needy and the Lord provides just the love a needy person like me needs! Isn't God great??? Sometimes I don't understand His ways, but the fact that He's the man behind the ideas gives me comfort. Plus I started reading proverbs, what a first lesson!!