Monkinisom

Pre-Claimer (This is not a statement of pride or recognition its is merely to express how sometimes your idea of things aren't necessarily the same for everyone or circumstances).

              As a few of you know I was at city challenge this summer. I could try to talk about that week but it would be extremely hard to break it down to a lower level and make it shorter. This is what I'm finding nowadays, that alot of people shortened all these experiences into little blips. That's why i say stop looking at twitter and texts and really get down, talk to people and get deep with something that has meaning, or profound that is. Anyways coming back from city challenge I felt like alot of my daily experiences were going to change or stop. However, what happened was some stuff changed like I had quiet time once a week and I felt more comfortable praying in public. As a whole though not much changed, I was still on the computer alot when i could be doing better stuff with my time. As a result I decided to quit being on the computer for a week. However, I didn't just stop there I thought of how the computer took time away I could be spending with God and how alot of other stuff I do takes time I could use for God too.

               In the end this realization ended up turning into a week-long fast from anything unnecessary that takes time I could be using for God. Now there were a few exceptions for things that are a little more necessary like eating, bathing, working, and obeying my parents when they have me do stuff on the computer or other things not allowed. What wasn't allowed was taking in media, reading books, other than the Bible, and things I do not directly related to serving God. That means no chainmaille and duck tape.

               The first day started out quiet well, I had my quiet time then went throughout the day doing stuff I had to do and when I had time I prayed or read the Bible. I'm not sure how to explain this, but the first day I guess I didn't have the connection with God I felt like I should of had. I couldn't figure out why it felt this way at this point.
               Now by the second day I think I was feeling withdraw, not from the computer, but from all my projects. God gave me the thought that i was probably feeling an un-connection with God because I wasn't allowing myself to use the gifts He had given me. I also felt like the only thing that got me to day four was God and being able to practice guitar. Guitar was the only artsy thing i was allowed to do and it gave me so much joy to use a gift that God has blessed me with. One of the things I have learned from this experience is that when I don't use the gifts God has given me I feel like I lose part of my connection with God. Even though I was making God  happy by fasting all this stuff, He didn't want me to feel alright not using the gifts He has given me.

               Another thing I wasn't expecting to learn was about calling. I sorta though that God really wants all his children to completely devote there lives to Him by forgetting the world and spending all their time with him. I mean like being a monk. However, I'm not saying I thought that God doesn't call everybody to spread His name across the world, I'm saying I thought God might want me to do this fast for the rest of my life. God wasn't saying that though, what He said really hit me. God called me to not do what I was doing during this fast for Him the rest of my life. God way saying to me to Not stop using my gifts, but to use my gifts, and make them better so I can do great things for Him with them. Not much feels better than doing what God calls you to do. Without profoundness of thought i might have never found this great lesson out.

 Dis-claimer (Now all I have written here God said to me. You have to go out and find what God has called you to do. You might find it during a fast like I did, but there are alot of other ways God talks to people so probably not).