Yesterday I received my first "negative" response to one of my posts. I placed the comments in that category, NOT because the person had an opposing view, but because of how it made me feel. I knew that in my effort to "keep it real" I'd encounter people who disagreed with some of my statements. However, I'm not yet emotionally equipped enough for my words to be twisted, my writings to be taken out of context, or my intentions to be misconstrued. I don't consider myself to be a great writer but I do place great effort into trying to convey my heart clearly. Whether ANYONE agrees with ANYTHING I say is irrelevant, but I would like to at least be understood.

I was a little upset with myself for letting the comments get to me and once I reassembled my emotions I started typing my reply to the person's concerns. I'm not sure if we came to an agreement but I definitely sensed a change in their tone after our conversation ended. I honestly think they understood me better and could feel where I was coming from. It was hours later that I realized something: THIS IS HOW GOD FEELS!

I'm not too smart, pretty well-intentioned, and my blogs aren't that long. Yet, I've already been misunderstood and hurt by the misinterpretation of my words. God knows everything, is perfect, and His blog is 1189 chapters long. No wonder He has so much trouble being accurately comprehended. I'm pretty normal, but just like it is impossible to KNOW me by reading my blog, it is MORE impossible to really KNOW God simply by reading His words.

The poster only understood me better after engaging in conversation with me. I've only been blogging for a week now but I've learned that different people can read the same thing and each come away with their own viewpoint, possibly missing what I was trying to say. I'm now more convinced than ever that conversations with God are vitally important to understanding His writing. You are a FOOL if you think you can decipher his thoughts on your own. His thoughts are so much higher than ours that He must reveal them to us (Isaiah 55:9).

If you really want to know me you've got to do way more than read my blog. You need to talk with me, spend time with me, follow me around, listen to me, do things I do, etc. The same rules apply to our God! If we really want to know Him, it'll take more than reading His blog. It's so easy to misrepresent someone if you only read about them but never get to know them for yourself!

I ANTicipate being more and more like God as I do more than read about Him!