Today I decided to be adventurous and switch to the Linux operating system, Ubuntu 7.10 to be exact. I downloaded and installed it with no help, so I’m quite proud of myself. I like the look and feel, but I am having a horrible time adjusting to the rest of it (different directory names, file types, system configuration, etc). Photoshop is difficult to get to work on Linux, but luckily Linux has its own photo editing software, a free program called The GIMP. It has very similar features to Photoshop, but the layout is completely different, and seeing as how I need it 5 days a week, I really need to get used to it soon. I don’t miss any of the other Windows software (maybe because I never used it), but installing anything period on Linux has turned out to be very confusing to me. I really am sick of Windows though, so hopefully I will catch on swiftly. So far I’ve reinstalled all of my fonts and imported my old bookmarks, and the rest of my documents are at home on my husband’s external hard drive. I won’t have time to play with it again until I return from Florida on the 27th. Yes, that’s right. I’m going to have a warm, sunny, green Christmas! See you all next year!
preface
Let me preface this blog by explaining the reason behind its title. In the Bible, the prophet Samuel told the people of Israel, “I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you will be swept away…” (I Sam. 12:23-5)
I don’t remember when the first time was that I read I Samuel 12:24, but from the moment those words entered my mind they have become unforgettable. My life verse, you could say. I am a selfish person. I mess up, a LOT. So if I could forget about being selfish for one second, and think of a reason to be unselfish–a reason to do something right–I would think of the same reason that Samuel gave the Israelites. They were corrupt, they consistently failed to obey God. But they never stopped following Him. I wouldn’t say they were very good at following God. But they kept coming back to Him. They had one, specific reason to follow Him:
Consider what great things He has done for you. What great things? Try everything. Being created by God is a legitimate reason in and of itself. You exist. BE THANKFUL. But it is only the first of many. All good things come from God. There, that sums up the rest of the great things in your life. Your family. Your friends. Your iPod. Your job (yes, it is a good thing). Your slender figure. Your dog, who could possibly be your only friend right now. Your future. You have an awful lot to look forward to, and it’s all because He has done it for you. And then that one thing He did…what was it? Oh yes! Saving your soul from eternal suffering, because you definitely can’t do it on your own.
Just take a second and really consider what He has done for you. See if you can’t find a reason to serve God.
I’ve found many, many reasons.
