There is just one problem with feeling like this. This took me forever for me to realize! We are called, as Christians to be holy.
Ephesians 1:4a
"For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
Leviticus 11:44-45
"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."
Leviticus 19:2
"“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.""
If we are called to be holy because our Lord Jesus is holy, we should know what holy means. So I did what I normally do and pulled up http://dictionary.reference.com/
It talked about relating to God and being devout and virtuous. However, the definition I was always taught in church, I found here http://www.rondunn.com/Devotionals/Called%20To%20Be%20Holy.htm
It shows that the Hebrew word for holiness is kadesh which means something that is cut off, separate or set apart. The word in the NT is hagios which means set apart, separate, in a class by itself. Do you see where I am going with this? We are called to be different! We are called to be set apart!
Before this hit me, I was thinking to myself that I was doing a pretty good job of being holy. I was thinking in the dictionary.com sense.
Christians are set apart. I know that I have struggled with that and not wanted to gladly proclaim Jesus Christ as my Savior because I will stand out like a sore thumb. However, this is why we are set apart! That we might stand out among others and present the Good News! It's easier to praise God when we are doing well (not easy, just easier). We are further set apart (made holy) because we are Christians with Vulvodynia! The question becomes will you use that holiness to proclaim Jesus Christ's goodness?
Thank you for your words of encouragement! Having this condition makes me feel set apart in a negative way- but when focused on setting myself apart to be Holy for the Lord brings new perspective.
ReplyDeleteOh, and this is Carrie by the way...I changed the blog address.
Hi I am so happy I found this I suffer with Pundendal Neurglia and Vulvydnia I can not be intimate with my husband, it has been taken away from me, cause I had a unessary hysterctomy august 2009 I can not forgive myself for this, How are you intmate with your husband. I burn so bad, I cant be touched, we had such a wonderful sexuual life before all this I am in mourning over it. So scared I will lose him.
ReplyDeleteYour sister in Christ
Alisa
Alisa I would love to talk to you about that, though I am little skiddish about discussing exactly how on a blog. However if you would like to e-mail me at Veronica.P.Coleman@gmail.com I would love to answer your question there.
ReplyDelete