aroundthebloc

Cross-Eyed Devotions

Cross-Eyed Definition: Keeping your eyes on Jesus' cross and not looking back. 

        The Writer's Bloc group will be featuring devotionals submitted by members. Contact Lydia or Nathan at aroundthebloc@yahoo.com for more information.

CROSS-EYED DEVO

Posted 01/29/07

The Broken Law

By Lynda Danielle Rule

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

- Exodus 20:3

     What does it really mean? When I was younger, I always thought I had never broken this law. But some years later, I found I had. My Sunday School teacher told me that if we had ever put anything before God, we had broken this commandment (e.g. TV, games, computer, writing, etc.).

     Whenever I read that commandment and saw the word "gods" in it, I always thought of bowing before an idol. Since I had never done that, I thought I was clear. But it didn't only mean that, it meant anything that had influence over you.

     There have been many times when I would wake up and decide not to do my devotions. I would rather go off and do something else. We are supposed to honor God with our lives and always put him first. So whenever I think of not doing something that God wants me to do, I think of His first commandment.

 Bio: Lynda Rule enjoys music, reading, art, and basketball. Her favorite subject in school is math.

Cross-Eyed Devo

Posted 01/11/07

Hey! I'm a Billboard!

By Lydia Rule

            I wanted to impress some teenagers my parents wanted me to meet. So I put on my new Aeropostale shirt, thinking that the mighty name of the shirt's label alone would do the job. To my surprise, the teens just asked me, "What does Aeropostale mean?" I suddenly realized that I was not being cool, but instead I was being a two-legged advertisement stand. I was a billboard.

            As teenagers, I know we place a lot of importance on wearing only certain brands of clothing like AE, Adidas, Nike, and Abercrombie & Fitch. I will admit that the most hideous pair of pants can suddenly become a "must-have" item if the name Mudd or the initials AE have been sewn on them. While there is nothing wrong with wearing something name brand, we tend to think that we are somehow better than those who do not. Actually, we have just become living ad displays and breathing commercials.

            View it this way: you are walking into a mall, and you notice that everyone is a giant label with armloads of shopping bags. You stare up in wonder at the sight, as a label comes bouncing along beside you that reads, “Kroger Milk is the best!" Another label prances by, and it reads, “Buy Kibbles for your dog!" In amazement you begin to look around as everything from shaving cream to the brand of a pooper-scooper for your pet's backyard is displayed. You suddenly realize that you are the only one who is not wearing an enormous label wrapped around yourself. Other labels are snickering at your plain attire. Just so you won't feel left out, you rush into a nearby store and frantically buy a label that is proclaiming that Johnson's baby diapers smell the cleanest. Wait a minute, you tell yourself, what am I doing? This is ridiculous!

            I know this is a bit of an exaggeration, but let's face up to the fact that just because something is the mode or fashion, it does not mean that you have to do it. Let the other billboards laugh, but do not give in to the thinking that you are only what you wear. You are an individual and an unique person. Whether you wear Nike tennis shoes or not, you are somebody of worth, and no amount of labels sewn onto your jeans can make you any better than someone else. You do not have to be a billboard to be someone spectacular; just be yourself!!!

I Samuel 16:7a …for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Prayer: God, help me to see the worth of inner beauty in a world that places emphasis on the physical, outward attractions. I want to be a “billboard” for you. I want Your light to shine through me. In Jesus’ name I pray.

BIO: Lydia Rule has been published over fifty times in magazines and online publications. She is working on her fifth novel. She is also an Editor and Marketing Consultant for CollegePlus, a Christian mentoring group. In her spare time, Lydia enjoys devising ways to make her book characters miserable, antique shopping, and adding to her collection of geodes.