Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sounds good.. ninja

Congrats on graduating.

I'm graduating too biggrin *dances*

wow, i'm about to go to bed. but as some may know... i've been playing ths online game called conquer online. well.. tonight.. i got into it with someone. and ya knwo what they called me? a messiah wannabe... heh. that's kind of funny... well.... at least it's apparent to people that i am trying to be liek christ.. even if i don't always succeed at every turn. that being like him is what i'm always trying to do.. yes i obsess over trying to do it and be that... even if they meant it to me as an insult.. i still take it that it's a good thing.

and ... i kind of want to ask someting. and i pray you all don't heap upon me unmercifully at this.. but... do i come off as being egotistical to you guys? cuz i've had a few people recently say they think i am. I try not to be that way. i mean. I do talk about myself a lot. but... i mean. if you can't talk about yourself.. and talking about others behind their backs is wrong.. who can you talk about? i mean.. sheesh. oh, but then if all i talk about is the Lord.. people feel like i'm trying to throw my faith in their face .. adn they think i'm trying to be better than them. I in no way feel i am better than anyone else. I am not better than anything really. I mean.. i'll be the first one to say that I knwo for a fact fi there is anything good in me. it's because of the work of the Lord within me... coming out of me... manifesting itself in my life. I admit that i am a sinner... a human whose flesh was born out of a curse brought on by the head of our existance.... and.. even through attempting to crucify my flesh daily... i stumble and fall. and am imperfect.

does it make me egotistical that i want to live up to how jesus would want me to treat others? it is egotistical that i would want people to treat me the same, as i do try to treat them in taht way? or.. will they never see the Lord in what i do. because they are so busy looking at me. hmm.. how can I diminish myself.. so that he is magnifyed in my life...

i mean. if i am at all puffed up in myself. i cannot see it. and that is scary too... because if that is true at all. i need to see that wrong and try to fix it.

Well I do remember getting mad at Xi and accusing him of playing God redface a long, long time ago, and I think it was because my views differ somewhat than his and we were both trying to make our points heard and we both got a bit heated. I really am sorry about that. You're not too egotistical. You're confidant, and that's a good thing. I wish I had that, I have absolutely none. You talk about yourself because you relate how you see life to what you've been through. You make comparrisons and give your insights onto life based on your experiences, and try to give others the benefit of learning from your experience without them actually experiencing it. You use people you know as examples because you need to get your point across somehow.

If you want to cut back on talking about people, it seems it might bug you just because you seem to worry about doing that a lot, do what Jesus did. Speak with parables. Tell people about others' actions and personalities, but not who they are, not using real people. Jesus' parables struck so many hearts because they reminded people of others they knew, maybe even themselves, but they weren't real people the way he told it, he told them as stories, to give a lesson. He used a tiny bit of his insight, put them into characters and stories that related to the lesson he needed to teach, and brought across to people points and wisdom without naming names or pointing fingers, without a bit of malice.

You've got a lot of wisdom to give the world, and people who don't want to listen will tell you you've got a big ego. You don't have a big ego. You're pretty humble from what I've seen. What you've got is a heart that longs to speak the Truth, and people who don't want to hear it will insult your character as they can't argue the Truth. First thing I ever learned watching people, if you can't attack a point, attack the person and their point seems less credible. It's a dirty trick and I hope no one here is guilty of it. Don't worry. Had you a big ego, I wouldn't be able to stand you.

I dunno if I have any advice. I've never been accused of that in person. I'm a quiet person, and in religion too I am quiet. I make sure to draw no attention to myself while doing something like praying or helping or whatever, it's not something I want anyone to notice as being extraordinary, it's the right thing, what we're all called to do. Online, among nonchristians, I also remain quiet, a little louder. I say what I believe. I say why I believe it, how I possibly can, and make it clear no one can shake that. I'm tolerant though, of other religions and make that known as well. Among Christians, I can be louder. People understand more, and no one will be driven away from Christianity due to me being stubborn. It's an indulgance I try not to take, but I know sometimes I do, I try not to. My rule of thumb is to not say anything that when flipped around, it'd turn me off of something. I wouldn't say, "It's stupid for you not to be Christian," because if someone told me, "It's stupid for you not to be...Wiccan," or whatever, I'd completely stop considering it. Completely. If you make sure you're considerate of how you sound to a third person, you can avoid sounding like you've got a big ego. I should follow that more often... sweatdrop

What, and miss out on you guys? Fat chance blaugh

Congratulations to the graduates, btw, that is one HARD piece of paper to earn.

sorta, just finished getting my mediport flushed xp

"faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of the enemy are deceitful"
Xi, even if it seems like i don't listen to anyone... know that everything i hear is filed away in my mind somewhere... and it's not like it's not entirely appreciated. i bet i do get defensive... sometimes truth is a hard pill to swallow when it's something about yourself that you're not prepared to see or deal with. that is why i brought this topic here... and only by facing what's worst inside of me can i really do anything well. I believe that in order to die to our inward man.. we have to be willing to see just who that inward man is. we have to be able to account for that part of ourselves. and... sometimes it's not easy. cuz even if we try to do everything in our lives right to live before the Lord.. there is almost something in our lives that is dirty and icky.. and something we'd hate to admit about ourselves to others... but, what sets people apart is our willingness to see ourselves for what we are.... and not be depressed over it... but just see in it that we still have work in us that the Lord is doing. some people will never be willing to see any of the wrong in themselves. and they like to carry on as tho they live in a dimension where sin doesn't touch their lives.. but the word says that there is none without sin. and he taht says he is without sin is a liar and the truth is not in him. so yeah.