The phrase "My God: Mon Dieu" is a very very very common phrase in France and every time someone uses it, my soul hurts a little. You could say that the reason for this is because I'm sheltered or that I have surrounded myself with people who do not take the Lord's name in vain (before this point in my life), but while those assumptions are facts about my life, they do not explain why I cringe at these repetitious words. I had never before considered the doctrine behind the commandment to not take the Lord's name in vain, but hearing it so often has me using the old practice of thinking. I have started to ponder the importance of the words "my God" and what immediately comes to my mind is the hymn "How Great Thou Art". This hymn is all about the grandeur of God and it holds a special place in my heart. In my mind, I use the phrase "my God" to express adoration and gratitude. It is not a phrase to be thrown around. I was thinking about respect and reverence for Heavenly Father, which this phrase does not convey. If someone started to throw around a parent's name in place of God (for example saying "my Coleen" #mymom'sname), I think many people would be outraged at the lack of respect shown for someone they love. I'm not saying that the people who take the Lords name in vain do not love God or respect him, but I am saying that Satan has found another way into everyday life that hurts us without knowing. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me so so so so so so much. Seriously, His mercy is more than I deserve, and I feel so humbled at how many blessings He has given me.
Blessings:
1) Always being surrounded by great people
2) Being able to see the BEAUTY of His creations
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| I get to go to the beach everyday! (5 min walk) |
3) Being able to try new things
4) Being able to always have FUN and GROW
There are so many other blessings that I have, but those are the ones that I've been noticing a LOT lately. Thanks for reading! By the way, learning a third language is a lot easier than learning a second. I'm still struggling, but I can see progress! French is great, France is great, EUROPE IS MY HOME!
