[Annie]

yup, every social group has it cliques and its popular people, church is no different. It used to bother me when i was younger because i have always been rather quiet and introverted so naturally found it hard to make friends. but i've come to realize life still has a way of panning out even if the "cool kids" completely reject you.

God made us who we are for a reason and He brings people in and out of our lives for a reason, even those who we don't get along with. Usually thats for spiritual refinement and teaching us how to be stronger and better Christians and to depend on Him more. The thought of being part of a clique now actually annoys me, i have become rather independent and i think thats a major part of why i've become independent and more of a free thinker because i really wasn't part of the "cool" crowd when i was younger. i've learned not to let the cliques/groups i belong to validate who i am as a person. I love my family and i love my friends, i'm not saying i'm a hermit and am shunning people entirely or anything, but i do think i'm a better person for everything i did go through, rejection and all, even if i didn't see a positive to it at the time. God has a way of using everything.

The problems come in when you start taking all the bad stuff thats happened and dwelling on them and those memories and experiences become a poison. Its easy enough to do but its part of the testing period. We can either turn inward and become a martyr and blame all of our problems on others to the point where, like Murray, we're so gripped by that hatred and bitterness we have to take it out on others whether they deserve it or not. Or we can recognize that even during our saddest and hardest times God is still sovereign and He is still a God of love who keeps His promises to His children when He promised in His word to turn everything around for good for those that love Him.And just hand those things over to Him and through His strength (because sometimes it is just impossible through our own) learn to forgive those who have hurt us and let go of that anger and bitterness.

Life is entirely too short to be expending the kind of energy people like Murray do on hating others and there is always a better choice in those situations, maybe not the easiest according to our human minds and our limited strength but certainly a better one.