This concerns the 2.5 people who actually follow my blog: I'm going to take a break from writing for awhile. I've hit writer's block, and I think that taking a break will cure this awful dilemma. I cannot be sure about how long I'll be gone, so, uh, I hope that you'll be okay!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Wednesday's Ray: The Books I Love
I don't really have a deep subject for today, so I guess I'll talk about books! Oh, how I love books, I could read them all day--If life allowed such bliss. I guess some of you might have been a bit upset at my post concerning my literary choices(If you haven't read it, you can read it here) because I may have dissed a book you like, and for that I am profusely sorry. Such a post might have you wondering, "Well, what type of books does this picky person enjoy?", and that's why I'm here to answer such a simple question.
Here are some popular books that I enjoy:
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins--It's really quite thrilling, and you should check it out if you haven't already.
Unbroken by Laura HillenBrand--This is kind of gruesome at points, but it has the most beautiful ending... at least I think so.
Sadly, those are the only popular books that I enjoyed(I'm probably just picky)...well, it's the only one I could think of anyway. Next on my list are my favorite classics:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--I cannot begin to tell you how awesome this book truly is!
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee--Ah, now this book is...I have no words, it's amazing.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott--This is such a real book, it's so raw in it's reality that it isn't hard to get lost in.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery--Uh, you're not cool if you don't like Anne...
The Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson--This book made me cry even though I'd watched the movie beforehand. It really is a beautiful book!
Other favorites of mine include:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen--Don't ask me why this is one of my favorite books, it just is.
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare--You need to read this book, it is incredible!
The Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan--This is another one of those books that's weirdly captivating to me...
Princess Academy By Shannon Hale--Just read it, you know you want to!
Entwined by Heather Dixon--It's a re-telling of the The Twelve Princesses or whatever that fairy tale is called. It's a great take on it. ;)
The Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner--I love this series dearly, it's so different, so mysterious, so wonderful...
Well, if you were looking for something to read, I hope that I've cured you. I know this isn't what you expected for a blog post today, but I was at a wall and I thought I'd improvise for now. I hope you understand how much I truly adore literature, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Here are some popular books that I enjoy:
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins--It's really quite thrilling, and you should check it out if you haven't already.
Unbroken by Laura HillenBrand--This is kind of gruesome at points, but it has the most beautiful ending... at least I think so.
Sadly, those are the only popular books that I enjoyed(I'm probably just picky)...well, it's the only one I could think of anyway. Next on my list are my favorite classics:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen--I cannot begin to tell you how awesome this book truly is!
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee--Ah, now this book is...I have no words, it's amazing.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott--This is such a real book, it's so raw in it's reality that it isn't hard to get lost in.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery--Uh, you're not cool if you don't like Anne...
The Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson--This book made me cry even though I'd watched the movie beforehand. It really is a beautiful book!
Other favorites of mine include:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen--Don't ask me why this is one of my favorite books, it just is.
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare--You need to read this book, it is incredible!
The Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan--This is another one of those books that's weirdly captivating to me...
Princess Academy By Shannon Hale--Just read it, you know you want to!
Entwined by Heather Dixon--It's a re-telling of the The Twelve Princesses or whatever that fairy tale is called. It's a great take on it. ;)
The Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner--I love this series dearly, it's so different, so mysterious, so wonderful...
Well, if you were looking for something to read, I hope that I've cured you. I know this isn't what you expected for a blog post today, but I was at a wall and I thought I'd improvise for now. I hope you understand how much I truly adore literature, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Saturday Sunshyne: Coffee With God
Before I begin, I'm sorry this is so late, but this Saturday has been painfully busy, and I didn't have time this morning to get all of this typed up. Also, I struggled with finding a topic for today which only delayed things further...
This morning a major crisis rocked the house I live in: we were out of coffee! You have no idea what sort of mental trauma this coffee-loving family endured. We are true coffee addicts at my house, and mornings just aren't the same without that delicious black beverage that seems to warm the soul. Now, we've been out of coffee before, but this time I realized something as my coffee-less mind endured.
When coffee is available, we drink it like we can't live without it, and when it's gone we realize how much we take advantage of it. This made me think that coffee is a lot like God. We have God and we take advantage of that...until we really need him. I'm not going to deny the fact that I take God for granted. He's here for us when we need things. THE END. Well, coffee is here all of the time too(almost), but we don't realize how important it really is until it's gone. It's the same way with God.
We should go to God first, not last. We should treat God like we treat our coffee, we drink it every morning, and true coffee addicts drink coffee several time a day. God's the coffee, and we're the drinker, and many of us are not drinking God enough. When we wake up, we need to have a little God with our coffee. We need to realize that coffee is only the most important meal of the day after God. (Maybe your mind needs coffee to talk to God, and that's okay, I'm like that too.)
Why not Just invite God to have some coffee with you? God probably would enjoy a cup of coffee, especially if you were there. God likes you a lot, like seriously, and just the idea that you would want him to drink coffee with you overjoys him! I mean, God's always there anyway, so why not invite him to have a chat over coffee with you?
I mean, I'm sure everyone isn't a coffee-drinker, but everyone has a "coffee", maybe it's tea, maybe it's food...whatever it may be, I'm sure God would love to join you. The more coffee you drink, the better you feel, and the more you pray the better you become. So, it's really a win-win deal.
"A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent." ~Unknown
(Once again, I'm sorry this is so short. I just like putting things shortly and simply sometimes, and long and complicated at other times.)
This morning a major crisis rocked the house I live in: we were out of coffee! You have no idea what sort of mental trauma this coffee-loving family endured. We are true coffee addicts at my house, and mornings just aren't the same without that delicious black beverage that seems to warm the soul. Now, we've been out of coffee before, but this time I realized something as my coffee-less mind endured.
When coffee is available, we drink it like we can't live without it, and when it's gone we realize how much we take advantage of it. This made me think that coffee is a lot like God. We have God and we take advantage of that...until we really need him. I'm not going to deny the fact that I take God for granted. He's here for us when we need things. THE END. Well, coffee is here all of the time too(almost), but we don't realize how important it really is until it's gone. It's the same way with God.
We should go to God first, not last. We should treat God like we treat our coffee, we drink it every morning, and true coffee addicts drink coffee several time a day. God's the coffee, and we're the drinker, and many of us are not drinking God enough. When we wake up, we need to have a little God with our coffee. We need to realize that coffee is only the most important meal of the day after God. (Maybe your mind needs coffee to talk to God, and that's okay, I'm like that too.)
Why not Just invite God to have some coffee with you? God probably would enjoy a cup of coffee, especially if you were there. God likes you a lot, like seriously, and just the idea that you would want him to drink coffee with you overjoys him! I mean, God's always there anyway, so why not invite him to have a chat over coffee with you?
I mean, I'm sure everyone isn't a coffee-drinker, but everyone has a "coffee", maybe it's tea, maybe it's food...whatever it may be, I'm sure God would love to join you. The more coffee you drink, the better you feel, and the more you pray the better you become. So, it's really a win-win deal.
"A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent." ~Unknown
(Once again, I'm sorry this is so short. I just like putting things shortly and simply sometimes, and long and complicated at other times.)
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Wednesday's Ray: Praising God in the Hallway
As a high school student, the future can be uncertain and quite scary. Yet, somehow, I have learned to be excited and ready for the future like never before. Of course, I let go of worry for excitement with God's help because, if you know me, I tend to dwell on the future all too much.
For a long while, I often felt trapped in my high school world of education and laziness. I seemed to have no exact place where God wanted me, and I wasn't sure what to do. I began to realize that, while I felt like I was not doing much at all, God was still working in my life.
There's a quote that goes something like, "While you wait for God to open a door, praise him in the hallway."(unknown). I guess I'm stuck in the hallway of life for now, and I'm okay with it. As long as I can praise God and do his will here in the hallway, I'm happy. My life seems monotonous and without point, but I'm just waiting in this hallway for God to open a door.
This reminded me that there are many things in life that we spend our lives waiting for impatiently(A spouse, summer, a chance, etc.), and we just expect God to open doors when we want him too. The thing is, we're in the hallway so that God can prepare us for what's ahead, he's having us wait because he cares about us. He also wants us to realize that even while we're waiting, there is so much to be done. We can't sit idly and do nothing. We need to do what we can do instead of moping about.
Sometimes we try to rush what we're waiting for or, in other words, we go knocking on all of the doors in the hallway to see what's behind them. We turn our backs on God to quench our selfish impatience. We assume we know what's best for us, so we go knocking on all the doors. Last time I checked, everything ahead of us is in God's hands, and we can't control that. That's just the way life is, so let's stop focusing on what's ahead, okay?
No matter what we're waiting for, whether it be summertime, or " the one", or a wind of change, God will give you what you need in his time, not yours. We're always going to waiting in hallways in this world because, even after we've done all we can do, we're stuck in a bigger hallway waiting for God to open the door to Heaven. We may as well learn to wait because trying to speed up the process is only going to make things worse.
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 4:19
I feel like my blog posts are getting shorter and shorter, but somethings are summed up so easily in only a few words, I guess. :)
For a long while, I often felt trapped in my high school world of education and laziness. I seemed to have no exact place where God wanted me, and I wasn't sure what to do. I began to realize that, while I felt like I was not doing much at all, God was still working in my life.
There's a quote that goes something like, "While you wait for God to open a door, praise him in the hallway."(unknown). I guess I'm stuck in the hallway of life for now, and I'm okay with it. As long as I can praise God and do his will here in the hallway, I'm happy. My life seems monotonous and without point, but I'm just waiting in this hallway for God to open a door.
This reminded me that there are many things in life that we spend our lives waiting for impatiently(A spouse, summer, a chance, etc.), and we just expect God to open doors when we want him too. The thing is, we're in the hallway so that God can prepare us for what's ahead, he's having us wait because he cares about us. He also wants us to realize that even while we're waiting, there is so much to be done. We can't sit idly and do nothing. We need to do what we can do instead of moping about.
Sometimes we try to rush what we're waiting for or, in other words, we go knocking on all of the doors in the hallway to see what's behind them. We turn our backs on God to quench our selfish impatience. We assume we know what's best for us, so we go knocking on all the doors. Last time I checked, everything ahead of us is in God's hands, and we can't control that. That's just the way life is, so let's stop focusing on what's ahead, okay?
No matter what we're waiting for, whether it be summertime, or " the one", or a wind of change, God will give you what you need in his time, not yours. We're always going to waiting in hallways in this world because, even after we've done all we can do, we're stuck in a bigger hallway waiting for God to open the door to Heaven. We may as well learn to wait because trying to speed up the process is only going to make things worse.
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 4:19
I feel like my blog posts are getting shorter and shorter, but somethings are summed up so easily in only a few words, I guess. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Saturday Sunshyne: Don't Get Comfortable
Comfort zones. We all have them, and we all hate when we're out of them. I personally would love to stay at home all day, read a book, and drink coffee for the rest of my life. I love the comfort of knowing the people where I'm going, and knowing what's ahead, but that's just not the life that God gives us. He doesn't let us know what's coming or when things are coming, and you know what? That's a really good thing.
A massive change in comfort zones, for me, was when I went on my first missions trip last summer. I didn't know what was coming, I still tried to prepare myself as much as possible. By the end of a gruelingly hot week in the South, I didn't want to leave. If I could've stayed, I would have. You see, even though I had gone out of my comfort zone, I unknowingly entered a new one.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” ― William G.T. Shedd
A massive change in comfort zones, for me, was when I went on my first missions trip last summer. I didn't know what was coming, I still tried to prepare myself as much as possible. By the end of a gruelingly hot week in the South, I didn't want to leave. If I could've stayed, I would have. You see, even though I had gone out of my comfort zone, I unknowingly entered a new one.
I realized, as I fell back into my old life, that I was so attached to the place I'd been that I couldn't sweep it out of my head. Home was still home, but a piece of me had left itself in the South's dirt, and it didn't look like I was going to get it back. Truth be told, I still haven't gotten that piece of me back, and I never will.
I have discovered that a comfort zone can be used as an excuse to stay away from branching out, and that's an issue. You simply cannot say, "I would, but I that's out of my comfort zone." You may as well say, "the TV remote is across the room, but I don't feel like getting up.". Yep, I'm talking about laziness, spiritual laziness, to be clear. Nobody can afford to be lazy about stepping out of their comfort zone, because that just digs them into a deeper pit of selfishness. I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't have a comfort zone at all, but I am saying that you should be willing to leave your comfort zone and step into another one. Just give it a shot, and if you don't like it, you can always go back to where you came from. Trust me, it's worth the risk. In fact, it changed my life entirely.
Humans have this idea that stepping away from the comfort zone we know and love is scary, and maybe it is...but it's so rewarding. God has given us all a wonderful opportunity to step out of our dearest comfort zone and go do amazing things. Then, when we fall back into our everyday lives, we'll have left a piece of ourselves behind in the places we've been. A tiny piece of us roams the places we've been and awaits the opportunity to catch someone in its grasp. Let's allow ourselves to spread the sparkle that we born to give away.
I have discovered that a comfort zone can be used as an excuse to stay away from branching out, and that's an issue. You simply cannot say, "I would, but I that's out of my comfort zone." You may as well say, "the TV remote is across the room, but I don't feel like getting up.". Yep, I'm talking about laziness, spiritual laziness, to be clear. Nobody can afford to be lazy about stepping out of their comfort zone, because that just digs them into a deeper pit of selfishness. I'm not trying to say that you shouldn't have a comfort zone at all, but I am saying that you should be willing to leave your comfort zone and step into another one. Just give it a shot, and if you don't like it, you can always go back to where you came from. Trust me, it's worth the risk. In fact, it changed my life entirely.
Humans have this idea that stepping away from the comfort zone we know and love is scary, and maybe it is...but it's so rewarding. God has given us all a wonderful opportunity to step out of our dearest comfort zone and go do amazing things. Then, when we fall back into our everyday lives, we'll have left a piece of ourselves behind in the places we've been. A tiny piece of us roams the places we've been and awaits the opportunity to catch someone in its grasp. Let's allow ourselves to spread the sparkle that we born to give away.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” ― William G.T. Shedd
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Wednesday's Ray: I'm Confusing Myself...About Myself
Have you ever never understood yourself so badly that you get confused? For me, this happens often. I don't quite grasp why I act or think a certain way, and it really bothers me. I mean, it probably shouldn't bother me like it does, but it drives me crazy!
In an age where the newest trendy book is read by every teenager in the universe, it's hard to get my friends to listen to me when I say, "Well, yea, that book was okay, but I mean, there are like a million way better books.". My friends kind of look at me and say, "WHAT?! This is THE BEST BOOK EVER!", and I'm just like, "That's not even literature...". Maybe I'm picky, or maybe I'm insane, or maybe I'm just...right?
Okay, so you probably know what Divergent is, right? If you don't, it's no big deal, I'll tell you what it is. It's like The Hunger Games, but the main character's name is Triss and she lives in this future world, and she's different than everyone else, and she may or may not change everything in her future world...Sound familiar? Yea...So I read the first one, and it was okay. To me, there wasn't anything special about it. I mean, unlike with The Hunger Games, I felt that Divergent was very predictable. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I knew what was coming, I just did. I don't mean that in a, "I'm better than you because I knew what was gonna happen!" way, I mean it in a, "The book didn't really interest me that much because it was predictable.". The fact that I knew what was going to happen kind of ruined the whole experience for me.
On to the point, when I'm the odd one out for not obsessing over all of these books with everyone else, I feel like I might be wrong. Am I weird for not liking these books? I don't know if you've ever heard the quote that goes something like, "When everyone is running toward a cliff, he who runs in the opposite direction seems insane.", but I have and it really makes my day. I'm not saying that all of my friends are running off the edge of the Cliffs of Insanity, but I am saying that maybe it's okay that I'm going in the opposite direction. Perhaps I'm just an old soul. Perhaps I see through all of the unoriginal, predictable story lines of books that I'd much rather not waste my time on. Perhaps I'm pulling the classic, "It's not you, it's me." to make you feel better. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I'm just flat out opinionated! I really don't know. I am, however, going to go read books that are worth it and not just popular ones because, as another good quote goes, "If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think how everyone else thinks."(Unknown).
I don't want to think like everyone else, I want to be me. If I think something is stupid, there's a very big chance that I will tell you so--if you give me the chance. To me, it feels like the world just wants to draw me into their trashy trends that I'd rather not be apart of. I want to read the books I want to read, and watch the movies that I want to watch. I don't want to do what everyone else is doing because they could be running toward the edge of a cliff.
Rant over. (Apologies if this didn't make any sense...)
Are you ever confused by yourself too, or is that just me?
In an age where the newest trendy book is read by every teenager in the universe, it's hard to get my friends to listen to me when I say, "Well, yea, that book was okay, but I mean, there are like a million way better books.". My friends kind of look at me and say, "WHAT?! This is THE BEST BOOK EVER!", and I'm just like, "That's not even literature...". Maybe I'm picky, or maybe I'm insane, or maybe I'm just...right?
Okay, so you probably know what Divergent is, right? If you don't, it's no big deal, I'll tell you what it is. It's like The Hunger Games, but the main character's name is Triss and she lives in this future world, and she's different than everyone else, and she may or may not change everything in her future world...Sound familiar? Yea...So I read the first one, and it was okay. To me, there wasn't anything special about it. I mean, unlike with The Hunger Games, I felt that Divergent was very predictable. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I knew what was coming, I just did. I don't mean that in a, "I'm better than you because I knew what was gonna happen!" way, I mean it in a, "The book didn't really interest me that much because it was predictable.". The fact that I knew what was going to happen kind of ruined the whole experience for me.
On to the point, when I'm the odd one out for not obsessing over all of these books with everyone else, I feel like I might be wrong. Am I weird for not liking these books? I don't know if you've ever heard the quote that goes something like, "When everyone is running toward a cliff, he who runs in the opposite direction seems insane.", but I have and it really makes my day. I'm not saying that all of my friends are running off the edge of the Cliffs of Insanity, but I am saying that maybe it's okay that I'm going in the opposite direction. Perhaps I'm just an old soul. Perhaps I see through all of the unoriginal, predictable story lines of books that I'd much rather not waste my time on. Perhaps I'm pulling the classic, "It's not you, it's me." to make you feel better. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I'm just flat out opinionated! I really don't know. I am, however, going to go read books that are worth it and not just popular ones because, as another good quote goes, "If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think how everyone else thinks."(Unknown).
I don't want to think like everyone else, I want to be me. If I think something is stupid, there's a very big chance that I will tell you so--if you give me the chance. To me, it feels like the world just wants to draw me into their trashy trends that I'd rather not be apart of. I want to read the books I want to read, and watch the movies that I want to watch. I don't want to do what everyone else is doing because they could be running toward the edge of a cliff.
Rant over. (Apologies if this didn't make any sense...)
Are you ever confused by yourself too, or is that just me?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Saturday Sunshyne: Undefinable Love or Nobody is Gross to Hug Part 2
While pondering on last week's Saturday Sunshyne, I began to wonder about what it is exactly that fools us, as Christians, into believing that we're giving others Christ's love, when we're really not. I thought you'd like to know that I came to a conclusion.
I realized that we believe that loving someone by actions is loving. For example, we make ourselves think that giving somebody a hug is giving them love, but it isn't. That is, it isn't giving them love unless it's a genuine, Christ-filled hug. We can't just show actions of love and expect to get away with it. We have to backup our actions with Christ's love. We can't hug someone and say "Ew! Gross!" to ourselves because then we're lying to ourselves that that's what Christ's love is.
So, you're telling me that Christ's love can be defined in a hug? You're telling me that by giving someone a hug that you're giving them all you got? I don't think so. I think that we've got it all wrong here. God's love is so great that it cannot be defined. You cannot give someone a hug while thinking it's gross and expect to believe that you're actually giving someone a genuine, Christ-filled hug.
We're so stuck on this idea that God's love can be defined in actions. God is love, and God himself is greater than anything imaginable. Yet, we still believe that we can define God's love in a hug? No, we can never define God's love with actions, or with anything. God's love is so big that it cannot be defined, but that doesn't mean that the undefinable amount of Christ's love that lives in us cannot get out. God gave us his love to give to others, God did not give us his love so that we might keep it for ourselves.
Luke 6:36 says,"You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."(NLT). I believe the key word here is "must". "You must be compassionate as your father it compassionate.". We think we have a choice in the matter, but we don't. We must love others as God loves us. John 15:12 states it even clearer, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."(NLT). What did he say, again? Yea, that's right, that's his commandment to us. Remember last week with Jesus and the leper? Remember how Jesus touched the leper? That's what this verse is telling us to do. We need to stop shying away from people because they're "gross" to hug. God gave us like three jobs, and we're just like,"It's no big deal, I'll just trick everyone into thinking that I love everyone with actions.", and then you get so used to hoarding God's love for yourself that you forget what it's like to love people with God's love.
Don't get me wrong, actions of love are important, but they only mean something if they are backed up by genuineness. Kind of how money isn't really worth anything unless it's backed up by gold. This world truly needs more actions of genuine, Christ-filled love. When you think it's hard to love others the way that God loves us, remember that God sees our wrongs better than anyone else, but he loves us the most. He is the ultimate example of how we should love others, we can't just toss that opportunity, to love others as he does, out the window for selfish reasons.
In conclusion: Nobody is ever "gross" to hug, and God's love is undefinable. Realize these things for the better of the world...please?
I realized that we believe that loving someone by actions is loving. For example, we make ourselves think that giving somebody a hug is giving them love, but it isn't. That is, it isn't giving them love unless it's a genuine, Christ-filled hug. We can't just show actions of love and expect to get away with it. We have to backup our actions with Christ's love. We can't hug someone and say "Ew! Gross!" to ourselves because then we're lying to ourselves that that's what Christ's love is.
So, you're telling me that Christ's love can be defined in a hug? You're telling me that by giving someone a hug that you're giving them all you got? I don't think so. I think that we've got it all wrong here. God's love is so great that it cannot be defined. You cannot give someone a hug while thinking it's gross and expect to believe that you're actually giving someone a genuine, Christ-filled hug.
We're so stuck on this idea that God's love can be defined in actions. God is love, and God himself is greater than anything imaginable. Yet, we still believe that we can define God's love in a hug? No, we can never define God's love with actions, or with anything. God's love is so big that it cannot be defined, but that doesn't mean that the undefinable amount of Christ's love that lives in us cannot get out. God gave us his love to give to others, God did not give us his love so that we might keep it for ourselves.
Luke 6:36 says,"You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate."(NLT). I believe the key word here is "must". "You must be compassionate as your father it compassionate.". We think we have a choice in the matter, but we don't. We must love others as God loves us. John 15:12 states it even clearer, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."(NLT). What did he say, again? Yea, that's right, that's his commandment to us. Remember last week with Jesus and the leper? Remember how Jesus touched the leper? That's what this verse is telling us to do. We need to stop shying away from people because they're "gross" to hug. God gave us like three jobs, and we're just like,"It's no big deal, I'll just trick everyone into thinking that I love everyone with actions.", and then you get so used to hoarding God's love for yourself that you forget what it's like to love people with God's love.
Don't get me wrong, actions of love are important, but they only mean something if they are backed up by genuineness. Kind of how money isn't really worth anything unless it's backed up by gold. This world truly needs more actions of genuine, Christ-filled love. When you think it's hard to love others the way that God loves us, remember that God sees our wrongs better than anyone else, but he loves us the most. He is the ultimate example of how we should love others, we can't just toss that opportunity, to love others as he does, out the window for selfish reasons.
In conclusion: Nobody is ever "gross" to hug, and God's love is undefinable. Realize these things for the better of the world...please?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wednesday's Ray: Why I Like Me
I was a bit of a tomboy when I was younger, and that's definitely something I can credit to my brothers. Yes, I played with dolls here and there, but I had no problem pretending to fight wild animals with my most faithful companions who happened to me my older brother and my younger brother. While I spent hours on end playing with my brothers, my sisters and my mom kept me well-rounded on being a girl.
Despite the fact that I found girly things to be more exciting as I grew older(make-up, romantic movies, and such), I have never found them to be more satisfying than giving up some of my tomboy habits. Fortunately for you, I'm not going to sit here and write all of the tomboy-like habits I still showcase because, quite frankly, some of them are rather embarrassing.
For as long as I can remember I have never really worried too much about the way I look. When I was little my mom told me that I was beautiful, and I believed her. It's as simple as that. It's always seemed that there were more important things to worry about than what I looked like. I mean, boys are cool and all, but I found that time was more valuably spent doing things rather than looking at myself in the mirror. Even now, there are still days when I unashamedly go out in public without make-up on, or don't brush my hair for an entire day because I'm not going anywhere. I'm not saying that I act like a slob and don't care about what I look like, but, well, maybe I kind of am saying that.
Sure, there have been times when I really didn't like myself, but there have far many more times where I did like who I am. Everyone has those times where they feel like they're worthless, ugly, and entirely fat. I've been there too--and it's usually looking in a dressing room mirror at some store that has absolutely no appreciation for girls above a size negative 5 because the shirt I have on looks ridiculous!
I'm not saying that I am the most beautiful person to walk this earth, in fact, I could write out all of my imperfections right now, but that would be pointless seeing as there is so much more good to focus on. I'm simply happy with who I am in its entirety, and that's that.
You don't need a house-full of brothers or a handful of sisters to come to like who you are. I know, you've probably heard this a million times but...I'm going to say it for the one millionth and first time: What you need to do is stop focusing on the outside, and start focusing on the inside. You're inner beauty can shine out, but you're outer beauty cannot shine in. Outer beauty has next to no importance on where you go with your life, but inner beauty does. So stop focusing on your outer imperfections, and focus on your inner ones instead. Then, guess what? You'll end up being more beautiful than you can possibly imagine.
"When will we learn that it's not the shell we walk around in that matters, but the contents carried inside?" ~Tyler Knott Gregson
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Nobody is Gross to Hug
Is it gross to hug a gay person?
This question followed me around after my ladies' small group met one Wednesday evening last year. We were discussing how to love everyone with Christ's love. One girl mentioned that when she hugs her gay friends that she, "Does it even though it's gross." I was perplexed by these words, on and off, for an entire year.
Is it gross to hug a gay person?
Is it gross to love anyone with an unclean lifestyle?
The more I thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Maybe I was being naive, but the thought of hugging a gay person wasn't even remotely gross to me. For an entire year the question bothered me. The scenario kept resurfacing in my head.
Then, this morning, as the memory resurfaced for the one-hundredth time, it hit me.
It isn't gross to hug gay people, or any unclean person for that matter. I didn't have it wrong at all. I was right.
You see, Christians lie to themselves about what loving other people with God's love is all about. Loving other people with conditions isn't how God intended us to use his love.
God doesn't say,"I love you, but...You're gay." God doesn't say,"I love you but...you're fat." God doesn't say,"I love you...but you're addicted to drugs." No. God says,"I love you unconditionally no matter what." In fact, he gives us a perfect example of this in Luke 5:12-13 where he heals the leper. "12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. 'Lord,' he said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.' 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared."(NLT). What did Jesus do again? That's right. He touched the leper. The leper probably had been ridiculed and forgotten for years, but Jesus didn't care. My favorite part about this is that Jesus didn't stand from afar and heal the leper(As he very well could have.), instead he simply walked up to the leper. Jesus didn't say, "Hey, bro, I see you're sick, so I'll stay over here and heal you, okay?" No. He walked up to him and touched him.
As Christians, if we're going to continue to live the life Christ intended us to live by loving others, then we'd better stop selfishly feigning his love. What I mean is that we can't hoard God's love for ourselves and then pretend that that's what God intended. We're not really giving anyone the love that Christ has given us if we find it "gross" to hug someone. Did Jesus touch the leper and think,"Ew! Gross!"? I'm 100% sure that he did not. Why am I so sure? Because Jesus wasn't even thinking about how gross the man's leprosy was, he was more focused on helping the man.
If we can teach ourselves to hug people without thinking of it as "gross", then we're really getting somewhere. Because through our genuine love that Christ gave us, we'll prompt the people we give his love to to ask questions, and hopefully we'll be able to "heal" them like Jesus did, but in a different way. Our "healing" would be more along the lines of answering questions, and, hopefully, leading those loved people to Christ.
So, once again: Is it gross to hug a gay person?
If your answer is "Yes.", then you might want to take a step back to analyze your relationship with God.
If your answer is "No.", then you're probably on the right track. Just remember that this isn't just about gays. You're answer should also be "No." to questions such as,"Is it gross to hug a homeless man?" or "Is it gross to hug a druggy?".
This, obviously, isn't just about hugs, this is about the human nature to judge. If we all could just take a step back and look at all the people who need love and love them, instead of ignoring them because they're "gross to hug", the world would truly be a better place.
This question followed me around after my ladies' small group met one Wednesday evening last year. We were discussing how to love everyone with Christ's love. One girl mentioned that when she hugs her gay friends that she, "Does it even though it's gross." I was perplexed by these words, on and off, for an entire year.
Is it gross to hug a gay person?
Is it gross to love anyone with an unclean lifestyle?
The more I thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Maybe I was being naive, but the thought of hugging a gay person wasn't even remotely gross to me. For an entire year the question bothered me. The scenario kept resurfacing in my head.
Then, this morning, as the memory resurfaced for the one-hundredth time, it hit me.
It isn't gross to hug gay people, or any unclean person for that matter. I didn't have it wrong at all. I was right.
You see, Christians lie to themselves about what loving other people with God's love is all about. Loving other people with conditions isn't how God intended us to use his love.
God doesn't say,"I love you, but...You're gay." God doesn't say,"I love you but...you're fat." God doesn't say,"I love you...but you're addicted to drugs." No. God says,"I love you unconditionally no matter what." In fact, he gives us a perfect example of this in Luke 5:12-13 where he heals the leper. "12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. 'Lord,' he said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.' 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared."(NLT). What did Jesus do again? That's right. He touched the leper. The leper probably had been ridiculed and forgotten for years, but Jesus didn't care. My favorite part about this is that Jesus didn't stand from afar and heal the leper(As he very well could have.), instead he simply walked up to the leper. Jesus didn't say, "Hey, bro, I see you're sick, so I'll stay over here and heal you, okay?" No. He walked up to him and touched him.
As Christians, if we're going to continue to live the life Christ intended us to live by loving others, then we'd better stop selfishly feigning his love. What I mean is that we can't hoard God's love for ourselves and then pretend that that's what God intended. We're not really giving anyone the love that Christ has given us if we find it "gross" to hug someone. Did Jesus touch the leper and think,"Ew! Gross!"? I'm 100% sure that he did not. Why am I so sure? Because Jesus wasn't even thinking about how gross the man's leprosy was, he was more focused on helping the man.
If we can teach ourselves to hug people without thinking of it as "gross", then we're really getting somewhere. Because through our genuine love that Christ gave us, we'll prompt the people we give his love to to ask questions, and hopefully we'll be able to "heal" them like Jesus did, but in a different way. Our "healing" would be more along the lines of answering questions, and, hopefully, leading those loved people to Christ.
So, once again: Is it gross to hug a gay person?
If your answer is "Yes.", then you might want to take a step back to analyze your relationship with God.
If your answer is "No.", then you're probably on the right track. Just remember that this isn't just about gays. You're answer should also be "No." to questions such as,"Is it gross to hug a homeless man?" or "Is it gross to hug a druggy?".
This, obviously, isn't just about hugs, this is about the human nature to judge. If we all could just take a step back and look at all the people who need love and love them, instead of ignoring them because they're "gross to hug", the world would truly be a better place.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)