"When we build a wall around our solar system, do we not also build a wall around our hearts?"
~~ from www.fiveminute.net/thisjustin/lc1.php
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I want the world...I want the whole world
Don't all of us have a compass that shows us what we want? And isn't it "broken" for most people?
It's hard, this business of wanting things. It's hard placing it into context. It's one thing to know what you want, and another thing to know if the thing/place/person that you want is a good thing/place/person for you to want, or when the want passes into obsession.
I want God. I want to be closer to God. You know the most comforting thing about such a want? It can't possibly be wrong. There is absolutely no uncertainty, absolutely no way that I can pour my heart into God and then find out that I made the wrong choice, absolutely no way I can decide that it's best and safer if I don't pour my heart into God. Although it probably would be safer. He isn't tame, after all.
One of the annoying things about God is how much He loves us, because He loves us too much to let us settle for safe. He wants us to glorify Him with our whole beings, which means living life fully for Him, taking risks for Him.
Once there was a master who was going away on a journey. Before he left, he called his three servants and gave them each a large quantity of money--$500,000 to the first, $300,000 to the second, and $100,000 to the third. "Take care of this," he said. "Use it wisely." The first servant invested in real estate. The second servant invested in livestock. The third servant sat down with the money in front of him and was afraid. He was no investor. What if he made the wrong choices? What if he lost all of it? So the third servant bought a safe with his own money, and he put the master's money in the safe and locked it up in a secure room. Day and night he kept guard over the room, jumping at all who came near the entrance. When the master returned, he called his servants to him and asked them to report on what they had done in his absence. The third servant's heart sank as he heard that the other two servants had doubled the master's money, but he remained confident of his inability to do the same. When the master asked him about the $100,000, the servant said, "As you know, I'm no investor. But I kept it safe for you. And I protected it with my own money, and my own time. Here it is." The master was angry. "No investor?" he said. "Do you think I am such a poor judge? Do you think I gave you more than you could handle? Do you think you have any money or time that doesn't already belong to me?" He took the money from the third servant and gave it to the first servant. The third servant was thrown into the streets, jobless and penniless.
It's a scary story.
It's hard, this business of wanting things. It's hard placing it into context. It's one thing to know what you want, and another thing to know if the thing/place/person that you want is a good thing/place/person for you to want, or when the want passes into obsession.
I want God. I want to be closer to God. You know the most comforting thing about such a want? It can't possibly be wrong. There is absolutely no uncertainty, absolutely no way that I can pour my heart into God and then find out that I made the wrong choice, absolutely no way I can decide that it's best and safer if I don't pour my heart into God. Although it probably would be safer. He isn't tame, after all.
One of the annoying things about God is how much He loves us, because He loves us too much to let us settle for safe. He wants us to glorify Him with our whole beings, which means living life fully for Him, taking risks for Him.
Once there was a master who was going away on a journey. Before he left, he called his three servants and gave them each a large quantity of money--$500,000 to the first, $300,000 to the second, and $100,000 to the third. "Take care of this," he said. "Use it wisely." The first servant invested in real estate. The second servant invested in livestock. The third servant sat down with the money in front of him and was afraid. He was no investor. What if he made the wrong choices? What if he lost all of it? So the third servant bought a safe with his own money, and he put the master's money in the safe and locked it up in a secure room. Day and night he kept guard over the room, jumping at all who came near the entrance. When the master returned, he called his servants to him and asked them to report on what they had done in his absence. The third servant's heart sank as he heard that the other two servants had doubled the master's money, but he remained confident of his inability to do the same. When the master asked him about the $100,000, the servant said, "As you know, I'm no investor. But I kept it safe for you. And I protected it with my own money, and my own time. Here it is." The master was angry. "No investor?" he said. "Do you think I am such a poor judge? Do you think I gave you more than you could handle? Do you think you have any money or time that doesn't already belong to me?" He took the money from the third servant and gave it to the first servant. The third servant was thrown into the streets, jobless and penniless.
It's a scary story.
Friday, July 28, 2006
All those years of watching MacGyver paid off
Late last night I had two waterfalls in my apartment: one in my bedroom and one in my kitchen. The one in my kitchen was turning the linoleum floor into a linoleum lake, and the one in the bedroom was just soaking the carpet. I had tried stuffing towels along the bottom of the windows, but the towels soaked through in about 15 seconds and the waterfall returned. I called maintenance and left one of my trademark 20-minute-long messages (I'm exaggerating, of course—it was under 10 minutes), decrying the sorry state of affairs in which the maintenance staff did not respond quickly and effectively to reports of gallons of water streaming into an apartment, as I had notified them of this problem the Monday before last, when it first happened. I am NOT exaggerating about the gallons of water. My bucket holds 14 quarts, and it was filled last night in under 20 minutes.
As part of my attempts to keep the water from reaching my possessions and/or my ankles, I decided to clean out the window tracks. Maybe there was so much dirt piled up inside that the water wasn't able to drain? Worth a shot. As I was doing this, the screen wiggled. I found it could be pushed up, leaving a small slot at the bottom where rain might, just might drain out faster than it could fill the track and overflow into my apartment. I cut fabric swatches I didn't need and shoved them under the screen. No more rain through the window last night, as far as I could tell. Though it was already calming down before my ingenious plan.
Then today, in moving things around the office, it came to our attention that the proposed new position of a shelf would block off a light switch. I tried taping several pencils together to use as a heightened switch, and that was precarious. Then I thought of taping a chain to the switch, which works better. (Why couldn't we just move the shelf over an inch? Because that would make the shelf ends uneven. Which was going to bother at least three of us, in the long run.)
I also used a paper clip as a screwdriver today. Really.
As part of my attempts to keep the water from reaching my possessions and/or my ankles, I decided to clean out the window tracks. Maybe there was so much dirt piled up inside that the water wasn't able to drain? Worth a shot. As I was doing this, the screen wiggled. I found it could be pushed up, leaving a small slot at the bottom where rain might, just might drain out faster than it could fill the track and overflow into my apartment. I cut fabric swatches I didn't need and shoved them under the screen. No more rain through the window last night, as far as I could tell. Though it was already calming down before my ingenious plan.
Then today, in moving things around the office, it came to our attention that the proposed new position of a shelf would block off a light switch. I tried taping several pencils together to use as a heightened switch, and that was precarious. Then I thought of taping a chain to the switch, which works better. (Why couldn't we just move the shelf over an inch? Because that would make the shelf ends uneven. Which was going to bother at least three of us, in the long run.)
I also used a paper clip as a screwdriver today. Really.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Current favorite CD rack discovery: PFR
You know you have them. CD's in your personal library that you listen to so rarely you might as well not even own them, but you can't bring yourself to get rid of them. CD's you got for free, and may listen to someday.
I admit it--I'm a recovering packrat. And by that I mean that I have been getting better at gritting my teeth and throwing something in the trash before I can think twice about it. (Something thrown into the trash is nearly always irredeemable because...well, it's the trash. There's no going back.) A few weeks ago I was looking in my CD cabinet and thinking about how I hardly ever listened to CD's at all, and how there were a few CD's I had gotten for free from a former college/career group leader at my church that I couldn't remember ever listening to all the way through.
Let me pause here to note that writing "CD's" is making me a little twitchy. But "CDs" is just as bad, if not worse. With that said....
I put PFR's Great Lengths in the CD player and fell immediately in like with the group's sound and thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics. I would highly recommend them.
They also cover other artists with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics. Here's one that jumped out at me tonight:
Trials Turned To Gold
a song by Keith Green
He's brought me here where things are clear and trials turn to gold.
He shared with me His victory He won in days of old.
Oh Lord, I don't deserve the riches of your word,
But You've changed my filthy rags to linen white as snow.
~~~
The view from here is nothing near to what it is for You.
I tried to see Your plan for me, but I only acted like I knew.
Oh Lord forgive the times I tried to read your mind.
Cause you said if I'd be still, then I would hear your voice.
~~~
My Lord, my King, my urge to sing and praise the things above.
No words can say the glorious way you changed me with your love.
~~~
He's brought me low so I could know the way to reach the heights.
To forsake my dreams, my self esteem, and give up all my rights.
With each one that I lay down, a jewel's placed in my crown.
Cause His love, the things above, is all we'll ever need.
He's brought me here where things are clear and trials turn to gold.
I admit it--I'm a recovering packrat. And by that I mean that I have been getting better at gritting my teeth and throwing something in the trash before I can think twice about it. (Something thrown into the trash is nearly always irredeemable because...well, it's the trash. There's no going back.) A few weeks ago I was looking in my CD cabinet and thinking about how I hardly ever listened to CD's at all, and how there were a few CD's I had gotten for free from a former college/career group leader at my church that I couldn't remember ever listening to all the way through.
Let me pause here to note that writing "CD's" is making me a little twitchy. But "CDs" is just as bad, if not worse. With that said....
I put PFR's Great Lengths in the CD player and fell immediately in like with the group's sound and thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics. I would highly recommend them.
They also cover other artists with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics. Here's one that jumped out at me tonight:
Trials Turned To Gold
a song by Keith Green
He's brought me here where things are clear and trials turn to gold.
He shared with me His victory He won in days of old.
Oh Lord, I don't deserve the riches of your word,
But You've changed my filthy rags to linen white as snow.
~~~
The view from here is nothing near to what it is for You.
I tried to see Your plan for me, but I only acted like I knew.
Oh Lord forgive the times I tried to read your mind.
Cause you said if I'd be still, then I would hear your voice.
~~~
My Lord, my King, my urge to sing and praise the things above.
No words can say the glorious way you changed me with your love.
~~~
He's brought me low so I could know the way to reach the heights.
To forsake my dreams, my self esteem, and give up all my rights.
With each one that I lay down, a jewel's placed in my crown.
Cause His love, the things above, is all we'll ever need.
He's brought me here where things are clear and trials turn to gold.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Any new features?
Why, as a matter of fact, yes! Those of you who have been reading this blog and wishing you could comment may now do so. I changed the settings, so now hopefully non-Blogger members can post comments and Blogger members with scamming spamming operations can't reach me. We'll see how long this lasts. Anyway, comment away. I will read your comments. Others will read your comments. You will get to see your words "published." It will be enjoyable on many levels.
You know what I really don't like?
Posts about comments.
Seriously. People who write posts asking for comments sound so pathetic, don't they? "Please validate me as a person by acknowledging my existence in this least personal of all forms of 'communication,' the public blog!" (I fully grasp the irony that I myself am writing of the need for interpersonal communication on a blog.)
Aren't most people crying for acknowledgment of any kind in their hearts? Isn't it amazing how we can skulk around, afraid to talk to people because we don't want to bother them, or to be seen in such-and-such a light, or whatever, and yet if someone were to come up to us and say "Hi" out of nowhere we would take it as a compliment and be so pleased they took the trouble?
Why are we so resistant to admitting that we need people? Who are we kidding?
Essay Question: "A hundred and fifty years ago, there was no internet. Many people still lived in small rural communities. Were people more isolated then or now? Why or why not? Discuss."
You know what I really don't like?
Posts about comments.
Seriously. People who write posts asking for comments sound so pathetic, don't they? "Please validate me as a person by acknowledging my existence in this least personal of all forms of 'communication,' the public blog!" (I fully grasp the irony that I myself am writing of the need for interpersonal communication on a blog.)
Aren't most people crying for acknowledgment of any kind in their hearts? Isn't it amazing how we can skulk around, afraid to talk to people because we don't want to bother them, or to be seen in such-and-such a light, or whatever, and yet if someone were to come up to us and say "Hi" out of nowhere we would take it as a compliment and be so pleased they took the trouble?
Why are we so resistant to admitting that we need people? Who are we kidding?
Essay Question: "A hundred and fifty years ago, there was no internet. Many people still lived in small rural communities. Were people more isolated then or now? Why or why not? Discuss."
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Start living, or start dying.
The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best top ten films I've ever seen. Not necessarily favorite top ten. It certainly isn't light, fluffy, and/or relaxing fare. On the contrary, it is deeply disturbing. It also exhibits one of the most Christian philosophies ever to shine out of a movie where the only professing Christian is also the most abhorrent villain.
Now, because I hate people spoiling a movie or film (following a friend's lead, I often use the latter word to describe more thought-provoking works) I haven't seen yet, I have typed the rest of this post in black. So in order to read the rest of the post, you will have to highlight the text. Personally, I would recommend watching the film and then coming back to this. But that's your decision.
::SPOILER ALERT::
Andy is unjustly imprisoned for almost 19 years. He is under the supervision of a ruthless warden who claims Christianity at the same time as he is embezzling prison funds, approving savage beatings of the inmates, and planning the murder of at least one inmate who gets in his way. Andy is subjected to brutal, inhuman behavior at the hands of prison officials and inmates alike, but he clings to his innocence and finds resourceful ways of keeping himself employed during the long years. He tells his friends in prison that hope is something that comes from inside a man, that no harsh or unjust treatment can take away. Against apparently overwhelming odds, he holds on to a dream of the time after his captivity has ended and he walks free. And though he holds himself at least partially responsible for the deaths of two people, in the end he is fully responsible for saving one life, and for bringing hope to many others.
Nineteen years of brutality and oppression. Is one man's life worth it? Is hope worth it?
Yes.
As Christians making our way through this life, under constant attack from the world, the flesh, and the devil, may our hope prove even more constant. Just a little longer in this imprisonment, then one final passage, and we will stand free, with others to follow.
Andy: "There's something inside that they can't get to, and that they can't touch. It's yours."
Red: "What're you talking about?"
Andy: "Hope."
Andy: "Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And a good thing never dies."
Now, because I hate people spoiling a movie or film (following a friend's lead, I often use the latter word to describe more thought-provoking works) I haven't seen yet, I have typed the rest of this post in black. So in order to read the rest of the post, you will have to highlight the text. Personally, I would recommend watching the film and then coming back to this. But that's your decision.
::SPOILER ALERT::
Andy is unjustly imprisoned for almost 19 years. He is under the supervision of a ruthless warden who claims Christianity at the same time as he is embezzling prison funds, approving savage beatings of the inmates, and planning the murder of at least one inmate who gets in his way. Andy is subjected to brutal, inhuman behavior at the hands of prison officials and inmates alike, but he clings to his innocence and finds resourceful ways of keeping himself employed during the long years. He tells his friends in prison that hope is something that comes from inside a man, that no harsh or unjust treatment can take away. Against apparently overwhelming odds, he holds on to a dream of the time after his captivity has ended and he walks free. And though he holds himself at least partially responsible for the deaths of two people, in the end he is fully responsible for saving one life, and for bringing hope to many others.
Nineteen years of brutality and oppression. Is one man's life worth it? Is hope worth it?
Yes.
As Christians making our way through this life, under constant attack from the world, the flesh, and the devil, may our hope prove even more constant. Just a little longer in this imprisonment, then one final passage, and we will stand free, with others to follow.
It will all have been worth it.
::END SPOILER::Andy: "There's something inside that they can't get to, and that they can't touch. It's yours."
Red: "What're you talking about?"
Andy: "Hope."
Andy: "Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And a good thing never dies."
Saturday, July 22, 2006
My Superpower (or one of them)
Tonight I went to see Superman Returns, which now holds the honor of being the first movie I ever went to see all on my own. When watching movies again, I like to look for details I missed the first time. So there I sit, trying to read the articles under the giant Daily Planet headlines, and in a story on the theft of a meteorite is this word, and I quote: "musuem."
*pause while you absorb that information and come up with the next two paragraphs by yourselves*
The newspaper page is on the screen for about two seconds, and that's the word my eyes gravitated towards.
I'm not just good. I'm super.
*pause while you absorb that information and come up with the next two paragraphs by yourselves*
The newspaper page is on the screen for about two seconds, and that's the word my eyes gravitated towards.
I'm not just good. I'm super.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Think of Me
Last night I watched Bride and Prejudice. Bollywood = way fun. India and Indian culture looks so cool in these movies. It makes you want to be Indian yourself, if there were some way to avoid the caste system and the rampant opression of Christianity. As it is, I still want the clothes, the music, and the dancing.
In the movie, there is a repeating bit about a superstition that when you sneeze, it means someone is thinking about you. But none of the sneezers in the movie sneeze more than once.
So if, like me, you rarely sneeze less than three times per session, and habitually sneeze five or six times, does it mean that lots of people are thinking of you? Or that someone is thinking of you to the point of obsession? And why are they always thinking of me on really bright days, or when I'm in very dusty places?
In the movie, there is a repeating bit about a superstition that when you sneeze, it means someone is thinking about you. But none of the sneezers in the movie sneeze more than once.
So if, like me, you rarely sneeze less than three times per session, and habitually sneeze five or six times, does it mean that lots of people are thinking of you? Or that someone is thinking of you to the point of obsession? And why are they always thinking of me on really bright days, or when I'm in very dusty places?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Formal Declaration of War; Call to Arms
I've had enough. Enough failed marriages, enough unwed pregnancies, enough depression, enough apathy. I'm declaring war—or, rather, I'm taking up arms in the war that has been raging around me for my whole life.
This war is not about America vs. Whoever Else. It isn't about democracy vs. tyranny. This war is the first, the last, the only real war. This is the war between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. The minions of Satan and the children of God.
No longer will I buy into the lies of the affluent modern society, the lies that cite failed marriages as statistics, unwed pregnancies as not that big of a deal, depression as solely a chemical imbalance, apathy as a lack of proper entertainment. I have looked the demons in the eyes, I have seen them smirking at my weakness, I stand firm on the promises and the grace of God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you—the latter is a promise, the former the only condition. I choose to resist.
I fight to win the hearts, souls, and minds of this world for the next world, for the God Who knows this world and the next as intimately as He knows each person in them.
I fight as one crucified with Christ, so that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20), and as Christ lives in me I am not weak, but strong, strong in His strength, by His power, for His glory.
Be strong and courageous, brothers and sisters, for the victory belongs to Christ and the gates of the enemy cannot hold against our onslaught. Do not hold back from the battle—we'll hit the trenches on our knees and we won't rest until we hear the trumpet that calls us out of the battle or, more to be longed for, the trumpet that heralds the return of He for whose glory we fight.
The outcome of this war was determined long ago. We need not be dismayed by what setbacks we see here—just beyond our meager vision are chariots of fire.
This war is not about America vs. Whoever Else. It isn't about democracy vs. tyranny. This war is the first, the last, the only real war. This is the war between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. The minions of Satan and the children of God.
No longer will I buy into the lies of the affluent modern society, the lies that cite failed marriages as statistics, unwed pregnancies as not that big of a deal, depression as solely a chemical imbalance, apathy as a lack of proper entertainment. I have looked the demons in the eyes, I have seen them smirking at my weakness, I stand firm on the promises and the grace of God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you—the latter is a promise, the former the only condition. I choose to resist.
I fight to win the hearts, souls, and minds of this world for the next world, for the God Who knows this world and the next as intimately as He knows each person in them.
I fight as one crucified with Christ, so that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20), and as Christ lives in me I am not weak, but strong, strong in His strength, by His power, for His glory.
Be strong and courageous, brothers and sisters, for the victory belongs to Christ and the gates of the enemy cannot hold against our onslaught. Do not hold back from the battle—we'll hit the trenches on our knees and we won't rest until we hear the trumpet that calls us out of the battle or, more to be longed for, the trumpet that heralds the return of He for whose glory we fight.
The outcome of this war was determined long ago. We need not be dismayed by what setbacks we see here—just beyond our meager vision are chariots of fire.
"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
– James 5:16b
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints."
– Ephesians 6:10-18
Monday, July 17, 2006
Beautiful Day
Sunday morning I was not pleased with my reflection. Specifically, I was not pleased with my hair.
On Friday I had a conversation with a friend about how Sunday wasn't a day for us to be filled, but a day for us to be poured out; that we were to be filled by meditating on the Word throughout the week, and that corporate worship was a time to overflow in praise to God. With those words of hers still fresh in mind, I began praying that God would remove my focus from myself—that I might be freed from concern about how others perceive me, what they are thinking of me, and be free to worship.
The first two people I spoke to as I walked into church said, "I like your hair!" and "You look gorgeous!" That's how much God loves us. He always gives us more than we thought we were asking for.
It was the beginning of a beautiful day, a day that was beautiful because God revealed Himself—in the words of the pastor, in response to meditation and prayer, in conversation centered on Him. Is this how beautiful every day would be if I went into it praying to glorify God and not seeking to make myself look good?
There's one way to find out.
On Friday I had a conversation with a friend about how Sunday wasn't a day for us to be filled, but a day for us to be poured out; that we were to be filled by meditating on the Word throughout the week, and that corporate worship was a time to overflow in praise to God. With those words of hers still fresh in mind, I began praying that God would remove my focus from myself—that I might be freed from concern about how others perceive me, what they are thinking of me, and be free to worship.
The first two people I spoke to as I walked into church said, "I like your hair!" and "You look gorgeous!" That's how much God loves us. He always gives us more than we thought we were asking for.
It was the beginning of a beautiful day, a day that was beautiful because God revealed Himself—in the words of the pastor, in response to meditation and prayer, in conversation centered on Him. Is this how beautiful every day would be if I went into it praying to glorify God and not seeking to make myself look good?
There's one way to find out.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Riddle
How and where can extinct lizards provide Thought-Provoking Commentary for today's troubled times?
The answer is....
The answer is....
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Just because you can spell it doesn't mean you know what it means to me.
Ways (in no particular order) to lose my respect:
Ways (in no particular order) to lose my respect:
- Not respecting other people
That's pretty much it. How are some ways (again, in no particular order) you can exhibit a lack of respect for other people?
- Putting pin-up girl decals on your vehicle (I saw this on a pick-up truck today, and my immediate revulsion sparked this post)
- Having pin-ups (male or female) anywhere
- Referring to any person as "hot" while not meaning temperature
- Playing up the "battle of the sexes"
- Talking as though your interests are the only interests allowed
- Looking down on those who don't share all of your perspectives
On the first four...many people would say they do these things "jokingly." I maintain that jokes come from somewhere. The sort of jokes you make tell a lot about you as a person.
On the last two, I would point out the yawning chasm between talking up your own interests because you are passionate about them and talking down somebody else's interests because you don't enjoy them; as well as between having an intelligent conversation in an attempt to clarify your position and slinging insults in an attempt to make your opponent see the light by way of humiliation.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Flood of quotes
Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom that is gone.
they exchanged the truth of God for a lie
"You deserve to be happy" is not in the Bible. They actually think it is. I tell them, we're all sinners. You don't want what you really deserve.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
they exchanged the truth of God for a lie
The world is too much with us
"You deserve to be happy" is not in the Bible. They actually think it is. I tell them, we're all sinners. You don't want what you really deserve.
Thus they exchanged their glory
Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end.
How long, O Lord?
Friday, July 07, 2006
Childlike, not childish
Children are persistent in clamoring for attention. When I am with them in a casual setting, it becomes hard to count how many times I am asked to "watch" someone do something or other. Then there are stories they want to tell, and jokes, and problems they want to share with someone. This persistence goes hand-in-hand with their directness. "I like you," a young girl said to me recently. I had talked to her for about two minutes before she made this pronouncement.
Jesus told His disciples that if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven, they would have to become like children. Being around children is an opportunity, then, for study and reflection. What parts of childhood should be maintained, and what parts are childish and must be discarded as we grow towards adulthood?
When we are children, we are afraid of monsters, and bad guys, and fires. When we grow up, we turn our fears towards people--we fear rejection, and ridicule, and isolation. Children hide under their beds so evil won't find them, and grown-ups hide our true selves because we are afraid of what people will think of us. We certainly don't ask for attention--is it because we are really all that unselfish, or is it because we are afraid of all that comes along with needing people besides ourselves?
What if we were to try behaving more like children, while being careful to separate the childish from the childlike? We would be quick to point out the positives, quick to express appreciation, quick to smile. We would ask people for help, for time, for attention. We would talk about what we loved, including God, with excitement and a lack of concern. We would be the people God made us to be without being embarrassed if some people thought we were a little goofy for it.
And if we got scared, we would feel safe by simply remembering that our father was near.
Jesus told His disciples that if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven, they would have to become like children. Being around children is an opportunity, then, for study and reflection. What parts of childhood should be maintained, and what parts are childish and must be discarded as we grow towards adulthood?
When we are children, we are afraid of monsters, and bad guys, and fires. When we grow up, we turn our fears towards people--we fear rejection, and ridicule, and isolation. Children hide under their beds so evil won't find them, and grown-ups hide our true selves because we are afraid of what people will think of us. We certainly don't ask for attention--is it because we are really all that unselfish, or is it because we are afraid of all that comes along with needing people besides ourselves?
What if we were to try behaving more like children, while being careful to separate the childish from the childlike? We would be quick to point out the positives, quick to express appreciation, quick to smile. We would ask people for help, for time, for attention. We would talk about what we loved, including God, with excitement and a lack of concern. We would be the people God made us to be without being embarrassed if some people thought we were a little goofy for it.
And if we got scared, we would feel safe by simply remembering that our father was near.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Psych...
Tonight I got home freakishly late, got my mail, and in flipping through it was excited to see an envelope with handwriting on it. Handwriting! Which means a letter! To me! Right??
Wrong. True, I shouldn't be too upset about this, since by all laws of correspondence you typically don't get letters if you don't send any letters yourself, but it was disappointing.
"Wait, what was it," you ask, "if not a letter?"
Well, it was a letter. Of sorts. Apparently the Jehovah's Witnesses don't just have to go door-to-door, they can also send letters. So then I was disappointed and sad.
Now I'm going to try to sleep. Hopefully the fan in my room means it isn't 84 degrees there anymore.
Wrong. True, I shouldn't be too upset about this, since by all laws of correspondence you typically don't get letters if you don't send any letters yourself, but it was disappointing.
"Wait, what was it," you ask, "if not a letter?"
Well, it was a letter. Of sorts. Apparently the Jehovah's Witnesses don't just have to go door-to-door, they can also send letters. So then I was disappointed and sad.
Now I'm going to try to sleep. Hopefully the fan in my room means it isn't 84 degrees there anymore.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Your cheatin' heart
I saw Superman Returns this afternoon. In this movie, Superman has been gone for five years and Lois has "moved on" and started living with this other guy with whom she supposedly has a son.
I hate when my favorite couples in fiction date other people. Hate it.
Oh, sure, he's been gone for five years, and he didn't say goodbye, and "maybe saying goodbye would be too hard" is a really, really lame excuse, and why shouldn't she get to move on with her life, since he's basically blown her out of his by not telling her anything about why he was leaving, and in real life things are confusing and over the course of not hearing anything for five years I would have assumed I was wrong about somebody, too, no matter how many times my frequent flyer card was punched.
Superman, you're a dork!
*ineffective swat*
Okay, Lois is within her rights in this case. But there have been other times, with other charcters who weren't so bright, and made stupid mistakes about breaking up with their soulmates because...because...um....
*uncomfortable silence*
Okay, so maybe they had their reasons, too.
Maybe sometimes I want Art to be neat and tidy and pleasant in the way that Life is not.
I hate when my favorite couples in fiction date other people. Hate it.
Oh, sure, he's been gone for five years, and he didn't say goodbye, and "maybe saying goodbye would be too hard" is a really, really lame excuse, and why shouldn't she get to move on with her life, since he's basically blown her out of his by not telling her anything about why he was leaving, and in real life things are confusing and over the course of not hearing anything for five years I would have assumed I was wrong about somebody, too, no matter how many times my frequent flyer card was punched.
Superman, you're a dork!
*ineffective swat*
Okay, Lois is within her rights in this case. But there have been other times, with other charcters who weren't so bright, and made stupid mistakes about breaking up with their soulmates because...because...um....
*uncomfortable silence*
Okay, so maybe they had their reasons, too.
Maybe sometimes I want Art to be neat and tidy and pleasant in the way that Life is not.
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