When I write, I write with hopes that someone, even if it just that- ONE single person, in this mass of hysteria that we live in, will find solace in the fact that they are not alone. One of my goals in life is to connect with others, to connect with readers, like minds, interested parties, disconnected and lonely people, the curious, the obtuse, people who give love freely and those who take it with ultimate greed. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I was given to this Earth to have an impact on others. I realize it. We all were actually, depending on who you ask. But, sadly, we do not all act like it.
I believe with full clarity and undoubtedly, that God gave man just that- man. He put us here to administer to eachother, to love one another, to learn from one another, to give and take, teach, and care for one another.
He did not bestow the wrath that we have done to eachother. He did not swell the oceans of pain that we experience from the way that we treat eachother. He did not create us so that we could be hurtful to eachother, lie to eachother, betray eachother, all of which are an unfortunate result of greed, lust, materialism, idolatry, discrimination, and hatred.
Many non-believers argue that Christianity is in itself discriminatory. Many look for loopholes in the Bible, exclaiming that its contents are just elaborate fabrications. Their arguments are often baseless, but somehow people find it easy to follow those arguments and those people because it is easy to be done.
It is easy to find comfort in excuses that others blanket themselves with. We don't want to be held accountable for our actions- especially not by another sinner- a fellow human, who is easily manipulated, both easy prey and canabalistic in his approach.
Then who can those people look to for answers- surely not a pointing finger, not a squinty eye, nor a judging mind?
Is it inate for us to know right from wrong? Yes it is. We are born with virtues, with knowledge. It's deep inside of us. We are overgrown with these gifts from God. We hear Him speaking to us when we do things we know are wrong. Some call it subconscience, others karma. Regardless, we have it. It's there for us. We are aware whether we admit it or not.
I don't have many answers to the problems that plague society, but I can say this: God loves you, and He gave you a mind to know the difference between right and wrong. And He will always love you, even if you choose the wrong path, as long as you always CHOOSE HIM.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Women have it inside them too.....
I have my friend's kid at my house today. Zach is eight. My daughter is unmistakeably 4. You can tell their ages when they argue. Zach has a point to his argument that is somehow undeniably true. He gets angry when Sarah pushes him out of the chair, when she interrupts him, which we all know is a common characteristic of young people, and I don't just mean kids. Some people go their entire lives doing it. Others learn the importance of listening before speaking, and to take it even further, thinking before speaking.
I would much rather be a person who is a good listener, than a good speaker. But it just so happens that I am both. I'm not trying to have an inflated sense of self, but during my short life here, I have learned a few life lessons.
One lesson I've learned is to always think before you speak. Just because a thought pops into my brain, doesn't mean that same thought has ever even crossed the path of the brain of the other. That doesn't mean that because I know the rule, I follow it.
In fact, I find it very hard to suppress my feelings and thoughts on a lot of issues that arise. But then I have to think about it rationally, because I think most people know, and I am not a woman basher at all, so do not get this wrong, because many women think with their heart instead of their minds.
We are made of components that all men have, only they do not access them very frequently, which often drives them to think that we are crazy.
In fact, I have been called crazy on many occasions by people of the opposite sex- both friends, lovers, bosses even, mostly behind my back. So that lesson has been nothing shy of doozey to put it lightly.
Is that ok? No. It's not ok for a man to call me crazy because I have feelings that I am comfortable expressing. It's not ok either for me to rely on a man's sum of who I am as my sole means of self-worth.
Why is it that so many women do just that? We place so much hope and base our own security on what a man has to offer us. I am not alone in doing this. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that well over 75% of women find their strength in men, when it should be God that we look first and foremost.
Men will always let us down, just as a woman will always let a man down. So placing all of our hopes and desires for our lives in a man is absurd. But, it's what we do. We do it without thinking. Instead, we feel it.
Men are not built to be greater than us. They are not designed to be the pyramids of humanity. They can do their own jobs, hunt and gather, love when it's convenient, most of them, unless they are married, and try to understand a woman, but never fully grasp us.
I am not a man basher. I love men. Some of the greatest people I have known over the years have been men- some I've learned immensely from, some I have loved and been loved by.
But the point is, they are not built to be givers like females are.
We, instead, are built to be nurturers. Therefore, we are the givers and should not assume that because we give so much, we can take so much. Yet, we are always looking for validation. Women look to men to tell them how beautiful they are, how intelligent they are, how special they are, what good mothers they are. We look to the wrong people for gratification.
We need to be looking to the one who created us for answers to our deepest and most obvious insecurities. God knew what He was doing, what His heart had for us, and designed us in His own image.
He gave us all gifts. Some of us find them and realize them at an early age, others ignore them completely.
Women were all bestowed the gift of confidence, just a men were; so who are we to look to a man for a gift that we were given by God?
Women bear children. Women raise those same children alone, some of us. We feed them, we school them, and we show them love. Why do we feel that we need to run to a man for comforts that the Holy Spirit offers at all times?
More on this later...
I would much rather be a person who is a good listener, than a good speaker. But it just so happens that I am both. I'm not trying to have an inflated sense of self, but during my short life here, I have learned a few life lessons.
One lesson I've learned is to always think before you speak. Just because a thought pops into my brain, doesn't mean that same thought has ever even crossed the path of the brain of the other. That doesn't mean that because I know the rule, I follow it.
In fact, I find it very hard to suppress my feelings and thoughts on a lot of issues that arise. But then I have to think about it rationally, because I think most people know, and I am not a woman basher at all, so do not get this wrong, because many women think with their heart instead of their minds.
We are made of components that all men have, only they do not access them very frequently, which often drives them to think that we are crazy.
In fact, I have been called crazy on many occasions by people of the opposite sex- both friends, lovers, bosses even, mostly behind my back. So that lesson has been nothing shy of doozey to put it lightly.
Is that ok? No. It's not ok for a man to call me crazy because I have feelings that I am comfortable expressing. It's not ok either for me to rely on a man's sum of who I am as my sole means of self-worth.
Why is it that so many women do just that? We place so much hope and base our own security on what a man has to offer us. I am not alone in doing this. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that well over 75% of women find their strength in men, when it should be God that we look first and foremost.
Men will always let us down, just as a woman will always let a man down. So placing all of our hopes and desires for our lives in a man is absurd. But, it's what we do. We do it without thinking. Instead, we feel it.
Men are not built to be greater than us. They are not designed to be the pyramids of humanity. They can do their own jobs, hunt and gather, love when it's convenient, most of them, unless they are married, and try to understand a woman, but never fully grasp us.
I am not a man basher. I love men. Some of the greatest people I have known over the years have been men- some I've learned immensely from, some I have loved and been loved by.
But the point is, they are not built to be givers like females are.
We, instead, are built to be nurturers. Therefore, we are the givers and should not assume that because we give so much, we can take so much. Yet, we are always looking for validation. Women look to men to tell them how beautiful they are, how intelligent they are, how special they are, what good mothers they are. We look to the wrong people for gratification.
We need to be looking to the one who created us for answers to our deepest and most obvious insecurities. God knew what He was doing, what His heart had for us, and designed us in His own image.
He gave us all gifts. Some of us find them and realize them at an early age, others ignore them completely.
Women were all bestowed the gift of confidence, just a men were; so who are we to look to a man for a gift that we were given by God?
Women bear children. Women raise those same children alone, some of us. We feed them, we school them, and we show them love. Why do we feel that we need to run to a man for comforts that the Holy Spirit offers at all times?
More on this later...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Being busy is not the way
I love a Saturday that I can relax on the couch, watch a movie if I feel like it, listen to some inspiring music, make some homemade pesto from my fresh picked basil that I grew myself from a seedling, watch a music video (what's that, you ask), play with my daughter and drink coffee until I have to take a shit and then wished I hadn't drank so much. That is a Saturday that I like, minus the shit, but that's sadly enough, typical.
When there's no running around to do, I am most happy- when I schedule myself batty, not the case.
Why do we often find ourselves doing just that? We cram in as much as possible during the day as if it would be a tragedy if we sat on the couch and just relaxed, as if there's nothing in the world worse than just doing nothing. We fill our children's lives with so-called "enrichment," with insane schedules that even God wouldn't want to attack. We want our kids to be involved, not spared an opportunity. We fill our lives with useless, mindless crap- spending hours on the internet, on FaceBook, making money so that we can spend it on things that don't do anything for us, which ultimately ends in love for materialistic objects, lessening our love for eachother. We go to bars to socialize, to drink ourselves into an escape, and participate in sports out the ying yang. Where does it end? Where do we stop to realize that just sitting around is just as good as being the best, or worst for that matter, goalee in the soccer league? When can we allow ourselves to relax? Why is being popular with others so important to so many people? We as humans feel the need to socialize, and by doing so, somehow, we temporarily escape knowing ourselves and being comfortable alone. I experience this "escape" quite frequently- guilty as charged.
It's not until things start crumbling around me that I realize what I am doing. I will make plans upon plans, denying others of knowing me because I don't know myself. We put up boundaries that limit us by always staying "busy". By spreading ourselves too thin, and allowing distractions that block us from a peaceful existance, we miss the joy that arrives from just being alive and knowing who we are. We miss out on the pure enjoyment of a deeper love for humanity and for ourselves.
So today, I will sit and do nothing, just so that I can be doing something for myself and for the rest of the world. I suggest to everyone to try it.
When there's no running around to do, I am most happy- when I schedule myself batty, not the case.
Why do we often find ourselves doing just that? We cram in as much as possible during the day as if it would be a tragedy if we sat on the couch and just relaxed, as if there's nothing in the world worse than just doing nothing. We fill our children's lives with so-called "enrichment," with insane schedules that even God wouldn't want to attack. We want our kids to be involved, not spared an opportunity. We fill our lives with useless, mindless crap- spending hours on the internet, on FaceBook, making money so that we can spend it on things that don't do anything for us, which ultimately ends in love for materialistic objects, lessening our love for eachother. We go to bars to socialize, to drink ourselves into an escape, and participate in sports out the ying yang. Where does it end? Where do we stop to realize that just sitting around is just as good as being the best, or worst for that matter, goalee in the soccer league? When can we allow ourselves to relax? Why is being popular with others so important to so many people? We as humans feel the need to socialize, and by doing so, somehow, we temporarily escape knowing ourselves and being comfortable alone. I experience this "escape" quite frequently- guilty as charged.
It's not until things start crumbling around me that I realize what I am doing. I will make plans upon plans, denying others of knowing me because I don't know myself. We put up boundaries that limit us by always staying "busy". By spreading ourselves too thin, and allowing distractions that block us from a peaceful existance, we miss the joy that arrives from just being alive and knowing who we are. We miss out on the pure enjoyment of a deeper love for humanity and for ourselves.
So today, I will sit and do nothing, just so that I can be doing something for myself and for the rest of the world. I suggest to everyone to try it.
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