Beauty

I just saw this video on another blog that I follow, and I couldn't help but feel amazed.  God is truly a God of Beauty.  I can't look at these videos without feeling so small in comparison.  We live on a big planet in a huge galaxy in a GINORMOUS universe.  We often make the mistake of thinking that the world revolves around us, whether consciously or subconsciously.  However, when you take a step back and really look at everything, you begin to realize that the universe and everything in it will continue on, with or without you.  I don't say this to make you feel worthless.  I say it to help you change your perspective on life.  So, I encourage you to watch the following video.  I promise that it will give you a moment's peace in an otherwise chaotic world.

Shelves of Blessings

Yesterday, I went to Walmart for my daily grocery shopping trip.  Yes, I said daily.  My family and I live at Walmart.  Like my mother, I usually HATE shopping for groceries.  As I passed by endless supplies of jumbo size marshmallows and two pound candy bars, I realized something.  American grocery stores have more food than I'll ever be able to eat.  Aisle after aisle is overflowing with food, some of which I've never even heard of or eaten.  When I took a moment to think about the vastness of my local Walmart and the abundance of groceries, I couldn't help but feel a blessed.  I can honestly say that I've never felt that way about a grocery store.  You always hear people warning you against taking things for granted.  This is usually where a few nods or eye rolls get added into the mix.  However, I finally understood what those people were talking about yesterday.  Every time I turn on my television, I see a commercial about world poverty.  Scenes of emaciated children and their parents flash on the screen.   Human beings in a variety of countries, including my own, are shown living in complete destitution.  These people barely have enough food to keep them alive.  Many don't even have that much. 

The majority of Americans never even have to worry about food or shelter.  After all, America is the land of plenty, with grocery stores being the prime example.  So, next time you visit your local grocery store, I encourage you to really pay attention to your surroundings.  I hope you're able to see all of the blessings that are lined up on the shelves.        
 

Easter: What Does It Even Mean?

For most Americans, Easter consists of cotton tailed bunnies, nauseatingly bright eggs, teeth-rotting candy, and cute, floral dresses.  Well, maybe that last one is only how I think of Easter....  What all of us are forgetting is the true meaning behind Easter!  Yesterday, I went to visit my family to celebrate the national holiday.  Sadly, as the night winded down, I realized that hardly a word had been breathed about Jesus' death or resurrection.  Isn't that what Easter is about?  Isn't that the true meaning?  Although the answer to both questions is yes, let's not forget the other meaning.  If you were to go out and ask a Christian, "What does Easter mean to you?", they would probably reply, "The death and resurrection of Christ".  That's all fine and dandy, but did they actually stop to think about what they were saying?  Most don't.  Why is Jesus' death on the cross so important?  Why is His resurrection so vital to mankind?  The answer is simple: His death on the cross and resurrection three days later are the ticket to eternal life.  Yeah, it's a pretty straightforward answer, but Christians too quickly forget it.  So you see, there's the meaning behind Easter and the meaning behind the meaning.  Sorry if I just confused you.  Just look at the sentence and really think about it.  The meaning behind Easter= Christ's death and resurrection.  The meaning behind Christ's death and resurrection= Eternal life with God.  Get it now?  Good.  The purpose of this post is not to condemn you for forgetting Easter's meaning.  Nor is it meant to encourage you to go out and condemn other Christians.  I only wanted to write a post on Easter to remind you, and me, about the innocent blood sacrificed to set us free.  This blood sets us free from sin, from judgment, from hopelessness, and from Hell itself.  Only Christ's blood can set us free. 

I watched a portion of The Passion of the Christ a few days ago and was stunned.  If you have a strong enough stomach, stronger than mine, I encourage you to watch the movie.  The Passion vividly illustrates the extreme pain, torment, and ridicule that Jesus Christ willingly faced just to save us.  I guarantee you there is no greater love than that.  We are so undeserving of this love, yet it is still freely given to us!  I just can't emphasize enough how amazing this is!  Normally, I put a Bible verse or two in my posts, but I honestly feel that you should take time out of your "busy" day to read one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  Any one of the gospels will do.  What Christ did for us can only be described as glorious and beautiful.  With that final thought, I HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY EASTER!  :-)   

The Endlessness of Pursuing Perfection

I don't know if anyone reading this post will be able to relate to it as I do.  It's a personal struggle for me.  There are some days when I just don't feel good enough.  I can hide it all I want, but it's there.  It's this little monster that's just waiting to rip into me as soon as the opportunity presents itself.  It's a little monster called perfection.  Who wouldn't like to be perfect?  Who wouldn't want to have all the right clothes, the impeccable physique, the happy family, the most loyal friends, the highest grades, and the overall ability to be better at something than other people?  Who doesn't want that?  Oftentimes, I'm guilty of condemning myself because I see flaws when I look in the mirror and when I look at my life.  Everyone is guilty of this at some point.  The desire to be perfect often frustrates me and makes me take it out on the people that I love.

 No one puts pressure on me to be perfect.  I put it on myself.  Some may say that this type of pressure is healthy, but when it becomes an obsession, it's anything but.  What people, myself included, need to realize is that perfection isn't a reality.  Perfection can't exist in an imperfect world.  Romans 3:23 says, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard."  No matter how much we pursue it, we will never find perfection in ourselves.  It's kind of like that dream where you're running towards the light, but the faster you run, the farther away the light seems to get.  Does God condemn us when we fall short or make mistakes?  Psalm 145:14 says, "The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads."  God wants us to obey him and try our very best to live a sinless life. He doesn't expect us to be perfect.  He knows that there will be times when we fall, and He's always there to help us back up.  Instead of pursuing perfection, we should lift our eyes to God.  When we focus our eyes on God, our desire for perfection melts away.  He loves us despite of our imperfections.  One day, we'll be with Him in heaven and will be made perfect.  We may not be perfect until we enter heaven, but God still views us as beautiful masterpieces.  Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."  Whenever I find myself looking in the mirror and picking out my imperfections, I repeat this verse.  God loves His children no matter what.      

The Simple Joys In Life

You know, I've never been much of an athlete.  I used to be involved in all types of dance and at one time, gymnastics.  Today, I'm involved in cheerleading.  However, I could never quite get into sports.  I love watching them, but not being in them.  Anyway, this evening, my dad and I were playing around with a wadded up paper towel.  It soon turned into a competitive game of miniature basketball, with our hands as the goals.  Needless to say, my dad pretty much creamed me.  All attempts to beat his increasing number of successful goals were futile.  I'm definitely not the most skilled basketball player.  Not to brag or anything, but I did manage to sink a few goals.  It was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself.

Okay, okay.  Maybe not this incredible, but I'll humor myself and say it was.  Now, you're probably wondering how the title of this post and my story relate to each other.  Well, I wrote all of this to say that it's the simple joys in life, like having an intense game of miniature basketball with your dad, that make being alive wonderful.  How many times we take these simple, little joys for granted!  Our lives would be so much more meaningful and satisfying if we learned to appreciate all of the little joys that God blesses us with.  Ephesians 5:20 says, "And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  No matter how small the joy or blessing, giving thanks is always vital.  God loves us and continually blesses us each and every day.  We just have to learn to recognize these blessings.

End Times?

        I'm sure many of you have heard about or seen the catastrophes occurring in Japan.  If you have absolutely no clue what the heck I'm talking about, it's time for you to start watching the news or reading the newspaper.  A massive earthquake produced a devastating tsunami that's already taken the lives of many in Japan.  The most we can do right now is pray for Japan and do what we can to help.  Seeing this on the news today made me stop and think about what I read in the book of Revelations not too long ago.  So many disasters and catastrophes that will occur on earth in the last days are described in the pages of Revelations.  It's easy to look at the news and say, "Yep.  The world's coming to an end soon."  Sure, it gets crazier and crazier all the time, but how do we really know?  How can we be sure when Jesus Christ will come back, and the world as we know it will end?  Truth is, we can't know.  Only God knows.  For years, people have tried to predict when the world will end.  Hey!  They're saying it's supposed to end in 2012!  Sorry to burst your bubble, guys, but you can't know for sure that 2012 is when the world's going to end.  You can try to back it up with as many scientific facts as you want, but only God knows.  2 Peter 3:8-14 says, " ⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.  ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. ¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."  I'm not saying that the world isn't going to end within a couple years, but I'm not saying it is, either.  Instead of worrying about when the world is going to end, we should all make our lives count and live every day like it was our last.  Sure, this has all been said many times before.  I'm just here to burn it into your brain that much more! 

Movie Night :-)

I'm sure many of you have heard of the classic novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.  Well, not too long ago, I decided to try my luck at reading it.  It didn't take but a few pages to grab my attention.  It's a beautifully written story.  If you haven't read it, I hope that you will consider the possibility of doing so.  Anyway, as I was nearing the end of the book a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the DVD version at my library.  I looked at the cover and tried my very best not to automatically assume that it would be your average, oh so cheesy version of the book.  With an optimistic attitude, I boldly checked it out and forgot about it until today.  Long story short, I swore to myself that I would watch the movie when I got home, and that is exactly what I did.  I've never been one to take time out of my busy schedule to watch movies or TV.  However, this is one movie that I was glad that I watched.  It definitely exceeded my expectations and made me kick myself for not watching it sooner.  SPOILER ALERT: I'm about to give away a few details of the movie that some of you may not want to hear until you see it for yourself.  You've been warned.  "Wuthering Heights" is basically a story about two children, Catherine and Heathcliff, that are best friends, grow up together, and fall deeply in love.  When I say deeply, I mean DEEPLY.

(Catherine and Heathcliff)
There's only one problem: THEY BOTH END UP MARRYING OTHER PEOPLE.  'What's the matter with that? Isn't that how life and love go?' you may foolishly ask.  NO!  Not in this case!  Heathcliff and Catherine still love each other despite their marriage to other people.  Their love for each other is undying.



(I cried myself dry at this point in the movie.  Catherine was dying, and Heathcliff was heartbroken.)
At the end of the movie, with Catherine several years deceased, Heathcliff finally ends his miserable life by shooting himself in the head.  He had been having visions of Catherine ever since she died and could no longer bear to suffer without her.  Although two of the other characters end up having a successful relationship at the close of "Wuthering Heights", I couldn't help but grieve over Heathcliff and Catherine's tragic love story.  In fact, I totally lost it.  I'm not one to cry, but it isn't humanly possible to watch "Wuthering Heights" without shedding at least one tear.  As I sat in my room, staring at the blank TV screen, I began to contemplate life and love.  Not to put it down or anything, but "Wuthering Heights" leaves you with the feeling that the loss of a true love is the end of the world.  I actually started to believe this for a brief moment until I realized something: God's love is the only one that truly matters in the end.  I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes right now, but you have to admit what I'm saying makes sense.  Romans 8:39 says, "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."  In fact, I encourage you to go read all of Romans 8:31-39.  Instead of looking for another human being to "complete" us and make us "whole", we should be looking for someone for someone to add to us.  No one can complete you except the Holy Spirit.  No one can give you a love like God can.  After all, he did create it!  In a nutshell, I want to remind of everyone of God's eternal love.  He will never let you down, nor will his love for you fade.  Well, I hope you enjoyed this post on my movie night.  Once again, I encourage those of you who haven't read the book or seen the movie to do so.  You won't regret it.