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| So, for various reasons (all technical, heh--nothing dramatic), I'm moving off of xanga and to another site. Sorry :-/.
For those of you who would like to continue reading the random things that I write, go to www.aptenergy.com/yamato333/blog and you'll find my current blog, updated and such. I encourage you to register (all you need is a username/e-mail), as then it'll make it easier for me to read comments. Also, there is an RSS feed for those who are interested in that sort of thing.
Yup. I'll continue reading xangas, heh . . . no worries about that.
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| "Do you like ____?"
So, let's say that you have a guy and a girl who aren't currently going out/married. It seems that for the most part, such people are described in a very . . . dichotomous fashion. Talking about the guy, either he likes the girl . . . or he doesn't. Either the girl likes him . . . or she doesn't. Even if their behavior together does not point towards an obvious answer, discussions about such behavior imply the existence of a well-defined set of feelings . . . Are things really that simple?
I find that strange because really, everybody knows that it's not a simple thing. There are so many factors involved . . . it almost seems like because it's so complicated, people try to get to the "important" (juicy?) information by asking a high-level, vague question--namely, "do you like" etc etc. By doing so, they actually don't get anything useful; instead, you get an answer--"yes" or "no"--which really has no substantive meaning and is easily misinterpreted.
It seems to me that there are so many dimensions by which to "like" people. For simplicity's sake, let's take the ones from the "greatest commandment": heart, mind, body, and soul. We can arbitrarily define them to be emotion (admiring their passion?), reasoning abilities, physical attributes, and . . . well, it's hard to define soul :-/. Even just looking at this short list, it's clear that most crushes are due to only one (or even none) of these categories, whereas more substantial feelings can involve multiple categories, or ideally, all of them. Yet, both crushes and actual "likes" are grouped under this one word--"like."
Let's not even go into what happens when you actually answer yes to such a question. If you're lucky, the person will ask you why and actually take time to understand what's going on. If you're not . . . well, yeah. You know what happens.
In writing this post, I'm starting to get the feeling that I shouldn't joke about people's crushes, even just to them. It seems to make things even more trivial. Hm. | | |
| So, what does it mean to be a morning/night person?
It seems that some people define it as "you like to wake up early in the morning." And yes, in that sense, I like to wake up early in the morning. But I also like to go to sleep late at night. So, does that make me both?
Let's take a closer look at things. The reason I like to wake up early is because it's peaceful. No one else is awake yet, the streets are quiet . . . the perfect time for meditation, reflection, and solitude. If you look at my xanga entries, you'll notice that most of them are written in the morning. On the other hand, I stay up late because I want to spend time with people. Usually, I stay up because we're having fun or a good conversation, and so I just eat into my sleep hours in order to prolong that.
Eh . . . sorry, nothing profound. Just random thoughts.
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| So, I have to finish a 10 pg paper that I have 7-8 pages for, research and write another 10 pg paper, do a project (which involves a paper), and take a test (which I need to study for). All by 5 pm tomorrow . . .
The funny thing is, I'm not so much stressed as simply unsure how I'm going to finish all these things. Regardless, God's been leading me to some good verses this morning. Let's take a look, shall we?
Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
-His yoke is easy and his burden is light, for in all we do, we do not depend on ourselves, but on God. For if we depend on our own power, we shall quickly become weary, but if we depend on the power of God, we shall always find rest.
And Matthew 12:18 (which is Isaiah 42:1):
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations."
-And another thing-the things that I stress about are not all that important. Check out Jesus-he came to 'proclaim justice to the nations'. How much more important is that than the things I worry about . . .
Cool stuff.
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| Mark 9:13b-"Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?"
Let’s say you have this guy, right. Let’s say that on the
outside, he seems . . . well, a little weird. He talks about God a lot, and he
talks about loving people, and he does things all the time for them, but I mean
. . .sometimes he does some really weird things. Some unexplainable things.
Some . . . rude things. And because of these, the majority of people just put
up with him. Sure, they appreciate the things that he does for them, but they
wish that he could do them differently. Maybe he could do it less obviously.
Even better, maybe he could just do all these things somewhere where I would
never have to see him . . .
Let’s consider the story of Jesus. Here's a 30-year old carpenter. And he does some amazing things. Heals people, drives out demons, walks
on water. And he certainly talks about God a lot. But . . . I mean, does he
really have to do things that are so . . . strange? Why does he hang out with
prostitutes? Why does he drive demons into the pigs that we own? Really, can’t
he just follow the law like everybody else? Why must he be an eyesore?
Jesus came for the people who asked these questions. Jesus
came to and died for a world that rejected him. Even his disciples did so. And
despite this, despite the shame, despite the heartache that he must have had,
Jesus kept going. When people didn’t understand his teaching, did he stop? When
people trivialized his miracles, did he stop? Truly, did Jesus ever stop
loving? And what was his reward?
Personally, I’m thinking of CCF. Thinking of the people who
serve and serve, and never get the recognition that they deserve. Instead, they
get ridiculed. They get gossip about them passed around behind their backs. And
yet, they continue. They keep going, because they know that their reward is not
the praise of people, but the praise of their Heavenly Father. And usually,
they’re too busy emulating Jesus in their lives to be slowed down by shallow
criticisms.
And yet . . . and yet, they are still human. They are not
God. And sometimes, they have hearts that are vulnerable, that are weak, that
are sinful . . . hearts that need to be cared for. Hearts that need to loved
and treasured just like anyone else’s. But . . . when those times come, who’s
there for them? The community that they so love and care for? I wish . . .
Take a minute to think about these people. Think about who
they are, the things that they do, and how their lives can only be the result
of a heart that loves God. And then, take a moment to pray for them. Just a
couple minutes. Pray for them, and pray that God would give you a heart willing
to love. | | |
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