THE ideal friend for anyone and everyone is only Jesus Christ. No one else can match His faithfulness and love. He is the friend of sinners. He comforts me when I am distressed. He provides for me when I have a need. He talks with me whenever I feel like talking. He rescues me from my sin and from myself. He lets me struggle so that I can grow. He lets me know when I am wrong. He goes everywhere with me. He never forgets me. He loves me beyond what I could ever imagine. He never leaves me. He’s my friend.
When I look for a friend, I look for someone who is a friend of my friend, Jesus. If they love God, then it is not as important that they love me. I would rather have them love God than to love me. I am definitely not first place in importance, and I shouldn’t be. In fact, it’s probably a good idea if I don’t get noticed as much as I want to. I hate to write that, because I have a desire for attention & recognition. When I am noticed it makes me happy in a shallow sort of way. Instead of reacting in a right way and tossing all the praise up to God, I hold on to it myself. I tuck away the compliments for further glorification of myself. I should eagerly throw them up to God for His control, giving myself no chance for developing a high opinion of myself, and giving the world the chance to develop a high opinion of my Great God who created me and my talents. I want Him to have all the glory, but I still try to share in His spotlight. No! It is the glory of God alone in me!
Maybe this is why I don’t like compliments. I don’t feel that I deserve them. Sure, there may be something there deserving of praise, but I don’t deserve it. Give the praise and glory to God! He alone deserves all glory and praise! My friend should give glory to God for everything in my life. When I look for a friend, I look for someone who is so close to God that I can’t help but draw closer to Him just by spending time with them.
My ideal friend loves God more than they love me, seeks hard after God, talks about God, and urges me to draw nearer to God.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Joys of Being Single
Single.
(sigh)
Single.
Still single.
In my high school experience, I never even thought of finding a boyfriend. I knew that I was too young and that anything started that early probably wouldn’t last. I was young, and I was just mature enough to realize that I was too immature to have a boyfriend. I told myself that I could/would wait until college.
I am in college now. Two years and still no boyfriend. I was not really ready my freshman year, and the older I get, the more I am able to recognize how immature I actually am. I am near 22 and still not sure that I am ready for a relationship of that importance. I have so much sin to deal with in myself.
It was easy for me to come to grasp that if I’m not content and happy now, then I won’t be when I’m married. I must be fully dependent on God, and then I can rely on Him completely when I’m single, in a relationship, or married. I would love to have the security of a man, but I MUST depend on God.
It is easy to know this and even accept this, but I want a family. I want a boyfriend.
I want someone who thinks I’m way cool.
I want someone to hold my hand.
I want someone to hold me.
I want someone to lend me their shoulder and wipe away my tears.
I want to be married.
I want to have kids.
I want to grow old with my best friend.
I want to know who he IS.
I want to play with his hair.
I want to massage his shoulders.
I want to sing to him.
I want to cherish him.
I want to imagine ways to please him.
I want to be with the one I love.
I have these desires, but GOD MUST BE FIRST. If I cannot love God completely, then I can never love a man correctly.
I am working in and with myself to be willing to follow God and be content, no matter what comes. The best part of being single is that I can focus on God right now, distraction free.
As scary as it is for me, maybe He wants me to be alone for a while so I can lean more heavily on Him.
“A while.” My emotions scream in terror at those words.
How long? How long? I want to know! I am left in a dark tunnel, with no visible light at the end. I have no idea how long I must travel this tunnel. I despair at the darkness, and yet I carry a flashlight in my pocket. All I have to do is pull it out and turn it on. It sounds easy enough, but many times I stumble around in darkness, straining to see that light at the end of the tunnel.
The reality is that the light at the end of the tunnel is a myth. It is just as dark outside the tunnel, in any relationship, as it is in the tunnel. There is no magic switch once you get married, to make everything bright, beautiful, and God-honoring. The only benefit is that now you have two flashlights to share.
I know that marriage does not equal happily-ever-after, but I still want it.
As much as I do want it, I want to please my God above all. My mind and thoughts wander to my wants, and by force of will, I turn them back to a focus on God.
All I really want is what my God wants for me.
It is scary to think that my God might want me to serve Him by myself. Sure, it would be hard, but with His help, I know I can tackle anything. Maybe God wants me to become a missionary and go to . . . Brazil or some other country all by myself.
With God I can/will accomplish anything.
This is why I won’t settle. I can’t settle for anything less.
I want someone who loves God just as much as I do. I want what God wants for me, so I want someone who wants what God wants too.
Rule Number One:
Whoever he is, he must know God, love God, and follow God.
So, I wait.
I don’t like it all the time.
There are times when I hate it, but I know that God’s plan is better than anything I can imagine.
So,
I WAIT.
(sigh)
Single.
Still single.
In my high school experience, I never even thought of finding a boyfriend. I knew that I was too young and that anything started that early probably wouldn’t last. I was young, and I was just mature enough to realize that I was too immature to have a boyfriend. I told myself that I could/would wait until college.
I am in college now. Two years and still no boyfriend. I was not really ready my freshman year, and the older I get, the more I am able to recognize how immature I actually am. I am near 22 and still not sure that I am ready for a relationship of that importance. I have so much sin to deal with in myself.
It was easy for me to come to grasp that if I’m not content and happy now, then I won’t be when I’m married. I must be fully dependent on God, and then I can rely on Him completely when I’m single, in a relationship, or married. I would love to have the security of a man, but I MUST depend on God.
It is easy to know this and even accept this, but I want a family. I want a boyfriend.
I want someone who thinks I’m way cool.
I want someone to hold my hand.
I want someone to hold me.
I want someone to lend me their shoulder and wipe away my tears.
I want to be married.
I want to have kids.
I want to grow old with my best friend.
I want to know who he IS.
I want to play with his hair.
I want to massage his shoulders.
I want to sing to him.
I want to cherish him.
I want to imagine ways to please him.
I want to be with the one I love.
I have these desires, but GOD MUST BE FIRST. If I cannot love God completely, then I can never love a man correctly.
I am working in and with myself to be willing to follow God and be content, no matter what comes. The best part of being single is that I can focus on God right now, distraction free.
As scary as it is for me, maybe He wants me to be alone for a while so I can lean more heavily on Him.
“A while.” My emotions scream in terror at those words.
How long? How long? I want to know! I am left in a dark tunnel, with no visible light at the end. I have no idea how long I must travel this tunnel. I despair at the darkness, and yet I carry a flashlight in my pocket. All I have to do is pull it out and turn it on. It sounds easy enough, but many times I stumble around in darkness, straining to see that light at the end of the tunnel.
The reality is that the light at the end of the tunnel is a myth. It is just as dark outside the tunnel, in any relationship, as it is in the tunnel. There is no magic switch once you get married, to make everything bright, beautiful, and God-honoring. The only benefit is that now you have two flashlights to share.
I know that marriage does not equal happily-ever-after, but I still want it.
As much as I do want it, I want to please my God above all. My mind and thoughts wander to my wants, and by force of will, I turn them back to a focus on God.
All I really want is what my God wants for me.
It is scary to think that my God might want me to serve Him by myself. Sure, it would be hard, but with His help, I know I can tackle anything. Maybe God wants me to become a missionary and go to . . . Brazil or some other country all by myself.
With God I can/will accomplish anything.
This is why I won’t settle. I can’t settle for anything less.
I want someone who loves God just as much as I do. I want what God wants for me, so I want someone who wants what God wants too.
Rule Number One:
Whoever he is, he must know God, love God, and follow God.
So, I wait.
I don’t like it all the time.
There are times when I hate it, but I know that God’s plan is better than anything I can imagine.
So,
I WAIT.
Happy Millenium
Today I turn 8,000.
What have I done with these 8,000?
My conclusion: NOT ENOUGH
What have I accomplished?
Far too little.
I have so many aspirations,
So many dreams.
So many unfulfilled . . .
And yet,
My God is not finished with me yet.
Every new day is one more for Him.
At the very least, I have today.
Right now.
Day 8,000.
A new day.
A new opportunity.
I can’t focus on the past 7,999.
I MUST focus on today.
I MUST draw closer to God.
I MUST become more like Jesus.
I’m 8,000,
And today is the only day I can do anything about.
What have I done with these 8,000?
My conclusion: NOT ENOUGH
What have I accomplished?
Far too little.
I have so many aspirations,
So many dreams.
So many unfulfilled . . .
And yet,
My God is not finished with me yet.
Every new day is one more for Him.
At the very least, I have today.
Right now.
Day 8,000.
A new day.
A new opportunity.
I can’t focus on the past 7,999.
I MUST focus on today.
I MUST draw closer to God.
I MUST become more like Jesus.
I’m 8,000,
And today is the only day I can do anything about.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Nature of Beauty
Beauty.
What IS beauty?
(Laughs to self)
I don’t think I’ve ever tried to define it before. I don’t define beauty. I don’t have to.
I just know.
Beauty for me is when something is so well made that it pleases me. It can be seen, yes, but it can also be felt and heard and smelt and even tasted. A sunset appears exquisite. A raindrop feels marvelous. A seagull sounds spectacular. A rose smells wondrous. A banana tastes . . . beautiful.
If you hadn’t already guessed it, I am one of those sensitive souls who see beauty in nature. After all, my God is the Ultimate Beauty, and anything directly from Him retains so much more beauty than anything second hand. Even this fallen world holds more beauty for me than the creations of man. What is more beautiful, the fallen creation of God, or the creations of the fallen creature? I choose nature.
Apart from God Himself, nature best satisfies the ultimate purpose of beauty: the glory of God. The more I study something, the more I come to admire it, the more I enjoy it, and the more beautiful it becomes for me. I pick up a leaf to study it, marvel at its beauty, and to magnify the Great God who created it.
Beauty in nature, beauty in architecture, beauty in ingenuity, beauty in creativity, beauty in man himself. I find that the more I come to know someone, the more I come to love them. Someone who appears less than attractive becomes a radiant light in my life, and the beauty I see radiates from them. I do have people that I would love to hate, but, by the grace of God, I love them dearly. The beauty in their faces stream out to meet me. The beauty in their hearts warms me, as I see them for who they are, loving them despite who they are.
True beauty is found only in God, and the best kinds of beauty are the truest reflections of Him. So, I keep my eye out for anything that I can praise God for.
Some think Jesus might’ve been ugly.
For me, He’s the most beautiful man I’ll ever know.
God’s beauty. I seek it, I search for it, and I want to make beauty for His glory.
What is beauty?
Beauty is that which calls upon us to remember God.
What IS beauty?
(Laughs to self)
I don’t think I’ve ever tried to define it before. I don’t define beauty. I don’t have to.
I just know.
Beauty for me is when something is so well made that it pleases me. It can be seen, yes, but it can also be felt and heard and smelt and even tasted. A sunset appears exquisite. A raindrop feels marvelous. A seagull sounds spectacular. A rose smells wondrous. A banana tastes . . . beautiful.
If you hadn’t already guessed it, I am one of those sensitive souls who see beauty in nature. After all, my God is the Ultimate Beauty, and anything directly from Him retains so much more beauty than anything second hand. Even this fallen world holds more beauty for me than the creations of man. What is more beautiful, the fallen creation of God, or the creations of the fallen creature? I choose nature.
Apart from God Himself, nature best satisfies the ultimate purpose of beauty: the glory of God. The more I study something, the more I come to admire it, the more I enjoy it, and the more beautiful it becomes for me. I pick up a leaf to study it, marvel at its beauty, and to magnify the Great God who created it.
Beauty in nature, beauty in architecture, beauty in ingenuity, beauty in creativity, beauty in man himself. I find that the more I come to know someone, the more I come to love them. Someone who appears less than attractive becomes a radiant light in my life, and the beauty I see radiates from them. I do have people that I would love to hate, but, by the grace of God, I love them dearly. The beauty in their faces stream out to meet me. The beauty in their hearts warms me, as I see them for who they are, loving them despite who they are.
True beauty is found only in God, and the best kinds of beauty are the truest reflections of Him. So, I keep my eye out for anything that I can praise God for.
Some think Jesus might’ve been ugly.
For me, He’s the most beautiful man I’ll ever know.
God’s beauty. I seek it, I search for it, and I want to make beauty for His glory.
What is beauty?
Beauty is that which calls upon us to remember God.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Classroom Organization & Management Rap
Thanks to my COM class, and the student leader, my group and I had to write a rap based on some student discipline methodologies we have looked at. The following is my group's product. Get a beat going in your head, and have fun rapping away.
So, I came to school
Looking for fun.
I wasn't real bad
No knife, no gun.
All I really had
Was some chewing gum,
But the teacher flipped out,
"Hey kid, you're done!"
I tried to argue back,
But the teacher wouldn't give
She sent me to the Principal.
I hope I'll live.
Capital punishment
For minimal crime,
And now I 'm sitting here
Just wasting
my
time.
So, I came to school
Looking for fun.
I wasn't real bad
No knife, no gun.
All I really had
Was some chewing gum,
But the teacher flipped out,
"Hey kid, you're done!"
I tried to argue back,
But the teacher wouldn't give
She sent me to the Principal.
I hope I'll live.
Capital punishment
For minimal crime,
And now I 'm sitting here
Just wasting
my
time.
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