Writing a Love Letter

This post is based on a message I heard at church this past Sunday night that really opened my eyes about some things.

In 2 Corinthians 3:1-3 it says, "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts."  These verses are basically saying that the way we live and the way we treat others is writing a letter on others' hearts.  What are we writing on the hearts of others?  Does how we speak to others and act towards them write a positive letter on their hearts? 

If we think about the length of time, in relation to creation to when Jesus returns, our lives are only about 2/5 of a second long.  We may think sometimes we have "our whole lives" to do this or to do that, when in reality our lives are short.  What are we writing on the hearts of others during our 2/5 of a second? 

If we look at 1 Corinthians 13:4 it says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres". If we replace the word 'love' with 'I', how does that turn out?  Of course, none aside from Jesus Christ are all of these perfectly; however, how close are we? Are we doing our best everyday to be this way? 

1 Corinthians 13:1, "If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."  Clearly, as shown in these verses, nothing is of worth if it's not combined with love.

The Bible says God is love.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  If God loves us this much, shouldn't we be doing our best to show the love he asks us to show?  It's hard to show love to others when we don't like them, they don't like us, we don't know them, or when they do things to us.  When Jesus was rejected by others, when other didn't measure up to him, and when others mocked him, didn't he still die for all of us?  We will never be able to be exactly like Jesus; however, we need to do our best to follow what the Bible says about love and try our best to love others the way that God loves us.

This is something I struggle with because I do anger easily, I am not patient, I am not always kind, I do keep a record of wrongs, I am proud, I do sometimes boast, and the list goes on.  This message helped open my eyes and has inspired me to try harder on improving this aspect, along with others, of my life.  I hope it has inspired you as well.  What letter are you writing on the hearts of others?

Too Much Evil in the World for There to Be a God?

I have heard numerous people say, “God cannot exist because too much evil exists in the world.” I would love to hear someone tell me how they got this understanding of what “evil” really is.

C.S. Lewis stated: My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I gotten this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself such a violent reaction against it?...Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my whole argument against God collapsed too—for the argument depended on saying the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus, in the very act of trying to prove God did not exist – in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless – I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality – namely my idea of justice – was full of sense (“Favorite Quotes”).

Theologians argue that if an all-powerful God could prevent evil, then an all-loving God would want to do that. Since evil and suffering exist, they say that God does not exist (McKnight).  St. Augustine argues that there are two types of evil: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil is initiated by humans, such as war and murder. Natural evil is the pain of natural processes, such as sickness and natural catastrophes (Tammeus).  God has given us free will.  If God prevented evil, He would be eliminating free will, which would make us almost puppets.  When you really love someone, do you not give him or her free will even if you know he or she might use it in a way that will result negatively? (McKnight).  God is an all-loving God, and therefore gives us free will.

Most people believe that murder is an evil act or “sin”, but few believe that homosexuality is a sin. Don't think the Bible says homosexuality is a sin? Leviticus 20:13, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable." In James 2:10-11 it says, “For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery’, also said, ‘Do not murder.’  If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”  Evil is lying, cheating, and stealing as well. All of these are sins, and therefore are evil. So, if people want God to eliminate evil, then they cannot pick what evil He eradicates. Everyone at some point has lied, cheated, stolen, or committed some form of an evil deed. If God eliminated evil, would we not all be eliminated? Consequently, the existence of evil does not effectively disprove the existence of God.

Purity

She prays to God to cleanse her heart,

Cleanse her thoughts.

Faith binds her,

And she flees the evil desires.

Seductive voices, adulterous views.

They encircle her,

Contaminating her mind.

But she defies these temptations,

These views the world promotes.

In the world today, teenagers are constantly faced with temptations and impurities.  All the shows on television and all the celebrities promote sexual temptations.  The Bible says to flee these evil desires and to be bound by faith to remain pure until marriage.  If we ask God to cleanse our hearts and our minds, he will do it.  This might not matter to a lot of people; however, it's a big deal to me.  Giving yourself away while in high school or anytime before marriage will not end well.  For guys, it's usually just a fun physical activity.  For girls, however, it creates an emotional attachment most of the time.  Nine times out of ten, the two will break up and it will not end well.  Think about it. 



Great Love

She’s looking for something.

Someone to heal her broken heart.

Not to be found though,

Not in this secular world.

Stagnant in her sorrows,

Feeling trapped and alone.

There’s no way out.

Or is there? Is there a way out?

Yes. Yes, but she must return to Him.

He who created her,

The one called Healer.

He knows her and waits for her,

The only one who can save her

And mend her wounded heart.

Her first true love.

Her beginning, her end.

This, if you couldn't tell, is about Jesus Christ.  The common thing for teenage girls is to go through a break up with a boy they "loved" and not know what to do.  We feel alone, unloved, and unwanted.  However, there is a guy we can always depend on to be there for us, to always love us, and He always wants us.  If we let Him, He can mend our broken hearts and comfort us in our times of needs.  He is the only true love we will ever have; he loved us enough to die on a cross for us while we were not accepting of him.  He waits for us to come to him, so that he can show us his great love.  Who better to understand you than the one who made you? We are all constantly looking for love and happiness; that is found in Jesus Christ.

Pets

Pets are best friends.  In my case I'm not talking about cats or fish, I'm talking about my dog.  My dog Junior is almost seven years old now and I've had him since he was just a puppy.  Originally, we had gotten his brother and sister but they died the night we brought them home.  As it turns out, the litter he was born in had some sickness they contracted from their mother.  We got Junior the next day; he was the last puppy left.  He was a mix of cocker spaniel and some sort of terrier.  I couldn't help but get attached to him, even though I didn't know how long he would live.  Well, almost seven years later, here we are. 

I've had a lot of pets in my life, but Junior is by far the best one ever.  He's house trained, he listens, and he's just a loving dog.  I can't help but think now though that he could leave me at anytime.  Watching the movie Marley & Me made me really think about it.  I don't know what I would do if I lost Junior.  He's part of the family.  We almost gave him away when we moved to Conway, but I'm glad we didn't. 

As far as best friends go, Junior is one of them.  He might not be able to give me advice, but he does know how to comfort me when I've had a bad day.  He can tell when I'm sad and when I'm scared.  I love my dog.

Graduation

After twelve years of hard work, I'm finally in my last year of high school and I'm so ready to graduate.  I still remember my first day of junior high (7th grade). As I look back through my school years I remember all of my favorite teachers, my favorite classes, and my favorite school year in general.  I'd have to say my last year of junior high (9th grade) is my favorite year.  I was going to a one hallway junior high and my class only consisted of a little over forty students.  I knew everyone and had so many friends.  I was starting point guard on the basketball team and earned many academic awards as well.  Overall, ninth grade was an amazing year.  As I've grown up and gotten closer to graduation, I've understood the significance more.  As a kid seeing people graduate, it was like "whoo hoo..." Now that I'm about to graduate, I feel so accomplished.  It doesn't seem like I should be graduating high school; I still feel like a kid and can't see myself out on my own yet. 

However, the time has almost come to graduate.  Even though I'm not graduating with my friends from White Hall, I'm still excited for graduation.  The steps leading up to actual graduation day are exciting enough; I can't imagine how I'll feel on that day.  Ordering my cap and gown, applying and getting accepted to colleges, and everything else that comes with being a senior is an amazing experience.  Something I will never forget.  Though there have been bad times throughout my school years, my overall school experience has been a learning adventure and I can't wait to see what college has in store. 

Having grown to acknowledge and appreciate the significance of graduation,  I can't wait to get my life started outside of high school and begin my life in college.  Seniors 2012!

Homecoming

         Homecoming is a good tradition to keep.  I don't think it should be as big of a deal as people make it out to be. I understand how prom is a big deal; homecoming? Not so much.  Nominating a homecoming queen is just a popularity contest, which is how many things are in high school.  However, it's still a fun thing to have and participate in.
         I didn't go to homecoming my senior year.  Not because I don't like homecoming, but because I am at a new school where I don't really know anyone.  I wish I could've gone; I'm not too torn up about it though.  If I had been at my old school, I would've been glad to go.  At a new school, it's hard to have school spirit and go to dances when you don't know many people and everyone already has their own cliques. Cliques added together with my shyness, not a good combination.  I just hope things change before prom.