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Great Analogy!

  • Aug. 21st, 2008 at 9:30 AM

This has been a good push for me.  I'm putting this here so I will always be reminded.  

Hand Delivered Bouquets

by Max Lucado

Through Christ, God has accepted you. Think about what this means. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you.

Rejections are like speed bumps on the road. They come with the journey. You’re going to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. How? By letting his acceptance compensate for their rejection.

Think of it this way. Suppose you dwell in a high-rise apartment. On the window sill of your room is a solitary daisy. This morning you picked the daisy and pinned it on your lapel. Since you have only one plant, this is a big event and a special daisy.

But as soon as you’re out the door, people start picking petals off your daisy. Someone snags your subway seat. Petal picked. You’re blamed for the bad report of a coworker. Three petals. The promotion is given to someone with less experience but USC water polo looks. More petals. By the end of the day, you’re down to one. Woe be to the soul who dares to draw near it. You’re only one petal-snatching away from a blowup.

What if the scenario was altered slightly? Let’s add one character. The kind man in the apartment next door runs a flower shop on the corner. Every night on the way home he stops at your place with a fresh, undeserved, yet irresistible bouquet. These are not leftover flowers. They are top-of-the-line arrangements. You don’t know why he thinks so highly of you, but you aren’t complaining. Because of him, your apartment has a sweet fragrance, and your step has a happy bounce. Let someone mess with your flower, and you’ve got a basketful to replace it!

The difference is huge. And the interpretation is obvious.

God will load your world with flowers. He hand-delivers a bouquet to your door every day. Open it! Take them! Then, when rejections come, you won’t be left short-petaled.

God can help you get rid of your anger. He made galaxies no one has ever seen and dug canyons we have yet to find. “The LORD … heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:2–3 NIV). Do you think among those diseases might be the affliction of anger?

Do you think God could heal your angry heart?

Do you want him to? This is not a trick question. He asks the same question of you that he asked of the invalid: “Do you want to be well?” (John 5:6). Not everyone does. You may be addicted to anger. You may be a rage junkie. Anger may be part of your identity. But if you want him to, he can change your identity. Do you want him to do so?

Do you have a better option? Like moving to a rejection-free zone? If so, enjoy your life on your desert island.

Take the flowers. Receive from him so you can love or at least put up with others.

...my breath of fresh air

  • Jun. 19th, 2008 at 2:26 PM

What makes me feel good? The thought that I am connecting things and making sense of them, I guess brings a smile to my face. 
 
Like this morning, on my way to work, I was the last person to board the shuttle. Of course that means I don’t have a choice of where to sit. This is a problem for me because I feel I have a minor case of claustrophobia. I feel a sense of panic whenever I can’t move my body or my head because of the small space I’m in. I feel shortness of breath and I begin to sweat. 
 
When you’re the last in the queue of passengers to enter the shuttle, almost always you get to sit in the farthest corner where it is so uncomfortable. The only chance I have was if there’s somebody inside who was not so particular as to where he sits for the next 30 minute ride to the office. And guess what, they were all meticulous.
 
So I entered, I sat and I prayed. I felt the symptoms right away. My mind was starting to panic. But I tried my best to maintain composure and calm down. The prayers and the controlled breathing were effective. Even the ipod was helpful to distract me and not focus on the situation.
 
During the trip, I realized how important air was. Of course I knew. Silly. I am talking about fresh air, as in the abundance of it. Now that I’m stuck in this cramped space, I became conscious of the air I was enjoying in our yard this morning when I stepped out. 
I wanted it badly. Really the absence of something will make you appreciate its worth. It will make your heart grow fonder.  A breath of fresh air… it sounds so soothing. Imagining it then already brightened my day :D. Like I was instantly brought outdoors, in a field where I was surrounded by flowers and grass and mountains, and the breeze was blowing. Perfect. It’s more than a breath of fresh air. A great contrast to the city atmosphere buzzing with noise and air pollutants. It’s a great relief from the heaviness of the ambiance.
 
I wished I had a breath of fresh air around. somebody who brightens up the day when I wake up, the one who will keep you breathing even after a harrowing day’s work, who will also give you a break during those pressure-packed moments, the same one who brings a smile to my face just by the thought and the one who keeps me strong and striving still.  And so I continued to daydream.
 
At the end of it, I remembered… I do have somebody.  But just like fresh air, I didn’t notice it right away.  That's because He never left. 
 

Time of My Life

  • Jun. 14th, 2008 at 11:57 AM

I’ve been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn

And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

Holding onto things that vanished
Into the air
Left me in pieces
But now I’m rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart

So I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
And I’m out on the edge of forever
Ready to run
I’m keeping my feet on the ground
My arms open wide
My face to the sun
I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
This is the time
This is the time of my life.
This is the time of my life.

 

I just got back from the mountain...

  • Jun. 9th, 2008 at 2:55 PM

I just got back from the mountain, a not very distant one from the metropolis. But at least it’s far from the noise and pollution of the city. I spent one whole Saturday there. I left early the following morning to catch the Sunday service in the church I attend south of the metro.

     
           
 
My friend and I arrived in the place Friday, 30 minutes short of midnight.  While we were walking our way to the gate, hauling my backpack, exhausted from the trip, I looked up at the sky. And I saw the stars. Amazing I thought. There’s just a myriad of them. I always enjoy this view when I’m in the province.  Set above a rice field or above the beach, it doesn’t matter.  It’s always simply awesome, never had them as beautiful in the city. 
 
I was reminded of the time God said to Abraham to go out and look at the sky. Count the stars because that’s just the number of descendants that he’s gonna get. He will be the father of many nations. And God kept that promise, costly as it was.  It costs Him His Son. By His blood, I became a great great grand daughter of Abraham. Whenever I look up, I thank God and smile. Because now… I’m one of those stars. 

        Gazing at the canopy of stars
        I’m one of those twinkling studs.
        A descendant of Abraham by the blood of His Son,
        I gratefully smile as I stare at God's stars.

       It took testing of Abraham’s faith
       Loads of it because it came in his life late
       Despite of Sarah’s laughter God still gave
       And I, I still became
       A partaker of His name.
 
       I’m one of those stars.
       Getting me up there had not been easy
       I was too down low to be brought high
       A love so strong and arms open wide
       A cross on a hill.  A sacrifice.
       Took me up, high in the sky.
       And now, I’m one of the stars of Abraham :-).



Just the lyrics...

  • May. 30th, 2008 at 9:05 AM

I thought I’d post today. Although, I did try last night before I went home. Unfortunately, when I got home and accessed the site, I did not see it. I must have missed on something necessary that would allow the public read it. 
 
The post was about a song that I have not listened to yet. Somehow the words got my attention when I was browsing the lyrics of a familiar song. From what I remember, the writer wrote about not being at home in this world. 

“Sometimes when I’m all alone, I don’t know if I can, take another breath. Some say home is where the heart is, tell me where my home is, ‘cause I’m scared to death.” 

I do feel that way at times. And it does feel scary during these moments, like a fish out of water. Not like I’m gonna run out of breath as the song says, but there’s discomfort every now and then. 
 
The writer seems to be reminiscing a tough phase in his life that nevertheless ended victoriously. Good thing, at least it doesn’t sound so tragic. For me, it inspires. It sort of pushes me to keep going, walk on and remember that my heart is in His hands. He’s taking care of it and that’s what I’ve been longing for all along. 

"Some say home is where the heart is, and my heart is in your hands, you are all I need.”
 
 By the way, the title of the song is Drifting by Bebo Norman, the same guy who sang Disappeared, my favorite.

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