Sometimes things will be going great. You're just crusin' through life with the sun shining on your face. Then, all of a sudden, things will take a bitter turn. A little rain cloud will come and block you from the sun and in the background you'll hear that dismal, unbeautiful music through the falling rain.Very bad day. Very bad days. But you don't want to complain out loud about them because you'll sound as troublous as they are. And maybe, even then, you'll remember a certain scripture verse, or hear a little whisper in your mind telling you to be grateful still, or that you shouldn't complain because you might have been the one that caused the situation to worsen. Then you might feel even more despondent, perhaps a little sick, or angry even, if you know that its true. But then what? You know your in a sad situation, you know things are a little gloomy. So, then what? What are you supposed to do?
I don't really know. What I do is try to think of why it happened. Even if it may not be true a little thought, a little "maybe this is why" could put things in a different perspective other than that previous one of focusing on yourself. Sometimes getting the overall view can help get you back on focus. And I don't mean "the universe is against me" aspect, or "its all my fault, I can never do anything right" aspect, or "its all their fault" aspect. I try (I know its not really possible to do this in the slightest) to look at it from God's perspective. Why would God be allowing this?
My favorite is to immediately assume that I was doing good. I was following God and satan saw it. And it displeased him so he came after me! In this way it was not really my fault! And for some this may be true. However, more often than not, its my own fault either directly, or indirectly.
Then I try to remember: There is a reason for everything. God doesn't just allow things to happen for no reason. You know those nice smooth rocks you can find at the edge of a river, or lake, or in the ocean? The rocks came to be that way because they were battered, and scraped, and ground against other rocks, and sand, and rough elements.Those little stones went through a lot. Do you think they looked on those other particles that rubbed up against them with contempt? "He just chipped a piece of me off!", "She rubs me the wrong way!", "Everything about so-and-so is always scratchy and irritable!" But look how they came out. Their colors are more vibrant and visible on their smooth, glistening surfaces...they're beautiful and they're strong. And they will be able to weather more. And they will be able to help the other rocks that haven't gone through the processes yet. "You may not like the sand, dear, but look what it can do for you!"
If the rock is not strong, but brittle, or rigid, the elements will break it down. It will become sand and rub up against the other rocks, irritating those around it. Becoming the problem that itself had hated.
And if God does all of this just to turn a coarse rock into a smooth stone imagine what kind of detail and care He puts into our lives just to see us come out all agleam and smooth! God would never allow something to happen to us that we could not come through. Even the sand he can turn into a pearl. And even the hardest of substances He can make into a diamond.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Grape Juice From Lemons
At my Mom's request I am posting this from my other blog:
Well, I'm feeling kind of cheerful/hopeful today. So here's a cheerful thought :
No school, no school,no school...
Okay, seriously now, here's the hopeful thought I initially meant to post: "When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it."
Sometimes funny, seemingly irrational thoughts can cheer you up or motivate you more so than deep, or wise thoughts can. I think this is because some deep thoughts are pondered realistically or logically. And, of course, when thinking realitically, you tend to see everything, sometimes the bad more so than the good. And logic brings you down to earth. That is how you see things when thinking this way; nothing miraculous.
Now don't get me wrong, realism and logic are great (I am an aficionado of C.S. Lewis' writings), but so are dreams, aspirations, and hope. This is where the "lemons and grape juice" thought comes in. No, it makes absolutely no sense when looked at from the realistic logical point of
view; after all there is to possible way grape juice can come from a lemon. But when you think about it from an allegorical point of view you might infer(Oh! So logic can be used anyway!) that the lemons of life are the sour, not-so-great times or experiences.
Now the phrase is usually, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade," but here we have, "make grape juice." Grape juice from lemons? I think the grape juice in this particular thought is the dream, aspiration, or hope (*cough cough*God*cough*). When unfavorable things happen in your life, don't just resign yourself to a predictable outcome (ie: lemonade from lemons). Pray for something better! Psalms 50:15 says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Earlier in verses 9-12 God tells of all that is his (which is
everything). He is powerful. And He has the ability to Rock your world! Some people are just content to let things roll on in their usual way without even thinking to ask Him for help? That's not for me! Bring on the Grape juice!
As for the last part about, "Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it," You shouldn't just sit around reflecting on your miracle when others wonder how it happened. You should be out there telling others all about how God pulled you through.
Well, so there's the realistic logical point of view, and the allegorical point of view. Now here is the quick and easy way I first thought about the phrase when I was not trying to think about something to think about: "Hmm? Grape juice from lemons. I'm going to do something to make people wonder just like they would if they saw me making grape juice from lemons!"
I could have put that last point of view at the beginning, but you might not have read the rest(^-^). Hey! I just noticed! Ugh! I'm on Christmas break from school and I just wrote somewhat of an essay! It has three points and everything! Grrhh! But, I'm still feeling cheerful! Hmm, grape juice from lemons....
I also noticed, here as I was revising this post for this blog, I wrote this a year ago during my last Christmas break!
Well, I'm feeling kind of cheerful/hopeful today. So here's a cheerful thought :
No school, no school,no school...
Okay, seriously now, here's the hopeful thought I initially meant to post: "When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it."
Sometimes funny, seemingly irrational thoughts can cheer you up or motivate you more so than deep, or wise thoughts can. I think this is because some deep thoughts are pondered realistically or logically. And, of course, when thinking realitically, you tend to see everything, sometimes the bad more so than the good. And logic brings you down to earth. That is how you see things when thinking this way; nothing miraculous.
Now don't get me wrong, realism and logic are great (I am an aficionado of C.S. Lewis' writings), but so are dreams, aspirations, and hope. This is where the "lemons and grape juice" thought comes in. No, it makes absolutely no sense when looked at from the realistic logical point of
view; after all there is to possible way grape juice can come from a lemon. But when you think about it from an allegorical point of view you might infer(Oh! So logic can be used anyway!) that the lemons of life are the sour, not-so-great times or experiences.
Now the phrase is usually, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade," but here we have, "make grape juice." Grape juice from lemons? I think the grape juice in this particular thought is the dream, aspiration, or hope (*cough cough*God*cough*). When unfavorable things happen in your life, don't just resign yourself to a predictable outcome (ie: lemonade from lemons). Pray for something better! Psalms 50:15 says, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Earlier in verses 9-12 God tells of all that is his (which is
everything). He is powerful. And He has the ability to Rock your world! Some people are just content to let things roll on in their usual way without even thinking to ask Him for help? That's not for me! Bring on the Grape juice!
As for the last part about, "Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it," You shouldn't just sit around reflecting on your miracle when others wonder how it happened. You should be out there telling others all about how God pulled you through.
Well, so there's the realistic logical point of view, and the allegorical point of view. Now here is the quick and easy way I first thought about the phrase when I was not trying to think about something to think about: "Hmm? Grape juice from lemons. I'm going to do something to make people wonder just like they would if they saw me making grape juice from lemons!"
I could have put that last point of view at the beginning, but you might not have read the rest(^-^). Hey! I just noticed! Ugh! I'm on Christmas break from school and I just wrote somewhat of an essay! It has three points and everything! Grrhh! But, I'm still feeling cheerful! Hmm, grape juice from lemons....
I also noticed, here as I was revising this post for this blog, I wrote this a year ago during my last Christmas break!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
For Reals
Welcome to my blog. For "reals" this time. For those of you who don't know what I mean, let me tell you that I officially have 3 e-blogs now. I lost the first one I made (I had tried to delete it when I made my second blog, but I'll get to that later). Actually, I didn't even know that I had that first blog. It was so long ago now. I don't even know why I made it; I never did anything with it. I originally discovered that I had that first blog when I went to make my second blog. So I tried to delete the first blog. It didn't work. I couldn't remember the password for it. Now I can't find it anywhere, but I know its floating around out there somewhere! That kind of bugs me. *eye twitches*
Well, so I made a second blog (I didn't like name of the old one anyway). It was great. I loved the color, it had a picture of a Lladro figurine that I digitally touched up for the profile pic, there was a seriously cool proverb under my heading, you know, the works. I didn't really post much on my second blog (give me a break, it was during my first year of college). And I actually forgot about it until the other week when I wanted to go check on it and add a new post. I couldn't get in! So I requested a new password. Big mistake!! I had forgotten that I made this second blog while using a different e-mail address. Let me tell you why this part gets me going: This "old" e-mail address of mine is now "old" and not being used because Thunderbird deleted my account!! My Dad sent them messages asking them to fix it, but they never did. So I have a new e-mail now. All that was just to say the new password I requested to get into my second blog was sent to my old e-mail address. Yeah, so I never got it. Now my second blog is inaccessible to me, which is a very sad thing, because my Mom and sisters can log in and show me my page. But I can't get to it myself. Another very sad thing is that after all this I found the piece of paper that I had written the original password on. A bit too late huh?
So now I have this new blog. And like I said, this time its for reals.
Well, so I made a second blog (I didn't like name of the old one anyway). It was great. I loved the color, it had a picture of a Lladro figurine that I digitally touched up for the profile pic, there was a seriously cool proverb under my heading, you know, the works. I didn't really post much on my second blog (give me a break, it was during my first year of college). And I actually forgot about it until the other week when I wanted to go check on it and add a new post. I couldn't get in! So I requested a new password. Big mistake!! I had forgotten that I made this second blog while using a different e-mail address. Let me tell you why this part gets me going: This "old" e-mail address of mine is now "old" and not being used because Thunderbird deleted my account!! My Dad sent them messages asking them to fix it, but they never did. So I have a new e-mail now. All that was just to say the new password I requested to get into my second blog was sent to my old e-mail address. Yeah, so I never got it. Now my second blog is inaccessible to me, which is a very sad thing, because my Mom and sisters can log in and show me my page. But I can't get to it myself. Another very sad thing is that after all this I found the piece of paper that I had written the original password on. A bit too late huh?
So now I have this new blog. And like I said, this time its for reals.
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