The Giver & Love

So, I just finished watching The Giver and it was a really good movie. It definitely made me stop and think about life, and about what we take for granted. It really made me appreciate what we have. I know that there is so much we go through each day; there are so many distractions out there. Sometimes we forget that there is much to be thankful for, so much to rejoice about- the joy of friendship, laughter, family, the love of the Father. 

The movie also made me so thankful that we as people, can feel deep raw emotions. Because in the movie, the elders of this so-called "perfect community" integrated a system where citizens had to take injections each morning that dulled and kept their emotions at bay. The people only knew of feelings like love, anger, joy- but were never able to feel them. Like the Giver or keeper of all past memories said, they were just living in gray shadows and echoes of what life once was. Seeing this, I am grateful that we are not stunted and that we do not live  gray echoed lives like those in "The Community." We have life, we have color, we have music, all these beautiful things! Yes, there is hate and war, there's crime, there's death, there's murder- but the pain and the suffering is what makes faith, hope, and love all the more beautiful, all the more precious, all the more real. Those feelings are worth fighting for. Jonas, the apprentice of the Giver and the main character of the movie, fought for exactly that. He caught a glimpse of the past- the beauty and joy along the evil and darkness of societies before them (basically the kind of society we live in now). He was scared at first when we saw glimpses of war. He thought that maybe the elders were right to surpress these emotions to protect society. But in the end, he still knew that sometime was wrong. 

Emotions come with the good, the bad, and the ugly, but despite all the crap in this world, love is worth fighting for. I mean love is what drives us all isn't it? It's what drove God. It's what drove Jesus. God loved us so much that He was willing send His only son to earth to bear our sins and suffer on our behalf, so that we wouldn't have to pay the penalty of death for our sins, so that we wouldn't have to face eternal separation from God if we believe in Jesus, so that we could be reconciled into a right relationship with Him. Jesus was passionate about us. He loved us and was willing to die on the cross for us because He knew that love was worth fighting for when he died, conquered sin, and rose again! That is true and perfect love. The love that we've been searching for, the love that I've known about but never really experienced until now, rests in Him. The deep love that we long for and crave for in this life is a reflection of what He created us for- a deep relationship with Him. Sometimes we search for it in the wrong places, but true, perfect, and unfailing love can only be found in Him.

It is truly beautiful and I'm so glad to see glimpses of His love in my friends when the give to others and in my family when they are thoughtful, in strangers who are kind and self-sacrificial. I'm so thankful that God created us in His image. How wonderful and how beautiful that we are created in the image of Him who feels deeply and who loves deeply. Love makes it all worth it. God is love and we are beloved. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Excellence of Love

 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What is Love?

1 John 4:7-21

God is Love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen,cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Break this cold, bitter heart of mine

Lord revive my dry dead bones

My soul pants for Your living water

My being thirsts for the living God

My soul is in despair within me Oh, God

My mind troubled deeply

But I know that You shine Your lovingkindness

each morning

And that Your song will be with me in the night

I will continue to pray to you, the God of my life

I will place my hope in You, for I shall again praise You

I say Oh God, why have you forgotten me?

Why am I in affliction because of the enemy?

Why is my soul disturbed within me?

But I will hope in God

I shall still praise Him

For He is faithful, my rock, my shepherd, my All

based on Psalm 42

God is Light

God Is Light

1 John 1:5-9

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

No matter how far I think I've fallen, God is always faithful to forgive and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness when I come before Him and confess my sins. I know sometimes it might be scary to approach God and to come before Him to confess, but remember that He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteouness! How wonderful and how merciful God is! I know that it may often feel like a battle- a Civil war- with our old nature and our new nature in Christ being in conflict. But I know that as we continue to walk in Him, letting the indwelling Christ control all, the more His Light will shine in us and the more darkness will flee!

Dear Sugar Addiction

         I've known for awhile now that I have a serious addiction. It's nothing like alcohol or drugs, but some say it can have the same effect on the pleasure centers of our brains and that similar symptoms of withdrawal can occur when trying to quit. But today, I was hit with a serious urge to end my damaging relationship with sugar. In light of family health issues and generally just feeling super gross after bingeing on sugar, I decided that it was time to say goodbye and begin finding new, stable, healthy ways to overcome these insatiable cravings. Holla, if any one else is struggling with sugar addiction! I know it can be extremely difficult & you're not alone! Seriously, we've been biologically programmed to crave sugar, salt, and fat for survival! But hopefully, you'll take this step with me in saying goodbye and combatting this addiction day by day, step by step, with a fierce mind and determined heart.

Dear Sugar Addiction,

         It has definitely been a long and winding journey hasn't it? But I must say that this detrimental relationship has to end. I'm leaving you, because I no longer want you to have power or control over me. I am choosing to take that first step in letting go and severing these strangling ties. I must admit this relationship has been a very pleasurable one. You were there for me during times of stress and times of sadness. You have been a stable source of comfort for so long. And part of me is thankful for that. But now, I know that it is time for me to move on. Just as people change and drift apart as they enter different stages of life, I feel that it is time to say goodbye. I know that as I am maturing, this relationship will no longer suffice in coping with problems. I know that there are healthier, much better ways out there. So I need to let you go and search for another source of solace. I'm sorry, and I hope you understand where I am coming from. It is hard for me too, you know. With out a doubt, it will take time to get over you. I know that these first few days will probably feel miserable; I might relapse, but in the end I need to choose a different path. Believe me, it is for the best. And if you truly care about my wellbeing, you would understand and do your best to not coax me along. I ask that you please respect my decision and honor this request. So with that, I give you my final goodbye. It has been a crazy ride, but I can no longer allow you to have control; I need to find my own way to a happier, healthier life.

Good Bye.

Helpful Tips to Kickin' Sugar Addiction!

Try to implement 2 each week, so it's not too overwhelming. And then add on 2 more as you continue implementing the previous tips!
For this week, I'll choose is 1) Distracting myself & 2) Drinking lots of water

Good luck & see you soon!

Corinthians 10:31
"Whether, then,  you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Back to Blogging! + What Happy People Do Differently

This semester I'm taking a class called positive psychology, and one of the articles we had to read was "What Happy People Do Differently," by Roberts Biswas-Deiner and Todd B. Kashdan

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201306/what-happy-people-do-differently?tr=MostViewed

So, here are just some things I thought highlighted the article, along with some questions I asked myself in response!:)

- Happiness is a state of mind, and as such, can be intentional and strategic

- Truly happy people seem to have an intuitive grasp of the fact that sustained happiness is not just about doing things that you like. It also requires growth and adventuring beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone.  

- Curious people generally accept the notion that while being uncomfortable and vulnerable is not an easy path, it is the most direct route to becoming stronger and wiser.

- what am I most afraid of? being judged by others, being rejected
-  in what ways can I adventure beyond my comfort zone? engage in some performances, take hold of public speaking opportunities, make friendly conversation with new people

- A little attention to detail helps with a more realistic evaluation of the social world. Yet too much attention to detail can interfere with basic day-to-day functioning

- The happiest people have a natural emotional protection against getting sucked in by the intense gravitational pull of little details.

 - how can I find balance with paying attention to detail, but not get sucked into the  intense pull of every little detail? 
try to keep room organized, but not get caught up in having everything in its proper place all the time, recognize the tasks I need to accomplish, but not worry about all of the little things that come with it when I'm doing other activities

- The happiest people are the ones who are present when things go right for others—and whose own wins are regularly celebrated by their friends as well

 - how can I be there for my friends during the good times?
 - encourage them, get excited with them, buy them small gifts!

- Happy, flourishing people don't hide from negative emotions. They acknowledge that life is full of disappointments and confront them head on, often using feelings of anger effectively to stick up for themselves or those of guilt as motivation to change their own behavior. This nimble mental shifting between pleasure and pain, the ability to modify behavior to match a situation's demands, is known as psychological flexibility.

- Purpose is what drives us to take risks and make changes—even in the face of hardship and when sacrificing short-term happiness.

 - what is my purpose?

 - to share the gospel, God's love & truth, + make disciples

 - to help others strive to reach their potential

- Yet overall, people who are the happiest tend to be superior at sacrificing short-term pleasures when there is a good opportunity to make progress toward what they aspire to become in life

 - what short term pleasure can I sacrifice to make progress toward what I aspire to be?
 - I can sacrifice port city java smoothies to save money for mission trips
- I can sacrifice momentary awkwardness and discomfort to obey God and His will

- The good life is best construed as a matrix that includes happiness, occasional sadness, a sense of purpose, playfulness, and psychological flexibility, as well autonomy, mastery, and belonging.

- While some people will rank high in happiness and social belonging, others will find they've attained a sense of mastery and achievement. This approach appreciates that not only do people differ in their happiness matrices—but they can shift in their own respective matrices from moment to moment.

-  Parsing the good life into a matrix is more than linguistic trickery; shifting toward a mixed-bag view of well-being opens more paths to achieving a personally desirable life. Enjoying success in even one area of the matrix can be a cause for celebration.

THE END:)

After reading this I was inspired to take one aspect of happiness that the article talks about and apply it to my life this week! I think I'll focus on adventuring beyond my comfort zone!

So what are some of your responses to these questions? & is there an aspect you'd like to work on?

Food for thought! Have a great day!

Pains

Sometimes the scenarios in our head
Do not always pan out the way we imagine
Sometimes reality can be a lot more harsh
And the sting of rejection lasts longer than we expect
As gentle reminders set off nostalgic pangs
But with time, these aches fade and slowly ease
Until they just become clouded memories
That make the joy we now find
All the more beautiful

The Fault in Our Stars

I just watched the Fault in Our Stars, and man- what a heart-wrencher! Seeing this movie reminded me of how we are all in search of & desperately yearn for that epic love story. It's in the core of our human nature- to want something outside ourselves, to want to share & experience life with someone else, to be loved unconditionally, to be wanted, and to feel that we are wanted, understood and known. To find this intimacy, this relationship, this love- this ultimate love- you could say is our life's goal and the vision of true happiness (is it not?). I am reminded of the countless times I have aimlessly yearned, and consistently placed my hope and heart on earthly love. And as beautiful and wonderful as the relationships we have here can be, nothing beats the epic love and relationship we can have with Christ. Nothing in this world- no man, no woman, no earthly love could ever compare to the perfect love we have and are given by grace. Man and woman are a mere reflection of this relationship. Because just like the title of this movie reflects, life is not a picture-perfect fairytale. There is pain, there are hurtles, and struggles & as humans we all have faults, come to disappoint, and sometimes promise more than we can give. But it is His love that never fails. That is why although I would be glad to find love here, I choose to fully and completely give my heart to Christ. Of course this relationship, like all relationships, is something I have to fight for each and every day- but the joy and delight that comes from abiding in Christ and placing my affections in Him surmounts to the immeasurable. Ironically, this morning at Antioch Church, the pastor was preaching about our ultimate aim- to love the Lord with all our

HEART

MIND

& SOUL.

It is to have a relationship with God above all else, which aligns pretty well with the desires of our heart- to be loved, wanted, understood, known- wouldn't you say? 

The answer is not in a significant other, but the answer is in Him.

I realize that all I am is found in Christ and that I can not rely on any person, or man for fulfillment. But He says that we are His beloved, His children, His bridegroom. And I fully receive those words, and I fully believe them. This journey with Him is truly the most beautiful and epic of all, and I am so excited for what lies ahead as I walk day by day, hand in hand, with the love of my life.