Impossible?

"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway." ~ Mary Kay Ash

I was looking on my calender for this month earlier and this is the quote I saw.  It got me thinking about how many things in the world defy all odds.  Scientists have tried to conjure up all different explanations for this impossible occurrence, but they won't admit that maybe some things in this world can't be explained.  It's human nature to try and make sense of everything.  If something doesn't fit just perfectly with or standardizations we have to find an explanation.  Squeeze it into something uncomfortable.  So, what if the bumble bee really can fly? Oh wait, it can!

What would the bumble bee think if it saw us bickering over it flying.  What if it knew that it's body weight shouldn't be able to fly with it's tiny wings?  Would it scoff at our nonsense?  Well sometimes I think God does.  He sees all that we do to try and understand the world.  We have made the principals of flight, equation of a line and even the alphabet.  Everything falls under a certain category.  Everything must have an answer, right? Wrong.  

Look at the love God has for us, as an example.  We think that we know what it's like to love someone with everything we have.  We think we know what it may be like to be God.  Loving everyone equally, even though some of us don't even love You in return.  We try to look at it with our own perspective.  Our mortal perspective.  We give up on God, because we think that He could never love us like He claims.  Truth is, He does with all his heart.  Sure, we don't, but we're not Him.  He loves you not for your looks, not for what you have done or what you'll become.  He loves you because you are His.  He is constantly giving you gifts, like the ones from your grandparents on your birthday.  The great part about his love is that we don't need to understand exactly where it comes from or why it happens.  We should just embrace it in our hearts.  Sort of like passing a math class without learning anything about it.  As impossible as it seems, it can still happen.  Our Lord wants us to know exactly that.  He wants us to trust in Him, for He is the branch that will never break and the flower that will not fade.  If we pay attention to the things that really matter, we could all get somewhere.

So be like the bumble bee.  Defy all odds and prove everyone wrong.  Jesus was everything we can't be, perfect.  Don't think too hard about the impossible.  Don't tell yourself that anything is impossible.  Just keep reaching to the sky.  See if you can make it a little higher than last time.  Could you prove the world wrong again?  The bumble bee did!

Strength

"That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

It's always been my little dream to be a strong person.  No matter what life brings I'd be ready to fight through it.  To never be afraid of whats ahead of me.  Every once in a while you come to a point in life where you can't seem to move foreword.  A wall of fear or guilt or failure blocks you path.  You can't go around it or under it or through it.  You just have to get over it.  Accepting failure is always a hard thing to do.  When you think back, it seems like with just a little more effort you could have done it.  Automatically, you regret what you've done.  Thinking that your the smaller person, not strong enough.  Well of course your not strong enough.  Don't let anyone tell you your good enough to do whatever you want.  Without God, you can't get anywhere.  He's the ladder that lifts us up over the wall.  You can try as much as you want to go without him, but endless failure is the only thing you'll get.

So now that you know your not perfect or strong enough to do anything alone, it's time for some good news.  Well of course we have God looking after us and letting everything happen for a reason.  Just sometimes he doesn't want you to get the easy way out.  He challenges you, kind of like a math teacher.  When difficult problems are assigned, the only way out is to try.  To stretch you muscles to the absolute extreme.  So afterwards, your a little better than you were before.  

This quote is probably my favorite ever.  It gives me a reason to live my life ever day.  Everything that pulls me down is only helping me get back up as a better person.  So for all those people out there that bully or abuse, just know that your actually doing the victim a favor.  Be the stronger person and always get back up.  Don't let something little bring you down.  Being weak and vulnerable is no way to live.  Are you strong?                                                                 
                                                                                  Be Brave!

If Today Was Your Last Day

I got to thinking about what I would do if I knew I only had one day left to live.  All the people I'd see and the places I'd go.  The food I would eat or the books I would read.  My inspiration was from Nickelback's "If Today Was Your Last Day," hence the title of this post.  I encourage you to play this video.  It's a great song with a great message.  Basically, it says to do what you want with your life right now.  Don't just cruise along and hope it turns out right.  There's no second chances, so live like there's no tomorrow.  But we don't ever to die.  We live to please and have fun.  We prepare for the future and sometimes fail to live in the moment.  I'm not telling you to quit school and never think about things, but just live a little.  Do some things that make you smile and don't regret them.  It'll always be worth the price.  So what would I do if there was only one more day?

Honestly, I would start off the day thinking about how I only have one day left of my life.  Then, I would dig out all the money I had and give it to a local charity.  I would call up all my friends, or go talk to them myself and tell them what they mean to me.  I wouldn't want to go anywhere big on my last day.  I would just end up spending a bunch of time in the car/plane.  I would go and tell everyone about how Jesus loves everyone and hope that they'd spread the news when I left.  I would go through all of my old pictures and take in every moment of my life just once more.  Then, run around outside barefoot.  Run around on the pine needles and hot cement.  Take a short dip in the pool and run around a while.  I would eat some of my favorite foods and spend some time with my family.  Of course, I would thank God for that last day and prepare to come into his kingdom.  Read some of my favorite versus in the Bible and enjoy his creations.  Listen to my favorite music.  Pretty much, do everything  that makes me happy I'm alive.  I would also call up all of my enemies and forgive them.  Tell them I am sorry for what I may have say to them and hope for forgiveness in return.  All that in one day.  What would you do?

Love Your Enemy

Have you ever thought about love?  If there is so many kinds of love, then which one does God use?  How much does He love?  Well, no man can comprehend the compassion and love God has for everything.  It is so far beyond our foolish meaning of "love" that sometimes, we don't know love at all.  How can God love you so much if you don't love him back?  Don't ask me!  I am a mere mortal!  The good part is, we don't have to know how He loves us.  All He asks is that we accept His love and love Him in return.  He also wants us to love everyone with no exceptions.  That means absolutely no "buts" or excuses.  Acceptance of others is key.  Just like Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, "'But I say, love your enemies!  Pray for those who persecute you!'"  Now how far does that mean we should go?  What kind of love should we give them?  The bare minimum or all that we have to offer?  Have you ever wanted to love someone who does all bad?  I can show you how.

"The Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."  Colossians 3:13.  Show God that you love Him by loving the things He made.  Having respect for his creations and forgiving them.  Even the worst.  Take Hitler, for example.  He was responsible for the persecution of thousands of Jews during World War 2.  He treated them as slaves and tortured their souls for believing in something.  Without a question, we know that he is a bad man.  But let me ask you, what made him bad?  With my minimal psychological knowledge, I do know lots about motivation.  He needed to have been taught, he needed to have accepted and followed through.  To begin with, Hitler was raised in a family that hated Jews.  That was all he had ever known.  He accepted that the Jewish faith was destructive and needed to be destroyed.  To follow through, he needed an ingenious plan.  One that would arouse chaos and annihilate the entire Jewish population.  God had given him a true gift.  The face of a leader and speaker.  Basically, he had the motive and ability to kill.  Hitler attained an army and followed through.  He started World War 2.  Why should we forgive someone who did this much damage?  God forgave him.

God says that thinking about killing someone in your mind is just as bad as really murdering them.  Anyway, all sins are equal.  Murder, jealousy, and lies are all the same.  Don't tell me that you have never sinned.  Well guess what, your just as bad as Hitler, but you can be forgiven.  Hitler didn't show any guilt or regrets, but he made many enemies.  The earthly consequences don't have anything to do with how bad something is in God's eyes.

Someone Worth Dying For...you

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” 
― Martin Luther King Jr.

After hearing the song Someone Worth Dying For by MIKESCHAIR on the radio, I was instantly reminded of MLK.  It may seem bad to compare someone like him to Jesus, but he was a very godly man.  Martin was a great teacher, leader, speaker and preacher.  He was a man of God.  He was also an African American fighting for his beliefs.  Martin was willing to die to see a difference in the world.  Now, let me ask you just one question.  This is not a question to be answered right now or even soon.  Events and future experiences will make up the answer.  But is there anything in this world that you would die for?  Notice the 'this world' part.  Aside from God, could you die for a belief, a friendship or even a great memory? If not, how much would you give for the dream to become a reality?  Well, just know that he gave it all, his life, the ultimate sacrifice.  This is similar to what Jesus did, but he wasn't well aware of his death.  Just think, this was all for the world.

First off in the song, they talk about certain scenarios of self-hatred or insignificance.  All the negative things that could happen to you in life.  Sometimes we want to ask, "'God can you hear me?'"  If you've chosen a broken road that turned your life into regret, there is hope.  We all want to be loved by something.  We want to be their focus, their priority.  We want them to love us unconditionally, no matter what has gone wrong.  Knowing we can't achieve perfection, why do we try?  Every day we get up, go to school or work, but what do we get?  We get the necessities of life.  Food, water, shelter and a hope for a better future.  If you think about it, we're pretty selfish people.  Our desires, cares and concerns revolve around our world.  Now don't get me wrong, food is important, but why can't we save some time to think about our surroundings?   Back to my point, we try to say we did try.  We try to get things in return.  Like the Golden Rule of the Bible says, "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." You get out what you put into the situation.  We try to make the world a better place for love.  If you try to love someone with everything you have, chances are, they'll love you back.  God wants us to know we are worth something.  We add a little something to life, make it more enjoyable and lively.  Start living for God, knowing you are something worth dying for and you do matter.  But you may ask, "'Am I really beautiful?'" or "Why me?" or "'Am I more than flesh and bones?'"  I don't know why not.  You're obviously here for a reason and you're going to make a difference.  Now your life is what you make of it.  There won't be someone telling you what to do, but I do know we'll all be standing at the finish line cheering you on.  

                                                      Check out their music video!!!

The Equation of Life

Is life an equation?  Life is many things.  It has a beginning and an end, an input and an output and even a solution.  God is the world's solution, but we can't find the solution without work. The equation is always changing.  

First, think of yourself as a continuous equation.  With new experiences and memories you keep putting in variables.  Each of these changes the outcome of the situation.  Your perspective determines the way you act.  If you think violence is the answer to our problems, chances are you'll be violent.  The same is true for your own thoughts.  If you have a new experience that makes you feel guilty about the way you acted in the past, the outcome would again change.  This continuous cycle of life happens every day.  Some terms in the equation have a greater impact on the solution or way you live.  If you think about your life this way you'll notice that life is easy to change.  Do you have regrets?  Do you have fears?  All of this can be hidden if you trust God and he makes a large impact on your equation.  For example, if you take -7 and add 8 to it, what do you get? A positive number, 1.  Something of a greater strength can overtake the negative and leave you with positivity and relief.  Things can bring you down, but God can always pick you up.  

Next, think of all life as an equation.  The whole entire world formed with each person as a variable.  No one is alike and everyone has an impact on the solution, big or small, good or bad.  If we continuously move in the right direction, the equation can get better and better.  Why do it?  Because we can.  Sure, we don't have to, we have an option, but when you stand at the gates of heaven and God asks you, "What have you done to change the world?" you'll have an answer.  The answer to this equation is pure love.  Love for everything equally, and that includes your enemies.  Love the ones who hate you.  Your positivity can cancel their actions.  You can never have too much compassion for someone else.

So keep your head up and do the things you love.  Do them with love and honor.  Dream big and never look back.  No regrets, just improvement.  Look up and find your way through the Lord.

Gifts 2/2

     Well, I guess you could say I lied about this post.  I haven't really had the time to give you 50 more great things.  I don't know why you would want to see what I am thankful for anyways.  Instead I am going to talk about spiritual gifts.  Personal gifts.  The gifts you receive are different from everyone else.  Often I criticize myself for not being as smart as others or having an obvious calling.  Sure, I'm in a program for "academically gifted" kids, but that doesn't mean your're the most intelligent one.  There will always be someone better than you at something.  This makes me wonder why I even hope.  Well, let me tell you a story.  I hope it can inspire you as much as it did me.

     There is a girl in my class named Sarah* who is good at everything.  She has won the school science fair twice and is in the process of going to districts for this year's competition.  She even won a prize at states last year.  Sarah truly is gifted.  Every time I do something, she does it better.  She will make her paper longer or the teacher likes it better.  There will always be something.  It's hard to compare yourself to someone who is good at everything.  The craziest part is that she's unbelievably nice.  You would think that someone like her would be selfish or stuck up.  Honestly, that's how all "academically gifted" kids are thought to be.  To us, middle school is just middle school.  Relationships are thought highly of and social rankings fill our minds, but there is no interest in school.  We just understand concepts easier than other kids.  Life is just the opposite for Sarah.  There is no way she would get caught up in screwed relationships or popularity.  She spends her time studying genetics and pondering philosophy, enjoys anything scientific and lives for mature debates.  Sadly, the only people that understand what she's talking about are the teachers.  More people would like her if she didn't whisper everything.  You can't understand a word when being surrounded by rambunctious kids in a cafeteria who entertain themselves by throwing food at each other.  The only thing you can manage to do is nod, smile and pretend you heard every word.

     One day, I felt a little braver.  Or maybe I was just too curious.  I came up to her and asked, "How do you do it?"  "What do you mean by that?", she replied.  I guess I just thought she would know what I was talking about.  "I mean how are you so good at everything?" I asked.  "Well," she told me, "I don't know what you mean.  I am definitely not good at everything.  I just try to be." "Oh," I said, "so there's not a trick? You just know everything already?  That seems unfair."  I could tell she was confused by then even though she managed to keep a sincere smile on her face.  "Actually," she said, "I do have a trick."  I don't know what I was anticipating at this point, because it's not like she is a witch.  "I have an inspiration." she told me, "It's my brother Timmy*.  He has a genetic disability and inspires me to work hard every day.  I strive to help others with disabilities after becoming a geneticist."  I stood there in awe, trying to let that sink in.  "I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't know!"  "Oh," she replied, "It's nothing to be sorry about.  I love him so much just the way he is."  That had made my day.  A girl who does everything to the glory of someone bigger than herself.  Someone who cares to do the right thing and doesn't let anything get in her way.  "I'm so glad he has a sister like you.   He should be so proud!"  I said, smiling at the gracious being set before me by God.  Every since that day, we have become great friends.  I have even gotten to meet Timmy since then.  I can tell why she loves him so much.  A boy like him is very lucky to end up with a family like theirs.

     So, I realized that there was passion inside of her.  That's what I was missing.  Dwelling on how bad I was compared to her got me stuck in a ditch.  There was no way out until I got my priorities straight and ducks in a line.  That way I could really focus on getting out.  Every now and then I look back and ask why I was so concerned, but have to tell myself that I've grown since then.  Like Sarah says, "You can't go higher, if you don't start lower."

* name changed for privacy reasons