Why does death have to be? Why is there so much sadness and suffering? It’s all in each of our stories. Not a one of us has lived a long, joyous life with no heartbreaks or tears or brokenness to speak of. We’ve all lost something, been beaten down, physically and mentally.
We forget that sometimes, inflicting hurt onto each other, so it’s one big cycle. It’s one big loop of being hurt and creating the hurt that we’re all tired of, but can’t seem to stop.
I wonder, if there were no bad times, would there be happiness at all? Would we recognize it? I have asked myself this question for a long time, but I think I’ve finally realized the answer, and it’s yes. God created Paradise on earth where Adam and Eve walked with Him, loving each other and Him. And Heaven is like this too, just light and goodness however we imagine it. We all yearn for a place like that, so it must be, and we must all be meant for it.
How can such an invisible thing as sin be manifested in so many ways, and do so much destruction and damage? How much more will God sweep in, when it is time, and restore it all, to something wonderful and good and whole. One day He will.
Sometimes I want to live forever, so caught up on life that wiggles and pops and excites me of all its endless possibilities. But sometimes I desperately wish for Jesus to come back, to save us all, this very moment, so that one more child will not go hungry, there’ll be no more rapes, no more anger, no more death, no more brokenness, no more tears, no more anguish and grief. It’ll be over and gone -- like it never happened.
Jesus says in Isaiah 65:17, See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
How amazing is that? Like the bad stuff never even happened ...
Isaiah goes on to say that God will rejoice and have joy in his people, the voice of weeping shall be no more heard, nor the voice of crying.
God is going to create that Paradise again, and it will be forever this time. This we can have hope for, when the world comes crashing down on us, and seems too much to bear.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
A new definition of success from centuries ago
I find it interesting when I come across news stories that have an obvious jibe to what the Bible says. Not because I'm surprised that the Bible is relevant to our day, which it is, but because mainstream society is hostile to the Word of God, yet its conclusions end up coinciding with its truth all along.
One of the latest examples of this is Arianna Huffington's commencement address for the graduating class of the all-female Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Huffington is the president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post.
Speaking to an audience who has its next career move on the mind, Huffington focuses on society's definition of success. She says this includes seeking money and power, but that it "isn't working for anyone."
These objectives have created a workplace that is "fueled by stress, sleep-deprivation and burnout," she says.
The Today show did a story, based off a New York Times article, about the negative effects just sleep-deprivation can have on our bodies. These include mental health problems, obesity, cancer and heart disease, among other ailments.
However, Huffington says she has a solution to this dilemma; she calls it the "third metric." It's about adding well-being, wonder, wisdom and giving back, into our definition of success.
On June 6, the Huffington Post sponsored a conference about this idea. The newspaper's website even has a "third metric" blog where successful men and women weigh in on their own definitions of success and how people can lead more fulfilling, happy lives.
The thing is, what Huffington and the rest are trying to figure out, has already been written down in great detail in the Bible.
The Bible defined success centuries ago, and it had nothing to do with money and power, but about seeking God. He is the source of all the attributes Huffington lists in her “third metric,” and much more. Why else would Jesus say in Matthew 22:36-40 that the greatest commandment is to love God?
In her speech, Huffington says there are two fundamental truths: 1. "We all have an inner place of wisdom, harmony, strength. This is a truth that all the world's religions -- whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Buddhism -- and many of its philosophies, hold true in one form or another: 'The Kingdom of God is Within.'
2. "When we're in that centered place of wisdom, harmony and strength, life is transformed, from struggle to grace, and we are suddenly filled with trust, no matter the obstacles, challenges and disappointments. Because there is a purpose to our lives, even if it is sometimes hidden from us and even if the biggest turning points and heartbreaks only make sense as we look back, not as we are experiencing them."
I agree that we have a source of wisdom, harmony, etc, but it's not in some mysterious place we have inside of ourselves. It comes from God.
In John 15:5 Jesus says apart from Him we can do nothing. He says in Colossians 1:16-17 that He has created all things and that He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
When Huffington was quoting from the Bible, "The Kingdom of God is within," it was taken from Luke 17:21, when the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is going to come.
Jesus answers them saying it's not going to be a specific time or place, but is already within us.
The Greek word "makario," which is translated "blessed" in English, means to be characterized by the quality of God. The only way we can have this is if He dwells in us and his nature lives inside us, i.e., "God's kingdom is within us." This could mean the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside each believer.
These believers have a source of wisdom, harmony etc, not by their own doing, but because these qualities are of God. It's who He is.
Many verses describe His attributes. He brings us from struggle to grace, Psalm 116; He is a source of strength, wisdom and trust, Psalm 28, Psalm 111, Isaiah 40:31; He gives us purpose, Ephesians 2:10. God is the “centered place” Huffington describes.
When Huffington spoke to the women of Smith College, she was hoping to encourage them, to give them the tools they needed to find fulfillment in their lives.
Another meaning of the Greek word, makario, is to be fully satisfied. We experience this when we are satisfied not by circumstances, but by the very fact that Christ lives in us.
This is the advice I would give to graduates and people everywhere: Accept God in your heart, put your hope in His Word, for heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away, Matthew 24:35.
One of the latest examples of this is Arianna Huffington's commencement address for the graduating class of the all-female Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Huffington is the president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post.
Speaking to an audience who has its next career move on the mind, Huffington focuses on society's definition of success. She says this includes seeking money and power, but that it "isn't working for anyone."
These objectives have created a workplace that is "fueled by stress, sleep-deprivation and burnout," she says.
The Today show did a story, based off a New York Times article, about the negative effects just sleep-deprivation can have on our bodies. These include mental health problems, obesity, cancer and heart disease, among other ailments.
However, Huffington says she has a solution to this dilemma; she calls it the "third metric." It's about adding well-being, wonder, wisdom and giving back, into our definition of success.
On June 6, the Huffington Post sponsored a conference about this idea. The newspaper's website even has a "third metric" blog where successful men and women weigh in on their own definitions of success and how people can lead more fulfilling, happy lives.
The thing is, what Huffington and the rest are trying to figure out, has already been written down in great detail in the Bible.
The Bible defined success centuries ago, and it had nothing to do with money and power, but about seeking God. He is the source of all the attributes Huffington lists in her “third metric,” and much more. Why else would Jesus say in Matthew 22:36-40 that the greatest commandment is to love God?
In her speech, Huffington says there are two fundamental truths: 1. "We all have an inner place of wisdom, harmony, strength. This is a truth that all the world's religions -- whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Buddhism -- and many of its philosophies, hold true in one form or another: 'The Kingdom of God is Within.'
2. "When we're in that centered place of wisdom, harmony and strength, life is transformed, from struggle to grace, and we are suddenly filled with trust, no matter the obstacles, challenges and disappointments. Because there is a purpose to our lives, even if it is sometimes hidden from us and even if the biggest turning points and heartbreaks only make sense as we look back, not as we are experiencing them."
I agree that we have a source of wisdom, harmony, etc, but it's not in some mysterious place we have inside of ourselves. It comes from God.
In John 15:5 Jesus says apart from Him we can do nothing. He says in Colossians 1:16-17 that He has created all things and that He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
When Huffington was quoting from the Bible, "The Kingdom of God is within," it was taken from Luke 17:21, when the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God is going to come.
Jesus answers them saying it's not going to be a specific time or place, but is already within us.
The Greek word "makario," which is translated "blessed" in English, means to be characterized by the quality of God. The only way we can have this is if He dwells in us and his nature lives inside us, i.e., "God's kingdom is within us." This could mean the Holy Spirit, which dwells inside each believer.
These believers have a source of wisdom, harmony etc, not by their own doing, but because these qualities are of God. It's who He is.
Many verses describe His attributes. He brings us from struggle to grace, Psalm 116; He is a source of strength, wisdom and trust, Psalm 28, Psalm 111, Isaiah 40:31; He gives us purpose, Ephesians 2:10. God is the “centered place” Huffington describes.
When Huffington spoke to the women of Smith College, she was hoping to encourage them, to give them the tools they needed to find fulfillment in their lives.
Another meaning of the Greek word, makario, is to be fully satisfied. We experience this when we are satisfied not by circumstances, but by the very fact that Christ lives in us.
This is the advice I would give to graduates and people everywhere: Accept God in your heart, put your hope in His Word, for heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away, Matthew 24:35.
The first post
I’ve finally started a blog! I’ve been hearing from friends, family members and my husband for awhile now that I should create one, and now I feel like I finally have something to say. My posts will include my reactions/opinions on news stories, excerpts from books I’m reading, and anything else I find interesting or worth writing about. It’ll basically be a mixed bag of whatever I’m focusing at the moment outside my regular job, copy editing pages for the Charleston Gazette. Thats why the blog’s called “Downtime.”
Through this blog, I’ll try more than anything to inform my readers of the facts and both sides of the story. I’ll also be sharing my thoughts on the ways I see God working in my life and the world around me. I love God and Jesus and learning more about them, and this will, hopefully, be reflected in my writing.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and anything else I post. I appreciate it so much. I look forward to your comments and feedback!
Through this blog, I’ll try more than anything to inform my readers of the facts and both sides of the story. I’ll also be sharing my thoughts on the ways I see God working in my life and the world around me. I love God and Jesus and learning more about them, and this will, hopefully, be reflected in my writing.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and anything else I post. I appreciate it so much. I look forward to your comments and feedback!
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