"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered...
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives...
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies...
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you...
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight...
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous...
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow...
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough...
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN YOU AND THEM ANYWAY."
10.25.2007
10.23.2007
for those who raised me...
There have been many times in my life when I've thought, "I never want to be like my parents." I've gotten frustrated, hurt, or angry at some points (whether I had a right to or not). Now I'm not so sure I feel that way any more. I'm almost positive that I don't.
No, I don't want to BE my parents. I have different expectations for myself and for my life than they do/did for theirs. My environments and experiences have given me the opportunity to dream differently (maybe not really bigger in every sense, but very very differently). I don't want to make the same choices in certain situations or follow their paths exactly. But I wouldn't mind at all being like them.
I want to work hard for what I have. To be dedicated and stable. To have common sense, not just intelligence. I want to raise a daughter (or son) who wants to call me to tell me about her life, even when she's in college. Who appreciates me. Who doesn't have it all together, but who does at least have most of her major priorities straight. I want to raise kids I can trust. To treat them with all the love and support that MY parents have treated me with.
I am who I am because I have overwhelmingly loving parents. They've overcome a lot to be the great parents they are. They make mistakes, but they apologize and we move on. They let me make mistakes and love me when I make them. They let me know all the time how proud they are of me and THAT makes me want to make them proud. They don't always understand me, but they do trust me and show me that they do. I've been infused with so much more love than I deserve. I want to be a person like that.
If you two are reading this, THANK YOU. Thank you for everything. I know you're not perfect, but you have done a great job in my eyes...
and I LOVE YOU more than life.
No, I don't want to BE my parents. I have different expectations for myself and for my life than they do/did for theirs. My environments and experiences have given me the opportunity to dream differently (maybe not really bigger in every sense, but very very differently). I don't want to make the same choices in certain situations or follow their paths exactly. But I wouldn't mind at all being like them.
I want to work hard for what I have. To be dedicated and stable. To have common sense, not just intelligence. I want to raise a daughter (or son) who wants to call me to tell me about her life, even when she's in college. Who appreciates me. Who doesn't have it all together, but who does at least have most of her major priorities straight. I want to raise kids I can trust. To treat them with all the love and support that MY parents have treated me with.
I am who I am because I have overwhelmingly loving parents. They've overcome a lot to be the great parents they are. They make mistakes, but they apologize and we move on. They let me make mistakes and love me when I make them. They let me know all the time how proud they are of me and THAT makes me want to make them proud. They don't always understand me, but they do trust me and show me that they do. I've been infused with so much more love than I deserve. I want to be a person like that.
If you two are reading this, THANK YOU. Thank you for everything. I know you're not perfect, but you have done a great job in my eyes...
and I LOVE YOU more than life.
10.18.2007
work
I think I'm getting too restless.
I want to get out of here, go do something I've never done, go create something, experience life in the beauty of relaxation, work on something that is a heck of a lot more valuable to SOMEBODY than studying thermophysics.
I'm getting lazy, and I want to stop working. That's my problem! I love Clemson, I love learning (as nerdy as that is), and I love my life. I just don't want to do school work any more.
Sometimes I wonder why I have to find time to work so hard on so many things, and then expect to be excited about working on my relationships. With my roommates, with my friends, with people I have yet to meet, with my family, and even (hopefully most importantly) with Jesus. Some come easily, some don't. It's really hard for me to get excited about having to put so much effort into them when I put so much effort into everything else too. Why do I look at it like that?
God forgive me for putting you in my "work" category and forgetting that it is such a joy to be able to pursue the heart of the one who loves me in ways I cannot even imagine. I love you, but never do I even come close to loving you enough. Show me how to overcome that, and remind me that seeking your heart above everything else and showing the love I find there to others is the most important "work" I'll ever do.
I want to get out of here, go do something I've never done, go create something, experience life in the beauty of relaxation, work on something that is a heck of a lot more valuable to SOMEBODY than studying thermophysics.
I'm getting lazy, and I want to stop working. That's my problem! I love Clemson, I love learning (as nerdy as that is), and I love my life. I just don't want to do school work any more.
Sometimes I wonder why I have to find time to work so hard on so many things, and then expect to be excited about working on my relationships. With my roommates, with my friends, with people I have yet to meet, with my family, and even (hopefully most importantly) with Jesus. Some come easily, some don't. It's really hard for me to get excited about having to put so much effort into them when I put so much effort into everything else too. Why do I look at it like that?
God forgive me for putting you in my "work" category and forgetting that it is such a joy to be able to pursue the heart of the one who loves me in ways I cannot even imagine. I love you, but never do I even come close to loving you enough. Show me how to overcome that, and remind me that seeking your heart above everything else and showing the love I find there to others is the most important "work" I'll ever do.
the only time I disagree with enthusiasm...
I want to be a person who cares about who you are.
You aren't a handshake or a fake smile to me. You aren't just another person who knows my name and thinks it's really awesome that I took the time to pretend to remember you. I don't CARE if 1000 people know my face, I care if 10 people know I love them. God forgive me if I ever, even once, fake a relationship with you in the name of "spreading the joy of Jesus," because I'm absolutely certain that you won't ever want Jesus to love you like that. If I give the impression that the church is about how many bodies can we get to hear our message, I'm sorry.
The church I want to be is one that cares about how many hearts are moved by a LIVING gospel that starts the minute I make eye contact with you and continues through a presentation of the truth of scripture. God has put a number on every hair on your head, and knows which one is which. The least I can do, if I'm claiming to love you in His name, is reflect a genuine concern for the person you are and are becoming. I'm not going to lie and say that I can create that with everyone I meet. I'm not going to pretend that it's possible for me to personally show that kind of personal love to hundreds of people either. But maybe I am saying that I would rather interact with FEWER people BETTER. It isn't that I care any less about the others...but I do care about those few enough to slice my time a little thicker and invest a little more so they KNOW how much they are loved.
You aren't a handshake or a fake smile to me. You aren't just another person who knows my name and thinks it's really awesome that I took the time to pretend to remember you. I don't CARE if 1000 people know my face, I care if 10 people know I love them. God forgive me if I ever, even once, fake a relationship with you in the name of "spreading the joy of Jesus," because I'm absolutely certain that you won't ever want Jesus to love you like that. If I give the impression that the church is about how many bodies can we get to hear our message, I'm sorry.
The church I want to be is one that cares about how many hearts are moved by a LIVING gospel that starts the minute I make eye contact with you and continues through a presentation of the truth of scripture. God has put a number on every hair on your head, and knows which one is which. The least I can do, if I'm claiming to love you in His name, is reflect a genuine concern for the person you are and are becoming. I'm not going to lie and say that I can create that with everyone I meet. I'm not going to pretend that it's possible for me to personally show that kind of personal love to hundreds of people either. But maybe I am saying that I would rather interact with FEWER people BETTER. It isn't that I care any less about the others...but I do care about those few enough to slice my time a little thicker and invest a little more so they KNOW how much they are loved.
10.01.2007
my ever-developing decision making skills
Life is balance. Faith is balance. Politics (oh help) is balance. There are always extremes, and undoubtedly someone will always claim both extremes on either side of just about EVERYTHING to be truth. I have found, in many many cases, that truth comes from the balance of both (schoolwork vs. friends, over-defensive vs. doormat, legalism vs. Christian freedom, etc.).
Let's just say, hypothetically, that I don't find the exact balance of everything in my life. Just for an example. What then? Falling on either side of that balance line brings consequences; we, humans, will probably hit it right on very few times in our lives, so the question becomes... which consequences would I rather deal with?
I think I've made preliminary decisions at least on some of the contradicting views in my life. I would rather deal with reading something offensive from time to time than have to fight to make my views heard from time to time. I would rather have a bad grade or two than regret not investing time into someone. I would rather put my whole heart and effort into a relationship I believe in and have my heart broken than always be cautious and have to settle for something easier. I would rather regret what I did than regret what I didn't do. I'd rather put a lot of convicts in jail for a long time than find out later that we used the death penalty on even one innocent person (which we've discovered several times--I used to be in favor of the death penalty). I would rather be somewhat taken advantage of than somewhat take advantage of someone else. I generally tend to err on the side of being too nice than too mean.
I doubt I can simplify every decision in my life so easily, though it would be nice.
Let's just say, hypothetically, that I don't find the exact balance of everything in my life. Just for an example. What then? Falling on either side of that balance line brings consequences; we, humans, will probably hit it right on very few times in our lives, so the question becomes... which consequences would I rather deal with?
I think I've made preliminary decisions at least on some of the contradicting views in my life. I would rather deal with reading something offensive from time to time than have to fight to make my views heard from time to time. I would rather have a bad grade or two than regret not investing time into someone. I would rather put my whole heart and effort into a relationship I believe in and have my heart broken than always be cautious and have to settle for something easier. I would rather regret what I did than regret what I didn't do. I'd rather put a lot of convicts in jail for a long time than find out later that we used the death penalty on even one innocent person (which we've discovered several times--I used to be in favor of the death penalty). I would rather be somewhat taken advantage of than somewhat take advantage of someone else. I generally tend to err on the side of being too nice than too mean.
I doubt I can simplify every decision in my life so easily, though it would be nice.
9.28.2007
definitions
A person is not defined by one event in his life.
History tries to make it so; we have in our memories a large set of people (size of the set depending on how well you studied for your history tests) who are only known to us because of one important event that we remember. They become one-dimensional--we have built up an idea about their whole lives from one day or one week in their fifty or more years of existence. Bad people can do good things from time to time, and good people can do bad things, and if you isolate one happening you are unlikely to find anything accurate enough to be used to judge their character.
We've taught ourselves, then, that we can do that with people we are personally familiar with as well as historical figures. Admit it--in your mind you'll define your current boyfriend by how he asked you out and your ex by how he broke up with you. If I were to keep tabs on it long enough, you might one day start telling me what a jerk this newer one is too, regardless of how well last Valentine's day was planned. The teacher in the fourth grade who made me cry because she yelled at me in front of the class for not wearing a hat on Hat Day is always going to be the most horrible elementary educator on the planet, because I honestly don't remember anything else about her. You can have a best friend for years who misconstrues one remark you make and never speaks to you again. Fortunately, the day your mom forgot you at school in the sixth grade doesn't override the years of making you dinner and remembering to pick you up at 3:30.
God was able to look at David, the adulterous murder, and still say, "He is a man after my own heart." Abraham, who's lack of faith in God's promise caused him to have a child with his servant and create serious problems even today for the two races of people stemming from that incident, has five verses in Hebrews 11 memorializing his great faith in God.
God doesn't define me by the times I've screwed up, or even by the times I've done outstandingly well (just in case I try to think I can slack off because I've done enough). He defines me by my life as a whole and by my heart's desires and by who I really am.
How would God define you?
History tries to make it so; we have in our memories a large set of people (size of the set depending on how well you studied for your history tests) who are only known to us because of one important event that we remember. They become one-dimensional--we have built up an idea about their whole lives from one day or one week in their fifty or more years of existence. Bad people can do good things from time to time, and good people can do bad things, and if you isolate one happening you are unlikely to find anything accurate enough to be used to judge their character.
We've taught ourselves, then, that we can do that with people we are personally familiar with as well as historical figures. Admit it--in your mind you'll define your current boyfriend by how he asked you out and your ex by how he broke up with you. If I were to keep tabs on it long enough, you might one day start telling me what a jerk this newer one is too, regardless of how well last Valentine's day was planned. The teacher in the fourth grade who made me cry because she yelled at me in front of the class for not wearing a hat on Hat Day is always going to be the most horrible elementary educator on the planet, because I honestly don't remember anything else about her. You can have a best friend for years who misconstrues one remark you make and never speaks to you again. Fortunately, the day your mom forgot you at school in the sixth grade doesn't override the years of making you dinner and remembering to pick you up at 3:30.
God was able to look at David, the adulterous murder, and still say, "He is a man after my own heart." Abraham, who's lack of faith in God's promise caused him to have a child with his servant and create serious problems even today for the two races of people stemming from that incident, has five verses in Hebrews 11 memorializing his great faith in God.
God doesn't define me by the times I've screwed up, or even by the times I've done outstandingly well (just in case I try to think I can slack off because I've done enough). He defines me by my life as a whole and by my heart's desires and by who I really am.
How would God define you?
9.23.2007
this weekend I...
...thought about cutting most of my hair off.
...decided not to.
...went to church, and decided that whatever the girl's name is that sings at Newspring is my hero.
...stalled for a birthday party by going grocery shopping.
...went to my second NeedToBreathe concert in three weeks. It was incredible.
...realized that I am loved more than anyone could ever deserve.
...made a decision to always make people around me feel like my friends made me feel yesterday.
...fell in love with a place that will (with any luck) be the love of the next three years of my life.
...remembered why I want to adopt children one day.
...wished I could adopt them all right now.
...understood how vital love is to life, especially the life of a child, and how the lack of it can leave you broken.
This weekend we went to Helping Hands, an emergency foster home where children stay immediately after they are pulled out of abusive/neglectful homes (when their situation is considered too serious to wait) until they can find a more permanent place to send them. I understood that it was important, and I was prepared to work and wash buses and play with kids all morning and run around until I dropped.
I was not prepared for a seven-year-old to ask me if she can call me Mom, since hers didn't love her.
I was not prepared to be told that I had to pull away from a very confused little girl who just wanted someone to hold her hand, because we couldn't get "too attached" to them, or that I probably shouldn't hug a child who might not have ever gotten a real hug in her life.
I wasn't prepared for it, nor am I prepared to go back. I won't ever be prepared to explain to that seven-year-old why she can't come home with me, or why she feels the need to physically beat herself up when she gets angry because that's all she's ever known from anyone who was angry with her. I don't ever want to be too prepared for that. I'm not prepared to go back but I'm going anyway, knowing that those kids can't stay for more than four months and I'll be upset every time one of them has to leave. Knowing that I can't let them climb all over me like normal crazy active kids do or grab my hand or get "too attached." If you saw and heard what I did, you'd go back too.
I'm going to adopt at least one of those kids one day. Not them, but kids just like them. I know it's hard, and I know they're trouble, and I know they have way too much pain for me to fix and they have anger problems and they'll probably drive me crazy and maybe it won't ever do them any good. But it might. Love is an incredibly powerful thing, whether we fully understand it or not. And I know that the love I've been shown through grace and through the indescribable people I have the privilege of knowing has been the only thing that has ever had a chance of healing the pain I've acquired in my life--I don't think I'm allowed to be selfish with that. I've wondered for a long time why I wanted to adopt one day; now, years later, I know why. There's more than enough reasons, and I met a lot of them yesterday. They let me play on their playground.
...decided not to.
...went to church, and decided that whatever the girl's name is that sings at Newspring is my hero.
...stalled for a birthday party by going grocery shopping.
...went to my second NeedToBreathe concert in three weeks. It was incredible.
...realized that I am loved more than anyone could ever deserve.
...made a decision to always make people around me feel like my friends made me feel yesterday.
...fell in love with a place that will (with any luck) be the love of the next three years of my life.
...remembered why I want to adopt children one day.
...wished I could adopt them all right now.
...understood how vital love is to life, especially the life of a child, and how the lack of it can leave you broken.
This weekend we went to Helping Hands, an emergency foster home where children stay immediately after they are pulled out of abusive/neglectful homes (when their situation is considered too serious to wait) until they can find a more permanent place to send them. I understood that it was important, and I was prepared to work and wash buses and play with kids all morning and run around until I dropped.
I was not prepared for a seven-year-old to ask me if she can call me Mom, since hers didn't love her.
I was not prepared to be told that I had to pull away from a very confused little girl who just wanted someone to hold her hand, because we couldn't get "too attached" to them, or that I probably shouldn't hug a child who might not have ever gotten a real hug in her life.
I wasn't prepared for it, nor am I prepared to go back. I won't ever be prepared to explain to that seven-year-old why she can't come home with me, or why she feels the need to physically beat herself up when she gets angry because that's all she's ever known from anyone who was angry with her. I don't ever want to be too prepared for that. I'm not prepared to go back but I'm going anyway, knowing that those kids can't stay for more than four months and I'll be upset every time one of them has to leave. Knowing that I can't let them climb all over me like normal crazy active kids do or grab my hand or get "too attached." If you saw and heard what I did, you'd go back too.
I'm going to adopt at least one of those kids one day. Not them, but kids just like them. I know it's hard, and I know they're trouble, and I know they have way too much pain for me to fix and they have anger problems and they'll probably drive me crazy and maybe it won't ever do them any good. But it might. Love is an incredibly powerful thing, whether we fully understand it or not. And I know that the love I've been shown through grace and through the indescribable people I have the privilege of knowing has been the only thing that has ever had a chance of healing the pain I've acquired in my life--I don't think I'm allowed to be selfish with that. I've wondered for a long time why I wanted to adopt one day; now, years later, I know why. There's more than enough reasons, and I met a lot of them yesterday. They let me play on their playground.
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