lest you fall

Have you ever noticed that it's the smaller things that prove to be the most impactful? It's the short, yet heartfelt encouragements that give the most benefit. It's amazing to see the results of encouragement; it can lift the heartbroken back to their feet, give new life to those who have given up, give wings to the fallen. Even the smallest words aimed to uplift can produce overwhelming results.
We're called to encourage those who feel like they're falling. We're called to build up those all around us. (1 Thess 5:11, 5:14, 1 Tim 6:1-2)

Hm, it looks like I need to mean more with my words. I say too many things that are 1. unnecessary, and 2. inappropriate for that moment. Likewise, I say too few encouraging things to those who deserve them. I need to change.
I pray that I may be a Godly example and encouragement in my actions, speech, and interactions.

never coming back

a smile in the dark,

two hands clasped forevermore,

now a folded flag

it's all gone, she says,

what we never had--and more.

and now it's all gone. 

not alone

Cassie looked up at the bleak skies, warily eying the darkening clouds gathered in the distance. She shivered and pulled her coat closer against the incoming wind, then plunged into the crowds of people around her. Like waves they beat upon each other, not caring what or who was in the way. In the midst of this hustle and bustle of downtown city-life, Cassie felt tiny. Her job as a marketing advisor at a small-scale business didn't really help either. She was nothing, she felt, in the grand scheme of things. She had nothing to contribute to society, she told herself time after time.
It was cold-- the way she thought, the air she breathed in as she walked briskly upon the sidewalk. No, everyone was cold. Eye-contact was inexistent on the streets; eyes never locked upon one another. It was like everyone was afraid... of everyone. Afraid of meeting someone different, unusual, out of the ordinary.

Yet, Cassie thought, in this way, hardly anyone here is different. 

so close

Ever since I was young, I wanted to be so much more than I could ever be. I wanted to fly and be super strong and fast; I wanted to be the man to suddenly swoop in and save the day. As I grew older, I wanted to be the shining kid in the spotlight. I wanted to be cool; I wanted to be hot. And then puberty hit me. I wanted the attention of girls in a very awkward manner (which, of course, meant a complete shunning of all those of the female gender ...I'm still not sure how that works [and I'm still not sure I've gotten over it]). I wanted to be good at things, athletics, leadership, strategy, and so on and so forth-- basically any and every-thing attractive to a 13-14 year old. 

But here I am now, barely older. So? Did I achieve any of these things? 

Heh, hardly any, and if any, maybe only just a little bit. I've gotten a whole lot closer to those goals, but heck - I'm only 16. I've got what, 50 or so (if that, or more, God willing) more years to live. I've got so many more dreams to dream, more things to wish for. 

And God sure knows, I won't stop dreaming.

Yeah. I still want to be Spiderman.

Nelson Mandela:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

flying without wings

I love running. There's something to it that makes it so addictive--and I just can't pinpoint it. Maybe it's the fact that it sets my mind free from all that I care about; maybe it's the fact that it makes me feel weightless; maybe it's the fact that it creates a new world before me, a spinning new vortex of words, images, and feelings. I don't know.

But this I do know: the sense of freedom is all I need to keep going. There's no restraint, no one to tell you that you're failing, no one to tell you that you can't do this or that. Each footstep upon asphalt turns into so much more than a dull rhythm; it sparks memories of memories long lost in my mind to come alive, stirring the imagination once more to build upon and entangle these images in a dancing, swirling haze of mysteries. 
I'm free.
I'm flying.

So wait, what are we here for anyways?

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”

- Aristotle -

          There are countless questions that we face during our time on the earth. The meaning of our existence, no doubt, is the most-often debated and controversial question of all. People have spent their entire lives searching for such a meaning or to simply find a way to make life worthwhile. Like Solomon, many chase after things of this world only for temporary satisfaction yet seeking something that will last, but are repeatedly reminded that again, all is vanity. And just like them, we also chase for things that give us pleasure; we want to find something that can satisfy our desires, something to make us happy. We all want to be happy, don't we?

I think Aristotle's observation on happiness describes the truth about all of mankind quite aptly. There is no goal in life except to satisfy the desires of the heart. The happiness (no matter how temporary it is) of the individual becomes the sole priority. But if we leave it at that, we leave life to become exceedingly selfish. Yes, a lot of people are nice and want to spread the joy, but deep down, we all know that everyone wants to be happy. 

 Well, why not? Being happy is pretty awesome. But I think the difference between Christians and the rest of the world is that although we search for happiness, we don’t spend our entire lives looking for it. We don’t have to spend our lives searching for an answer because frankly we’ve already found it. We’ve been enslaved by our sins and been set free through Christ’s substitutionary death—the greatest gift the world has ever known. We never deserved it. Why then do we go around searching in this world for something that will satisfy when we know that nothing on this earth will ever end up satisfying us? I’m not saying that Christians should abandon a search for happiness; I just think they shouldn’t have to search for an answer in the first place. There’s a lot of joy that can be found outside of the Gospel (and definitely something that God has given to us to enjoy), but the basis of our happiness should be found first and foremost in what Christ has done for us.

My happiness isn’t my meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence; my purpose is to solely glorify Him who reigns above and to live exemplifying the wonders of His glorious Cross. Happiness is just a bonus. :)