THE FUTURE

Ever thought about it? I'm sure you have. Many people live in the future. Just like many live in the past. Or there are the people who live in the here and now. Where do you live? Do you focus on the "here and now", the "past", or the "future"? I must say that I am guilty of doing all three. I have focused on the past, the future, and the here and now. When life is hard and it was easier in the past, we focus on that. When life is great, we focus on the now. When life is hard and the coming events look good, we look ahead. Even if life is great, the future can still look better and we focus on that.

Where do you place your focus?

I just thinking the other day. I spend alot of my time dreaming about the future. Who doesn't? But do ever miss something when we are busy dreaming? I have missed opportunity because I have been focusing on the future? There is nothing wrong with dreaming and thinking about the past or future. I love looking at pictures. I love making plans. I love living in the here and now.

Ever heard the quote, 'The past is history, the future a mystery, today is a gift. That is why they call it the present'?

I think that is an interesting and true quote. However I also think it takes away some from the past and the future. Ever heard the quote, 'the past is the key to the future'?

Now that is a true quote as well. Let's focus on the future for a moment. It certainly is a mystery, isn't it?

We don't have much control over it. Nor do we know much about it. Sure we have plans, ideas, and dreams. But do we really know much about it? Or have a lot of control over it?

The answer is 'no'. As much as we'd like to, we don't control the future. Nor do we really know what is going to happen. It is truly a mystery.

Mystery.

When someone says that or you read it, what do you think? Is the word intriguing? Frightening? Exciting? Boring? Annoying? Fun? Good? Bad?

Right now the future seems like a good mystery. I have a very very very bad case of spring fever. I know that I have to finish school by Friday, but as of now I would rather do anything else beside school. I would rather think of other stuff instead of doing what needs done. I'd rather dream away the day, which is good on a Sunday but not so good on a Tuesday.

Dreams.

Now there is a word most people like. Everyone should have dreams. Dreams of friends. Dreams of that special someone. Dreams of acheiving goals. Dreams of the future.

I love dreaming. Often, when life ain't so good, dreaming is my haven. It's so much easier to live in dreamland than in real life.

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This is an unfinished post for from last school year. I think I am going to leave it that way. I don't know how to end it. Kind of like we don't know how to end our past, our present, and our future. It's a mystery that needs solving. Our past can be unfinished if we don't deal with it. Our present is unfinished because it is happening right now. Our future is definitely unfinished - it hasn't even happened!

Finished.

It is a very diverse word isn't it? It can bring joy or sadness. A finished project brings joy, yet a finished relationship or happy moment brings sadness. I guess this is the way of life. Everything can either bring joy or sadness or it can bring both. I guess it's because we are flawed. Nothing is perfect except for the unflawedness of our Creator. He is uncreated. He is not finished. He is perfect. He is a mystery. He is a dreamer. He needs to be included in our dreams.

Well, that's all I have in me right now. I don't know what else to write about. I guess I am leaving this post unfinished. Yet it is kind of finished. Life is confusing, isn't it?

Poem

Here is a poem written by a close friend that I wanted to share with y'all! :)

There comes a time in a person’s life,
When sorrows heartaches and even strife,
Cause us to come to a life-changing decision
Though it may be hard and cut deep like an incision,
But a special place in your heart feels it simply right,
To move on with something else in sight.
Mixed emotions flood my heart,
And sometimes I feel torn apart,
I have heard His calling, but I’m reluctant to go,
Yet I will trust Him and He will show,
How in the end it was His plan,
Whether it was testing or to show that He can.
Through life He will guide me and I will ever pray,
Though it hurts He will comfort me as I obey.

Yeah, I have talented friends!!!! :)

How does one measure success?

How do we measure success? Through wealth? Friends? Status in life? Achievements? Rewards? Family? Through what?

Come to think of it, what is success?

The definition of 'success' from dictionary.com is:

suc·cess   
–noun
1.the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2.the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
3.a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.
4.a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show.

But is that the correct meaning of success as it applies to today? To our lives? To our opinions?

Once again, what is success?

Is it the reaching of one's goal? A job well done? A big paycheck? A fun time? Is it?

What is success?

In my opinion, the word 'success' applies to all sorts of things. A fun party could be a success. A man could be successful in his job meaning he gets well paid, promoted, etc. A team could meet with success by winning a big game. A millionaire is successful.

But is that really success?

How important is status, good times, money and victory?

Do we need those things to be successful in life?

It makes me sad to think that we base success on such fleeting things. Fun and laughter are good but don't last. One can lose money and employment as easily as gaining it. And soon those trophies will be collecting dust just like the aging body who won it.

Tempus fugit.

Time flies. Such a simple phrase. Two words. Four syllables. Eleven letters. And so true. Life could be over tomorrow. We have no more control over our lives than we do over the sun.

Then why do we measure the confusing term, success, by money, victories, good times, and status? Life is fleeting. Then why measure it with something as fleeting?

Why can't we measure one's "success" by the deeds they did without gaining an award? By the friends they had? By the things they taught? By the lives they touched? By the love they gave? By the love they received?

Love endures. True friendship endures. Lessons learned are eternal. Lives touched are touched forever. True kindness will always be remembered.

I knew a man once. He was born in a dirty part of town. His mom was a lowly teen. His father a poor craftsman. No one really cared about him except for his parents. There was no doctor. No nurse. No midwife. No cigars. No fireworks. No article or notice in the papers. Nothing but a smelly group and three strangers.

Do you know that this man grew up to be just as humble as his birth? He didn't do anything for personal gain or glory. Wanna know what the greatest thing he ever did was?

He died.

Yeah, he died. One of the cruelest death known to mankind. How glorifying is execution? A criminal death?

All he did was for others.

They returned his love and kindness with beatings and murder.

But by killing him, they allowed him to perform his greatest deed. And he got no reward that could ever be worth it.

His reward?

Us. You. Me. Them. Him. Her. Us.

And what a worthless bunch are we. I don't know if I could go a single day without a tiny error. I sin. You sin. We all sin.

How could we ever be worth the price Christ paid for us?

And we measure success in material items.

Now let's rephrase the question.

How can we measure success?

Wealth? Great times? Status in life? Victories? Trophies? Grades? Occupation?

Friends? Love? Love given? Love gained? Lessons learned? Lessons taught? Lives touched? Gospel shared? Souls gained?

How can we measure success? Could we ever measure up to Him? Do we need to even think about success?

Did He?

Was He?

Does it matter?

What is success?

Why is it that things always seem better elsewhere?

Ever heard the term, 'the grass always looks greener on the other side'?

I'm sure you have. It is a very common figure of speech that is basically saying that no matter where you are, things always look better somewhere else. It's human nature to think that way, but is it really true?

I have had the chance to speak with numerous people who are always talking about how things would be so much better somewhere else. One hears that a great deal overseas, especially from teenagers. The line, 'if I was in America [or another country] ...' comes up a lot in conversations.

I was just wondering. Do we not have suffering in our native country? Is everything perfectly and always easy? Are we never alone? Or just plain lonely? Do we never struggle?

What is that makes our native country or somewhere else seem so much better?

There are bitter people all over the world.

What is it that makes the grass look "greener" elsewhere?

Maybe, just maybe, it is that no matter where we are in life, we can still find something wanting if we look. Mankind is never satisfied.

Back to kids overseas. I have even said it myself, but now as I am thinking about it, life is hard everywhere. Sure, some places are more difficult than others. But there is no place in the universe that doesn't have hardships, stress, loneliness, aloneness, and...

people.

Yep, that's right. As long as there is people, and that definitely includes yourself and myself, life will always have its hardships, its stress, its aloneness, its loneliness.

Nothing can really change that. It's life. No one said it was easy. No one said it would be easy. And no one said it has to be easy.

But,

Life can most certainly be fun. Joyful. Full of friendship. Kindness. Faithfulness. Compassion. Mercy. Grace. Love.

Even in the stressful and hard times, one can find love, joy, friendship, mercy, grace, etc. You just have to look for it. I have found it.

And the best place to find it is in God. Let Him be all you need. When you do that, the difficulties and stress seem insignificant.

They are still there. They haven't left. They certainly haven't lessened.

They just aren't as important any more. When you focus on something other than your struggles, you don't notice the hard stuff. They don't matter as much. Especially if you let God be all you need. If you let Him be number one in your life.

If you do that, life is a little more bearable. I mean, come on! You have God on your side.

What else do you need?

What more could you need?

You will never need or want anything else other than God.

Let Him be your provider.

Let Him show you just how 'green' your world can be.

Prologue for Three Years, Two Lives, One Truth

Why? The word screamed inside in her head as she stared down at the bloody form that used to be her mother.
Why? Her mouth tried to form the word, but her voice wasn’t working for some reason. ‘Must be shock,’ thought the inner person in her brain.
Why? Why was her world collapsing around her?
Why? Why did they choose her family? Why her? What did she do, that deserved this?
Why? Why did these people come in and kill her parents? Her sister? Her younger sister? Her best friend?
Why? Why are they lying there dead? Who are these people?
Why? Why did they have to die?
Why? Why would God do this to her? They were only doing His work that He called them to do.
Why? Why couldn’t this happen to someone else?
Why? Once again the word vibrated around in her hurting, shocked mind. This time her mouth formed the word.
“Why?” whispered Danya, then louder this time, “WHY?”

~*~*~

Why? The single syllable word reverberated around in Jiya’s mind.
Why? Her mouth formed the word, but her throat seemed incapable of making a sound.
Why? Why was her world falling apart around her?
Why? Why did they choose her? What did she do that brought this on?
Why? Why them? What did she and Jace do to deserve this?
Why? Why were the others left? Why her? Why Jace?
Why? Why this sick game?
Why? Why would God let this happen? She was only waiting for her parents’ return.
Why? Why are her parents gone? They left and then this happens? Was it something they did? If so, where are they? What are they doing?
Why? Why couldn’t this happen to someone else?
Why? As before her mouth formed the word, this time the throat cooperated.
“Why?” whispered Jiya, than louder this time, “WHY?”

A poem for my English class

What happens when friends are kept apart?

Are they filled with loneliness,
Like prisoner kept in solitary confinement?

Are they burning with rage,
Like a mama bear separated from her cubs?

Are they filled with hope,
Like a pregnant mother rubbing her rounded tummy?

Or are they avoiding life,
Like the plague?

Do they just sit around all day,
Like a bored teenager with no source of entertainment?

Do they lash out at everyone,
Like pit bull kept on a chain?

Do they talk about the good times and the future ones,
Like a grandmother talks about her grandchildren?

Or do they just sit down and die,
Like a person without Jesus,
Without hope?

What happens when friends are kept apart?

The color 'green'

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if one of the colors didn't exist?

The other day I was wondering what it would be like if the color 'green' didn't exist. 'How?' you might ask. It just doesn't. It never did.
'But grass is 'green',' you might tell a person.
'No,' they respond. 'Grass is 'blue'.'
You don't know what to do. Because in your mind, grass is 'green'. End of argument. Grass has always been 'green'. It never was another color. You look outside. Seeing what in your mind is very 'green' grass, you point out to your fellow person that the grass is indeed very 'green'.
The person shakes his or her head. 'Nope, that grass is 'blue'. And what is this 'green' you are talking about? I have never heard of it.'
'Grass is 'green'!' you insist. ''Green' is the color of grass. The color made by mixing yellow and blue. Leaves are 'green'. Some trees are 'green'.'
But the other person also insisted that all that you have said is 'blue' not 'green'. S/he also insisted that the color 'green' doesn't exist. There is only red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. No 'green'.
You are shocked. You know that you are right. There is a 'green' and this person's 'blue' is most certainly 'green'. They just have no idea what they are talking about.

I bet you have done that exact thing before in real life. Don't look at me that way. Of course I am not referring to colors. I am talking about real life. When have you been convinced of something, but someone argues with you about it.
You know you are right.
Of course.
And you know that they are wrong.
Of course.
But how often is it that we are actually agreeing on something?
The two people in the above example were really agreeing with each other. The grass's color never changed. It was always the same. The thing that changed was the person.

'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'

How often have you called someone's blue green?
How often have you judged someone only to find that you were judging yourself?
How often have you argued only to find that you were agreeing?

My answer to all those questions is way too many times. I have argued so many times only to find that I was wrong or even agreeing with the person. Arguments can ruin friendships and lives.

Blue or green.

They are still the same if the above story was true.

Think about it.