The image of God... Sins?

Continuing the last train of thought, lets go from the fact that we’re made in his image to why, if we are reflections of the living God, do we sin?

Let’s think about this logically.

God made man in His image, the image of love (See last post).

But he didn’t just make these mature beings who would know the very power and purpose of love. He made Adam and Eve and gave them a choice: to love him or to love themselves. Surprise of surprises, they chose themselves over Him. We all do. Every day. Which is where the concept of sin came from.

Here. I’ll make an acronym for it. Selfish Intentions Named Supreme. That is what our sins are. Straight up.

Make sense?

Because every day God chooses us over himself. Every day God chooses to love us.

In fact, Jesus, the exact representation of the father, decided to give up his place in heaven watching us… So he could walk with us… Be hated by us… And then.. Get beaten and die. And not just get beaten and die, but be forsaken by God. And now he sits in heaven not just watching over us, but spending his time Pleading for our lives, giving his life still every day so that we can be whole. Reminding his father of what he did.

Not that God forgets. But we see it everywhere in the bible, “Remember your servant oh Lord…” and especially with Israel, in Genesis and Exodus. Moses reminds God over and over again of God’s promises.

Honestly, I think God likes being reminded. Because when you’re reminded of a moment that was important to you, a moment that still is important to you, it takes you to that moment and you re-live it for a moment. It also means that the person reminding you remembers it to. That that moment is not forgotten by the others, that it still holds importance and that it hasn’t been cast off. Moses still holds to the promises God made, and because Moses remembers and wants to keep it still, doesn’t want it broken off and isn’t rejecting it, it means God has a partner….

But that’s an entirely different subject.

See, most people think the opposite of love is hate. But let me tell you why it’s not. Let me explain why it’s selfishness.

Firstly we have to have a right definition of love. What does that mean? Does it mean you want to be close to someone all the time? That you want to take care of them? And hold their hand? And kiss them and make out with them and then marry them? Well, sure those can be Related to love. As in, affects of love.

But this is not love.

Loving is giving. In first and second John, he writes that Love is that we walk according to Gods commandments. (Don’t believe me? Go find it. I gave you the books didn’t I?)

Obviously this is not the only definition of love. But it’s the definition I’m working with right now we can discuss others later.

(you: discuss? I don’t see much discussing here.) Well, maybe if you commented we could have an actual discussion but so far there’s been no one to actually discuss With.

Anyways.

To Love is to Obey God’s commands. (You: well that sounds… Painful. And useless. How can that be love?)

Well, to get back to genesis and exodus, notice how obedience results in good things. In fact, in all of the OT (Old Testament). Like… David loves God with all of his heart (which, speaking of God’s commands psalm 119 is dedicated to God’s law.) and look, he became a king. Of all Israel. And then his son became king. And generations later, he becomes the many time great grandfather of the son of God.

Not that it was a cake walk. But he waited on God. Instead of saying, “God why not now can’t I be king Now and do whatever the heck I want now?” he waited for God’s timing. Meaning, the selfish ex-king Saul chased him all over the Middle East trying to kill him.

See, Saul was a good person. But he didn’t follow God’s commands, instead he chose what would make himself look better and feel better. He loved himself, not God. So the spirit of God left him and he was tormented by demons and had no rest and died knowing he had separated himself from the destiny God had had for him.

That is probably the best contrast of love and not love.

David does slip up once or twice, I know. Bathsheba, instead of leading his army in war he decided to love himself and to give himself a vacation, which lead to him stealing another man’s wife, which led to pain.

See, selfishness was his sin. Selfishness was Saul’s sin. (You: Yes yes I get the point. Selfishness is a sin.)

So, think about every sin and ask yourself, what’s the core reason for it? Adultery? Is pretty much always done for pleasuring self. So selfishness. Lying? Is used to protect self or to get self things. So selfishness. Murder? Is used to punish for a “wrong” done to self. So selfishness. Stealing? Is used to get things for self. So selfishness.

Sin is Love. Love of Self. 

(You: But, what if a man is stealing because his family can’t afford food?)

It’s still a sin because instead of leaning on God for protection, he is choosing his own strength. He is choosing himself, saying his decisions are greater than Gods and that he can provide better than God the provider can.

God, who rained bread from the sky to feed thousands of people.

The God of the Old testament has not changed. But we, in our weakness, want to say he has because he has not saved us when we wanted to be saved. He has not provided for us when we wanted to be provided for.

He has not given us what we want, so why should we give him anything?

But see here’s the thing: All that we deserve is Death. We have, ever since Eve denied God and chose to benefit herself by eating the fruit, consistently chosen ourselves.

God loved us first. He made us in his image, he gave us his own breath, and then to save us his own son, literally a part of him, became one of us and lived selflessly so he could (still selflessly) die.

He already did the hardest thing. But we think it’s too hard to let go of ourselves and to be take care of.

Isn’t it funny? All God wants us to do is follow his commandments so that he can take care of us, but we don’t think it’s fair that we have to do what he wants instead of what we want?

As if we can satisfy our own souls.

Comments are welcome, arguments are welcome. You can find everything in the bible; 1^st and 2^nd Samuel have David and Saul’s lives, Psalms has David’s personal cries to God… Etc.

Blessings, and I hope you love today J

~Silver

Images

Who’s image were You made in?

I know, I’m supposedly doing the purity thing this week, well actually last week’s last last week… but as you can see I’ve lost track. I haven’t had the time to continue upon that train of thought. Fire in the night keeps me pretty busy.

So. Back to the question.

Who’s image were You, the reader, not your friends parents Or enemies, made in?

Don’t know what you think, but I was made in the image of God. To be a reflection of who he is, to showcase an aspect of Him.

And I’m pretty sure you were made the same. Actually, I know you were. The beginning of the bible says man was made in the image of God.

I like to think of man as like a moon, reflecting the sun. Without God we have no real light of our own. I think maybe God thinks of it that way too. He’s built a lot of analogies and stuff into the world. But I won’t speak for him. That may take it too far.

I mean think about it. God made angels, and according to the bible and people talking about encounters, a lot of angels are similar in shape to Man. (Which sounds insane only if you’ve decided that God couldn’t Really have made angels and let people see them. Which if you think that, then you sound like the insane one to me. Just sayin’)

What then does it mean to be made in the image of God? Does it mean we have free will? Well, obviously the angels had that or we would have no Satan and therefore probably not so much sin.

God made angels, and then he took dust and made us. What does that even mean???

Actually, I don’t know what it means, but I’ll tell you what little me, in my weak understanding thinks. God made us in his image so that we could love as he loves and so we could rule and reign with him. He put his beauty and his power into us. He made us each unique. You could raise two kids exactly the same and not get the same results.

God made the angels to serve him. Then God was all like, but I want someone to love. Remember when he made Eve so Adam wouldn’t be alone? (No, he didn’t make Eve just to populate the earth.)

Yeah. I think God made Man because he wanted a partner too.

Partnership of man and woman being a reflection of partnership of human and God. I told you there was a lot of analogy symbolism type stuff.

(BIBLICAL INSERT TIME!!!1!!!1!!!!)

Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Se, also by this I think that means God made Adam and Eve here, and then the story just gets told next chapter. Maybe you all figured that part out already and I’m just slow. But whatevs.

And then, and then guess what guys????

(OMG ANOTHER INSERT!!!!)

Genesis 2:7

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

We’re made with the breath of God!!!!

Does that not make you excited about breathing? No? Well fine then.

Anyways. Now we have that God made us, from dust, but then put his breath within that dust, called it man, decided man would need a partner.

(ANNND ANOTHER!)

Genesis 2:18

18 And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

So he made man someone so man would not be alone. He made man so he would not be alone. He made someone comparable to man so man would not be lonely. Following the analogy, what does this mean? Exactly.

Now I realize, it sounds vaguely like I’m saying we are gods. I want to be very clear here and say We Are Not Gods In Any Way Shape Or Form. Thank you very much.

What I am saying is that who you are, who God made you to be, is very specifically a reflection of him. Not just any reflection. You, yourself, individually, were made to be an image bearer. You are not the same image bearer as your brother. Or your friend. Or your parents. Or your pastor. Or anyone else.

You were made to be You. You have God’s breath in you. You were made to be his partner. Not that he needs one, I mean come one guys, he’s God. Uncreated light and power and beauty. But he wanted one. He wanted you. Specifically.

It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around, isn’t it?

Now to go back to the analogy, what do man and woman do? They love each other. No, I’m not being all over-sensitive and avoiding saying sex. If I meant it I’d say it. I mean love the emotion which kills while bringing life at the same time.

God made man and his wife to love each other. Some people say that was just so they wouldn’t kill each other. My opinion on those people is that they simply haven’t fallen in love yet and if they have, they need to forgive and get healing.

My point being, if God made a dude and his partner for love, what do you think he made man initially for?

If you said for love you got it right.

If not pray that God would kiss you with the kisses of his word, pray it every day, pray it every moment you can, and read Genesis, Song of Solomon, and Revelation.

(Sticking in more verses. Don’t freak)

Isaiah 62:1-5

1 For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns. 2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the Lord will name. 3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God. 4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the Lord delights in you, And your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a virgin, So shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.

Breaking this down real fast, we have God not holding his peace and/or resting until Israel is made beautiful and his people shine among unbelievers. Yes, non-jews, you are his people. If you don’t think so read Ephesians 1:6. Or Acts. Or both.

Then you have him calling you beautiful and lovely and His, for He delights in you. And then you have him rejoicing over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

Hpw do bridegrooms rejoice over brides? Is it like, Yay good job you did it! No. Is it… YAYY I’m so glad to finally see you!!! Sort of but… No.

It’s more like… You are SO Beautiful and I get to MARRY you I’m so Excited!!! This is Awesome! You are Amazing and I Love you!!

Yeah. And that’s God rejoicing over you.

That’s what it means to be a Christian, you know. It means we partner with God, we live by Matthew 5-7 (Which, btw, people tend to think this is simply a rule book but all of 6 is basically saying God’ll take care of you if you follow him so don’t worry. Or, best said. God is the best cure for stress if you follow the directions.) and it means that we get to love God as he loves us.

Isn’t that cool?

It also means the rest of the universe hates us but that’s besides the point. If the God who made them loves us who cares who hates us… right? Right.

Sometimes I feel like when I blog my trains of thought they decide to take the scenic route to my point. This is one of those times.

His is a long journey of thinking and reading. Here, have a map.

!. God made You (Out of dust) in His image so that

@. You could partner with God and rule an reing with God because

#. God wanted a bride, someone to love who would love him.

$. God made You a partner so You could get a small taste of this.

It’s all so much more interesting when you replace the “man”s with “You”s.

Now we get to the most important point. Stick with me for a little bit longer, kay?

God made you individually to be a unique lover of Him. If that’s who you are what happens when you try to copy someone else cause you don’t like yourself?

You deprive the rest of the world of the unique image of God that you are.

When you try to not be you, you deprive everyone around you. And yourself, in fact. And!! You hurt God. Sounds ridiculous but you know how you feel when you take a lot of time thinking and planning something for someone and then you give it to them and they’re all like “Meh, whatever”? And then your hearts all like “I have just deflated in your chest and am in fact sinking down into your stomach”?

God takes forever, from before time exists till the moment you were conceived, thinking and planning you. And then you’re born and you grow up and are like Meh whatever.

See where I’m going?

So the only think you can really do is ask God who you are. Don’t ask other people. Did they make you? Maybe your parents made you I guess but… Not really no.

God made you. Therefore he knows you. And he likes what he made or else he wouldn’t have made it.

Ask God to show you how he sees you. Read Isaiah 62, the part I stuckup there, over yourself. And read song of songs. Look in the mirror and call yourself beautiful and God’s beloved cause that’s what you are.

Make sense? Great.

Doesn’t make sense? That’s what they invented the comments section for.

Peace, blessings, love, and tribulation to you. Amen.

~Silver

Purity, week 2.

Fascination is represented by sight. We don’t readily choose to see that which is uninteresting to us, and with most things if we see them enough we end up fascinated. (Like, people and tv. Not school. Not very many people get fascinated by school any more.)

So like, if you’re watching this tv show, and it’s not very interesting but you have to watch it every week, eventually you will get drawn into it. The plot, the characters, the dialogue. Etc. You’ll want to know what happens next, you’ll want to see if so and so is still there next week, whatever.

This is fascination.

And it is a dangerous thing.

You see, what we’re fascinated with reflects upon us. Just like my previous example of you talking with your friends. You don’t just hear their words; you see their attitudes. And you unknowingly copy them.

You see a movie and suddenly you want to be that person, the dude who can fly and shoot laser beams out of his eyes, or the chick with the horse and not a care in the world. This is sight and sound, reflected in you.

So…. What if what you’re seeing isn’t pure? And you must remember here my definition of pure: clean and right.

Do you know how important your eyes are?

Like, say you see this guy at the store. And he has the most gorgeous eyes ever, and the kind of flippy hair, and whatever else.

And you never talked to him. You don’t even hear him talk cause he’s busy staring blankly at the milk trying to figure out what he’s doing.

You’re more likely than not to think about him at least a few times for the rest of the day, and you’ll remember him whenever you go to the store. You might even hope to see him. You imagine saying hi to him, or running in to him, or helping him figure out what the heck he’s getting.

That is fascination. Even without the imagining talking. And it started by sight.

Or guys. You see that video game or skateboard or whatever. (I’m avoiding saying chick cause I don’t want to describe a chick from a guy’s p.o.v.) And it’s new, it’s awesome. So you plan to get it, you plan to invite your friends over to play whatever game, and then getting achievements on it, and wondering if gameplay is as awesome as it’s supposed to be or if the graphics are super lame and the controls suck.

That is fascination.

Or you play said game too long and then you end up wandering around seeing everything from the perspective of that game. (The top of those stairs would be a great place for an ambush. If I cut that grass, would rupees come out? […. The grass one has happened to me…])

That is fascination.

And as humans doing what we do best, we reflect what we’re fascinated with. We reflect mannerisms. We act upon our thoughts.

So what happens if we get fascinated by God?

What happens if we protect our eyes from things that are wrong and look instead to uncreated light?

(You: well that’s just plain ridiculous. Are you suggesting I go blind? And last I checked no one can see God.)

Well, you see there’s this thing, called the Bible. And there’s this person I may have mentioned called the Holy Spirit. And he knows everything about the Bible. And everything about God.

So if you take your bible, meditate on it, and then ask the HS about it, you will eventually get some answers.

(Eventually. Sounds like it’ll take too long. But I guess I could try it once or twice and see…)

Something I’ve heard a lot recently is, don’t just try it for a week then give up.

Is it hurting you to do this? No. It’s not. Is it a waste of time? Well that depends. If hanging out with your friends and watching soap operas and crime shows and checking facebook once an hour is a pressing thing and can’t be set aside, then yes it is a waste of time. But if you’re more interested in learning about eternity and things beautiful beyond belief then this is what you want to do.

Look at it this way. You will die. Your friends will die. You will not have a tv when you are dead. Or a phone. Or a computer.

You will just have you, and your life in eternity. If you want your life in eternity to be awesome then you should do this. Even if you die and there is no eternity you may as well take some time every day and do this. It seriously isn’t hurting you.

If you have to believe something why not this?

Don’t say why, but rather why not.

So tell me, why not get fascinated by living love (God.) and ask Him what he thinks bout you and life?

Why not live like there’s an eternity where you’ll want to be a friend of God when he comes as a judge?

Matthew 6:22-24:

22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot trust in and serve both God and other things.

Proverbs 20:6-12:

6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? ] 7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment Scatters all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? 10 Diverse weights and diverse measures, They are both alike, an abomination to the LORD. 11 Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does is pure and right. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both.

Proverbs 30:12-13:

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. 13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

~Silver

Purity, week 1.

I don’t know how you feel about the Bible, but to me it’s pretty important. I mean, even if you don’t believe all the stuff in there you must admit a lot of it is true. I personally believe all of it is true.

Now, one of the things in the bible is this thing called purity. Forever ago, that meant keeping your speech clean, keeping your eyes from seeing… things… And waiting till marriage to do so much as hold hands. It meant having a standard. 

Over the years all that’s declined. (You: Thanks, captain obvious. I hadn’t noticed.) You’re quite welcome, private sarcasm.

Now purity basically just means no sex before you’re married. Some people still hold a standard of no kissing till then but the people that do that are fewer and fewer.

When did we lose the speech and seeing part of purity? Since when could we say whatever the carp we wanted about anything and be fine?

Since when did purity just pertain to sex, for that matter?

You’re probably rolling your eyes at me right now, but I am being perfectly serious. When did we trade our innocence for recklessness? Why did we trade our innocence for recklessness? What happened to self discipline and talking about stuff that actually matters?

Where the carp are our standards?

Now, I know I can’t bring them all back, and I know I can’t discuss (rant at…) all of them right now. So I’m picking one a week for as long as that lasts. Maybe the next 3 weeks? I dunno.

So right now I’ll just go with an over view, how all of them as a group are related, and then speech.

You see, I know plenty of guys who claim not to even think about, or even so much as look at, girls in a sexual way. Thing is, these same guys speak loosely, making jokes in that line of thought. As much as people like to deny it, they really do think about things they talk about. And joke about. Since joking is talking. Even if the thoughts are in the back of their heads.

I mean come on guys, we’re all human. If you know how you very basically work, you know how everyone very basically works. There are no exceptions. That’s where discipline comes in. You can’t claim to be disciplined in one area when you’re obviously not in the others.

And where people’s speech goes, their thought life follows.

And where their thoughts go, their actions follow. 

But speech has to come from somewhere. You don’t just start talking a certain way. When you’re a baby, you learn to talk from your parents. You talk like they talk. If you hang out with other little baby friends you pick up stuff from them. Why are three year olds always running around saying “No”? Because three year olds get told “No” a lot.

Then when kids get older they start learning to talk from things like tv. If they watch sesame street they might learn something. If they're watching Hannah Montana, chances are they’re gonna learn how to get an attitude with anyone who disagrees.

We, humans, learn from what we hear and what we see. We start as clean slates. We start as pure, happy little screaming babies. Tiny unexposed souls in tiny unexposed bodies. Life is scary. Everything is big. And as soon as we’re born we learn what life is from what’s going on. We don’t know anything. So if out world around us is bad and hates us, we will learn life is bad and we will hate ourselves.

Everyone knows this. And I’m starting to get off track.

The point is, what we see is what we do. And what we hear is what we say. And what we do and say we eventually have to think about even if we don’t notice our thoughts. And what we think about we tend to notice and see and then eventually even look for.

So let’s say you’re hanging out with a group of friends, and they don’t really care. They hate their families. They down-talk anyone and anything that bothers them in the slightest.

No matter how much you may love your other friends and your family, the more you hang out with this particular group the more you will become like them. Meaning, if you’re hanging out with them every day you will eventually see your family and other friends they way they see their families and other people. And you’ll start talking about it.

That is not pure.

(You: Wait but I thought purity was just like… Kissing and stuff. Right?)

No. Pure comes from the Latin purus, which means clean. Not chaste. Clean. Cussing is not clean, which is why it’s fun to do. Insulting other people is not clean. It’s dirty. It makes other people’s opinions of who you’re talking about dirty.

True purity does not soil how people are seen. True purity is clean. Clean is not dirt. So dirtying a reputation is obviously bad.

Now do you understand why not to gossip? It’s not just so you don’t hurt people. Gossip means dirt is pouring out in your words. Meaning that you are dirty. Making you a terrible, dirty person.

Purity does not talk about others behind their backs. Purity does not destroy people.

To be pure, to discipline yourself into being pure, start with your speech. Watch what you say. Don’t say stuff to other people just for shock factor or just for fun; your words will always be remembered by someone. Weigh your words as though they are your single most important accomplishment.

If your friends, who are your most prominent influences, hold no standards in their speech, mayhap you need a different group. Or to make a group commitment to watch your speech.

(Note: I will NEVER tell you to drop your friends. I am NOT telling you to abandon them or to tell them they suck or to just stop talking to them. If you feel like you need to do that then grace to you…)

If your family, also a prominent influence, holds no standards… Try talking to them, and if that doesn’t work I still haven’t figured it out. Pray for them I guess.

Controlling your speech is the hardest discipline to matter, but also one of the most important.

Trust me guys, you want to learn self discipline and/or follow the bible? Start with your words.

~ Silver

James 3:1-15 (New King James Version)

1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in words, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 We put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Where is God?

“Someday, I’ll find God, I’ll see God, and then everything will be ok.”

That sounds right, yes?

No. That is utterly wrong.

Why?

Because God is living inside you.

Freaking inside you, with you, in your heart, not separate and around you. He is a part of you.

Now, that sounds somewhat new age-y I suppose. But where do you think other religions come from? Did people make them up on their own? No. They all stemmed from one source: Jesus.

So back on topic.

A lot of times I hear people say stuff like, God’s arms are open! Run into him! It’s a race and he’s the prize!!

Now, I’m sure this all has its place in context. But out of context, meaning most every time someone says it, I just get this picture of this long, terrifying track to run on and it’s always noon so the sun is glaring at you and since you’re in the middle of the dessert you’re screwed. And at the end of this, someone has told you there is a trophy. So you just have to trust them on that.

And along the way are little water stops. And you’re going to run this race to God, assuming the person was right about the trophy. And sometimes your race crosses paths with other people.

And it’s not really a race so much as it’s a marathon/obstacle course. With like, lava pits and pendulums and spikes and carnivorous starving animals and stuff.

If you see it like this, comment. I want to make sure I’m not the only one.

Now, let me explain why this picture is wrong.

Can you really see yourself doing something like that alone? Hecks no. A lot of people like to try, but they fail and decide it’s cause God is mad at them and wants them to lose. Or that Christianity just… Isn’t right for them and… Maybe someday they’ll try again but… Not now, now they just need to rest in.. whatever…

Yeah like That’s gonna work. Will you come back? Probably not. Probably only if some incredible encounter happens. Which, I’m not totally out ruling. But I think you get what I mean.

You’ve prolly noticed I have yet to correct the picture.

Lets say, instead of running this alone and sometimes seeing people and sometimes getting to stop for water, you’re running with someone. Someone who can give you water when you ask. Someone who can get you over the lava pits and stuff. Now, I’m not saying you won’t get burned and I’m not saying the race will be easy, but you’re probably not going to give up now, are you?

This is how following God is meant to be. Wayy back when risen Christ went back home to intercede before the Father, he left us a gift. Called the Holy Spirit. I call him HS for short.

We all know about the trinity. The three parts of the same person Father… Son… And what’s the last one? The Holy Spirit. HS.

So, if he’s living in you, and he is God, then that means that God, is In, You.

Do you grasp the meaning of this? Yes? No? Maybe?

God, the prize, the little water stops etc, is IN YOUUUU…. He is running WITH YOUUUU.

He is not a distant God. He’s not this person you have to go address all ceremoniously and stuff. He hears your thoughts, not just what you say. So if you’re saying, Oh Lord, of all, who hast created the heavens, come save thy servant from mine enemies, then he hears that, but he also know what your really asking is, OMG There are people saying stuff about me and my life is runiedddd HELPPP.

Fancy language is nothing but cool looking frosting. Your heart is the cake. Which may or may not be stale and crumbly and weird and pasty. That’s between God and you.

And if you’re sitting in your room crying, and then you compose yourself and pray for like, I dunno nightly devotions or something, and you’re all like “Dear Jesus, I love you. Please come heal my cat. Thank you for my friend Elizabeth, and chocolate. Amen” Or whatever, and your heart is still hurt, He Knows That. And he’s listening to your prayer thinking, You’re welcome for Elizabeth, and Chocolate, but… Don’t you want help with your boyfriend? Don’t you need money to fix your car? I want to help with that too. Can I? Just ask me, Please….

You cannot hide your brokenness from God, and he doesn’t want you to try. The strength of the world is nothing to him. Who you are and what you’re feeling is absolutely everything to him.

…. Lemme say that again.

Who you are. And what you’re feeling. Not what you say you’re feeling, But what you’re actually feeling, is Absolutely. Everything. To. God.

You are everything to God.

You.

Are Everything.

To.

God.

Got it? I hope so. If not leave me a comment and I’ll respond and say it a few more times.

So why do you have to find God?

I mean, I know you may have heard that he’s right there, but that means nothing if you haven’t found him yet, right?

Right. Because you’re still trying. Maybe if you do this thing, you’ll figure out where he is. Maybe if you pray harder, or read your bible more, or take notes during church.

Stop trying. Be still and know that He is God.

(How do I be still?)

Idk ask him not me. It’s different for everyone. For me, it means stop thinking about everyone else and how do I help them and stuff like that and just to sit there and talk to him as though he’s with me. Maybe I’m arguing with Him. Maybe I’m not. Either way I’m talking to him.

The dangerous thing with that is learning to distinguish between God and lies. But if you read the Bible enough, you figure out which is which (Just a hint: God will never tell you you’re a terrible person. He will never say you suck, and he will never say he’s disappointed in you. He will always love you. He encourages people to do the right stuff. He doesn’t discourage them into love. Hating someone for something just makes them sad. God doesn’t do that.)

God is In Me. And You. God is With You.  Got it? And he loves you. Yes, life sucks. We don’t belong in the world, but while we’re here we should spent what little time we have talking to God, not trying to find Him. Cause he’s with us always. No exceptions. And he loves us always. No exceptions. You can’t hide your life from something that’s in you and knows you, and you don’t have to because he loves you.

It’s just that simple.

Now, Go talk to God.

~Silver

A truth the world is afraid of.

Strength.

People too often consider strength to be that thing that lets you hide how you feel in times of trouble. The thing that holds back tears when you should be a mess on the floor.

“Oh, she’s so strong. Her parents are getting a divorce but every day she shows up at school and smiles and holds her friends up when they go through rough break ups. I dunno how she does it.” Yeah, that’s real strength there (Sarcasm)

 No, that’s not strength. That’s self denial.

“He never cries. Even when he found out his best friend was in the bus accident and died, he didn’t cry. And not at the funeral either.” (You: That’s a bit extreme) (Yeah well I’m trying to make a point.)

Since when were tears a *bleep*ing weakness?

(You: Oh, ok. So what do You say strength is then, hm?)

Strength is being able to cry, being able to deal with your pain, and not letting it eat you. Strength is letting yourself heal. Strength is not caring if everyone else sees you an emotional mess.

Strength is knowing who you are, knowing what you feel, and dealing with it. Hiding behind humanity’s definition of strength is the definition of weakness.

Strength is knowing you’re falling, not knowing how far you’ll fall, but being ok with it nonetheless.

Falling, yet trying to hold on to whatever you can to keep yourself safe, is Not strength.

I mean really, emotions are pretty dang hard to express sometimes. We all know that. It’s hard to love someone when they’ve wronged you. It’s hard to cry when the rest of the room is laughing. It’s hard to laugh when no one else joins in. We automatically feel judged and hated, like as if the entire world is glaring at you asking “How dare you not feel how we feel?”

Surrendering to that judgment is basically the socially acceptable form of cutting yourself.

You shouldn’t be fitting yourself into that little crib in the back of your head where you’re safe. Do little kids care if someone sees them crying? No. They only start caring when people tell them to grow up, when other kids start teasing them. When their parents tell them to grow a pair and quit being a baby.

If we were meant to be turtles, we’d all come with shells.

And I’m not saying you should burst into tears all the time either. But if you’re hurt, don’t call it nothing, swallow your pain, and smile so you look normal.

When people hurt you and you seal it up inside you, you just end up hating them. And then you take everything they do, everything they say, everything they are, as a reason to hate them. They become a dragon in your head and everyone similar to them, or friends with them even, is part of their dragon army.

If someone hurts you, you should figure out why it hurt and then bring it to them.

(You: But if I do that I’ll look dumb) Yeah and if you wander around hating them for all your life, you’ll be bitter and sad and you won’t be able to figure out why.

If you need to look dumb in order to resolve your pain, then look dumb. Since when was the opinion of man greater than your own well being?

Never.

(Note: If the person who hurt you laughs at you after you talk to them, you should go get back up and try again. Esp someone who looks big and threatening. Or the quiet dangerous type.)

(… Or pray for them.)

I’m not even saying you should pour out your heart to whoever asks “How are you?” Unless you know this person very well, you are going to scare the crap out of them and they won’t know what to do except stare blankly at you with huge eyes, then slowly mutter “Aw I’m so sorry!” and maybe hug you.

This is discouraging.

But you should always have someone, or a few someones, who you can go to with your hurt. If your best friend truly is your best friend, he/she will stick with you whether you’re smiling or curled up on a couch crying your soul out. (and then you should stick with them too)

And always, always take your pain to God. And your joy. And anything else you feel. Even if it feels like he isn’t responding or doesn’t care, tell yourself he does and don’t stop talking to him. If you make him your best friend, and share your heart with Him, he’ll do the same with you.

And you can laugh at me and call me a retarded little Christian kid with her imaginary God, but I’d rather my “Imaginary God” over some other probably insecure human any day.

If you can be you, and express you, and not let who you are and what you feel be judged by others, then you can truly be strong.

Never get that strength mixed up with hidden tears.

Be strong.

~Silver

Who are you?

What is beauty?

…… (You*Blank Stare*: Well now, that’s not an easy question to answer…)

No, not really. But it’s an Important Question. Merely for the sake of keeping this from being a novel on beauty, I’ll limit this to the beauty of man. What is the beauty of man? What’s so important about him?

Now, a lot of people will tell you there’s nothing beautiful about man. That he’s not important.

Those same people will either tell you to save the trees and care about animals feelings and refuse to eat meat cause the poor dead chickens, or they’ll grow up to be lawyers and such just so they can declare what they think to be justice.

Don’t listen to those people.

There is everything beautiful in everything. Now, there are some parts of people that aren’t very pretty, but that is very much so beside the point. Ugly things can be ranted at other times.

What I’m talking about isn’t things people think people are. It’s who people actually are. Who they were the minute they were born, rather than who they became later on in life.

The core of who a person is before they were told how to be pretty, before they were lied to and made weak in an attempt to look strong, before they were pressured to become perfect, is in fact the most beautiful thing ever.

That’s why newborns are awesome. They scream, they cry, they look around at everything so innocently.

They don’t know that in five years, give or take, they’ll be starting a never ending journey to fit in to society.

Innocence embodied. That’s why innocent things are so cute and we like them. Innocence is a factor of beauty.

But that is Not what Beauty is. Not in the least.

Someone (A guy) once said there is nothing more attractive than a woman who is confident in who she is.

The same goes for guys. If a guy knows who he is, or at least can act it flawlessly, he will be the dude with all the girls’ eyes on him. (It’s important to note here, though, that if he’s acting confident for the chicks, then he probably isn’t that confident and just needs help. He’s lonely.)

If you know who you are then nothing can stop you.

But that’s not really hidden knowledge. Every one kind of knows that. So why am I telling you this?

Well, not because I want you to stop reading and go off on some search for your true self. Those searches almost never go well.

I’m actually going to tell you who you are. So keep reading.

You are unique, special. There is no one like you. Maybe to the human eye, yeah. Since man judges on appearance. But who you are, the very core of your being, is unique. So many people spend too much time making themselves unique. If they stepped back for a second they’d realize they were making themselves to be everyone else.

Don’t be a conformist, and don’t be an anti-conformist. In fact, forget the idea of conformism ever existed.

You are something so beautiful that there is someone out there, maybe many someone, who would die for you. Not cause you look pretty or act pretty, but because you Are pretty.

In fact, someone already did die for you, and believe you me he’d do it again if he had to. Not that he has to now. All you really have to do is follow him, love him, and love others no matter what and you’re safe.

Safe in love, isn’t that something?

People spend their entire lives searching for beauty, to make themselves something to be desired. It ruins people, when they want to be something else.

You were Made Perfect. Nothing can change that. Nothing can truly change You.

Even if you’ve spent a lot of time trying to change you, even if you’ve convinced yourself that you’re terrible and a liar and a fake and horrible and no one should ever love you and you’re the exception to everything I’ve just said.

(You don’t understand)

Yes, I do. Believe me when I say I do. Convincing works both ways.

(You can’t change the truth.)

Exactly my point. And if you’ve had to convince yourself that you’re terrible, if you started believing that once upon a time, then obviously you didn’t start out that way, which means you weren’t meant to end that way. Or even exist that way. Which means you can stop believing it. Which means you really should.

Because you are the definition of beauty. God made you like him. And if you are you, if you are who you started out as, then you can’t lose anything.

So who are you, really?

~Silver