How fun those words are to say, when everything goes our way.
It's a wonderful life. Yea I'm thinking of that Christmas classic movie, where a guy who thinks he had it all, suddenly finds himself with nothing, with everything he planned going horrible wrong, and suddenly he wishes he wasn't alive anymore. And then through a series of self-discovery, he finds how wonderful life really is, even with the bad. It's a wonderful life.
Ever tried saying that when everything is messed up, plans gone awry, hopes you had dashed to pieces? Have you, as the tears poured down your face, the pain pressed up and crushing you, still had the courage and faith to whisper..."It's a wonderful life."?
Horatio Spafford was such a man. After a sailing accident at sea where 4 of his daughters died, Spafford still found faith and courage to say "It's a wonderful life" by writing a famous hymn called "It is well with my Soul". He could have sank in to depression, he could have been angry with God, he could have done a million other things than write that song. I don't have children, so I can't even begin to imagine the pain of loosing four of his daughters at once. That's inspiring.
Another man had a similar kind of courage and faith, even as death was approaching in the form of a bitter betrayal by a close friend. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' friend and disciple Judas Iscariot lead a group of soldiers to the garden in order to have him arrested and put to death. With a traitorous brotherly kiss from Judas, the soldiers lead Jesus away to be mocked, tried unfairly, and crucified by a cross which was a cruel Roman tradition for criminals at the time. Yet before all this happened, this is an excerpt of some of the words Jesus prayed while in the garden, knowing what approached. "Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
So many times I'll struggle when things don't go my way. And then I'll find after that crummy part, that there was something better that I didn't see, and God was with me the whole way.
My hope is, that I can hold onto that idea even through the dry-spells, and the rough times. Sure its not going to be a 'wonderful' part of life; but to have that attitude during that crummy time, and to be able to press into Jesus and find that 'It is well with my soul'...now that would be a truly wonderful life.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tomorrow
Tomorrow begins a new day
A new life, a new way
And the question that I continue to say..
Will I ever be the same?
Tomorrow begins at the stroke of the bell
As it rings its tone the music begins to swell
And still I ponder; on this question I dwell:
Will I ever be the same?
Tomorrow begins with a happy twist
At the death of the old, and the beginning of bliss
Of a better way, my life to exist
Will I ever be the same?
Today has begun, unclear yet not alone
I wander at will and realizing, as life not grown
How much better today, than the past I have known...
I will never be the same.
J.B. Mitchell 2011
A new life, a new way
And the question that I continue to say..
Will I ever be the same?
Tomorrow begins at the stroke of the bell
As it rings its tone the music begins to swell
And still I ponder; on this question I dwell:
Will I ever be the same?
Tomorrow begins with a happy twist
At the death of the old, and the beginning of bliss
Of a better way, my life to exist
Will I ever be the same?
Today has begun, unclear yet not alone
I wander at will and realizing, as life not grown
How much better today, than the past I have known...
I will never be the same.
J.B. Mitchell 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Inexplicable Joy
What's it like?
It's like that feeling when you're standing with a glass of ice cold water on a day that is sweltering hot. Specifically its that feeling of the icy creep of cold that runs up your back and down your throat as you drink that cold water.
It's that feeling of falling a thousand and one feet with your breath taken away as you fall.
It's like watching two rambunctious puppy dogs play.
It's indescribable. You simply must, want to, cannot stop from exploding. Its like a dwarf star, blazing joy overtaking everyone and everything and lighting it on fire and joy as you pass on by. Its wild, its free, it consumes everything, its deep and long-lasting, eternal forever. Something that moves in the deep, and is heard in the heavens high.
Its inexplicable joy.
It's like that feeling when you're standing with a glass of ice cold water on a day that is sweltering hot. Specifically its that feeling of the icy creep of cold that runs up your back and down your throat as you drink that cold water.
It's that feeling of falling a thousand and one feet with your breath taken away as you fall.
It's like watching two rambunctious puppy dogs play.
It's indescribable. You simply must, want to, cannot stop from exploding. Its like a dwarf star, blazing joy overtaking everyone and everything and lighting it on fire and joy as you pass on by. Its wild, its free, it consumes everything, its deep and long-lasting, eternal forever. Something that moves in the deep, and is heard in the heavens high.
Its inexplicable joy.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Treasure Island
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Math 13:44)
That's dedication. It's a simple verse, but powerful in its implications. Here was a man, traveling along in life, and suddenly he spies a treasure, something beautiful, but its not his.
He could have walked on. Or he could have simply stood there watching it, until someone else passed by, noticed, and went and got it. Facepalm.
I've done that before; seen something worthwhile; something I truly wanted to have, and watched it from the road. And soon enough, it became found by someone else, or just disappeared, because I wouldn't do anything but sit there and watch. Treasure doesn't just come up to you and become found. One has to find it; and then one has to brave all the perils, or hardships, or whatever obstacle is in the way to get to it.
That's exactly what that man did; he sold all his possessions for this treasure, because he knew it was totally worth it. There was something in that field plot of land, that far outweighed any of the obstacles that he had to encounter, and he was determined to have it.
Its kinda cool, because if you think about it, Christ was like that man and the field. He saw something incredible valuable in us, so much so that He gave up His most precious possession...His life..in order to gain us! And He set the perfect example of what it means to truly pursue the real valuable important things in life.
Honestly I'm still learning too, but if you see something like treasure pop up in your life, don't sit or stand there watching it. Get up, and go after it with all your might and endurance; its worth it, even if you don't always succeed.
That's dedication. It's a simple verse, but powerful in its implications. Here was a man, traveling along in life, and suddenly he spies a treasure, something beautiful, but its not his.
He could have walked on. Or he could have simply stood there watching it, until someone else passed by, noticed, and went and got it. Facepalm.
I've done that before; seen something worthwhile; something I truly wanted to have, and watched it from the road. And soon enough, it became found by someone else, or just disappeared, because I wouldn't do anything but sit there and watch. Treasure doesn't just come up to you and become found. One has to find it; and then one has to brave all the perils, or hardships, or whatever obstacle is in the way to get to it.
That's exactly what that man did; he sold all his possessions for this treasure, because he knew it was totally worth it. There was something in that field plot of land, that far outweighed any of the obstacles that he had to encounter, and he was determined to have it.
Its kinda cool, because if you think about it, Christ was like that man and the field. He saw something incredible valuable in us, so much so that He gave up His most precious possession...His life..in order to gain us! And He set the perfect example of what it means to truly pursue the real valuable important things in life.
Honestly I'm still learning too, but if you see something like treasure pop up in your life, don't sit or stand there watching it. Get up, and go after it with all your might and endurance; its worth it, even if you don't always succeed.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Life is Beautiful
Got in a car accident the other night. I was just driving home from school. I was at a intersection and just had gotten the green arrow to go. Half-way into the turn I just barely saw car lights moving at me, and then a split second later I had spun around and slammed into my airbag which thankfully deployed, or that poor steering wheel would have been squashed.
All joking aside, it was really scary. I didn't know what the heck had happened, I didn't even have time to tense up for the impact or anything. One second I'm turning, next second I'm panicking, my leg is hurting and felt like it was bleeding. I was worried sick too about the other person who had hit me, as I was afraid they may have died from hitting me head on. And there was smoke coming out of my airbag (later found out that was normal) so I thought my van was going to explode or something. I wanted to get out out! And yet my leg was hurting, and (I thought) bleeding as well.
So here I was...thinking I'm trapped in a van about to explode and too afraid to move my leg in-case it was seriously broken or hurt. Oh and my glasses had flown off somewhere, so I was blind too. Totally helpless. I rolled my window down, and started to regain my mind and called my mom. And then a lady came over who had seen everything and calmed me down saying everything was ok and I was going to be fine.
Minutes after that the firemen where there, and the police. I found out the other people were in fact ok, and my leg was just scratched and felt heavily bruised. An hour and a half later I was home after going to the hospital to get checked up, and finding out that other than a bruised and sore leg, I was perfectly fine.
I know I should maybe wrap this up with something cliche about how life is fragile (and it is don't get me wrong), but I did have one thought through all this. When I was in the van, I was totally out of control. I couldn't move, for fear of my leg, and I didn't know if the other people were alive, and I was blind, and scared. But God was totally in control. I walked away from a near-head on collision at about 40mph with a totaled car and only a bruised leg, and the other people were fine and I was fine.
Some people would say I was lucky, I think not; things could have turned out so much worse. I could have died. I just think Jesus and I got a ways more on this earth to travel together before I come home with Him.
All joking aside, it was really scary. I didn't know what the heck had happened, I didn't even have time to tense up for the impact or anything. One second I'm turning, next second I'm panicking, my leg is hurting and felt like it was bleeding. I was worried sick too about the other person who had hit me, as I was afraid they may have died from hitting me head on. And there was smoke coming out of my airbag (later found out that was normal) so I thought my van was going to explode or something. I wanted to get out out! And yet my leg was hurting, and (I thought) bleeding as well.
So here I was...thinking I'm trapped in a van about to explode and too afraid to move my leg in-case it was seriously broken or hurt. Oh and my glasses had flown off somewhere, so I was blind too. Totally helpless. I rolled my window down, and started to regain my mind and called my mom. And then a lady came over who had seen everything and calmed me down saying everything was ok and I was going to be fine.
Minutes after that the firemen where there, and the police. I found out the other people were in fact ok, and my leg was just scratched and felt heavily bruised. An hour and a half later I was home after going to the hospital to get checked up, and finding out that other than a bruised and sore leg, I was perfectly fine.
I know I should maybe wrap this up with something cliche about how life is fragile (and it is don't get me wrong), but I did have one thought through all this. When I was in the van, I was totally out of control. I couldn't move, for fear of my leg, and I didn't know if the other people were alive, and I was blind, and scared. But God was totally in control. I walked away from a near-head on collision at about 40mph with a totaled car and only a bruised leg, and the other people were fine and I was fine.
Some people would say I was lucky, I think not; things could have turned out so much worse. I could have died. I just think Jesus and I got a ways more on this earth to travel together before I come home with Him.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
December
December is one of my favorite months; not only is it cold out, but usually there's snow on the ground too. And of course the merry season of Christmas is here, where it seems as if everything can't possibly go wrong, and hopes are hard to diminish.
I love the cold too. It reminds me of the vigour and zest of life; the frozen chilly air biting your face till it makes your eyes cry with the sheer breath of being alive. There's so much life and energy, and I'll walk out in the cold wind and just feel alive!
And then there are days when the cold makes me appreciate the warmth and comfort of home. Being inside, drinking some dark hot chocolate with cinnamon, and relaxing with my siblings. And life is still there outside in all its frosty aliveness, and deep on the inside I'm warm with happiness
I love the cold too. It reminds me of the vigour and zest of life; the frozen chilly air biting your face till it makes your eyes cry with the sheer breath of being alive. There's so much life and energy, and I'll walk out in the cold wind and just feel alive!
And then there are days when the cold makes me appreciate the warmth and comfort of home. Being inside, drinking some dark hot chocolate with cinnamon, and relaxing with my siblings. And life is still there outside in all its frosty aliveness, and deep on the inside I'm warm with happiness
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