In Love

I’ve seen enough romantic comedies and read enough Nicholas Sparks books to know that love can happen to anyone. I know that it can happen suddenly, unexpectedly, and end happily. I also know from real life that it can end as quickly as it began. People who are in love one day break up the next and spend the rest of their lives apart. There are divorces, affairs, break-ups, secrets…and more. Everything about the love they once had is gone. The two people who were so deeply and completely in love find someone else, or they decide they just can’t stand that one person anymore, or they just leave because they don’t know what they were thinking in the first place. More often than not, a third party is involved. Cheating. That’s what we call it. That’s why I love reading books like Nicholas Sparks’ brilliant works of fiction. But that’s what they are, right? Fiction.

Let me introduce you to two very special people in my life. And then, after them, four more. First.

My mom and dad have been married for twenty three years, and are still very much in love. They joke all the time. They hold hands in the car almost every day. They sneak off to an empty room to kiss where the kids won’t see them and be obnoxious. They look at each other so lovingly when they think people aren’t watching them. My mom still blushes when I catch her looking that way at my dad. My dad still winks at me and grins like an idiot. He tells my brothers that they’re in trouble. Their wives are going to hate them for complaining that nothing’s “like my mom made it.” He tells everyone that he’s going to get fat from all the cooking my mom does. My mom laughs and still bumps him when he says something embarrassingly cute. They still love each other.

My grandparents. My dad’s parents have been married for fifty years. And counting. On their fiftieth anniversary, they got a card that said “Congratulations to dad, consolations to mom.” They both thought it was hysterical and made jokes about it the rest of the party. They hold hands when they’re praying at dinner. They go everywhere together. They have two armchairs, set side by side, within touching distance. Their house is small and old and they still live in it, because it’s where they raised their children, and they love their children, their house, and each other. My mom’s parents have been married for forty-something years. I’m not really sure. They still hold hands in the car, too. My grandma still strokes my grandpa’s thinning hair and they still look at each other and absolutely melt. You can tell just by looking at them when they’re together that they are still more in love than ever. They joke about each other and laugh at each other and look more happy then I’ve ever seen anyone. They are still in love.

So how is it that so many people can fall out of love? I don’t understand it. I love my world…my small, protected life. My family. The people around me who are still utterly and completely in love with each other; the people who love me as much as they love each other. I love them, too.

Days Gone By

The past few days have been a little rough for me. I've been trying to get so much done, trying to figure out where God is leading me, and trying to figure exactly what I'm supposed to do with myself and my time. I still really have no idea, but I'm trying. These few days have really brought somethings to mind for me, about both the past and the present. There are, of course, always worries about the future, but I know that God has a plan for me even when I'm struggling to figure out what I'm going to do about tomorrow.

First, the Past.

The past is something people either love or hate. I love some of it...hate the rest of it. I can still remember a Sunday that I spent in my room because I was mean to my little brother. Yeah, I was mean once. And, of course, I can remember how sad I was when I moved away from Colorado and all the friends and memories I had there. As a ten-year-old, it was a traumatic experience. I also remember meeting one of my greatest friends at church a couple months later, and then only a few months after that moving again. The past is somewhere that I use to teach lessons that I've learned; it's somewhere I need to go sometimes to remember what it was like back then. MY "good-ol-days."

Second. The Present.

The present is full of stress. There's so much of the "I'm-late-get-outta-my-way!" and "Hurry-up" and all that crazy stuff. The stress for me is paramount. I'm freaking out. My classes are so hard. I'm tired. I'm almost always hungry (a rare thing for me). I can't sleep when I want to, but I can fall asleep in classes. I don't want to write this paper; I can't think of a title. I can't think of a topic. I can't pass this test. There's no way. I'm so negative! That's something that I'm going to be working on. Will you join me? And I'm working on calming myself down. The fatigue that's setting in doesn't help at all, but I'm working on it. I have to work, too...And I'm trying to bring myself down a notch while I'm there. Just listen, not talk all the time.

It may take a while, but I think it'll work.

The Future. Actually, let's not talk about the future. Not yet. I think that can wait for another day...in the future. Don't you?

Get Some

Before I really get into this post, I just want to sat thank you to my new followers! It made me pretty happy and excited to see that I now have followers. :) Thanks, guys!

Alright. I wanted to talk about something that I really get excited about, but something that I don't really ever have enough of. Hope. Hope is kind of an ambiguous term. So what does Hope really mean? Or better yet, what does the Bible say it means, and how can I get some?

Dictionary.com says that Hope is "a person or thing in which expectations are centered." Another definition says that Hope is "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best." Suffice it to say that this is a kind of broad meaning. That's really what a wish is, isn't it? "I wish that I could get an A on this test!" "I wish that you could tell me." So is that Hope? That's kind of a thin line, to be honest. That's something that you need to decide for yourself.

The Bible has a slightly different idea of Hope. Easton's Bible Dictionary says that Hope is "a desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; an expectation of something which is thought to be desirable; confidence; pleasing expectancy." Wow. That's a pretty big definition. I can't claim to understand this; not by half. But this I do know:

I have this awesome friend who is a constant support to me. He helps me with everything. I tell him everything! And he replies back. I'm not talking about God. I'm talking about a friend. Just like David had Jonathon, I have this amazing friend to help me through the toughest of times. He is always encouraging me. I would say that my Hope is in him. I have absolute confidence in him. I have an expectation in him. I know that he will always help me, and he'll always be there to comfort me. I HOPE that everyone can someday find that kind of friend. I WISH that they did right now, but I know that's not possible. Not everyone has an amazing friend.

So that's what I think Hope is. What about you? What do you think Hope really is, or why do you think Hope is what it is? Let me know. It's such an amazing thing, Hope. I Hope that you find yours. Like I said earlier, one of the best questions to ask about Hope is "Where can I get some?" Let me tell you.

Jesus. The Bible. Your family. Your friends. Read the Scripture. They tell so much about the Hope that our Lord gave us! Hope Hope Hope Hope.

Get some.

Peace Out

Romans 12:18 says, "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone."
Can I argue that we're not doing such a great job of this? Our country...isn't so good at keeping at peace. China is mad at us now. Russia was mad at us. Vietnam was mad at us. Korea was mad at us. Japan was mad at us. Germany was mad at us. My neighbor was mad at me. My roommate is probably mad at me. And yet we have T-shirts with big peace symbols on them, pants with "Peace" printed across the butt, necklaces, key chains, earrings, shoelaces! that say "Peace" or at least have a peace sign on them. One of the most famous depictions of "Peace" was President Nixon. You know the guy. The one that always had two fingers in the air- two from each hand, more often than not. The guy that, if I am not mistaken, had to form a public-relations comeback effort. Um, OK, why? If he was so big on peace, then why did he need that? Yes, he visited a bunch of countries in order to keep peace. Yes, some may say he was a good president. I'll let you think what you will about him. I don't care. Anyone who needs to form a public-relations comeback needs to know what peace is.
So...what is peace? Dictionary.com defines peace as, among other things, "the normal, nonwarring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world." It also says that it is "a state of tranquility or serenity." The example given for the latter definition is one we use often; 'May he rest in peace.'
Eastonsbibledictionary.com defines peace as "Reconciliation; agreement after variance; harmony; concord." The Bible says that we should be at peace. Not just at peace with your neighbor. It says that we should be at peace with everyone! Can we live in harmony with other people? Is that possible for us?
Since the Bible tells us to do it, I would say that it's possible. Just...difficult. I know that I struggle at being reconciled with everyone. There are some people that I just don't get along with. Period. So I'm going to work harder to be at peace with them. I'm going to work harder to see what they see; to realize their opinion; to really take into account what they think.
What do you think?

My Three Words Here

We all know the famous three words. The tell-all "I love you" that people say to those they hold dear. We have to ask ourselves, though: Do these words still mean what they once meant? Are they still as meaningful, still as cheering to hear? Love is such an over-used word! Are we taking it for granted? Even though we may not realize it, I think we are. We are throwing that word out to be used as anyone who comes across it pleases. They take those three words and they bend it to mean what they want it to mean. They have no regard for the true meaning.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "For these three still remain: Faith, Hope, and Love; but the greatest of these is Love." The Bible talks so much about Love! Love is one of the things that we are supposed to give unconditionally, without hesitation. We are to "love our neighbor as ourself" and "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind." So why is it that this is so hard to do? Why is giving love away so hard, if we say "I love you" so flippantly?
These are questions that I, unfortunately, do not have the answers to. I don't know if I ever will, to be honest. I can't say that I will right now. I have told people that I love them. I'll admit it. But at the same time, I've also told people that flippantly. Yes, I love them- as Jesus commands us to. But have I truly loved them, as I'm supposed to? Have I truly taken the time to invest in them, to tell them that I really do love them? Better yet, have I SHOWN them that I love them?
The answer is, more often that not, No.
Help me change that. That is my prayer today.
To Write Love On Her Arms Day is coming up. This Friday. Will you be one of thousands of people to join the TWLOHA cause? I know I will.