Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Weepy Unchanged





Do it. I dare you.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

A Most Bizarre Creature

There exists a creature so strange, scientists cannot comprehend it. However, it does not live in the wild, but in cities and highly-populated areas. Which is only fitting considering that it has no exoskeleton to protect itself, but has a highly permeable, weak, water-based, flammable, flexible, keratinized substance as an outer covering. One would think that it would be highly vulnerable to attack, but it in fact rests very highly on the food chain thanks to its highly-developed intellect.

Perhaps more strange than its outer composition are its behaviors. Often bizarre and illogical, these creatures, unlike many of the animal kingdom, mate for life. They most often proliferate by choosing one member of the opposite gender and reproducing within the construct of a concept called "marriage." Within this relationship, both members are expected to remain faithful to their partner alone. One would think that this inhibits the proliferation of this species because of their inability to spread their seed to multiple surrogates, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in strong children, who get their strength from a well-unified marriage.

They cover themselves in what seem to be referred to as "clothes," because of a most peculiar shame over nakedness. Perhaps things were not always this way. They must eat at regular intervals, as all creatures do, but the strangeness of their eating habits is contained in the fact that, instead of eating what would lead to the survival of the species, they eat things that are incongruent with their health, and in excess. They sleep for exorbitant amounts of time, even past the time of the sun's rising. In fact, sometimes, they even stop in the middle of their daily activities to participate in a phenomenon called "napping." One can only wonder why these creatures enjoy sleep so much - perhaps they communicate with someone when they rest.

One of the defining aspects of this species is their preoccupation with joy and happiness. They pursue it to no end with routine activities like "sports," "drugs," "competitive beer-drinking," or regular sexual activity with multiple partners. They do all these things, and more, despite their negative effects on their emotional, physical, spiritual, and social well-being.

"They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass." (Psalm 106)
For a species with such a highly-developed intellect, they seem to trade glory for garbage. They pursue negative things that will never satisfy their spiritual needs, even when it is clear that those things will never accomplish what they are looking for. This is perhaps most bizarre behavior of the Homo Sapiens species.

They walk in darkness when they could walk in The Light.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Why, God? Why?

Why, God?

Why have the last few months of American history been a seemingly nonstop telling of bloodshed and brokenness?

Why, God?

Why do I seem to hurt only those whom I love most?

Why, God?

Why have I lived a life of abundance when millions lack the most basic of needs?

Why, God?

Why do I never seem to ever get it right?

Why, God?

Why do you bless me when I continue to slap you in the face with the way I live my life?

Why, God?

Why do some of my most important questions go unanswered?

Why, God?

Why do I feel like you're not filling my words when I talk to them?

Why, God?

Why am I so anemic in my faith?

Why, God?

Why did you create me with the very gifts that could easily lead to my destruction?

Why, God?

Why can't I come closer?

We serve a God Who isn't afraid of questions. Who isn't afraid of doubts. Who doesn't tremble at the idea that you might not trust Him very much at the moment. The only thing with these questions though, is that they should lead us to God, and not away from Him. They should lead us to pursue Him, not wallow in fear-filled doubt.

Sometimes, our "Why's?" won't be answered. Sometimes, He just gives us His presence instead of His textbook. And that's fine by me.

Turns out His presence is better than His answers.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

I Love You More

I had some pretty scary thoughts as a kid. I was scared to death of germs (and washed my hands constantly). I wondered if the totality of my life was just a televised event (Truman Show style). I always considered what would happen if one of my family members were to die before I saw them again.

I'm not too sure that these thoughts are all that normal. Maybe they are. I don't know. Shockingly, however, some good things came out of it. Before I left my family for any period of time, I would always say that I loved them with each farewell. Sure, sometimes I just did it because I had gotten in the habit of it. But, in response to this, my father and I would have conversations that looked like this:

1. Goodnight, Tati! Love you!

2. *chuckle* I love you more.

3. No, I love you more!

Now, repeat 2 and 3 for a few minutes, and you'll get the gist of what happened.

It was essentially a verbal assault of love, trying to convince me that he loved me more. If I were to ask my dad to show me how much he loved me, he'd probably stretch his hands as far apart as they would go. And, being the child I was, his arm-span would always be larger than mine, reflecting how much more he really loved his son.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son..." (John 3)
It was essentially a physical assault of love, trying to convince me that He loved me more. When I asked my Dad to show me how much He loved me, He stretched out his hands as far apart as they would go. And, being the sinner that I was, His arm-span would always be larger than mine, reflecting how much more He really loved His son.

In fact, He loved me so much, He stretched out His arms for 6 hours.

Sure, sometimes I tell Him I love Him out of habit, but the truth is that I don't have to worry about Him dying before I see Him again. Death will be the beginning of a very one-sided conversation on Who loved who more.

Turns out, it's Him.