Constantly in amazement...
I am perpetually amazed at the things I learn in the places I learn them. Sometimes it takes the simplest sentence to make me realize something truly pivotal and profound in my life. Like, I can have epiphanies in the most unexpected places. I had to go view a video for this society of leadership and success thing I just joined. The guy on the video was the founder of Kinko's and he told his story (not very eloquently may I add) about how he was a horrible student and got fired from every job he had until he had this idea to have a store that made copies for people. And I'm thinking to myself, "How did this loser get to be so successful?" But he was very smart- not necessarily book smart- but he knew how things worked and was great at observing people, what they do and what they need. He said something that really kind of got to me; he said "A friend is someone who can be happy when you're happy." It's so easy to be sad with people when they're sad, but a real friend is someone who can be happy-not jealous- of your successes. Even if it takes you away from them. I realized in that moment that I'm not always the best friend I can be to my friends. To be the very best friend I can be, I need to not just sympathize with my friends, I need to listen to them; I mean really listen. And I need to support them, regardless of what they're doing. I can't just be there one day and not be there the next.
I also learned something very powerful watching Oprah today. She had on these girls who were sex addicts. I mean they literally go out looking for strangers to have sex with. And it hit me (about the same time it hit Oprah) that it's not really about sex for them. And in truth, I'm not that different from them. Whatever our addictions may be (and you know we all have them), it's not about the addiction itself; it's about pouring something into ourselves to fill a void left by a wound that never healed properly. It's like trying to put a band aid on a slit throat- it's gonna keep bleeding. And what we all do as human beings is keep ignoring the blood gushing out of us. We try to cover it up or pretend it's not there; but sooner or later, you have to confront it. Otherwise, you'll die. It's so dumb, too, because if we were all completely honest with each other, we'd see that no one is perfect. I know we all say it "Oh, of course, nobody's perfect. But do we really believe it? Every single person has something that they really don't want to world to see; so we all keep it locked away. When in reality, if we all opened up, we'd be a lot healthier. Probably we would even live longer. But people are so afraid of the truth, so they all continue to hide.
The thing is, as a Christian, why do I continue to search for things to fill the voids left by my wounds, when Jesus already paid the price to heal them? Why do I conceal things not only from the world, but from God? He already sees it anyway- am I to lie to God? It's just one of those things I learned from the oddest place: one of the biggest spiritual findings I've made in a while, and it happened while watching Oprah. I'm constantly in amazement...
While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns
Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight
Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
Casting Crowns is on of the best Christian bands out there today. They're songs are so relevant to our world today and they confront the issues that most Christians don't want to talk about. I highly reccomend them.
I also learned something very powerful watching Oprah today. She had on these girls who were sex addicts. I mean they literally go out looking for strangers to have sex with. And it hit me (about the same time it hit Oprah) that it's not really about sex for them. And in truth, I'm not that different from them. Whatever our addictions may be (and you know we all have them), it's not about the addiction itself; it's about pouring something into ourselves to fill a void left by a wound that never healed properly. It's like trying to put a band aid on a slit throat- it's gonna keep bleeding. And what we all do as human beings is keep ignoring the blood gushing out of us. We try to cover it up or pretend it's not there; but sooner or later, you have to confront it. Otherwise, you'll die. It's so dumb, too, because if we were all completely honest with each other, we'd see that no one is perfect. I know we all say it "Oh, of course, nobody's perfect. But do we really believe it? Every single person has something that they really don't want to world to see; so we all keep it locked away. When in reality, if we all opened up, we'd be a lot healthier. Probably we would even live longer. But people are so afraid of the truth, so they all continue to hide.
The thing is, as a Christian, why do I continue to search for things to fill the voids left by my wounds, when Jesus already paid the price to heal them? Why do I conceal things not only from the world, but from God? He already sees it anyway- am I to lie to God? It's just one of those things I learned from the oddest place: one of the biggest spiritual findings I've made in a while, and it happened while watching Oprah. I'm constantly in amazement...
While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns
Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight
Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
Casting Crowns is on of the best Christian bands out there today. They're songs are so relevant to our world today and they confront the issues that most Christians don't want to talk about. I highly reccomend them.