Almost everyone seemed to be glad about this trip. Some mentioned spiritual and character growth, good Christ-centered conversations with people on the beach, and new fellowships with each other.
I completely agree. All of these comments are true and of course fail to truly describe the incredible experience.
But at the same time, my heart was concerned.
1. The passion to evangelize will die down because we are going back to real life, where our task in leaving our home is not only to speak to people about Jesus, but also to do countless other things. To worry about other things. To think that maybe glorifying God is not our first priority. To think that maybe God is not our first priority, even though He is real and eternal.
2. As the trip was ending, we started playing more games of Mafia. When I am not sleepy I think this is a fantastic game. At night, someone on the bus said, "Christians like this game more than the average person because it's the only time they're allowed to lie." Then I started thinking... how much blatant lying and deceit takes place over events that are real and important? How easily does the devil gather people to be like him? How many demons sit around before angels shoo them away, just because we didn't pray?
Don't let the devil chuckle at his success.
Feel uneasy when you meet someone who doesn't know that God loves them, but glad that God is working hard and battling for that person! Don't ever believe or admit that you aren't "good enough" to talk about God. Keep praying and reading the Bible to hone and grow your discernment. Jesus is always with you, helping you, guiding you... and He is not a secret. He is enormously important!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Goal in Life
Conventionally, the media portrays the path to happiness as the American Dream, an ideal that touts wealth and material as the means to satisfaction. But since research has proven that happiness has no correlation with wealth in the absence of serious financial burden, this Dream is not the answer to finding happiness.
Similarly, our environment insists that love is a product of romance. These experiences are often most possible among people who are not too wrinkly, and people who are not "stuck" with just one other person. But for example, we often hear that a stable marriage is the way to go. (I agree.) For the many years when two people are married, proportionately little of their time together would be "passionate," but an enormous amount of time would be "friendly." They are best friends. So maybe conventional wisdom and hopes are not accurate for our lives. They most certainly are not accurate for mine.
Revert to the year 2000, when the world was ostensibly simple. Ask me what I want to be when I grow up. I'd say, just to be happy.
I let this change. It was not a matter of questioning the semantics of happiness, or a sign that I'd settle with depression. Happiness was not my ultimate goal.
But love - for God, my family, friends, everyone - is unquestionably most important to me. Like happiness, it can grow in response to hardship, and can exist in countless forms. And with age, we get to explore their depth. Their similarities are numerous, and their differences reveal the importance of love. I will describe some of their most obvious similarities in order to introduce the reason for my ultimate goal.
More on love...
Despite the notions that true happiness and love cannot be found the mainstream way, many of us are always looking for better possessions and more passion.
But this is not enough. Our worldly ventures are not fulfilling, lasting, or permanent.
Love exists on any level of happiness. Love can be both joyful and painful, one-sided or mutual.
Jesus said that the most important of the commandments is to love God, and the next important was to love your neighbors (Matthew 23:37-40). He is the most fulfilling, lasting and permanent love, and one-sided because He always loves us more.
Similarly, our environment insists that love is a product of romance. These experiences are often most possible among people who are not too wrinkly, and people who are not "stuck" with just one other person. But for example, we often hear that a stable marriage is the way to go. (I agree.) For the many years when two people are married, proportionately little of their time together would be "passionate," but an enormous amount of time would be "friendly." They are best friends. So maybe conventional wisdom and hopes are not accurate for our lives. They most certainly are not accurate for mine.
Revert to the year 2000, when the world was ostensibly simple. Ask me what I want to be when I grow up. I'd say, just to be happy.
I let this change. It was not a matter of questioning the semantics of happiness, or a sign that I'd settle with depression. Happiness was not my ultimate goal.
But love - for God, my family, friends, everyone - is unquestionably most important to me. Like happiness, it can grow in response to hardship, and can exist in countless forms. And with age, we get to explore their depth. Their similarities are numerous, and their differences reveal the importance of love. I will describe some of their most obvious similarities in order to introduce the reason for my ultimate goal.
More on love...
Despite the notions that true happiness and love cannot be found the mainstream way, many of us are always looking for better possessions and more passion.
But this is not enough. Our worldly ventures are not fulfilling, lasting, or permanent.
Love exists on any level of happiness. Love can be both joyful and painful, one-sided or mutual.
Jesus said that the most important of the commandments is to love God, and the next important was to love your neighbors (Matthew 23:37-40). He is the most fulfilling, lasting and permanent love, and one-sided because He always loves us more.
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