Love

I remember listening to a lecturer one day ask the question, "How would you define LOVE?" Throughout history, so much has been written about love; and so many have pondered upon it. We know that it is much more than just emotions and feelings; but, how would we really define it? 1 Corinthians 13 offers a Biblical description of characteristics of love; and how it is lived out in life (i.e. patient, kind, etc). Yet, when I contemplate a more succinct way of defining something as complex as love, I would consider John 15:13 as the best illustration: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." I would define love as being willing to sacrifice for that person, even to the point of death. In the last few weeks, I finished reading some very famous love stories: Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, and Lady Miriam. In each story, we can see that true love indeed was willing to sacrifice everything, even life itself, for the object of their affection. And, of course, in the greatest love story ever told, "God so loved that world that He gave His Only Son"; and Jesus Christ loved us so much that He willingly lay down His life for us on the cross.

Facing the Giants

I just watched Facing the Giants again last night. A story like this, which is filled with God's truth applied to life, can have as much an effect on me subsequent times watched as it did the first time. "For nothing is impossible with God" -- what a great truth to cling to! This inspires me to continue to trust Him in the face of difficulties and even "impossibilities" And, it is so true that it is important to do all things for the glory of God. When we do things with the perspective of eternal future, the results are what will last. It was well illustrated in the movie when the coach asked the team if they could remember who won the championships in the previous years. If their goal was just to win games and championships, those things will "fade" after awhile. But, when they changed their perspective to do things for God's glory, lives were changed. It affected every other aspect of their life: school, relationships, and character. One of my favorite characters in the movie was the father of David. He was so faithfully supportive of his son; and was always ready to encourage and give strength; despite his being confined to a wheelchair. I loved, at the end, when he stood up behind the goal posts to show his son that he was there and that he believed that his son could kick the miraculous 51-yard goal to win the State Championship game. There are so many wonderful elements in this movie. I hope that when I face the "Giants" in my life, that I will keep my eyes on Christ and that I will just try my best, and leave the rest to Him. May He be glorified in my life! Amen.

Gone with the Wind

I just finished re-reading Gone with the Wind. It truly is an American classic. There are so many elements woven in the midst of the descriptive and masterful story-telling. It captured details of the American Civil War, showing the struggles of the War and of the Reconstruction. It displayed the staunchness of the South. And, it depicted the heart-breaking love story, that didn't have the fairytale "Happily Ever After" ending. I wonder if the book would've first come out in more recent years, would there have been a demand for a sequel? I tend to think that it was a more romantic era back then; and people didn't want to see such a great love dissipate. And so, when the sequel Scarlett was written, it did have the happy fairytale ending. But, in today's culture, I sense more of a cynicism. Bitter tragic endings are more expected; and the shift away from our roots in Judeo-Christian ethics, which formed the foundations of HOPE in our history, has given way to an impersonal scientific evolution point-of-view, which can only offer a cold bleak look at life and the future. While the book mentioned evolution from the perspective of survival-of-the-fittest, still, the virtues like goodness and loyalty were extolled. Yet, with scientific evolution, mutations of cells that have evolved over time by natural processes can't make sense of "intangibles" such as love and goodness and truth. Unless we go back to our roots and recognize the importance of traditional values and strong ethics, based on the existence of a Loving God who created us in His image, there will be even more that will be "gone with the wind." How sad it would be to wake up one day and realize that we've been blind all along. That in trying to do away with our foundations as One Nation UNDER GOD, and trying to erase IN GOD WE TRUST, and trying to tear down the Ten Commandments as the moral basis of the law; we are actually taking away what made this nation great in the first place. We would be undoing what all the founding fathers had built. Will we realize that what our society has been trying to get rid of, is actually the very thing that we most need; and that what we are chasing after will leave us cold and unsatisfied? Scarlett and Rhett lost what they had, because she was chasing after a "dream" she made up. When, she came to the realization of what she really needed, it was too late. I pray that will not happen to this great country of ours. The greatest hope and the strongest foundation is that which is rooted in God.

September 11th

We, as people, can be considered to have "short memories." Today, just 7 years after one of the most terrible tragedies in our nation's history, the profoundly deep pain, sorrow, and even fear that we felt at that time has somewhat lessened. This is not to say that we have totally forgotten; and I can only imagine the grieving that those who have lost loved ones still experience. Yet, with the passage of time, how we feel today is less piercing than how we felt when it all first hit. In a way, that is good, because a person would not be able to function, if faced continually day-by-day with that crippling sorrow. (And, there might still be some who have not yet "recovered" from that experience). But, generally, it is a good thing that time heals, along with the help and support of friends, families, pastors, and counselors. So, looking back, what would I say today, based on the perspective I've gained with the benefit of time? Firstly, I would say that because we do have "short memories," we need to do what we can to help us remember the things that we should remember. That is why having commemorations annually on Sept 11th is useful. It causes us to stop and think back, to help us not to forget what we have learned. We need to be reminded to continue be careful, because the terrorism in the world has not gone away. We should learn from our experiences, in order to help prevent the negative parts of history from repeating itself. Also, it is important to be reminded to honor the memories of those who lost their lives. Secondly, I remember the sense of helplessness that I felt in the direct aftermath of it all. I sought to know what I could do to help and how I should change my life. Often major tragedies help us to focus our lives on what is really important; and most of us would feel compelled to "change" because we recognize that not everything we are doing have lasting value or significant meaning. What I would say today, is that striving to live with meaning and purpose is how we should live our lives anyway. We should not wait for a tragedy to remind us to do away with anything frivolous, self-indulging, or fleeting. We were created by God for purpose, and to invest our time, resources, and energy into what will last, of which loving, serving, and helping others is a prime example. So, on this day, I stop to remember what happened on Sept 11, 2001. I say a prayer for those who have lost loved ones and those who still struggle from the effects of that tragic day. And I gain encouragement to continue to seek how I may live my life with meaning and purpose, loving God and loving others.

Election '08

I was never one to be very interested in politics, though I do try to at least be informed enough to make reasonable decisions when it comes to voting. However, this year's election has been able to draw me in. I actually wanted to sit through and listen to both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions these past two weeks. Part of the reason is that this year is a history-making year, in that we have the first African-American presidential candidate and the first female Republican vice presidential candidate. On top of that, both of these candidates are very well-spoken and charismatic. Yet, I had to remind myself not to be caught up in the rhetoric and to think critically. Looking back at the speeches, I would agree with Sarah Palin when she said that there are some who motivate by their words and others who motivate by their deeds. It is true, that so often in our culture and society, it is easy to be swayed by convincing speech and charisma; however, the proof is in the actions and results. I admire McCain's proven service to our country and Palin's demonstration of her pro-life views in her personal choice to keep her baby, who was born with Down syndrome. I do think that the choice of Palin as the VP candidate on the Republican ticket has helped strengthen the representation of traditional values, has shown that they are willing to take risk when needed, and is like a "breath of fresh" air. While I do not agree with all of the McCain-Palin views, and can see that they are certainly subject to the flaws and imperfections of humanity, I do hope that the momentum the Republican's have gained will continue through to the elections; and that more people would be motivated to vote to protect life, to protect marriage, and to enable judicial nominees who will not legislate from the bench. And, while we are at it, we can make history by electing our nation's first woman vice president.

Excellence

I have seen that often the difference between good and excellent is in the details. For example, I just bought an exercise machine this weekend, and after putting it together, I found that one screw provided was the wrong size. Just because of that one screw, I am not able to use the machine until I order the one replacement part. All the other parts are there, everything is put together -- all except for the parts that are held together by that one screw. One little seemingly insignificant oversight in packaging, causes me to be unable to use the machine. "Excellence" would likely have caught that mistake. And that is true in other areas of life as well. I know that in my life, I have striven for excellence even if I don't always succeed. Still, I would try to pay attention to the details; and I believe that contributes to the quality of work that I produce and to the effect on my personal life as well. Yet, in our society and culture, I see an inconsistency in the attitude towards excellence. While people are often quick to find fault and criticize, which indicates a recognition of lack of excellence; yet, those who spend the time to pay attention to detail are often viewed negatively as "nit picky", rigid, and excessive. So, the characteristics related to excellence are not often appreciated. This can be also illustrated by a work situation. When the person running a system, pays attention to detail and strives for excellence, the system often runs well, with no major problems. However, the work behind making it run that way usually goes unnoticed and unappreciated. So, the person who strives for excellence must, not only pay attention to details, but also be motivated by the desire for excellence whether or not it is recognized or even appreciated by others. This actually indicates why a person who lives for God, has the benefit of being motivated out of a desire to please God. God is perfect; and when we strive for excellence, we are striving to be more like Him.