Yours Truly,

‘Tis the Season to be Lonely

2010-12-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

Today is a day of happiness and joy. Unfortunately, today comes with high expectations for most of us. It is Christmas. It’s supposed to be one of the best, if not the best day of the year. But what happens when it fails to be the most wonderful day of the year? What happens when it ends up being another lonely day away from friends? The best day of the year is quickly turned into a familiar day alone.

For those of you who can relate to this Christmas story, you are not alone. The sorrow that this day brings you is nothing foreign to most of us. I truly hope your day was fantastic, but this is no perfect world. In reality, some of you had crappy days. The magic of Christmas was lost for you somewhere in your empty heart. But that doesn’t mean your heart must stay empty.

You are loved. No matter what went wrong this year. No matter if you lost a loved one to death. No matter if your best friend moved away. No matter what. You are loved and should never have to be alone in this world. It is a cruel world, but it is a cruel world that can be faced with others.

The new year is just around the corner. It’s a time of rebirth and change. Now is the chance to make next year the year that this year should’ve been. You can’t control what other people around you do. You can’t prevent their poor choices. But you can control your outlook on life. Set your mind to making next year the best yet. You don’t have to be alone. You shouldn’t have to be alone. People love you and care. Sometimes you just have to look to find those people.

I hope this coming year brings a year full of happiness and love that outweighs the pain and suffering.

You are never alone.

Yours Truly,

Trust in the Dark

2010-06-18T23:15:00.002-04:00

I believe it is safe to say that we all have struggled with trust at some point and possibly still do. It is very hard to trust in something and in someone that can’t be seen. It’s no easy task, and we all stumble with this tough job. We all love to take matters into our own hands and go with our plan. We can see the immediate good that would come out of our plan, so why not go with that? It makes sense, but in the end often leaves us two steps forwards and three steps back. This is where we must turn to God. Hopefully some of you skip the step mentioned above, but surely there have been times when you did not go right to God. Maybe you didn’t realize it at the time, but afterwards you were able to see that you did not look for God’s will.

So let’s say you chose God’s way. It should be perfect and smooth, right? Unfortunately, no. Our plans cause conflictions with God’s plans, so there are usually tough times that come because of our own doings. God shapes and molds us through the times where we must wait for God. These are when God allows us to become who He wants us to be. It’s no easy task to put your full trust in God during these times, but if you do, you will soon see the good that can come out of the tough times. It is still dark right before the sun rises. If you are going through a dark time, the morning may be right around the corner. Don’t get discouraged with God and His plan. Turn to it, and you will not be disappointed. The pain that you are going through can’t be compared to the joy that will come.

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you,
If there's a God who loves you,
Where is He now?

Maybe, there are things you can't see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending
Some day, somehow, you'll see, you'll see

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing,
'Cause the pain you've been feeling
Can't compare to the joy that's coming

So hold on, you got to wait for the light
Press on, just fight the good fight,
Because the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the dark before the morning

My friend, you know how this all ends
And you know where you're going,
You just don't know how you get there
So just say a prayer.
And hold on, cause there's good for those who love God,
But life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
But you'll see the bigger picture

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing,
'Cause the pain you've been feeling
Can't compare to the joy that's coming

So hold on, you got to wait for the light
Press on, just fight the good fight
Because the pain that you've been feeling,
It's just the dark before the morning
Yeah, yeah,
Before the morning,
Yeah, yeah

Once you feel the weight of glory,
All your pain will fade to memory
Once you feel the weight of glory,
All your pain will fade to memory
Memory, memory, yeah

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing,
'Cause the pain you've been feeling
Can't compare to the joy that's coming

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing,
'Cause the pain you've been feeling
Can't compare to the joy that's coming

Come on, you got to wait for the light
Press on, just fight the good fight
Because the pain you've been feeling,
It's just the hurt before the healing
The pain you've been feeling,
It’s just the dark before the morning
Before the morning, yeah, yeah
Before the morning

Josh Wilson - Before the Morning

Yours Truly,

Uncertainty and Trust

2010-04-27T00:03:00.000-04:00

A blog is long overdue, so here are my latest thoughts..

I recently took a trip to Mexico during my spring break. It wasn’t any regular trip; it was a mission’s trip to serve at an orphanage in the Baja. I had gone multiple times before, so I was definitely looking forward to this trip. I had never previously gone to this place with good friends, so I was pumped for this trip. My completely awesome youth leader was going. I had also convinced a friend from church and school to join us. Unfortunately, she dropped out of the trip a few weeks prior to our departure. The day before we left, my youth leader announces that he must drop out, due to medical reasons. The trip had gone from super awesome to just awesome. Now there isn’t anything wrong with awesome, so I had no worries. Well, as we are driving to the airport, we find out that an earthquake has just struck the Baja. Suddenly things started going through our heads questioning whether or not we should even be going. Despite what had happened, we continued with the trip. I was still looking forward to meeting more groups at the orphanage and making some new friends. Well, that didn’t happen. We got down there and found out that all the other groups had been scared off by violence in other parts of Mexico. Awesome had just turned into a week of uncertainty. Such a familiar trip to me had just become something more foreign to me than the foreign country I was in.

So what was there to learn from these crazy events? I started wondering from the very beginning of the week. I learned a very important lesson on trust that week. Through all the uncertainty, I knew I had to just trust in God. He had a reason for the group members dropping out. He had a reason for the other groups dropping out. He had a plan. The small group of five was able to accomplish quite a bit that week and impact many lives. Yes, more people are generally better than fewer, but God can use just one or two people willing to do his work. But if you want to do God’s will, you have to trust him. In theory, it is an easy task, but in reality, it is far from it. It is so much easier to trust in something you can see. We trust ourselves way too much, when we should be trusting God. He is the way and our guide.

My advice for you is to trust in God no matter how hard it is. If you follow him and trust him, he will not disappoint.

Yours Truly,

Only God Can Save

2010-03-22T22:19:00.001-04:00

One of our duties as God’s people is to bring others to Him. We are to “go and make disciples of all nations.” We are called to do this and we must do it. However, you can’t let the outcome get you down. No matter what you do, not everyone will turn to God. It's a tough fact to face, but it's reality. You have to do everything possible to help, but you can’t do everything. Don’t be burdened by someone who isn’t saved. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try your best to help them see God, but you were not made to carry this burden. Only God has the power to save. He can use you to save, but there is no use in wondering what would’ve happened if you had only done something differently. Do your best to help and then move on. God doesn’t want you burdened by something that you can’t control.

Yours Truly,

Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear

2010-03-14T22:11:00.001-04:00

"Good God, if your song leaves our lips
If your work leaves our hands
Then we will be wanderers and vagabonds

They will stare and say how empty we are
How the freedom we had turned us up as dead men

Let us be cold, make us weak
Let us, because we all have ears
Let us, because we all have eyes
Good God

How they knew that this would happen
They knew they knew that this would
How they knew that this would happen
They knew they knew that this would
How they knew that this would happen
They knew they knew that this would
How they knew that this would happen
They knew they knew that this would
(We're so run down)

Good God! Can you still get us home…
Good God! Can you still get us home…
Good God! Can you still get us home…
Still get us home

How can we still get home
I'm not dreaming
We're forgetting our forgiveness"

When your life starts going well, you can't forget about God. If you stop relying on him, everything will just start going downhill. "Good God, if your song leaves our lips, If your work leaves our hands Then we will be wanderers and vagabonds". If you put God aside when He has given you everything you have and made you everything you are, you will become a wanderer. You will lose the pleasure you find in life. You will lose the enjoyment. You MUST come back to Him. If you don't, things may improve for a short time, but in the end, you will find yourself more lost than you were before. God is your map that can lead you to happiness. He is the only guide that can lead you to true happiness.

If you get to the point where you've lost your footing in life, you have to do whatever you can to get on track again. "Let us be cold, make us weak. Let us, because we all have ears. Let us, because we all have eyes, Good God". If falling down is what it takes to force you to look back up to God, I suggest you plead with God to let you fall down. You need God more than anything, and He will bless you if you turn to Him. Giving Him your life (for the first or fiftieth time) will be the best thing you have ever done. If you do this, the good God will get you home. Just don't forget about Him. Don't forget about all the blessings He has given you. Don't forget about the forgiveness He gave you. He is what you need. He is all you need.

I pray that you take God into your heart and never let Him out again, even if that means you must get knocked down.

Yours Truly,

Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear - Underoath

This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart

2010-02-20T14:49:00.002-05:00

"This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart" by Kids in the Way

There's a burning in my heart everyday
I come to You, I look to You and say
When will I become everything
That You've intended me to be

I'm beating at my chest everyday
I run to You, I come to You and say
When will I become everything
That You've intended me to be

I am so tired
I am so beaten
From walking down this road of shattered dreams
I am so lonely
I am so broken
Won't you come, won't you rescue me?
Won't you rescue me?

[I'll be the light inside of you and won't let go of you]
Come rescue me, won't you come, won't you come
I'm calling out your name

I am so tired
I am so broken
Won't you come, won't you come?
I am so lonely
I am so broken
Won't you come, won't you come and rescue me?
I come to you and look to you and say
[I'll be the light inside of you and won't let go of you]

When I saw the title of this song, it sounded intriguing to me. So I pulled up the lyrics and listened to it. Little did I know, this song would hit home for me. We all get discouraged sometimes. We want to be everything that God intends for us to be, but there's always something that gets in the way. Something always seems to separate us from what we want to be. But those barriers are never permanent. These struggles and barriers are shaping us into becoming everything God intends for us to be. We can't get down because of a stupid mistake we made. Someone once said to me that "There are some mistakes that you've made that you think are huge, but I know that they are human." It couldn't have been said any better. We are all humans, so forgive yourself for the mistake you made. Don't get down because things aren't going the best with a friend. Work it out and enjoy the time you have with that friend. If you are struggling with something else, find a trusted friend or adult who you can talk to and who will listen. Unless you can find a way to move on from the bad times, you won't be able to be that person that God wants you to be. You may be tired and broken, but God will save you from these troubles in an unexpected way. You just have to be ready for that. He will come and rescue you.

Yours Truly,

Peace and Conflict

2010-02-10T22:32:00.002-05:00

Can conflict exist without there first being peace? Can peace exist without there first being conflict? At first glance, most would say yes. Why couldn’t they exist without each other? In fact, how could they exist with each other? However, when you take a closer look, this becomes an interesting topic to look into.

We can have peace because we have lived through conflict. Without conflict, peace would just be life. There would be nothing special about peace. Adam and Eve did not understand peace when they were in the Garden of Eden. Peace was life to them, because they had never known conflict. When conflict came into their lives, they strived for peace again. But peace is never understood without conflict. Peace is something everyone strives for. Peace is what every adult tries to bring into their household. Why? Because of conflict. Conflict is why everyone wants peace.

In the same way, we have conflict because we have known peace. Two opposites are not important without each other. What would be so special about life if it were not followed by death? What would be so fascinating about the sun if it did not give into darkness every night? Something is missed when it disappears. Something is missed when something different takes its place. Something is missed when it is replaced by something contrary to it. Conflict would have never been a big deal if peace did not exist.

Something important is made important when it is challenged. Who we are is not found until we face an opposition. Challenges occur when two different things meet each other. Peace is not found unless conflict is present. Conflict is not conflict unless peace had existed before it. The more we understand conflict, the more we understand peace. With peace comes conflict. Can conflict exist without there first being peace? Can peace exist without there first being conflict? Maybe, but we could not have understood peace or conflict without the other. Peace and conflict must coexist together. What is peace without conflict? The same as what light is without darkness.

Yours Truly,

Christmas, It Makes Way for Spring

2009-12-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

Take it all down, Christmas is over
But do not despair, but rather be glad
We had a good year, now let's have another
Remembering all the good times that we had
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
But Christmas, it makes way for spring
Though hearts of man are bitter in weather
As cold as the snow that falls from above
But just for one day we all came together
We showed the whole world that we know how to love
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
But Christmas, it makes way for spring
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
Christmas, it makes way for spring
Oh remember that Christmas, it makes way for spring

Boxing Day by Relient k

Following Christmas with all the fun and gifts, it is quite easy to realize what you don't have. The cold and snow in life can really hit you hard in the heart. "Be thankful for what you have" is said so often. Well, that's easier said than done. Sometimes it's impossible to ignore what is missing. Material gifts are great and all, but there are so many better gifts that can't be put under a tree. Maybe that's the "present" that you're missing. What's missing might be a loved one who recently passed away, not having a best friend, or even the distance between you and God. It can seem very hopeless. But Christmas, it makes way for spring. All the cold and snow will soon go away when spring comes. Your missing pieces can soon be found when your life "warms up". Christmas, it makes way for spring.

Yours Truly,