Responsibility Osmosis

It is obvious and with great purpose that the human race be in community. It is the second of the 10 Commandments after loving God that we love one another. In this way, I believe each of us ought to take and receive in a equalized sort of osmosis like manner, or in such a way where giving and receiving would occur on the same standard and without distinction.

Most often it seems we plan and desire to take as much upon ourselves as we are in the majority of the responsibility of doing so. This can never be achieved all of the time as parents, friends, siblings, spouses, and co-workers offer to assist or just as commonly we fail to do the “everything” which we had intended.

Just as often as we aspire*to do most everything ourselves we ought to, we do not intend to ask for glep with anything. It is on the same level of interest that I evaluate this which I also consider the fact that we enjoy doing for others. Doing for ourselves I believe has half the effect of accomplishment because the things we chose to do for ourselves must make a list of priorities. We do not have to chose to do anything for ourselves knowing that no one else will do them for us. We do the things which are most important to us. Whether these things we make priorities are the things which are all the best for our own betterment is another issue. It is due to the fact that we have the primary authority over ourselves for which we do not want to do them.

In controversy there are several reasons we enjoy doing for others. As we were created to be in communion, we enjoy helping one another which is really unexplainable. Besides that, I think that we occasionally subconsciously get the idea that the things which we do for others will somehow make up for or out-weigh the things which we are responsible for, for ourselves but neglect. Helping our neighbors with their responsibilities gives us a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction which cannot be achieved by doing for ourselves as those two things are not on the same spectra.

(continued)

Love Poured Out: When agape Love is Dwelt Upon (continued)

It ended up that after praying for wisdom and courage to talk to the man, as well as a sign to know if I should or not, the door was not opened. The man fell asleep eventually, but if my mind would have been on Christ to begin with, it wouldn’t have taken so long and I may have had a better chance. Although everything happens for a reason, there is no harm in witnessing, so I believe that it was more for my own experience that God allowed this to happen.

I pray that I will fall in love with my maker in a way that cannot be contained. Not by my own consciousness, or by the simple presence of man. For with this enthusiasm, I will never lose sight of something so great and I will never cease to proclaim God’s glory for others to be transformed by. Through the seeking of Christ and His grace, I know this is possible even for a “comfortable Christ-follower”.

Love Poured Out: When Agape Love is Dwelt Upon

I have discovered –and not with extreme acuity- that more times than not those Christ-followers whom have known about God all of their lives often become numb to certain issues in the area of discipleship. For example, there is no doubt that many, many, many of us take the great pleasure, opportunity, and mere ability to have a relationship with the creator of the universe for granted. There are many times where I witness my brothers and sisters in Christ as well as myself neglecting to keep Christ and service to him in the for-front of our minds. This is not an act of discipline however, for if we are indeed in a relationship with the Greatest Being, we ought to be completely fetish and in agape love.  How backwards and terrible it is that so many of us are just so comfortable with the idea of God that He becomes limited to personal relationship. It was of course designed this way- persecution and avoidance there of being a major cause for objection to true discipleship, that being proclaiming the story of Christ. Even so, it is not canny by any means to think that this personal relationship would naturally spill out into actions, dominate motivation, and public proclamation at a primary level would become auto-enforced.

Recently I went on a vacation, and flew to my destination via airplane. As this situation puts one in the position where they are confined at a decent length in time, next to an unfamiliar subject, conversation is an obvious occurrence. In the first of my four flights, I sat next to family members so talking to a stranger –which can provide limitless depth of interaction-, was not relevant. However, on the final flight I was given the opportunity to get to know someone new.

As my family and I had missed several flights before we had been blessed to catch one by filling in empty seats momentarily. We were all tired but relieved- ready to get home and finally at peace knowing we would be there sooner than expected. I had settled into a random seat next to a man who was probably in his late fifties who was very friendly and began a conversation. This, along with his uppity activeness was evidence enough that we could have likely carried on a decent conversation. However, after having to end the present chat with the interruption of the safety precautions before take-off, we did not continue the conversation. As we took off, the plane quieted with it being evening. The man began to doze in and out. That was the best opportunity I had be given to be relaxed for the day and it was then that I realized it had been quite some time since I had last paused to focus my thoughts  and surrender myself to Christ during the business of the day. My life purpose had been shamefully forgotten for quite some time and now here I had the perfect opportunity to tell about my Savior. In fact, this was the epitome of opportunities to witness: we are confined to our seats with nothing to do. However, terrible it had been that I had nearly gone through the day without even paying attention to my life role; the thing I felt with this realization was obligation. I didn’t want to have to strike conversation with the man. I just wanted to sit and mind my business.  I had to prepare myself mentally for the thought of talking about something that is so avoided in our culture. For those I am around on a daily basis I can often only hope that my actions will eventually convey Christ, especially with those whom I literally live around. The opportunity to do nothing but just open my mouth without any prior engagements is rare. Of course my closer friends are used to hearing me talk about my relationship with Christ, but that is because I live among them. In this situation, I had to directly lay everything out on the table and likely wrestle with many questions and maybe scorn too.  

This event was a very good example of how easy it is to forget what my role as a Christ-follower is. But even more so, it made me aware of where my relationship with Christ is. The prompting that it took for me to take in the situation and consider sharing the gospel not only wasted the time I had which was my opportunity to say something to the man before he fell asleep, but was also an indicator of the strength of my relationship with Christ. In times when I dwell upon the Lord during the day, the love of God is in the for-front of my mind and thus the more enthusiastic I am about sharing Christ’s love.  However, rather than a warning to change my train of thought and my actions necessarily, I realized that I needed to renew my adoration with Christ; something which is a process. When I am fixed upon Christ, His love spills over and I become a tool for his ministry. This is the sort of adoration I long for. It pains me and puts me to shame to see that I have spent a season away from Agape love which pours out when merely dwelt upon.

(continued)

BLOG THEME CHANGE!

With the changing of the season, I have decided to broaden my theme choice for this blog. It just so happened that many of my dwellings and insights were based around my previous theme of social and cultural issues, and thus the theme for my blog would naturally be likewise to that category. However, my thoughts have shifted generally, so that I now have a desire to write about insights still, but those more personally related. My blog will likely continue to consist of ideas about society and culture, however it will no longer be limited to which.

When God intervenes

Just the other day, I was the prospector of a 5k race. It took place in mid-morning during the current cool season of autumn. As I stood on the side of the course, only restrained by an ankle injusry from flushing my soles to the white painted line, a friend next to me said
"I don't know why people do this...why they like to run."
As the runners strided past with a compilation of desperation and sill-remaining hopefulness followed by a look of doubt and fear for most on their faces. Their breath forming a beard as mystical as that of a genie around their red faces. What could motivate them to line up for agony when there can only be one winner to the race? Especially for those unlikely to win. I looked at my friend, the first time far enough out of my element since its establishment in my life, with the capability to hold a "third-party" opinion on my beloved hobby. With sincerity I said,
"I really don't know, I really do not know. In fact," I said, "this looks terrible right now and I'm very glad I'm watching this race rather than being within it, exerting myself in the cold."
With disbelief and a questionable look of patheticness directed clearly at me, my friend wandered at me for explanation to my sudden metamorphesis. Surprisingly, I had an immediate and steadily founded claim.
"I suppose it's the cold which makes this competition loose its appeal for competition." I said.
I was amazed at my stark realization to the matter, for I have spent the last 4 years of my life -simultaneous to my coming of age- daily dedicated to a run. I always wondered what my feelings would be toward it once I was without out it. It was the competative sport season which yoked me to it that had me believing the lack of this physical motion was impossible by my own will. Now that I am injured however, and do not have the choice one way or another I can see that I do truly enjoy it but I'm able to see different aspects on the matter. Not only that I am a fair-weather partaker in this activity, but more importantly that I am who I am aside from this arduous and committing "hobby".
I don't think that I will take running so seriously anymore, having been given the chance to evaluate its definition in my actual life. I understand now that it isn't as important as I thought. It's interesting that when God intervenes and we are not in control, (in my being injured) how He reveals another length to the mural than what we may have been able to see when we are standing so close to it all along.

The Humane Relationship

By definition, a friend is someone whom can be confided in, adhered to as a partner, and waited upon. A friend is to be ever benefited from where in your lack they are available and present to offer assistance, advice, and joy through simplistic common-ends and companionship. The rationale of a friendship whether intimate, long-established to causality, seasonal, out of necessity of desperate-at-best reliance, is classified through integrity as a relationship which is mutualistic where affluence is reaped by any encounter, and commensalism out of those which are of more shallow an interaction. In some instances however -and more and more dominantly at current- the relational status of “friendship” can become a dual-ended parasitism and when not directly, on a long-term and highly affective basis.                                               

Especially typical of teenagers, I often encounter friends who are literally feeding on one-another spiritually. This can be gone about in the most innocent mannerism and by oblivion too. I think that it happens more often than what we realize and in many of our relationships, not limited to those of friendship. Throughout the course of high school, most of us are involved in a multitude of friendships as the vast majority of each day is spent surrounded almost solely by a variety of people who are likewise to our age. I think that the issue of parasitism within these friendships is most commonly in occurrence in situations of long-established friendships. Those who have remained in close friendships and cliques since they were younger seem to be most in danger of being cut off from the experiences, discomforts, and ability to understand that which is beyond the protection and familiarity of these likely- unknown-condemning condolences. The testing and expansion of our territories is one of the most basic necessities in the human life. We must  gain understanding of each other’s positions whether through simple off-stood and autonomous observation or through personal encounter. In order for these situations and opportunities for greater perspective to be made available, we must stand independently as individuals. Because friends often act as sanctuaries protecting us from exposure of the unknown, they can deprive us of the potential to retain understanding which is one of the greater of the virtuous characteristics. Understandingness is the ability to recognize a situation after having been made aware of it and then developing the ability to relate that discovery to morality. The dexterity to understand is essential to life, especially as we are undeniably societal people formed by single persons who are –no matter how spiritually bound- always divided.                                                                                                                    

At the point which it becomes uncomfortable to be alone, one can be sure that they have some desolating to do in order to find not only themselves, but also to take a look at lives around them. Another thing that can result from this unhealthy situation is that we can attach ourselves to others without setting expectations. When this happens, we can end up losing bind on our values by morphing to anyone who is also in desperation where the seasons of life remove previous friendships.

Although each of these aspects seem easily avoidable by maintaining sheer awareness of our positions, it is also just as easy to find ourselves committing social cannibalism with the people we say we love.

The Sense of Sound Investigated

It’s interesting the way a sound can be intercepted and a feeling can be attached to it and creep into our emotions without our conscious attention. The sense of sound can often be sneaky. It is the sense whose sensation cannot be controlled through filtration. Sound is also the sense which can be obstructed from invariably the largest distance. It is for these reasons I suppose, that I think sounds hold the most symbolism of the 5 senses.                                                                                                                                             

Much of the time we do not intend to hear certain things like a train whistle or a bird of the relieving of a an airplanes fuel, casting an over-whelmingness over all sounds present, yet far-set enough to be drowned by those sharper and nearer. At whatever the extreme, we can persist to be emotionally effected. When paralleled to sight, it as though –exclusively- we are looking at a snapshot which brings us to the time and place in which the photo was taken. A sound can only partially be denied and only once it has been expected. Because of this, I think sound can impact mood. Wherever I am, the sound of kids playing outside, raising their voices in excitement and meaning with leaf blowers or lawn mowers, I feel most at home as a sound can bring me to feel. These sounds are familiar, common, and are part of life which is safe and ordinary to me. When I hear jest-skis or boats, I am immediately given the sense of pleasure and my most ideal state. It is that which I am safely immersed in the position of safeness still, but with an edge. I am with my family enjoying the summer at the lake house where exceptions are made; sun-screen is neglected, bed-times are stretched, speeds on the water are tested by bravery, and competition is present as the cousins see who can jump furthest off the dock. This summed up on a summer-warmed, familiar feeling can be achieved by a sound.                                                                                                    

Likewise in effect, feelings can not only be visited, but created by a sound. These are the sounds which are mysterious and where experience is not attached to them. When I was little, the sound heard beneath the water of a pool was scary to me. There is a very distant, magnified sound beneath the water in a pool. It sounds as though the water is not limited to the walls of the pool, but rather is contiguous with the depths of the oceans, every lake, and river combined and as deep as the mountains are tall and continuing into unknown darkness. In the midst of this expansiveness, I can amazingly hear the closest things which cannot be heard above water, like hair tingling.