PS Friends,
New study results from a Pew Research Center/Time magazine poll say 39% of Americans think that marriage is becoming obsolete; up 11% from when Time asked this same question in 1978. Those most likely to agree are cohabiting parents (62%) and self-described conservatives (42%). According to the survey, 52% of respondents were married in 2008; in 1960, 72% were married. Although in decline, marriage remains the usual goal for the college-educated and those with good incomes, but Pew Center researchers said marriage is "markedly less prevalent among those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder...they are as likely to want to marry, but they place a higher premium on economic security as a condition for marriage." Additionally, in 1960, more than two-thirds of twenty-somethings were married; in 2008, just 26% were.
Interesting isn’t it?
I am not really sure what I am trying to get at here today.
In my last note, I posted the Lady GaGa quote- "Some women choose to follow men and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore."
You know… I believe that is true. This letter is for both men and women. This is really hard for me to admit, but believing in what Lady GaGa has to say makes some very valid points in my heart. It is often easier for me to wake up to something I do, rather than waking up to something I have to be vulnerable towards and work at! It is much easier to face the day when I can attempt to control it (or at least feel in control)
All of us have something we are trying to hide from the world. There is this deep deep down hidden darkness. It is different for most of us, but it typically is what guides us in our decision making.
For me, all of my pain was hidden by my so called "success". Anything that ever hurt me, I “released” by being busy and working on a wide range of things. Everything I did became mediocre, but at least I hide my problems. I preached forgiveness, but I could never let anything truthfully go. Every person that ever hurt me was paid for by my friends and most importantly my family. My revenge on what people had done to me, was taken out some by my work, but mostly on other people not even remotely related to the situation. I was truly hurt inside, but man, did I know how to laugh and enjoy life on the outside.
I don’t think I am alone in this. My major is Rehabilitation and Human Services, I focus primarily on Developmental Disabilities, I have participated in several training opportunities in other areas. I have seen a lot of brokenness, even for being a 21 year old. I have been hugged by a person whose body was literally dying, I have been called by a parent and a teen telling me there friend or child wants to commit suicide, I have looked in the eyes of a drug addicted friend as they attempt to justify their actions, I have listened to the story of a teen who was ready to quit their drug addiction but hated the fact that they had to lose friends, I listen to a story about a friend who was raped, and hid it for a long time, I have seen so much pain… So much.
I am reminded of the story of Moses. If you get a chance read Numbers 11:10-15. In this story, Moses confesses that he can’t carry the burden of all these people, in fact he goes as far to say that if this is how it is, he can’t handle the burden and would rather have God kill him.
Moses relates to a lot of us. He feels not only their burdens, but their pressure and judgments’ that are being passed on to him. Moses feels like a complete failure with one option- defeat.
Love is calling you to higher wisdom and bliss- Dr. Scott Peck
I can’t stop listening to two songs right now, they are called “Love is still a Worthy Cause” and “I saw what I saw” both by Sara Groves. (Please listen to them!)
I am here to just encourage you today. All of us have seen pain, even if we are blind to it in the lives of others, we have seen pain in our own life. Trust me, I have no cure for it, but what I do have is Love. To many this may not seem like a lot, and to Lady GaGa it is often what breaks a person. In the song, I saw what I saw, that song talks directly about that, that we see pain, that we are not absent from that, but it is in seeing that pain that should make us act.
Now, many people have different beliefs about this idea of Predestination and all of the sorts, and I do not believe this is the forum for that discussion, I am merely going to make a point that, all of this pain is not God’s plan!
Pastor Greg Boyd said it best to me- “Can doesn't -- in fact, CAN'T -- create sin. He's all holy. He gives us free will, which means, by definition, we can choose love or NOT. The choice to NOT love is sin. So WE create sin by failing to choose love.”
I appreciate the way Greg puts it. God can’t create sin. Because sin CAN happen does not mean God can create sin. The real sin is our choice to not choose Love.
So what I am grabbing at here is this, God did not create this world of pain, of suffering. Even if we try to hide it, we will end up empty. God desires for our fulfillment, for us to be Loved.
This brings me to my second song Love is still a Worthy Cause! I encourage you to listen to this song because it makes the greatest points. It talks about maybe how we have lost it all and are hiding because of all of the times we have tried… Here is the best two lines in the song- “Friend I know your heart is raw, but Love is still a worthy cause!”
I love that line. It is true of all of us! We are beaten with pain consistently, but this is my promise to you, Love is still a worthy cause. I know we see a lot of painful things, I know it is hard to go through a normal day, let alone try and think about someone else.
I am not going to promise you that if you Love people, friends, family and even your spouse and kids, that it will return to you in joy, because that would be a lie, but I will promise you that Love is still a worthy cause.
I want us to bring this same thought process into a relationship we have with those we intend to marry. Love is still a worthy cause. Love inside of Marriage is still worth fighting for. When we fear Love, we are bond to our personal darkness. When we Love others, God begins to give them permission to be free. Without Love, we are nothing. In fact, without Love, we get nowhere.
We can’t fight for the cause of Love by being alone. Life is all about taking chances and experiencing God’s love, and expressing our faith in God by our Love for each other. Sometimes you are going to have to risk a lot, but it is still a worthy cause. Sometimes you are going to be in pain, but it is still a worthy cause. Sometimes you are going to look to blame someone, but just look through it and know Love is still a worthy cause.
It is not going to be easy, but we have to work through this. We have to be honest with ourselves and with others. It is not about pointing out their flaws, it is about working through it all, being vulnerable, letting go. That will be our biggest fall.
Relationships can be a powerful testimony to life. We are not built to be alone. Sometime soon, take a chance on seeing where God can lead you. Don’t be afraid of what you find!
Take a chance on loving those who are broken, and allow yourself to be loved. You may seem lost right now, but you can often find who you are by loving those around you. There is a great need to change the perception on life and brokenness. There is a great need to change the research from the beginning of this article, but we can’t do that unless we take a chance on Love.
“We can do no great things, just small things with great Love”-Mother Teresa
New study results from a Pew Research Center/Time magazine poll say 39% of Americans think that marriage is becoming obsolete; up 11% from when Time asked this same question in 1978. Those most likely to agree are cohabiting parents (62%) and self-described conservatives (42%). According to the survey, 52% of respondents were married in 2008; in 1960, 72% were married. Although in decline, marriage remains the usual goal for the college-educated and those with good incomes, but Pew Center researchers said marriage is "markedly less prevalent among those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder...they are as likely to want to marry, but they place a higher premium on economic security as a condition for marriage." Additionally, in 1960, more than two-thirds of twenty-somethings were married; in 2008, just 26% were.
Interesting isn’t it?
I am not really sure what I am trying to get at here today.
In my last note, I posted the Lady GaGa quote- "Some women choose to follow men and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore."
You know… I believe that is true. This letter is for both men and women. This is really hard for me to admit, but believing in what Lady GaGa has to say makes some very valid points in my heart. It is often easier for me to wake up to something I do, rather than waking up to something I have to be vulnerable towards and work at! It is much easier to face the day when I can attempt to control it (or at least feel in control)
All of us have something we are trying to hide from the world. There is this deep deep down hidden darkness. It is different for most of us, but it typically is what guides us in our decision making.
For me, all of my pain was hidden by my so called "success". Anything that ever hurt me, I “released” by being busy and working on a wide range of things. Everything I did became mediocre, but at least I hide my problems. I preached forgiveness, but I could never let anything truthfully go. Every person that ever hurt me was paid for by my friends and most importantly my family. My revenge on what people had done to me, was taken out some by my work, but mostly on other people not even remotely related to the situation. I was truly hurt inside, but man, did I know how to laugh and enjoy life on the outside.
I don’t think I am alone in this. My major is Rehabilitation and Human Services, I focus primarily on Developmental Disabilities, I have participated in several training opportunities in other areas. I have seen a lot of brokenness, even for being a 21 year old. I have been hugged by a person whose body was literally dying, I have been called by a parent and a teen telling me there friend or child wants to commit suicide, I have looked in the eyes of a drug addicted friend as they attempt to justify their actions, I have listened to the story of a teen who was ready to quit their drug addiction but hated the fact that they had to lose friends, I listen to a story about a friend who was raped, and hid it for a long time, I have seen so much pain… So much.
I am reminded of the story of Moses. If you get a chance read Numbers 11:10-15. In this story, Moses confesses that he can’t carry the burden of all these people, in fact he goes as far to say that if this is how it is, he can’t handle the burden and would rather have God kill him.
Moses relates to a lot of us. He feels not only their burdens, but their pressure and judgments’ that are being passed on to him. Moses feels like a complete failure with one option- defeat.
Love is calling you to higher wisdom and bliss- Dr. Scott Peck
I can’t stop listening to two songs right now, they are called “Love is still a Worthy Cause” and “I saw what I saw” both by Sara Groves. (Please listen to them!)
I am here to just encourage you today. All of us have seen pain, even if we are blind to it in the lives of others, we have seen pain in our own life. Trust me, I have no cure for it, but what I do have is Love. To many this may not seem like a lot, and to Lady GaGa it is often what breaks a person. In the song, I saw what I saw, that song talks directly about that, that we see pain, that we are not absent from that, but it is in seeing that pain that should make us act.
Now, many people have different beliefs about this idea of Predestination and all of the sorts, and I do not believe this is the forum for that discussion, I am merely going to make a point that, all of this pain is not God’s plan!
Pastor Greg Boyd said it best to me- “Can doesn't -- in fact, CAN'T -- create sin. He's all holy. He gives us free will, which means, by definition, we can choose love or NOT. The choice to NOT love is sin. So WE create sin by failing to choose love.”
I appreciate the way Greg puts it. God can’t create sin. Because sin CAN happen does not mean God can create sin. The real sin is our choice to not choose Love.
So what I am grabbing at here is this, God did not create this world of pain, of suffering. Even if we try to hide it, we will end up empty. God desires for our fulfillment, for us to be Loved.
This brings me to my second song Love is still a Worthy Cause! I encourage you to listen to this song because it makes the greatest points. It talks about maybe how we have lost it all and are hiding because of all of the times we have tried… Here is the best two lines in the song- “Friend I know your heart is raw, but Love is still a worthy cause!”
I love that line. It is true of all of us! We are beaten with pain consistently, but this is my promise to you, Love is still a worthy cause. I know we see a lot of painful things, I know it is hard to go through a normal day, let alone try and think about someone else.
I am not going to promise you that if you Love people, friends, family and even your spouse and kids, that it will return to you in joy, because that would be a lie, but I will promise you that Love is still a worthy cause.
I want us to bring this same thought process into a relationship we have with those we intend to marry. Love is still a worthy cause. Love inside of Marriage is still worth fighting for. When we fear Love, we are bond to our personal darkness. When we Love others, God begins to give them permission to be free. Without Love, we are nothing. In fact, without Love, we get nowhere.
We can’t fight for the cause of Love by being alone. Life is all about taking chances and experiencing God’s love, and expressing our faith in God by our Love for each other. Sometimes you are going to have to risk a lot, but it is still a worthy cause. Sometimes you are going to be in pain, but it is still a worthy cause. Sometimes you are going to look to blame someone, but just look through it and know Love is still a worthy cause.
It is not going to be easy, but we have to work through this. We have to be honest with ourselves and with others. It is not about pointing out their flaws, it is about working through it all, being vulnerable, letting go. That will be our biggest fall.
Relationships can be a powerful testimony to life. We are not built to be alone. Sometime soon, take a chance on seeing where God can lead you. Don’t be afraid of what you find!
Take a chance on loving those who are broken, and allow yourself to be loved. You may seem lost right now, but you can often find who you are by loving those around you. There is a great need to change the perception on life and brokenness. There is a great need to change the research from the beginning of this article, but we can’t do that unless we take a chance on Love.
“We can do no great things, just small things with great Love”-Mother Teresa
No comments:
Post a Comment