Tip of the iceberg... (Chp 4)

I've found that there are mainly three types of people in this world. There are big picture people, people who step back and see what effect this little puzzle piece has in the overall picture, sometimes missing the detail in the piece. There are here and now people, people who get so involved in finding the place of the one little puzzle piece that they focus on a detail in the picture and forget the big picture. The third kind of people are the in betweeners, those who choose which view best suits the moment or the situation. I don't know which of these three perspectives is better or which is more effective in life or which is what God wants.

I do know that what we do here and now, the little details all inclusive, will show up later as part of the big picture, our lifetime, our preparation for the afterlife. And the details will be there as will the whole picture, we can't pick and choose. So whatever your outlook is on life, its probably incomplete. We fail to see that the little details affect the big picture. We cant ignore the little things and say look at the big picture and we cant ignore the big picture and say look at the details of the here and now, and most certainly picking and choosing what best suits the moment is like running away from the reality of things.

The reality is this world is finite, everything in it has an end; living or inanimate, it will all be destroyed at some point in time. However, while our bodies will perish our souls will join our Father in heaven or be damned to hell, based on what we do with the here and now. We have an eternal life that awaits us, we don't even have to earn it, its been paid for when Jesus' blood was unjustly spilled on the cross. All we have to do is believe that Jesus died for our sins and act on that belief. You don't pig out on dinner when u know your favorite dessert is coming up. We do not indulge our bodies and minds in everything they want from this life, because in doing so, we will surely not be having any dessert, our afterlife in heaven.

This life is described as the tip of the iceberg. While what we get in life may be great and fun and entertaining, what we don't see at this point is our eternal lives with our Father, the bit of the iceberg underwater. IT'S MASSIVE!!! There is no comparing this life with the our afterlife, don't let the chance to feel such intense love and joy be lost. Every instant we have in life is an opportunity for the afterlife. Every instant.

At the bus stop... (Chp 3)

This chapter, like the others, states the obvious. Or at least what I feel is the obvious. Unfortunately, we live our lives such that if the obvious isn't stated, its never noticed or realized. And that's the case with the points in this chapter.

I can understand how having the obvious stated puts things into a newer perspective and makes understanding our approach to life a completely different exercise. But understanding what drives us is not an easy task. Personally, I cannot identify what it is that drives me. I feel as if I'm waiting to be driven. We are supposed to be driven towards a goal with a purpose. I've approached life differently, I feel like I've completely let go and I'm hoping and praying God drives me in the direction I'm supposed to be, but from what I understand, we have to be proactive, we have to be driven to fulfill our purpose. I don't feel like I'm driven by guilt or fear or need of approval or materialism or anger. I don't feel driven. I feel like I've stopped and I'm hoping the ride is over.

I'm feeling a need, a need to be with God, a need to have Him in my life. That need drives me to read and write and try to understand and hear His message for me. Is that the kind of drive that's meant? I don't think so, I think the drive you have when you're fulfilling your purpose is a much stronger drive. What scares me is that it appears that most people wander through life without a purpose. Most people die having lived incomplete lives. It scares me to think that I may be one of those people.

Please God let me see your light, let me hear your voice, let your love fill my heart, let my life be guided by you in every step of the way. I need you God. I love you God. Amen.

Some things you just know...

This post isn't about or related to my readings in The Purpose Driven Life, but its about my spiritual journey so I feel it is appropriate here.

There are many things that we go through in life that we don't fully comprehend or understand the magnitude of until later in our lives. We may also go through things several times before it strikes a chord and makes sense or we can relate or understand.

I read my bible. But its always very difficult to read my bible alone, because it always feels like a story you read at night. There are several ways to read something; you can read just to get the story, you read quickly and move on, another way to read is a more academic approach where you study more than you read, u take apart every bit and analyze it, also another way to read, is to read in search of something, like an answer to a question.

I've found that when I read the bible, I should read it in search of an answer to a question, and the question is, 'What is God telling me about how to live my life?' This may not be a right approach, this may not work other people, but I find it brings meaning to what I read and it makes it understandable in a way that I can apply.

Most recently, I was looking to read about God's will and using my bibles resources I found myself at Matthew 26. It is when God has the last supper and prophesies His betrayal, when He goes to pray and when He gets arrested. Its a chapter I've read many times before. When I read it this time, I was moved, I was deeply saddened, to an extent I cannot describe. I felt hurt inside and very very sad. I will not get into the details of my thoughts and emotions except to say I had never been moved by the bible this way.

The next day I chose to continue and I read Matthew 27. This time I was not only moved, I was shaken, and violently. My sadness at the treatment of Jesus and His crucifixion I cannot explain. I had always believed that Jesus was meant to be crucified and that it was a happy occasion for us as Christians, but the sadness and sorrow and pain I felt made me understand, for the first time, the sadness and the sorrow and the pain that our church expresses during the holy week before Easter Sunday.

I find that if you ask God, He answers.

Make no mistake...(Chp 2)

A constant question on my mind is 'Why me?' Whether its the life shattering loss of a loved one or the simple annoyance of a shoelace being untied. Sometimes it's easier to understand the big things. I find myself wondering more and more, why the little things happen. The little things that shouldn't be making a difference in life, like spilling something on your shirt or getting a flat tire...why does that happen?

Chapter 2 discusses the fact of our existence being a planned precise calculation for God's purpose. God doesn't make mistakes, we're all here because we are all supposed to be here. God made us all differently, each one of us molded with love more powerful anything the imagination can fathom. Each of us God hand crafted to serve a specific one of His purposes.

I'd like to carry the concept a little further. Not only is each one of us created intentionally down to the very last detail to serve a purpose, but also, everything that happens, happens to serve a significant and important purpose as well. The untied shoelace serves a purpose, the fly that lands in your soup lands there for a reason. It seems a little extreme, but just as with a diamond where the slightest flaw brings down its value, we as Gods children are all diamonds in the rough and God works out all the flaws in his own ways to allow us to shine brightly as perfect diamonds after we're cut and polished.

God doesn't make mistakes, make no mistake about it.

It's me, but I can't get myself to go away. (Chp 1)

It's not about you. The first sentence of the first chapter. Ordinarily it would be a simple concept to accept; it's not about you. Also note that you'd think a book about finding a purpose in life would be concerned with everything that is YOU! In this case neither is correct. Its not a simple concept and purpose, apparently, is not concerned with you, but more concerned with Him. The two concepts go hand in hand but they clash with what we understand as purpose. It is not about me, it is about God and therefore, it is not about my purpose, its about His purpose. The internal conflict arises, and the real difficulty stems from relating His purpose with your purpose. Human nature lends us to be habitually selfish, we aspire to get ahead and be the best. Even when our goal is noble, we do it for personal satisfaction, for personal gain or both. What is asked of us here, is to look beyond ourselves, open our hearts and trust in the Lord's purpose for us. We are asked to fulfill his purpose. We don't see our personal gain or satisfaction in that; human nature sees no immediate benefit in serving someone else's purpose. What we don't see is that in fulfilling His purpose, in walking hand in hand with God, in doing what God directs us to do, we do fulfill our purpose. When you walk with God, when you serve Him, He fills you with a joy that no good deed or act in this world will make you feel. When you sacrifice your life for His purpose, you gain so much more than what it cost you. It's blind faith, honest hope, and pure love of God.

I ask God to help me let go of everything that is selfish in me, help me let go of all my worldly goals, help me let go of my desires and give me an open heart and the understanding and the ability to give myself to you to serve your purpose. Amen.

Why do I fly?

Of the many times in my life where I have asked myself such questions as: "What do I want to do with my life?", "What is the meaning of life?", "Why am I here?", "If we're all going to die, then what's the point?"; and many other similar questions, I've never been able to give myself a satisfactory answer. Only recently did I learn to open my heart to God and listen for His voice. Only recently did I learn what it means to hear God's voice. God's reached out to me many a time, and many a time I rejected or ignored. He has reached out to me again and I feel I am ready to listen to everything He has to say. After several attempts and rejections, the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren has found its way to me again, and this time I'm prepared to try and learn what it is God wants me to do. This blog is a personal attempt to reflect on the book as well as my thoughts and feelings and experiences with God in general. This blog is open to all who wish to accompany me on my journey, may it be a blessed one.