How We See Us vs. How God Sees Us

Our eyes are limited. They see the here and now. They see the tangible and physical. They allow us to view the world around us in an incomplete way, and as a result, the way we view ourselves is unnatural. We can try to prepare ourselves so that we look our best in our own eyes and in the eyes of those around us, but we do not know our true beauty.

If we cannot see all that we are as creations of God, we can never fully understand the love and care that He has for us. We may think that we are ugly, beautiful, cool, lame, smart, dumb, or somewhere in between, but in reality we have yet to see the magnificent glory in which God has made us.

Psalm 139

New King James Version (NKJV)

God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
² You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
³ You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
⁵ You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139&version=NKJV

Early Weekend!

Today shall be a day of celebration, for today is Thursday! Two cheers for Thursday!

HIP HIP! Thursday!!!

HIP HIP! Thursday!!!

“What is so special about Thursday?”- you

Well, quite simply, it is not Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of this week. The days preceding today have been difficult, busy, and exhausting. This is partially my fault, but for the most part, it had to be that way. I wasn’t able to sleep at any sufficient length, nor was I able to sleep consistently on any regular pattern. The only regularity this week was the irregularity of my sleep schedule.

In addition to not getting any sleep, I had a great number of projects to complete for class this week. Yes, class singluar. I have had an extensive amount of assignments due lately, and they all seem to be sprouting up like weeds from the exact same class. I do not mind working on assignments at all. In fact, I can take recognizable pleasure in completing tasks for school. I tend to get frustrated, however, whenever all of my tasks are being given from one task master. The one redeeming factor about this task master is his naiveté regarding his task master status. I believe he simply does not possess an understanding of the difficulty and stress which he assigns to each of his students.

Thankfully, I was able to complete all that was asked of me this week, and I turn the biggest of these assignments in today. This fact is a large portion of why this Thursday begins a long celebration. Another reason for celebration lies in the planned agenda for today… there is none. This is a wonderful feeling, which should be absorbed, regurgitated and reabsorbed. I plan to do just that. Immediately after my first class, I plan on proceeding to chapel for a time of worship and relaxation in God’s presence. After basking in His glory and providence, I plan on basking in the comfort and warmth of my bed. Sleep is a blessing I have not received often this week, so I fully intend on making up for its absence this morning/evening/night.

Yet another reason for celebration will be a new one to most of my readers. I and another have been planting a great deal of seeds lately. Much to our delight, we are now seeing sprouts of desire and promise spring up from our little love garden. Yes, indeed, we are growing a relationship. It is my full expectation to reap a beautiful full relationship that is cared for and nourished by the Son daily. With the great amount of care that we are giving to its fruition, combined with the light and warmth of God, and fed by the rain of the Holy Spirit, I believe we will see nothing less than beauty spring forth in the fullness of its development in time.

I would give you her name, but I wish not to embarrass her… possibly in the future. I must first see how well she takes being written about.  :)

In addition to these, there are still more reasons for celebration today. Yesterday was Wednesday; today is Thursday. Yesterday, my entire floor was supposed to play poker as part of our regular schedules. Yesterday, we did no such thing. Today, Thursday, we have promised each other that we would make up for what we missed yesterday. Indeed, there will be much poker playing this night. Tonight, we feast in the presence of brotherhood!

Thursday, the day before Friday, which is the beginning of the weekend, deserves celebration. I shall not let it be ignored. Its beauty will not go unnoticed.

I Desperately Need Love

 About 4 years ago, I wrote a little something on love. At this time I was a young sophomore in high school. I thought that I actually knew something about the subject. As it turns out, adolescent wisdom is not always unreliable.

The piece will follow the video I have posted below. I cannot force you to watch and listen, but I would ask sincerely that you do so. It is a song written by the Avett Brothers about love and hate. They personify both, giving them words actions and emotion. This song resonated with me because it showed me two things: 1. How often I am Hate, and 2. How much I want Love.  If I ever end up getting married, I want my love to have the qualities of Love described within these lyrics. Please, take 5 minutes to listen and hear the words to this song. Perhaps it will check you, perhaps it will motivate you. Either way, I find it quite lovely.

—

I desperately need love… for when I wish to pen a line, the right words cannot be written. 

But when in love, or what seems to be love, words and thoughts flow from my mind as a raging waterfall. Those without a sure grasp of terms precise may see this outpour sweetly: a stream that simply laps against the shores of their understanding; but for those who wish do dive within its waters, to explore its depths- they become completely consumed as the strength of its surge is incessant. Yes, with love, my words are a waterfall.

Love is what makes a man. Without it, he simply dust adrift on a course undetermined. He goes through life without purpose and without motive, only to settle and move no more; But with love! Love gives a man reason… it drives him to do more, to be more. It wills him to fight for something more real than himself, and something that could give form and breath to a drifting dust. Yes, with love, man is complete. Without love, man is not.

So, Love… come quickly, so that I may be fulfilled.

—

I am in search of love. It teases me, playing tricks on my gullible heart. I know one day that I may finally enjoy the company of love as it was meant to be. As I continue my quest, I can tread with a load that is light, knowing that I have already found Love. In reality, I did not find Love… Love found me. God found me, and I am in love.