Saturday, January 10, 2015
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Be The Change
So the other day I found my old rubber band bracelet that says "Be The Change". I got it about 3-4 years ago and I had misplaced it for awhile now, but when I was packing up to go back to college, I found it again. Seeing this little green band got me thinking though, what does it take to change something? What does it take to be the change as it says? Sure it's simply written down, but what does it really take?
Let's start with the beginning. The word "change" itself means: to become different, to make (someone or something) different, to become something else. So, to enact change, you have to be completely original and new. You have to do things no one else has ever done. You have to live off the grid or what not, right? Not exactly. You can simply enact change or at least become different from whatever the social media says to be by not following the mainstream idea of what it means to be normal. Sometimes by breaking what may seem the path of least resistance, you realize that it's also not the best or normal path to do things/be. I've found that by striking out on your own, while yes it might be difficult at first, it ends up being better and more engaging for you in the long run.
So now we know the definition and what it kinda means, so now, how to do enact it? All at once? That sounds too hard. No, you don't need drastic and sudden changes in your lifestyle to prove that you can be a change. You need deliberate, yet simple changes to make a difference. Also, I want you to make sure these changes are in a positive manner. There's no point in being a different person if it only makes your life worse. Try helping someone with their groceries, walk an elderly across the street, volunteer at your local homeless or animal shelter, or even simply compliment at least 1 new person everyday. Simple acts like those are small enough to not even think about twice, but it will make someone else's day and that's the whole point. These kinds of things can cause chain reaction and enact the change that this world needs.
I think we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives that we forget how others really react to us. How many times have you found yourself not communicating with someone clearly because of other issues in the way? We've gotten so involved with ourselves that we've started to lose our sense of caring about others and how do you think that makes God feel? We've only got a couple guidelines to follow, so why do we not enact them? How can we love our neighbors if we only care about ourselves? A little good deed goes a long way. So as my wristband says, "Be The Change".
Let's start with the beginning. The word "change" itself means: to become different, to make (someone or something) different, to become something else. So, to enact change, you have to be completely original and new. You have to do things no one else has ever done. You have to live off the grid or what not, right? Not exactly. You can simply enact change or at least become different from whatever the social media says to be by not following the mainstream idea of what it means to be normal. Sometimes by breaking what may seem the path of least resistance, you realize that it's also not the best or normal path to do things/be. I've found that by striking out on your own, while yes it might be difficult at first, it ends up being better and more engaging for you in the long run.
So now we know the definition and what it kinda means, so now, how to do enact it? All at once? That sounds too hard. No, you don't need drastic and sudden changes in your lifestyle to prove that you can be a change. You need deliberate, yet simple changes to make a difference. Also, I want you to make sure these changes are in a positive manner. There's no point in being a different person if it only makes your life worse. Try helping someone with their groceries, walk an elderly across the street, volunteer at your local homeless or animal shelter, or even simply compliment at least 1 new person everyday. Simple acts like those are small enough to not even think about twice, but it will make someone else's day and that's the whole point. These kinds of things can cause chain reaction and enact the change that this world needs.
I think we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives that we forget how others really react to us. How many times have you found yourself not communicating with someone clearly because of other issues in the way? We've gotten so involved with ourselves that we've started to lose our sense of caring about others and how do you think that makes God feel? We've only got a couple guidelines to follow, so why do we not enact them? How can we love our neighbors if we only care about ourselves? A little good deed goes a long way. So as my wristband says, "Be The Change".
Monday, January 5, 2015
1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love on another, for Love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Love vs. Friendship - Is There a Difference?
It's easy to get lost or simply misunderstand things when we start a relationship of some sorts with a person. Whether it be creating a new friendship, or progressing an already existing one into a relationship, we need to be able to communicate and make sure we understand each other. Although this might seem like a daunting task, there is one thing that helps us out, and that's love. Yes, I know not all of us want to talk about it or mention -its gross, or too sensitive, etc., but we need to realize that with any relationship (no matter at what level it's at), love plays an important part of it.
The definition of love is actually 3 different notions:
1) A feeling of strong or constant affection for a person
2) A person you love in a romantic way
3) Attraction that includes sexual desire: the strong affection felt by people in a romantic relationship
All 3 notions are actually separate in their own way, but can also be used as levels of intensity when you judge how much you might "love" someone. The first notion of love can be actually used for anyone you might have already had a strong connection with or at least building to. It simply means that you feel that you like that individual and that most likely you want what's best for them. If you could help them out in anyway, you'd probably try to do so, but with limited efforts since you're not probably romantically or sexually involved with them. You can love someone even if you're only just friends with them. I actually have a couple people I would put in this notion of love.
The 2nd notion is like adding another layer of how much you love someone. This is usually where one would start dating another if both came to this level together. If you begin to date someone or you're engaged to them, you will feel this sense of pride and happiness anytime your around your significant other. You want to be with them. You want to take them out on dates. You want to hold hands, etc. Usually this is where the whole "young love" comes into notion because this is usually the time in which new couples or newly married people feel the most happy physically with their relationship with their significant other.
The 3rd notion of love is typically supposed to be saved for marriage. Unfortunately, in our modern society, this is sadly not the case. This also may be why so many marriages and regular relationships fail so quickly. Somewhere along the way, we got to thinking that if we have sex while in a relationship or even if we do it before we get into one, then it'll make or relationship better, stronger. Actually, that only works when you actually have the other levels of love involved first. You can't love someone like that if you don't even have an already deep connection with them in the beginning. Sure we might get it wrong and break up with someone even after we thought we were going to marry them, but that doesn't mean it was wrong. It just means we need to rethink how we live our lives. Love is a strong and complicated thing, sex doesn't solve that puzzle by itself alone. We're supposed to use it to show someone just how much we truly care about them. Sex is supposed to be meaningful, not just a fun one-night stand. I know it's ridiculous to think we have to wait till marriage to have sex with our loved one, but maybe God was right when He suggested that. I mean, How else do we out so much meaning into something as important as love into sex if w. e barely know someone?
Altogether, all 3 notions of love, like I said, can be built upon and used to define the relationship that you're in with someone. Remember though, if you want to or plan on moving to the next level, you have to communicate and understand how your partner feels so as to make sure you both come to an agreement and know that you both feel the same way about each other, otherwise, maybe it's best to just stay where you are with that person. Some relationships are not meant to be, or need to take more time to develop. So don't fret too much.
The definition of love is actually 3 different notions:
1) A feeling of strong or constant affection for a person
2) A person you love in a romantic way
3) Attraction that includes sexual desire: the strong affection felt by people in a romantic relationship
All 3 notions are actually separate in their own way, but can also be used as levels of intensity when you judge how much you might "love" someone. The first notion of love can be actually used for anyone you might have already had a strong connection with or at least building to. It simply means that you feel that you like that individual and that most likely you want what's best for them. If you could help them out in anyway, you'd probably try to do so, but with limited efforts since you're not probably romantically or sexually involved with them. You can love someone even if you're only just friends with them. I actually have a couple people I would put in this notion of love.
The 2nd notion is like adding another layer of how much you love someone. This is usually where one would start dating another if both came to this level together. If you begin to date someone or you're engaged to them, you will feel this sense of pride and happiness anytime your around your significant other. You want to be with them. You want to take them out on dates. You want to hold hands, etc. Usually this is where the whole "young love" comes into notion because this is usually the time in which new couples or newly married people feel the most happy physically with their relationship with their significant other.
The 3rd notion of love is typically supposed to be saved for marriage. Unfortunately, in our modern society, this is sadly not the case. This also may be why so many marriages and regular relationships fail so quickly. Somewhere along the way, we got to thinking that if we have sex while in a relationship or even if we do it before we get into one, then it'll make or relationship better, stronger. Actually, that only works when you actually have the other levels of love involved first. You can't love someone like that if you don't even have an already deep connection with them in the beginning. Sure we might get it wrong and break up with someone even after we thought we were going to marry them, but that doesn't mean it was wrong. It just means we need to rethink how we live our lives. Love is a strong and complicated thing, sex doesn't solve that puzzle by itself alone. We're supposed to use it to show someone just how much we truly care about them. Sex is supposed to be meaningful, not just a fun one-night stand. I know it's ridiculous to think we have to wait till marriage to have sex with our loved one, but maybe God was right when He suggested that. I mean, How else do we out so much meaning into something as important as love into sex if w. e barely know someone?
Altogether, all 3 notions of love, like I said, can be built upon and used to define the relationship that you're in with someone. Remember though, if you want to or plan on moving to the next level, you have to communicate and understand how your partner feels so as to make sure you both come to an agreement and know that you both feel the same way about each other, otherwise, maybe it's best to just stay where you are with that person. Some relationships are not meant to be, or need to take more time to develop. So don't fret too much.
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