Understanding the Culture: Why I Disliked The Fault In Our Stars - Book Review

Don't get me wrong. 

I actually stayed up two nights in a row to finish the book. And I admit, it's a pretty cute story. I'm not usually one for romance novels, but by the time I realized The Fault in our Stars (TFIOS) was one, it was too late. Plus it almost made me cry, and that's a pretty rare thing. 

But to get down to earth, even though the story's sweet and the book's plot was interesting overall, I wouldn't recommend it and here's why.

1. Love =/= passion

After reading TFIOS, I could almost believe in love at first sight. In being swept off my feet by those brilliant eyes and that radiant smile. In sending a billion text messages to someone I literally just met. Oh and there comes sex and the first kiss and all that fun stuff. 

And I mean, seriously? Is that what love really is? Just an indiscriminate passion?

Christ defined love for us when He gave Himself sacrificially for the church. He shed His own blood for us, giving up his Godship to humble Himself even to the point of death on a cross. What more could He give? And in the same way, He calls husbands to love their wives with the same kind of sacrificial surrender. Any love apart from this is inferior.

Love is not just physical, intimate pleasure. Love is not just a feeling or fervent emotion.

Love is a choice. 

It's easy to say that when you're emotionally attached. It's easy for author John Green to make a big deal about Hazel and Augustus' unconditional love when they're both still young, relatively immature, and desperate to be wanted. It's easy to say that in the heat of the moment when emotions are all riled up. Sure, they both experienced great difficulties and persevered together through it all. I accept that. But still, they didn't really fight or argue. They were still in that "in love" stage. TFIOS love... it's not legit.

When I think of love, I picture Up and all the godly older couples around me today. Who argued and fought at times, yet chose to persevere together despite life's difficulties. Who remained faithful to their marriage vows even when that passion disappeared. Even when they both did and do things to hurt the other deeply.

Love is a commitment.

And I don't think Hazel and Augustus have this commitment mentality in mind in the book. At all. Who goes to some guy's house that she literally just met an hour ago? Plus seriously, what was John Green thinking when he included that sex scene? Or all those kissing scenes? Because again, this implants within his readers the concept that love is physical. That love is very hands-on. That love is based on passion.

But love isn't any of those things. Rather, it's a commitment, a dedication between two people who resolve to remain true, even when the passion isn't there, even when they've both hurt each other.

TFIOS doesn't truly define a biblical view of love. Rather it sort of hints at it, incorporating unnecessary details of sex and intimacy between Augustus and Hazel, trying to fabricate this concept of unconditional love.

When Green clearly doesn't get it. 

2. Isaac's revenge

So basically, for those of you who haven't read the book, Hazel and Augustus have this mutual friend named Isaac, who becomes temporarily blind. Because of his blindness, his girlfriend ditches him. Out of anger, Hazel and Augustus guide Isaac to his girlfriend's house where they all throw eggs at her car and at her door. 

Like seriously? What a six-year-old thing to do.

Because when people do things to hurt you, the correct thing to do is to get back at them? 

I thought this story was about unconditional love. If Isaac truly loved his girlfriend unconditionally, he would have understood and desired what's best for his girlfriend, instead of deliberately seeking revenge and hurting her. Ideally, he would have lovingly closed the wound, let her move on, and demonstrated a Christ-like kindness. Isaac didn't really love her at all.

This is yet another reason why I don't believe John Green understands love. Love is not some temporary feeling based on individual actions or choices. Love is not equivalent to passion or satisfaction. And revenge is never justified.

Christ commands us to love others as ourselves, even our enemies. Even if people hurt us or do things that tear us apart. That's how true love works. Christ died for us as wretched sinners who rebelled against Him, who broke His very heart by our sin, who hurt our Creator so very deeply. Yet He died for us. He loved us. He gave Himself for us, even in our hatred and disobedience towards Him. 

Revenge doesn't fit into the picture of biblical love. Neither does TFIOS.

3. Writing

Enough with plot analysis. 

First of all, let me just tell you, the writing level is pretty down there. I accept that TFIOS is for simple reading, and I also accept that not everyone enjoys reading Dickens for fun. I certainly don't all the time. Yet I find it degrading that John Green resorts to such simple language for a high school novel. 

Secondly, why the f-bombs and all the cussing? Sure, I understand the characters experience some deep emotional and physical trauma, and an occasion word would be fine with me. I'm not sensitive to language usage in general, but still, I get the point. We as readers don't need words like that to sympathize with the main character, especially at the rate that Green uses them.

~

So, TFIOS. Definitely a very secular book with a self-deceived worldview and a deficient writing style. Like most romance novels, it presents a destructive view of love in general, and this point of view, this concept of love triggers the American dream we see around us today. A world of broken families, casual relationships, teen pregnancies. This mindset carries over into how we view relationships, marriage, divorce. 

I'm not saying TFIOS causes all these things. That would be a slippery slope fallacy. But still, this mindset that John Green presents is dangerous to our society and to us as teens, endowing us with this unrealistic mindset of love, of passion that never ends.

I'm also not asking you to agree with me. I know a lot of people who really love this book, and that's fine. To each his own, right?

But I am asking you to consider the ideals Green promotes and the ideas upheld behind TFIOS. I'm asking you to take a few minutes and contemplate the worldview the book presents and the consequences of its viewpoint. 

Not all that glitters is gold.

Spiritual Makeup on our Bare Necessity {with special guests Idina Menzel, High School Musical, and Shel Silverstein}

We walk around life with brown paper bags over our faces.

Trying not to let them in or let them see, trying to be the perfect girl society says we have to be. We conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. Icy chunks of ice, frozen solid, while deep inside, we're melting.

Sometimes we slather on eyeliner and mascara simply because we're insecure. Because sometimes we shrink from the tired-eyed ghost reflecting in front of us and we grab brushes and paint to try to change the fact that we're humans with natural flaws in all our bleary eyes and pock-marked skin. So we smear on concealer, trying to disguise our weaknesses behind a false veneer.

Oh God, why do we do this?

That's how we walk through life, isn't it? We stroll through with masks and facades, hiding behind our plastic surgeries, trying to appear picture perfect.

When makeup is simply a pitiful endeavor to hide our weakness from others, from God.

Imagine, a classroom, a soccer field, a church full of the desperate yet full of pretense. Full of people pretending that life is good, pretending that the sun still shines, while everything around them lies frozen and bleak and so piercingly cold.

Lord, we have so many empty shoulders around us, so many shoulders to lean on and cry against. Yet why does pride imprison us within ourselves? Why do we walk this journey alone?

Because we're proud. Because we care about self-image. An image of big eyes, full lips, right body proportion. Independence. The ability to do everything on our own. Isn't that how America was established? The belief that yes, we can work to better ourselves, and through our own effort, we can build our own future. By ourselves. Yes, this is me. So self-deceivingly prideful. Nose high in the air, tripping over my five inch stilettos. 

But deep inside, those eyes are quivering with unshed tears, as we bite those full lips, trying to contain the hurt inside, body aching with stress and worry. Because the truth is, we can't. We can't do everything by ourselves.

But yet we still stand apart. Apart from each other. Apart from God. 

This is ridiculous. 

People suffering under one giant tent, but yet each one encages themselves, holding onto invisible bars, shutting out everything and everyone. And not only that but we have a Savior in that tent with us. A Savior who defied death and sin to redeem His children from the judgment of eternal darkness, and who promises to never leave us nor forsake us. His love is unconditional. And still we hide away in our own little dusty corners rather than throw away our pride.

So here I am today, admitting that I am broken. I am weak. I am proud. And I won't lie to you. These past three weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I've had some of the best days of my life, and God has blessed me with so much. Yet, these past weeks have really worn me out at times, and I've discovered how weak I am. People and things have broken me, and sometimes I feel so incapable and worn and indecisive. Also, it's that time of year again where we have to plan next year's school schedule, and sometimes things are just frightening. Like the choices I make now will deeply affect next year and the year after that and college and life, and I just have no idea. 

But yet here I am today, ripping away the frozen mask, letting it go to the icy wind, arms out wide, face bared to the world. Shredding that brown paper bag of mine and burning all my mascara, all my pride.

It takes one person to open up.
It takes one person to make others feel secure.
It takes one person to let others know that suffering is universal and these masks, this makeup, these paper bags are useless.

Alone we cannot overcome life's difficulties. But together, with our heavenly Savior and our spiritual brothers and sisters, yes, yes, we can. 

We're all in this together.

Directing the King's Heart: Seeing God's Fingerprint in the Rain

We say that God is enough. 

That He fulfills the very desires of our hearts. That when we have God, we have everything. He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

But when life hurtles down task after task, when we are bone weary, when we find ourselves questioning all the whys, is this still true? Is it true when friends commit suicide or people get so terribly ill or when our world spins out of our control? Is God still enough in the mundane of life? In chores and schoolwork and researching and washing dirty dishes, is God enough?

Visit the mall, and notice the outcropping of these words.

Because so often, words are just facades of the emptiness within. Just a shell of what they should mean. Of what they could mean. 

Often, I imagine myself in Auschwitz or in the midst of a gladiator arena, and I wonder if I could die for Christ. In all truthfulness, it's already impossible to mouth the words that God is my everything and that I could live on God alone. Even here today with my dwarf trials and tribulations. But as these Christians voiced these same words, their bodies became mauled and shredded and gassed, their children burned, their whole world ripped apart. 

And here we are today. Shedding hope so desperately, so eager to give up and prepare the noose, when Salvation has already shed His atoning blood that we might stand firm.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Earthly blessings don't satisfy. Circumstances change, and Job knew this. As one of the richest men alive, the master of countless slaves, owner of thousands of cattle, father and husband to a prosperous family, Job experienced immense wealth during his time. Yet, in less than 24 hours, Job lost everything. Everyone. But God was still enough, and Job recognized that, never blaming Him or cursing Him in his misery.

And so Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God will supply our needs, according to His riches in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus. 

Christ is enough. God is enough.

Though this world, though all these riches may crumble before our eyes, though friends may desert us and loved ones waver and fade, He stands true for us. Forever. He intercedes on behalf of our weakness, our Mediator who embodies eternal hope and atonement for our darkest sins. When our world collapses, when we cannot understand, we can stand firm on the Rock of our salvation. 

In our all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving heavenly Father, we rest assured, knowing that storms only occur in the palm of His hand.

And so God is enough. 

He provides strength, each day, every day. When I cannot understand, when I cannot tame my own anger or jealousy, when I desperately thirst for His joy, I simply ask for grace, believing in my Heavenly Father and His perfect plan for those who love Him.

Some of you may know that I struggled with depression. I put a d on the end of "struggled" because its intensity has drastically declined over the years. However, God utilized and manipulated my depression to teach me that He is enough. Those times when everything felt unreasonable or incredibly irritating or stressful, those hours spent crying were times when God made me dependent on Him. 

And even now. Recently, I've understood that I'm not in control of life. Things happen, and some days it's hard to trust in His plan and satisfy my thirsty soul in God alone. Yet He is enough, as the Master and Perfecter of our faith who builds us up in Him, who directs the control panel of life with joystick in hand, who works all things for His glory and for our good.

It is a beautiful thing to be dependent on Him.

It's a beautiful thing to be dependent on the One who made all things, who provides all things, who works all things to His glory. 

It's beautiful. 

And the more we depend on Him, the more we realize that He is enough. The more we hunger for Him, the more satisfied we are with His goodness and holiness. The more desperately we search for Him, the ever more glorious we find Him.

So tonight, I'm falling on my knees. Begging God above to open up the creaky hinges of my heart and make me totally reliant on Him. To discover Him in all His glorious perfection, so His majesty can satisfy the trivial cravings of my heart.

God, be enough for me.

When the Plank is in Your Own Eye

I haven't written much lately.

Not simply because I'm busy, although I am. But more because these past weeks have chaffed my nerves raw, and suddenly I shrink from myself. This stranger who flaunts foul language, explodes under anger, and fights a losing battle against pride? Who points a stern finger at others while following the same faded chalked line? Is this me? Is this who I've become?

I've learned that I profess one thing but live another. That I nail up this facade of godliness, but yet I stumble into the same bottomless pit night after night and my heavy mascara and eyeliner tear away in the penetrating wind and really inside I'm such a broken mess of promises and mistakes pieced together. Oh, I am so blinded.

Because how can I write about godliness and holiness while I fall myself? Truth is, I'm no better off than you. I struggle with the same problems, the same temptations, the same pride and anger and rebellion issues. I'm just another human being, fighting the same battles, running the same race. Trying. But falling just the same. 

Christians aren't hypocrites. They, we are everyday people trying to live for God, trying to glorify Him and do what's right and please Him in every minuscule chore or assignment or achievement in life, but oh good Lord above, we fail so many times. We try, but we are so broken. Oh God knows I've tried to obey Him and do what's right, but sometimes in times of weakness in stress or anger, the real me erupts into fiery inferno. Words and feelings and emotions that I never knew existed or tried to forget when devotion time rolled around suddenly explodes. Even when others cannot see the blistering magma raging within my soul, God knows. He sees. And He agonizes over my rebellious heart. 

Oh God, deliver us from the evil frothing within ourselves.

Sometimes I'm so terrified of myself and what I'm capable of thinking, of saying, of doing. I cannot downgrade into the person I was saved from. I cannot withdraw from the love of Christ and reject my Lord's perfect suffering on the cross or His tomb gaping open victoriously with the hope of all eternity and release from all sin. How can I leave all this, all this beauty and hope and triumph and exchange it for a life of sin, self-love, and empty fulfillment? Yet sometimes I wander so far from the One who alone is worth loving. And sometimes I'm terrified that I'll leave and run far, far away from my Heavenly Father and break His heart and abandon mine to the chains of this world that threaten to bind me ever near. 

Oh Lord, don't let me fall. Don't ever let me go. Don't abandon me to my own selfish heart or leave me to the sin that so entices me away from Your path. Bind me to Yourself.

I've done things that I'm not proud of ever doing or saying or thinking. But this life...when was it ever about being perfect? In fact, Christianity bluntly warns us that we will sin. Even as His adopted children with the Holy Spirit living within us, we will fall and stumble and commit the most horrendous crimes against Christ's holy name. It's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when. 

But that's the glorious message of Christianity. When we can't, Christ can. When we stumble in our brokenness, when we plummet into the same traps as our friends before us, when we blaspheme and rebel and stagger in weakness, God is more than able to lift us from our helpless shards and wipe the blood from our scraped knees. He is both able and willing to bandage and redress our wounds, forgive us once again, and provide the strength to journey on. 

We will fall. We will stumble. And that's the way it is. We're human, incapable of moral perfection with hearts still learning to yearn for Christ's holiness and walk in the manner of which we have been called. Living works-in-progress. 

Our sin just points to the cross. Our hypocrisy, when we try but fail but rise to try and fall again, this all just reminds us of our need for Christ. We cannot hope to succeed without Christ. This life would just become a meaningless sequence of bruises and cuts and scrapes and an endless, winding road with no chance of victory. Yet we as believers can triumph in the One who conquered all sin and death forever. And in eternity, finally, we will be rid of this struggle. Sin will be conquered within us once and for all, and completely, wholly, Christ will reign within us. We will be forever freed from the grasp of sin and released from the everyday battle with the monsters within us, the constant grind that weighs us down today.

Oh Lord, hasten that day. Hasten that day when we will finally be without any semblance of sin and all will be well and I will finally overcome all darkness within me through the saving grace of Your blood. I look forward to that day when all battles will cease and I will finally be rid of this sin-struggle for eternity. Yet here on this day, on this desolate and tempting planet so devoid of anything worth adopting unto myself, be with me. You know that I try, but I fail so many times. I am human, weak, in need of You and Your mercy and forgiveness and strength. Will You reign through me? Will You empower me to live for You and You alone? Put a hedge around me, so that in each waking moment, my efforts to glorify You will not be in vain.

A 365 Day Journey: Looking Back and Looking Forward

This is my first year making New Year resolutions. 

I've never made them before because I've always had this philosophy that life is about finding ways to grow and mature through each day, through each second. Sort of a short term perspective. And it worked for a while, I'll admit. A big part of life is about working in each second, finding ways to act in each specific situation to reflect Christ. 

But this year, I felt a bit differently towards New Year resolutions. A bit adventurous, maybe even. Heck, why not? Life is still relatively fresh. 2014, finishing up my sophomore year. Heading into the world of juniors: PSAT, SATs, visiting colleges. It won't hurt to have a few goals in mind, so I won't backtrack in my spiritual life because I want God to be the center of my life, no matter what. 

I have some non-spiritual resolutions in mind, regarding things like debate, karate, firearms maybe even. But in this post, I'm going to set myself two main spiritual goals that I hope to somewhat obtain by 2015. 

1) Joy in all things. 

Because sometimes I act like a jerk and let my circumstances dictate my emotions. Life is too much like a rollercoaster for me. And so often I forget that this life isn't about me. It never was. It's about the One who saved me. Who died for me, so that I can have every spiritual blessing here on earth. Who provided everything I need for life and godliness, and who promises an unconditional peace. He loves me, no matter what. And so often I forget this amazing truth: that the Creator of the UNIVERSE is my heavenly Father. And life isn't about me or having a good time. It's about God. And all things work according to the good of His children who love Him and obey His commands. So I can trust Him, because everything is according to His glorious plan. 

So this year, I want joy. To stop complaining and whining about every little thing. To stop feeling depressed and miserable. To stop criticizing people and feeling sorry for myself. I want to see beyond the dronings of this world and have a God-given joy and peace despite the curveball life throws at me. It won't be easy. It'll be a battle. But it'll be a battle worth winning.

2) Prioritize spending time with God. 

To be honest, I am ashamed at how little time I spend with Him out of my 24 hours each day or how little I care about getting to know Him better. I can wax eloquent about how much I love God and all that, but it all comes down to everyday situations. Everyday scenarios. Woke up too late, and what do I forgo? Cut down to a minimum 5 minutes scanning through God's Word, 10 second prayer, rushing downstairs to get today's workload done. And I know this is a heart attitude. That I care more about other things than about my heavenly Father. 

This needs to change. Just like any other relationship, time needs to be invested in order for it to grow and deepen into something beautiful. And I should be overjoyed to spend time with my Creator. In these next twelve months, I want to know God. I want to spend more time with Him. I really truly want Him to be first above everything else. And this will be hard. And there will be days when I just want to check Facebook or start working on math homework instead of talking to my Creator and reading His Word. But I want Him to be first. Which means I need to make Him first. Starting today. 

When I look back at 2013, I realize how much God has taught me. I've made some really horrible mistakes, but He never left me. Never once. And even when it seemed like nothing was going right and my world was becoming fried, He knew what He was doing. And in hindsight, I am so grateful. I am so grateful for all those times when I suffered and was broken, because they really drove me to the throne of God. 

Earlier in 2013, one of the things I struggled with was the question that many of you might also have wondered: If God is a good God, why are so many people going to Hell? People that I love and care for, my friends, my family, those who I hold dear to me. And night after night, I'd cry my heart out because I felt so guilty. Call it survivor's guilt if you will. I couldn't comprehend why God would do such a thing, and why I was saved while those I loved weren't. I felt so incredibly criminal inside, and for a while, I withdrew from God. I hated Him. I told myself that I wouldn't, I couldn't believe in a God who willingly hurt such beautiful people and condemned them to an eternal Hell. 

Yet God was still there. Even when I hated Him, even when I despised His gift of salvation, He was there all along, and I knew it. It must have broken His heart to see His daughter reject Him and spit on His goodness. 

Because, the truth is, we are not innocent people. In fact, all of us have rebelled against God totally. Apart from Him, we cannot do good. We are unable to please God and incapable of anything worth doing. We broke His law and we deserved Hell. Yet, because of His mercy, He sent His one and only Son down to this earth so we can be saved. We all have the chance of eternal life, if only we repent from our sins and turn to Him, surrendering our broken hearts to Him and accepting Him as Lord and Master of our lives, living our redeemed lives for holiness for Him. 

The question isn't "why them?" The question is "why me?" 

Why did God choose me? I am unworthy of His sacrifice. I don't deserve His goodness. I don't deserve life on earth. I broke His law. I am unworthy. 

Yet He chose me, not because of who I am, but because He wanted to glorify Himself through me.

Because that's the purpose of anything and everything here on earth. That's the purpose of living. To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. This whole salvation process, it's all about His glory. Each person who is saved is for God's glory. It's not about us. It never has been. It's about God and glorifying Him and magnifying His name because He truly is great. 

I am unworthy. So Lord, let Your mercy and strength and love shine through me. Glorify Yourself through me. 

I'm like a broken clay pot, punctured, cracked. Yet it's because of these fractures that the light can shine through all the more clearly. 

It's my imperfection that allows Christ's perfection to be more clearly revealed.
It's my sinfulness that unearths the extent of Christ's forgiveness and grace.
It's my weakness that reveals the immensity of Christ's strength.

And that's my prayer for 2014. To be so immersed in God that my every action, every thought, every word would bring honor and glory to the One who deserves all glory. 

Lord, make me weak this year. Make me so dependent on You that people can see You working through this broken heart of mine. Because it's really You working through me. I am nothing on my own. Yet, with You, I have worth. Being. A purpose. Glorify Yourself through me in each day, so that people will ultimately praise You and bring honor to Your Name, because You are so worthy of all the praise here on this earth. Whatever this year may bring, whether suffering or tears or hard work or laughter, may I grow ever closer to You and into the likeness of Your Son. Amen.

Today I Choose to be a Pippin: In Honor of Thanksgiving

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." ~ Colossians 3:17

Dear Reader,

So it's Thanksgiving again. That one day where we pull out our best tablecloths, brace ourselves for a frantic day of cooking, and manage forced smiles as guests pull in at the driveway. That one day where we frantically rack our brains for something to share, other than the usual "friends, family, and food" speech. 

And today, as I sit down with a bowl of nachos beside me, I feel so ashamed. Ashamed of myself and my own ungratefulness and how I take all of this wonderful life for granted.

Oh God, I am so hypocritical. 

Recently, He's been teaching me a lesson. I've grown to realize, through family and friends, how easily I'm swayed and discouraged by simple things, whether other people or my own emotions. But God doesn't want that. He hates the ingratitude in me, and He's trying to change me into someone who's constantly thankful, constantly searching for the good in everything, constantly encouraging and positive.

One thing that few people know about me is that I used to struggle with pretty intense depression. I still do occasionally. And one thing I've realized is how self-focused my depression is. I mean, this is me, okay? I've never experienced a serious accident, been deathly ill, suffered emotional trauma. I'm just an everyday teenage girl in the suburbs of Seattle, and my struggles are so minimal. The occasional physics homework. My own un-coordination in karate. The disappointment after too high of an expectation of a guy. Look, I've never even had an official breakup. My troubles are nothing. Yet, I somehow make them into everything. 

And my depression and those occasional bad days taught me some valuable lessons. 

It's when I take my focus off of God and His goodness that I fall. 

It's when I choose to pinpoint and inspect the little dirt specks in my life, instead of the enormous riches I have in Christ, that I fall.

It's when I focus on self and not God that I fall.

Suddenly what he said or what she did seems so important and enormous and powerful. Suddenly what I want seems to be so encompassing that I cannot think of anything else. Suddenly every other good and perfect gift seems so unimportant and minuscule compared to my great burden. 

Forgive me, Lord, for focusing on myself, when everything good and worth-knowing is in You. Forgive me for being so self-centered. Will You help me look to You this Thanksgiving? Will You help me give thanks in You? For You are the crux of everything worth giving thanks for.

Without the cross, our health, our family, our friends can all be snatched away, along with all the joy and thanksgiving in our lives. Without the cross, our thanks-giving becomes a ranting about our temporary happiness. Without the cross, Thanksgiving just becomes a day where we can feel good about our own lives.

Yet, all these things can't satisfy us. Friends nor family nor food nor material goods. Nor money nor fame nor expensive vacations. People will hurt us, either intentionally or unintentionally. Things break and tear, and food gets eaten all too quickly. Nothing lasts for forever, and everything has consequences.

Although these blessings are blessings in the right place in the right time, I understand that they will fail us. Yet, we need to give thanks even when we don't have anything to be thankful for. It's a command. We are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances, even if we have literally nothing. 

And so I've learned whenever depression hits to just stop. Stop thinking about myself and my own problems and start thinking about the Savior and His goodness. Because sometimes bad things do happen and people say mean things and material things get old. We all have those days. But when that happens, we need to be able to look to the cross above the storm.

For only Jesus can truly satisfy.

Only Jesus can enable us to give thanks in all circumstances.

Because seriously, Jesus has bought eternity for me. He has saved me. I was a prisoner to sin. I struggled to do good without any hope of being good. I was blind to myself and my own chains, and He set me free! He really has. Instead of trying to be good, He has been my good enough. And I am so extremely, incredibly blessed to be His child. To be able to be called His daughter and to be loved by the Creator of the universe. To now have the hope of living eternally with Him and enjoying His peace and strength here on earth. That now, when troubles strike, I can lean on the Almighty God above. That I don't need to worry about life and my future because He has the perfect plan in mind for me.

And so I can give thanks and look for the good in everything. I can smile and say with true conviction that I am blessed and all is well and God is good. 

Because when Christ is the center of our universe, nothing can shake us. Everything has a purpose. What he said, what she did, what grade we got - everything matters. God meant for that to happen, and it's all part of His encompassing, sovereign plan.

Because when Christ is our all in all, nothing else matters. Neither the newest iPhone nor that boy in school. Nothing can supply the unconditional love He provides, and nothing can replace or diminish His goodness and grace and mercy and love. Nothing. No one.

Because when all perfect gifts come from the One who embodies all perfection, we can see His signature in everything, in every day. 

I dare you this Thanksgiving to look for God's autograph in the world. To look beyond our own struggles and to see His face through the storm. To become so engrossed in our Savior that nothing, nothing at all will be able to shake our satisfaction in Him. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tolerance, Love, and Truth: Standing Firm for the Right in Right Now

I believe in truth. 
A nonnegotiable, uncompromisable standard of truth that is not open to interpretation. Truth is black and white, and truth is intolerant of personal opinions. 

I will die for truth simply because it's true. 
If my life and death can show others the validity of my beliefs because I value truth enough to sacrifice myself, rather than compromise and so violate my conscience, then so be it. 

I will live out my faith and convictions in that truth because I love people enough to show them the truth.
What I do will reflect that truth, and I will not compromise or give in or back down. My life will stand as an example of a life lived out by the truth for the truth. 

If I don't live for the Giver and Creator and Standard of truth, then who do I live for?

Now that may come across as harsh, intolerant, and bigoted. So please hear me out, as I attempt to present my reasoning somewhat logically. Recently the term "tolerance" has been ranted about in headline news. I've seen these following arguments debated, whether in person, through email, or in Facebook conversations. So since this issue continues to gain popularity, our own views of truth need to be ever strengthened both theoretically and practically.

The type of truth I am about to discuss is the truth strictly portrayed in God's Word. The Bible clearly points out and defines certain sins as sins, such as homosexuality, greed, pride, and adultery. God hates sin, and He commands us as a perfect and holy God to do the same. Throughout the Old Testament, He sets a high penalty for sin: the shedding of blood. When the Israelites committed a crime, whether small or large, they slaughtered an animal in place of themselves and their own blood. Many people have died because they chose to violate God's holy Word, and people today continue in their sin in complete rejection of Christ and His covenant. 

Now, these are nonnegotiable. 

God's truth is nonnegotiable. 

We as believers cannot pick and choose what areas of the Bible to regard as truth. We must either accept the complete Word of God as the very truth and standard for our lives or throw it all away. As children of God, we have an obligation to take on His mindset and conform to the image of His Son, which means adopting His standards of right and wrong. We cannot compromise these sin issues. Christians have a duty to see sin as sin and label it as such. We cannot give in or differ from Scripture. We cannot indulge in or support areas of sin. We are separate, not of the world, but of the Light. 

Let's move on and define what I mean by love exactly. Christians today errantly use the word "love" in two ways.

1) The hard-core, pound-truth-into-you love. 
2) The all-accepting, tolerant love.

Both of these are unbiblical and here's why. First, it's not our place to condemn sinful people. It's our place to show them the truth, but in love! In gentleness and kindness! Shoving the truth down their throats will not help them change or see the sinfulness of their ways. Instead, it may just turn them against Christianity and the shameful hypocrisy of the church. We also were once sinners, stuck in our circular and corrupted mindsets without hope of change, until Christ presented us with a way out of our slavery. It is not our place to condemn them, but to gently show them the truth in humility and gentleness, remembering that we ourselves were no better off, but it's only by Christ's goodness that we now live as children of the one true God.

Secondly, true love does not compromise truth. Tolerance says, "I am fine with what you believe, and even though I think it's wrong, what's right for you is right for you." Tolerant people avoid conflict. They don't want to come across as judgmental, so they suppress their convictions and in doing so smother their conscience and their standard of truth. If something is true, it needs to be lived out in love. Biblical love says, "I love you as a person, and I care about your happiness and wellbeing. However, what you are doing is unacceptable, and I care enough about you to tell you that it's wrong and you desperately need to change. The path you're taking will lead to utter destruction, and I cannot bear to think of you ending up there."

Many Christians today compromise. They don't want to offend their neighbors or friends. They want to demonstrate Christian love, show kindness, and not exhibit hypocrisy or turn others away from Christ by their strict adherence to the rules. They want to support their friends as people with the freedom to choose what to believe. 

And that's all correct and good, but there has to be a boundary. There has to be a point where you step back and say, "I'm not giving in anymore. That's definitely wrong". 

Let's bring up a practical example. Homosexuality is big in today's culture. What if a friend became publicly gay and sent me a wedding invitation? Would I attend? On one hand, I know that numerous passages in the Old and New Testament clearly state that this practice is disgusting and wicked in God's eyes. However, she still is my friend, and I want her to eventually believe in Christ. By attending, perhaps I'll show that I don't judge her, though she engages in practices contrary to biblical standards.

First of all, Christians should not only not indulge in sin, but should not encourage it. By attending the wedding, I am demonstrating moral support. I am going against my moral values and beliefs. I am sending a message that I approve of this lifestyle and my friend's choice. That despite everything my religion holds, I choose to stand by and celebrate her decision. Now that is in strict contradiction to the Christian faith and does not help support its validity.

For example, let's pretend that we have a friend who's a devout Buddhist and vegetarian. He spends much of his time serving at the temple and praying. You've only seen him eating vegetables, and he always is very vocal about his vegetarian beliefs. So far, you have a pretty good view of Buddhism, due to the moral behavior of this particular friend. But one day, you are both invited to a wedding banquet, and there, you see him eating steak. What would your first reaction be? Wouldn't your noble impression of Buddhism and him as a person crumble? 

Paul accused Peter of hypocrisy in the church. When Jews were not present, Peter would eat with the Gentiles, or non-Jewish people of his day. But when the Jews appeared, he would hurriedly switch and avoid eating with Gentiles because he didn't want to be judged by his Jewish companions. He didn't want to offend or make enemies of the Jews, so he tried to look like he shared their beliefs, although in reality, he didn't.

Isn't that the same today? If I believe homosexuality is wrong, but only support that belief in my own private bedroom, isn't that hypocritical? If I'm too scared or ashamed or timid to stand up for my faith and live it out, there's a big problem. And this doesn't just apply to gay weddings. For example, I probably would not attend a marriage between a Christian and a non-Christian because it is unbiblical. Or say if my friends are attending a party or watching a movie or discussing things that are blatantly sinful and dangerous to my values. I would choose to adhere to my personal beliefs and stand up for the truth, whether that will mean missing out on the movie or alienating myself from that particular group.

And this stuff is hard. It really is. I'm guilty too of compromising my beliefs to appear favorable to other people. And it takes guts to stand up for the truth, and it's difficult and dangerous. But more and more, I'm realizing how less salty and less bright our Christians have become in the world today. No wonder people condemn us of hypocrisy, because we don't stand up for our core values. Our faith needs to become reality. 

Faith exists to be lived out and practically applied. If faith is not lived out, it is worthless. What is faith for if it is not to be stood up for and defended?

Let's bring up another example, something less controversial. How about Christian friends who turn away from the church? As their friends, we have an obligation to point them back to the truth. However, this doesn't mean we shun them forever or send long emails condemning their wicked ways. We do need to be loving in our approach to reach out to them, but firm. What they have chosen to do is unacceptable and not right, and we need to point out their paths. Perhaps a long talk over coffee will do or an occasional friendly email to check up with them and their beliefs. There are many ways that demonstrate a genuine Christian love without supporting their individual decisions to sin.

Others will argue that standing by truth no matter what will turn others away from Christianity. We are supposed to support people who disagree with us because they have the right to believe whatever they so choose. If we judge them and condemn them with a critical and unyielding spirit, they may become disheartened and completely reject all of Christianity. 

And yes, that's true. I do agree we need to love our brothers and sisters, whether they are murderers, liars, or simply non-Christian. Discrimination and persecution due to religious beliefs or practices are unacceptable. However, we cannot approve of their sinful lifestyle. We can love people without approving of their choices. 

In fact, love is caring enough to show the other person the truth. 

When we stand firm for our beliefs, nonbelievers will more clearly distinguish the truth of our beliefs. If something is true, people will stand by their convictions all the more strongly. And when we demonstrate that our faith is something worth defending, we will shine brighter for our King.

If I had a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth before giving a speech, I would sure hope that my friends would tell me about the problem before I endure eternal humiliation for the remainder of my pitiful existence on earth. Or if I was going to ruin my life through a dangerous relationship, I would certainly appreciate people around me who stopped me from going over the cliff. And how much worse is sin and its devastating consequences of an eternal hell? Don't we care enough for the people around us to live out that truth? To stick by the truth so they can see its reality through us? We owe them that much. At least that much.

Truth is nonnegotiable. And by standing for that truth, we will truly live out our faith and our love to those who need it.


{I would love, love to know your thoughts on this. Send me a message via facebook or email me here: starflower112@gmail.com}