Dying for a Paradox

Emptiness has accompanied humanity throughout history as men hunger for something more, something beyond the hollow shell of straight A's, a steady paycheck, and a luxurious retirement. Life has evolved into a desperate search for satisfaction. Our expectation for perfection, the common denominator of mankind, began the crusade for fulfillment, which kindled Buddhist meditation, the hippie movement, and Karl Marx’s utopia among many other religions and worldviews. Men sought crude trinkets of sex, drugs, and money in an attempt to reduce the emptiness, but only succeeded in exhaling shallow breaths of carbon dioxide into an ever-increasing void. 

Although we longed for a richer existence and for the supernatural to complete the mundane, we knew of no other method, and so we flirted with the earth. In the unholiest of romances, mankind wooed the world in sheer desperation, lavishing love on an earth that never gave back. 

We drunk but were not refreshed. 

We loved, but our love returned empty-handed, and our emptiness seemed all the more immense for our vain pursuit.

Yet, Christ promised “whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (English Standard Version, John 12.25). Love for the world culminates in a lifetime of emptiness and a future of eternal damnation. To satisfy our otherworldly cravings, we must die, tightly embracing self-sacrifice on earth that we might live eternally. Relinquishing our selfish desires, we must offer our living bodies upon a sacred altar of altruism that we might obtain infinite satisfaction. This paradox Christ commands in us exchanges death for life, humility for future glory, and an affair for holy matrimony.

*written for Advanced Composition from The Potters School*

God Only Refills an Empty Cup: Fighting a Battle Against Passivity and Injustice

“Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
    and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
    you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
    the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
    and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail."

{Isaiah 58:6-11}

Passivity was never part of Christianity.

God never called us to be couch Christians, helping only when it's convenient, serving only when we feel like it, waiting for someone else to do the work. He never called us to be silent when we have a message to share, inactive when there is work to do, passionless, apathetic, luke-warm Laodiceans in a modern society.

There is so much poverty and injustice and pain in the world today. We look around and see those living in abject poverty and those who lost loved ones. People with broken hearts and scarred pasts. Street kids and victims of human trafficking and stressed moms and work-laden dads and despondent teens. In America. In third-world countries. In our world. How can we just stand by, waiting for someone else to do the job, when people around us are starving, homeless, lonely? How can we be so blinded to the needs around us and so focused on ourselves and our own desires?

Is this Christianity?

Christ lived a life full of selflessness. Humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross, He was beaten for our transgressions, mocked for our iniquities, killed for our sin that we might have life and have it to the fullest. He never lived for Himself or His own pleasure. He never remained silent when He could preach a message of repentance and forgiveness and of the incredible love of Christ. He never remained apathetically indifferent to the pain around Him, but He loved others and healed the sick and blind and lame. His work was of the Father, and He lived not for Himself, but for God. Christ's life was one huge sacrifice for others.

Isaiah also reminds us of the choice we have as believers in the passage above. We have a choice to fast, to take the burden upon us to care for the homeless, the weak, the poor. To defend justice.

To pour ourselves out.

Isaiah uses this phrase, and I am again reminded of sacrifice. Of pouring ourselves out without reserve again and again. Of surrendering our passions and desires and instead fulfilling the needs of others. Of emptying ourselves for those around us. Providing food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, friendship to the lonely, the hope of Christ to a world that so desperately needs Him.

Yet, we will never be completely empty.

For God promises that if we pour ourselves out for those who are afflicted, if we sacrifice all we have for those who are needy, if we give ourselves up that others might see the love we have through Christ, we will be transformed into a spring of water which never fails, refreshes others, and gives life to the weary. 

Only a cup that satisfies the thirst of others gets replenished.

Because when we pour ourselves out, God's grace will refill our cups.
When we give, God will supply our needs in Christ Jesus.
When we sacrifice, God will always be more than enough.

We will never be empty, but the grace of God will transform us into a continuous spring that never runs out of life-giving, life-changing water.

If we pour ourselves out.

I love this passage. It's my second favorite chapter in the Bible, next to John 14, simply because I want this to be me. This is my prayer. I don't want to be remembered because of my accomplishments or what I've done in this life, but I want to be remembered as someone who gave. Someone who fought against injustice. Someone who sacrificed herself out of love for her God, so others could find the true Life through hers. 

Understanding the Culture: I'm Born This Way and Letting It Go: The Hidden Message Behind Disney's Soundtrack

"Let It Go," a watered down version of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." 

I have nothing against Frozen or the song itself, but its poisonous message, being spoon-fed to our generation, undermines Christianity and standards upheld by society, producing more Lady Gagas in our world today.

The main problems I have with "Let It Go" can be found in these stanzas:

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in;
Heaven knows I've tried

Don't let them in,
don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel,
don't let them know
Well now they know

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don't care
what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm free!


Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone

Elsa teaches us that we all possess an uncontrollable innate behavior. We try to hold it back from wreaking havoc, but we cannot. We have to let it go and sin. Due to societal pressure and restrictive moral standards, we've always had to play the good girl, but now, we don't have to be the good girl. We don't have to abide by a moral code. The perfect girl is gone, and thus we can be truly free.

This is what six-year-olds sing today in our households, in our neighborhoods, and in our churches. Hollywood and Disney has brainwashed us from recognizing the message sugarcoated behind such an innocent sounding song. Frozen seems like such a sweet movie about love between sisters, and it's true. It is a sweet movie. On the outside.

First of all, Elsa sings about how rules prohibit freedom.

This is not only false but unbiblical. Freedom abounds when rules are obeyed and followed. Without rules, there is no freedom.

We see this concept in society today. Rule-abiding citizens enjoy the most freedom. Without laws, there would be anarchy. Each man would live for himself without any enforcement or protection of individual rights. 

The laws in our society today defend the individual freedoms of each person. Because we value the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we have these laws regarding murder, child abuse, theft, etc. Those crimes violate the freedom of others, and this is why they must be restrained. 

When we live according to the law, everyone experiences true freedom and success. However, when we violate it, we experience the penalty for our actions and become restricted, whether through imprisonment or a monetary payment, as a direct consequence for violating the freedom of others.

In the same way, when we look at Scripture, we see that God's laws in the OT were placed there for a specific reason, as a reflective mirror that demonstrates our sin. Without the law, we wouldn't have a standard to compare ourselves to. But with this standard, we notice our dependency on God. We see how we constantly fall short of His standard of perfection. This law, this mirror allows us to see our own depravity.

We were all born as slaves to sin, and these laws imparted to us a realization of the inherent sin nature of mankind.

Elsa also equivocates freedom with a lack of moral standards. Yet, true freedom is when we acknowledge the standard of good and evil and choose to abide and live by this standard.

However, Elsa clearly disagrees. According to "Let It Go," true freedom is about doing whatever you want, even if it's against societal standards, even if it's against the law, even if it's wrong.

And kids are singing this. A Lady Gaga song watered down to our younger generation. This is horrific. 

There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are
She said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe
I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way

Isn't this the same message as "Let It Go?" Can you see the similarities? Both idolize the bad girl. Both celebrate our depravity. Since we are born to sin, let's throw a party over it.

Society and Hollywood embraces this lifestyle. Instead of feeling shame over sin, instead of concealing and not letting people know, we let sin go. The loss of the perfect girl is glorified, and America rejoices over depravity openly. Look at the gay marriage legislation passed in numerous states today. Look at the immorality celebrated in TV shows, in movies, and in our neighborhoods. Look at the greed in society.

All this is a direct result of embracing the ideals in "Let It Go." In a children's movie. 

Think about it. Pray about it. Talk to your friends and family about it. Christianity provides a way out of our depravity and of the way we're born in. Let's effectively analyze the beliefs presented to us by Hollywood before we let it go. 


{For more information, please listen to Ben Shapiro's incredible analysis on Frozen starting 10 min into his podcast at:
 http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=9969383&p=1093&n=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show  }

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.