The Importance of Gratitude

If you're looking for peace, try finding gratitude.

Not just listing things you know you ought to be grateful for, the "meh I guess I'm grateful for having a job..." grumblings. What are you actually thankful for?

I'm not a gratitude person, so this is not easy for me. Either things in my world are working smoothly (but can you really be thankful for that?) or they're not and need to be fixed (causing me frustration). It's kind of like if you injure your leg and then have to be on crutches...we don't take walking for granted until it's harder or gone.

However, if you start listing things you're grateful for (actually grateful for is a plus, but even the ought to be grateful for will work), after listing a few and really trying to concentrate on that thing - as if you didn't have it, or were just given it - it really does make you start to feel grateful. And that thankfulness - the same feeling of someone helping you out at work, or even bending over backward saving you a lot of time because they've done stuff to help you because they care about you - that same "whew" and "You were such a nice person to do that! Thank you so much!" feeling - will start to come over you with each thing you list.

I actually heard this on one of the meditation vlogs I listen to, to list what you're grateful for when you're feeling down and it will make you feel better. Ideally, you should list some things you're grateful for every night before you go to bed. If one of your goals this year is to have a more positive mindset, this will help enormously.

So much of your perception of your daily experiences is framed by your mindset. If you tell yourself things went badly and beat yourself up mentally, your days will seem worse, and you will be much more depressed about your life. However, if you try to have a positive mindset, framing things in either a good way or an "it's okay, things might not have gone as well as they could have but I'm learning for next time", things go better.

My goals this year include both cultivating a positive mindset (I'm luckily naturaly already pretty good at this, but there are situations where I can be better), and developing a meditation habit to stay grounded and focused, in order to combat stress. I used to think listing things you're grateful for (a gratitude habit) was overrated and didn't help much, but I do feel better after I do it, so I'm thinking of starting this as a habit with my meditation.

So here is my gratitude list for the day:

• for Spouse
• for Spouse fixing my computer! So nice to have Internet downstairs again! This will save me a lot of frustration and having to run upstairs any time I want to look up or listen to something
• for my daughters
• particularly for Daughter#1, who is so silly and loving! I love her silly faces and giggles and requests for "Zing! Zing!" and exploration.
• for the fact that life, and particularly kids, don't stay the same. I'm so used to thinking of Daughter#1 as a hard kid because she was a hard baby, but I've realized these days she's...not. I realized somewhere along the line I'm not worn out anymore, and I do feel relieved. Just in time for Daughter#2 to make her arrival ;)
• for meditation, staying grounded in myself and in God, which will fix my stress
• for God, who refreshes me. Today I don't feel very refreshed but if I make the conscious decision to choose to submit to/follow God in the morning, I feel great all day. I did this yesterday and even though I had a rotten day (every little thing that could go wrong did!) I felt at peace about it. So I can be thankful for God today because of what he's done for me in the past (and usually does for me), even if I don't feel it today
• for yummy healthy dinners

Finding Peace

At a time when we're starting a new year, and embarking on new undertakings (that are hard/stressful...that's why they're our goals! If the processes for reaching our goals were easy, we'd already have accomplished them.), it can be challenging to find peace.

I found myself listening to a YouTube video today that I discovered (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xArFa3a136k), in which the speaker noted some reasons she had peace. I thought they were worth remembering, so here they are!

Things to inspire peace:

1. You are at peace with God, remember, because of Jesus the Messiah's reconciling of humans with God.
2. God knows you're a flawed person and loves you, regardless. He's like your best friend. He knows your quirks, and the not-so-nice sides of your temperament. He wants to help you grow, wants the best for you, and puts up with the hard parts in the meantime with patience.
3. When you feel weak or down, know that God's strength is stronger when we're weak. God can handle your situation, even if you can't.
4. Prayer - put your situation in the hands of God. If you make regular prayer a habit, it will help ease your mind about situations - because you're not in control of life, regardless of what's happening. God is. So praying will help you communicate with him, and trust him in those times where we can't see an answer or a way out.

Also, I love that the video was a woman reading the Bible aloud! All of the audio bibles I've encountered have been men. She read passages in a very calming, whispering way - like a mother to a child, or one woman to another. It definitely helped me to see the Bible in a new light, and my only hope is that I can find a good audio version of a woman reading the whole Bible.

Use what you're given, and don't compare yourself to others

Sometimes, hearing a truth in a different way (or in a real-life setting) helps it sink in.

In most religions, many of the main truths are not just stated but are illustrated through examples or shown through stories.

In Christianity, Jesus often tells the people listening stories. Only, these are a special kind of story, called a parable - a story with a message. Just as Aesop's fables are not simply entertaining stories about animals but whose main point is a moral message the reader is supposed to take away, Jesus's stories are more about the message than the details.

Unlike Aesop's fables, where the message is clearly stated at the end of the story, Jesus didn't tell us a nice summary line. Sometimes his message is easy to figure out, and sometimes it's more ambiguous. This is why people have debated the messages and meanings of his stories for hundreds of years.

Today I had an insight about a particular story: the story of the talents.

In this story, Jesus tells of a landowner who gives 3 of his servants some money. To one he gives 5 coins (called Talents), to one he gives 2, and to the last he gives 1. Then this owner leaves on a trip. When he comes back, he asks the servants for an account of the money. The first, to whom he gave 5, went out and doubled that money, so now had 10. The second, to whom he gave 2, went out and doubled that money also, so now had 4. But the 3rd servant was so afraid he went and hid his money in the field, so didn't make any extra money. The owner chides him harshly, saying he should have at least invested in their version of the bank, to make a little extra money! He takes that coin away and gives it to the servant who had 5. One message seems pretty clear: don't be a bad steward of what you're given.

I was listening to a sermon which used this story. In the sermon, the preacher was talking about investing money, but acknowledged the Talent(s) you're given are your resources - not just financial but your time, energy, etc.

And then I had a realization.

The Message:
My realization was this: I realized the Talent could also stand for something like faith, and we're not all given the same amount, but it's what we do with what we're given that counts.

I know of many Christians throughout history who have had doubts. Some seem plagued with doubts and are constantly burdened and troubled, while others seem carefree and at ease. Myself, I tend towards ease while Spouse struggles constantly with questions. In fact, I know several people who want to believe in the Christian God and believe the rational truths of Christianity but have just never felt God. Imagine praying, living life, going to church...and never, not ever once, feeling a presence like God is there.

I don't know what to tell these people. My own faith comes partly from the fact that I had some powerful God experiences in my past, times where God was speaking directly to me. Now, that hasn't happened for a while (in fact, happened often during 1 period in my life and only occasionally afterwards), but it was such a powerful and...supernatural experience, for lack of a better word...that I cannot deny the existence of God, and this carries me through during times where I don't feel or see God working in my life.

So my heart breaks for these people, and it raises the question of "why? Why God why won't you show yourself to these people? Are you and something is just broken in them so they can't hear you? But if you're God and want to bring people to yourself, can't you fix that?"

But the parable of the Talents is an answer, at least a partial one. We may all be given different amounts of faith. So perhaps the people burdened with doubts were only given 1 talent, and they're doing the best they can with that (and God will judge them with more mercy).

And since I find it relatively easy to believe, that would mean I was given more. Which means...more is expected of me. Which is a little scary. Am I living up to what God wants of me?

I've never told anybody about Jesus and had them come to know Him. I'm not one who talks about Jesus often (in fact, hardly at all) or wears my faith on my sleeve. In fact, I struggle thinking of God daily and making good Christian decisions even when the choice is clear.

Now, it's clear from the Bible that salvation does not depend on my actions. But, the Bible also mentions often that if your faith doesn't change you, doesn't let you depend on God, did you really put your trust in God in the first place? And then how many times do you have to choose your own way instead of God's before you're considered not saved? It's a dangerous slope if you start down it, much like the path of the Sith. The good news is, there's hope.

Even if you've called yourself a Christian up to this point but haven't trusted God, you can change. Right now, your next decision, tomorrow, the next day...begin trusting him. And trust is hard. That's why it's called trust. It means going with what someone else (in this case, God) wants, without seeing the whole picture. Maybe when every bit of your intuition screams that it's wrong. 

Main Points:
1. We are all given different amounts of faith. If you struggle with doubts, do what you can. God doesn't expect as much from those given less. And if you're given more...use what you have. Share your joy of God. Help others.

2. In an added twist, in real life, the servants don't know how much they are given. This means if you're doing everything you can but are only producing 2 fruits worth as outcome, yet see someone else easily producing 5 fruits worth, don't beat yourself up. Each person is given different skills and talents. You may only have been given 2 to start with. God doesn't expect you to then bring in 5, he is happy if you simpy double your 2...even if your gain is smaller than someone else's. Since no one can know how much faith/resources/opportunity someone else is given, it can be disheartening to judge yourself as bringing in less than others when you're trying your hardest. Just do what you can with what you have. You may be an introvert. You may not have many friends. You may not have opportunities. Just try to live as Christ-like as you can, and take opportunities if you see them.

3. The last part is the bank. The owner tells the servant given less that he should have at least put it in the bank and gotten some interest back, even if it didn't double. What does the bank symbolize? I think it symbolizes the church. So at least put your time and efforts into other Christians - you may not bring non-Christians to Christ, or even use your resources to help the poor, but you are helping support others who are...so in a way you're getting a tiny investment back even if you're not on the front lines yourself. This means volunteering in the church, helping support other Christians, etc. Now, all Christians should be doing this, but if you can't do anything else with your life, at least pour your efforts into this. 

New Year's Resolutions

I thought I'd take a break from applying Bible wisdom to Star Wars and real life to talk about my goals for the coming year.

Many people make New Year's Resolutions, and though I personally believe you should make goals any time they're needed over the course of the year, I do love looking ahead. Making new goals. New plans. New possibilities. You can become a new You this year. You will become a new You this year, a better You.

So here are my goals for 2016:

• productivity - in terms of mindset and continuing the good habits I've learned about planning and carrying out goals. Stay productive. Keep procrastination/stuck in a rut to a minimum.
• positivity - continue trying to have a positive view of the world. In general I do, but I need to work on maintaining positive thought patterns, and would like to add learning to build others up (encourage them) instead of distancing myself from them
• maintain a healthy diet and exercise - goal is to try to move my body in some way most days of the week
• meditation - begin a meditation habit, or continue what I've started. Continue yoga for its mindfulness and body consciousness effects. Begin meditation to get my mind in order. Begin reading the Bible often (as part of this meditation/devotional practice).
• Make all of my actions for God - really, just think of God more, and increase my leaning on Him. Pray more. Be more open about my relationship with Him (don't flaunt it, but don't hide it either...it's just a normal and regular part of my life, just like any other hobby). Trust Him more.

Here's wishing a happy, healthy new year to you all!

Romans 14: Just because you're a "good Christian" doesn't mean you're a better Christian

Romans 14 is all about judgment, or judging one another as Christians (particularly judging someone as "less Christian" if they do certain actions).

This was only driven home recently as, driving through Florida, there were billboards spaced every few feet along the interstate with a Jesus message. Some were Bible verses, but some were condemning. One in particular had the message "Lust leads you to Hell."

Unfortunately, this message is patently false and has no relation to Christianity.

In reality, salvation (or whether or not a person goes to Heaven) does not depend on their actions. We cannot do certain actions to earn salvation (without having Christ), and with Christ, we are guaranteed to end up in Heaven. No bad actions we take along the way can lose that.

So that message is false because if the person has Christ, even if they are lustful, they will reach Heaven, and if they don't have Christ, they could be the most unlustful person you know, and they still won't reach Heaven.

Christ is the deciding factor, not our actions good or bad.

Now, the New Testament does talk about certain actions as "bad" and others as "good". But, if they don't affect whether a person goes to Heaven or not, they must be for our own growth.

Simply put, if we do actions that are bad for us, it limits us from growing into a person. Our bad habit may hurt others or hurt ourselves (newsflash: the world is full of hurt. This idea of self hurt or hurting others is what Christianity calls "sin".)

Bad actions are "bad" because they limit is from reaching our full potential.

In some ways, this is easy to see. The Bible advocates working hard; if you are a person who procrastinates, or has trouble self-motivating to work (*me, right here! or, at least I used to), it's clear you won't accomplish as much in your life. In other areas, like with the Bible's stance against lust, it's harder to see the bad effect, but just because we can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. The Bible talks about many issues we can see (like loving your neighbor, working hard, being fair, standing up for the poor and lowly and underadvantaged in society), where we can clearly see the bad or the hurt from the negative, so we need to trust it in the situations where we can't see the clear outcome. After all, God has clearer vision than we have, and those truths have lasted for such a long span of time that it's beyond our comprehension (He has longer reaching vision, whereas our lifespans are so short in comparison, and it's hard to think our modern pithy achievements are even nothing compared to the great monuments some rulers and civilizations erected, but even those far beyond our capacity testaments God scorns as nothing compared to His own achievements).

Romans 14 isn't directed at non-Christians, however; it's directed at fellow Christians. And as any Christian knows, infighting between Christians is far worse, more bitter and vehement than that directed at non-Christians. It's why there are so many denominations.

The sad part is, many Christians are convinced their denomination is the One True Right Way and all the others are going to Hell.

The basic message of Romans 14 is "Do all things in your life for God, and if someone does them differently, still know they're doing them for God too, just in a different way." As long as you're both doing everything out of love for God, you're good.

Now, that brings up another whole set of issues. Do I really live every moment of my life for God? No. I want to, but I don't. In fact, some days I don't think of God at all, I have to remind myself to do so (I'm working on that). But that is what we should aspire to. Kind of like how in Star Wars, at first opening yourself to the Force takes practice, but over time, it becomes more and more of a habit until you're doing it continuously without effort.

Verses which stood out:

The one who [drinks alcohol] is not to regard with contempt the one who does not [drink alcohol], and the one who does not [drink alcohol] is not to judge the one who [drinks alcohol], for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls...and he WILL stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Rom 14:3-4)

The drinking alcohol issue has always bugged me. How can some Christians be against it, and so adamantly that they write it off as unbiblical? After all, Jesus turned water into wine, not grape juice. Yes, this very same chapter talks about not doing things which encourage weakness in others (such as drinking in front of an alcoholic), but to take that to "you should not drink at all" is drawing to exaggeration...and then to take that position and say it's the Biblical one is absurd.

Our tendency as humans is to believe in a just world - or that certain actions lead to a certain outcome. "If I just follow these rules, I'll get this result." So, over time, civilizations create arbitrary rules which you just have to follow. Jesus condemned this in the Pharisees, because this action unfortunately focuses more on the rule itself, while sometimes the feelings behind the rules are forgotten - or even contradicted! However, the Bible makes very clear, faith in God is the #1 important thing. Not rules.

If you think of a Christian, you probably naturally associate a set of rules. Christians don't drink, don't smoke, don't have tattoos, don't have sex, don't swear, etc. However, again, these are rules, and in Christianity, rules don't get you to Heaven or even make you more righteous than the next person. Yes, some of these are suggested in the Bible, but again, it's to make you a better person. God sees all sin, and thus all sinners, as the same in His eyes...and so if you swear, drink, have tattoos, have sex, etc., you're viewed just as highly as someone who goes to church all the time and is straightlaced.

The drinking issue is the first issue that came to mind with the above verse (notice I changed the words, from the word "eat" in the original text to "drink alcohol" which I think aptly applies), but I'm sure there are other issues. To me it's clear, with lines such as "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food" (Rom 14:20), that the anti-alcoholers do not have a leg to stand on. How can they combat this passage? Do they just ignore this chapter of the Bible? I've heard that some even combat the Jesus turning water into wine by claiming he instead turned it into grape juice. But I think the following line makes it clear that what you eat and drink is so trivial to God...God's much more concerned with your emotions, and your heart pursuing the right things, than whether or not you drink alcohol.

Therefore, do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14: 16-17)

We have a tendency (some more than others) to want to tear down others, or find the negative. Instead, let's work to find the positive.

Questions:

1. In what ways do I feel judged by other Christians?

• by Christians who don't drink looking down as "better" on those who do
• as a Catholic, because of all the different practices, seen as a heathen to be converted
• immersion baptism as the only "true way" and infant baptism not counting
• by those who do a greater number of Christian events or who grew up in church from a young age vs. people who didn't - they're viewed as Christian celebrities if they attend more Bible studies or volunteer at church, listen to Christian music and bands exclusively, attend all the worship nights, have done SWORD drills, etc. Does this make them better Christians? NO. It's exclusively between you, Christ, and God. God knows your faith. Just because I've never heard of most of the bands in their main popular listening circle and have no interest in listening to crappy Christian music doesn't mean I'm any less of a Christian.
• In some circles, if you don't read the King James Version of the Bible, some people think you're reading a lesser version of the Bible and look down on you! True, this tends to be older people in more high-tradition mainstream Protestant churches, but it's still Christians looking down on other Christians.

2. In what ways do I judge other Christians?

•  By the music they listen to - yup, I'm a reverse judger. So those Christians whose only music is Christian music and particularly all the latest bands, who dress alike and quote Bible passages in their everyday speech as if it were common knowledge, whose entire hobby list seems to be the church event list...I tend to put them into a certain box. I call it Cultural Christianity (although it's more of a Youth Cultural Christianity than the other meaning, of growing up in a culture where Christianity is entrenched and going to church is expected but more a part of tradition than anything to do with your personal belief). I in general really dislike Cultural Christians, mostly because I associate them with blindly following the rules I stated earlier and taking the rules as important, and standing for hateful things against people I love. However, not everyone who listens to Christian music or reads the Bible often is like this, and no one fits into a box really, so I need to not judge them.

Luckily I've gained some great friends in the past few years who are very Christian and at the same time very practical, uncoventional people. I'm still struggling to integrate this Christian faith with real life, and those people (rather than many Christians who sweep issues they don't like or don't know how to emotionally handle, like science or depression, under the rug and trying to ignore it) give a great example of how to live, move, and deal in the real world and still be wholeheartedly (and undoubtedly to all around) devoted to God. That's my example and ultimate goal.

Real Life Application:

My goals in this regard (and yes, this chapter caused me a bit of guilt as well as frustration, as it pointed out some things I too need to change!):

• Do each of my actions in my day wholeheartedly for God
• Realize every Christian is doing the things in their life for God, and don't judge them. Similarly, don't let myself be judged by them. We're all shoulder to shoulder in front of God.
• Don't fall into following the rules just because it's the easy path. God transcends rules, and wants me to focus on Him.
•  Work on learning to build others up. The Bible commends encouraging others, helping grow their strengths and develop as people. Everyone has some negative, but focus on helping them get ahead, not on pulling them behind.

Isaiah 40: If you're feeling weary, turn to God and He will give you peace

I thought we'd take a short break from Romans today.

I saw some pictures of the first good snow in Boston. I was instantly reminded of a good friend of mine who moved there, who hates the snow. All I heard was complaining and misery every time it snowed. So, seeing a picture of snow also instantly made me think of her misery.

Here's a secret: when you imagine someone else's misery, you begin to feel miserable. Even if it's someone else's misery and not your own...just my imagined perception of her feelings on seeing the snow made me begin to feel miserable (even though I'm nowhere near the snow and sitting in 70 degree weather).

I could write a very long article on thoughts, and how they impact both your energy levels and your feelings. That's an article for another day, but I'll sum it up here: if you start thinking of someone else and how they're stressed, or telling yourself you should feel stressed because the situation is just so hard or the worst or you'll never make it through (notice: all only thoughts up to this point), you will physiologically start to feel stressed yourself (a feeling). And if you let yourself do this, without stopping yourself in this pattern, you will not only find yourself in a spiraling cycle of negativity and bitter acidic thoughts, you will feel physically tired as if you've been fighting a battle all day, or reacting to real stress. Because you have. Your body can't tell the difference between imagined stress in your mind and real life stress around you.

It is exhausting to live in stress during most or all of the day, every day.

Scientific research is full of negative outcomes that result from stress. Not only do you feel physically tired, you probably don't have the energy to work as well towards your goals. At the same time, stress eats away at your self-esteem, so you're also probably less likely to think you can achieve them, leading to depression or a depressed outlook on life. Also, it's well known that stress breaks down your immune system, so you're more likely to get sick. You can look up the rest for yourself, but it's quite clear: stress sucks. It destroys your body and your mind.

I've been there. If you're struggling, I've been there.

A few years back, I was around a very negative person and got into such a negative spiral of thoughts every day just from adopting their judgments and opinions, or at least imagining what they would say in every situation, that I lived in constant stress. I went through my day in a mix of fear and harsh judgment. I got to the point where I was terrified to be home alone, and terrified of my thoughts. And all because I let my thoughts spiral out of control.

I've learned a lot since then and now have much better ways of thinking in place. It took time, years actually, and didn't happen overnight, but my point is if you start imagining others' emotions or negative thoughts, it will spark your body and psyche to think they are your thoughts, and you will wear yourself out.

If you are living in an emotional war zone or otherwise have a constant drain on you and you just feel weary, know that you are not alone. It does get better.

This is turning into a rather dark post, and I know there are lots of reasons people can feel weary. Especially around the holiday times. Maybe you're burned out emotionally or financially from Christmas. Maybe you're burned out from traveling and just want a rest.

Getting back to seeing the picture of snow, part of me yearned just a little to have snow for just an afternoon to be able to play in it. But as soon as I thought of my friend and my imagined dialogue of her stress and misery, guess what? I felt immediately weary and miserable


So it was a relief a few posts down when someone posted this part of Isaiah 40 (v. 31):

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles;

They will run and not get tired;

They will walk and not become weary

 If you are weary...the Lord is like a breath of fresh air. A sip of cool water. A sweet moment of stillness. 

And just like that...I was immediately refreshed. Felt new and relaxed and at peace, as if I'd had a brief, much-needed drink of cool water.

 I urge you this holiday season to take just a breather every day. Find your stillness. Rest in the Lord. Whether it's a moment in quiet prayer or just appreciation, taking the time to eat right or stretch your body, take care of yourself. Your body and mind are worth it.

Here are some things I've found that have helped me this holiday season. And if you have fallen off the wagon up to this point (it's okay! I did too!), just try to work these in when you can. Be easy on yourself. After all, you don't need to beat yourself up - the rest of the world will do that for you. You need to take care of yourself, as if you were caring for an injured friend.

• Yoga (I love the mindset this puts me into. I do it more for stretching and meditation than a true workout, but I feel so peaceful and stretched, as if every muscle is happy. I also feel much more in control of my life, and it's a gentle reminder to take care of myself).
• Eating healthy. Hard to do over the holidays but when I begin eating crappy, it really does throw off the rest of my day. I feel sluggish and 'uggghhh'. So I make the choice to eat healthy because I know it will make me feel better.
• Exercising. Stretch your body when you can, and do something fun to work up a light sweat. Your body needs it to be operational, so take care of your body in this way as much as you can.
• Christian meditation. This is something I've decided to try after many of the other Christian techniques (praying, going to church a lot, reading the Bible) failed me. Just doing those other things doesn't bring me closer to God. But I love reading the Bible as if it has a message for my life right now.
• Get good sleep. If you're not giving the body the rest it needs, it won't feel well-rested the next day, and you won't be as likely to take care of yourself in other ways.
• Know that God is in charge. Let Him be. Give up, and let Him control things. He will work things out beyond what you could imagine.

The rest of Isaiah 40 is great too, and absolutely speaks on this theme of refreshment after feeling weary.

v. 1-2 - Be comforted! Your warfare (emotional battles; worries about finances; stress in general) has ended.

Wouldn't it be great if someone told you that? Your problems are over. Rest now, dearest. Your battles have vanished. You can rest in peace.

v. 2 - even if you battles are emotional, and you're burdened with things like guilt or shame, it has been removed! A weight has been lifted from your back! You are free! In fact, you'll receive double the blessings from the Lord as any emotional burden that was there!

So, not only the joy of freedom (which, if you've been emotionally bearing a hard burden, in itself is the prize), but will be receiving many blessings on top of that! It would make a person think, what did I do to deserve this goodness?

v. 3-4 used in reference to Christ often, through John the Baptist.

This really speaks though to the restitution Christ brings. Lift up your face, you with tears and Christ will wipe them and make you joyful again. If you're burdened, He will bring you peace. He fixes all the bad in the world (even while he was with the world, he did so many miracles of healing!) See passages in Revelation about the world being made right. The Lord takes places or hearts that are low (the valleys) and brings them back up to level. He takes all the inequality in the world and makes it level and right again.

And who is the one doing this? Not us (the flesh referred to in the passage), but God. And if you've been in those low, weary points, you know how thankful you are when God makes things right. How thankful we are when anyone makes things right, but the fact that God can correct all of it, all the injustice...that makes Him so amazingly good, beyond all understanding.

Think of someone who not just makes you feel better when you're down, and then goes to your best friend and does the same thing, and then goes to someone else who has so much trouble and burden that no one thinks they will ever get better. And that person makes that suffering person completely better and happy. Wouldn't that person who is making everyone better be amazing? Who helped not just one person, but people over and over?

And God does this over and over, and over. So far beyond our comprehension. Who can help not just people but right whole systems of corruption.

Isaiah 40: 10-11 paints just this picture of God's goodness, and the way He cares for us.

v. 17 All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

I wish I could instill this in people, and quote this at every "God Loves America" meme. God doesn't love America. He loves people, and people everywhere. God could care less about America as a country defined by boundaries.

The rest talks about how awesome God is. We admire earthly things but to God they are trite and meaningless. Instead, look up - God created the stars, much more amazing than anything on Earth (and as Star Wars lovers, we know just how awesome they are). Scientifically speaking, stars and star systems are very complex. God's handiwork is far beyond anything you or I could create, so we need to worship Him.

And yet, as numerous as the stars are, as easy it would be to get lost or feel like you don't matter...God knows each star by name. And as Star Wars lovers, we also know that each tiny or backwoods planet can be important, can be holding the fate of the galaxy. It's like that with people too. Each one of us is worth an infinite amount. Each one of us has the potential to have a great effect on the rest of the human race, much greater than we could ever know or guess.

The Lord God knows you. He loves you. You are not lost in the crowd to Him. He not only knows your name, He knows all your details. He cares about you. He will personally send His power and spirit to refresh you when you are down or weary, and you will ever after have a spring of guidance and peace within you. You will never be the same again.

Trust in Him today.

Romans 13: Obey the government, without badmouthing, unless it contradicts God

Dear Lord God, I seek you today.  I open my heart to you, God and father of all, on high on Your throne. I ask you to do with me as you will today, to use me, for I am willingly your servant. I am looking for you, God, trying to find you, searching for you. Trying to hear Your answers. Please rest heavily on me today, your hand across my shoulders, steering me with your wisdom, guiding me with your words. Whisper to me today, Oh Lord. Don't let me search in vain. You say you are like the northern light for those who search for you, that if I search, there you will be found. I pray you guide my study today. I pray you would turn me in the directions you want me to be turned.

Dear Lord God, I pray for [the gift of] your presence today. I'm seeking you and I pray that I would find you. I pray you guide my study today and turn me in directions according to your will. Renew my heart, Lord; refresh my heart and mind with the everlasting light and goodness and peace of your waters [spirit]. Conform me to your will. Help me to be a good person today, a servant and representative of you Lord. Along with your messiah and servant Jesus, I humbly ask this. Amen.

I finally moved on to Romans 13, after getting stuck on Romans 12 and reading it again and again...and again. You know what I'm talking about: you sit down at your computer intending to read the Bible, the last passage you read (Romans 12) is up so you decide to start with that to summarize and get your mind in the mood before moving on to the day's reading, and then someone interrupts you before you get to the end. This has been my life for the last several days.

So, on to Romans 13.

The summary: obey the governing authorities, because they are put in place by God.

I'm not sure what to think of this passage. This immediately brings to mind Divine Right, where kings used this passage and others to justify doing whatever they want (usually bad things). I think the message is quite clear from the rest of the Bible that you're supposed to follow your conscience over any rules, that you're supposed to stick to doing good, and not do evil, even if commanded to do it. In fact, this passage draws the distinction between good and evil also (see verses 3-5), with the idea that the rules that are not expressly evil are good.

So, this passage means we should follow rules, even rules we think are trivial or stupid, as long as they don't violate God.

One great example (and story I'm reminded of) is the story of Daniel. In it (see the Book of Daniel in the Bible), 4 Jewish youths are taken away to a foreign land (Babylon), to serve a foreign king (Nebuchadnezzar). The new land has lots of new laws, some of which contradict what they must do for God. How do they continue to worship God properly?

In this age, too many Christians seem to give the answer of "replace the government with one we like, and disrespect the one in power." Talk bad about the president and about how he's "ruining the country". Ignore or fight most laws, even laws that have nothing to do with them. However, this is not the example we see of Daniel and his friends (or of Joseph, another story of someone struggling to follow God in an environment of non-Godly (as in not following the Jewish God) ruler and laws.

In both cases, Daniel and Joseph, both humbly follow the laws of the land, unless it contradicts a direct decree of God. Instead of personally badmouthing or ignoring laws or rulers they don't like, by contrast, they are very quiet on the subject. When asked, they refuse to say anything bad, and in turn, they not only survive in a foreign culture that does not place their God at #1 (read: America, which is as it should be - in a land of freedom of religion, secular laws should not place the Jewish God at #1 even if I believe in him but instead should be focused on equality), they actually thrive. They both move up the governmental ranks until they reach pretty much the highest possible positions in their societies, second only to the king himself.

Now, some can argue it was only because God had a specific plan for His people in each case which required them to be in high positions, so that is why they survived and advanced. With only two examples, we'll never know for sure. However, the whole point of the Bible is not just to tell stories of how God interacted with His people in the past (which then makes it historically interesting but not relevant to our lives, a thing of the past only), but to be a living document, or relevant to us today. Usually this is taken to mean we should use the stories in the Bible as examples for us, a clear lesson to be learned.

If that is the case, then we should follow in Joseph and Daniel's example, and follow the rules set by our governments, with no complaining, as long as they do not violate one of God's directives. And when they do, we disobey them quietly, continuing to do as God commanded, but not stirring up trouble. After all, much of the New Testament condemns initiating strife, instead commending keeping peace.

Many Christian conservatives want to make the government of the U.S.A. a Christian government. This will never, and should never, happen. Mostly because when it comes down to it, churches can't even agree on the rules within themselves, which is why we have different denominations. So many Christians want the laws to be the Laws of the Bible/God, yet they can't agree on what they are (plus, this is an aside, but any time there are set laws, human tendency is to start to force people to rigidly follow them, such that the laws become important but the spirit behind the laws or the original intention is forgotten or even opposed! This is exactly what Jesus fought against - in His words, it's clear that the intention behind the law, and God, is much more important than the specifics of the law itself).

How do I apply this?

So, how does this fit in to Star Wars? How does this fit in to being a Jedi (or Jedi in training, even if I'm not one yet?) Theoretically, as a Jedi, I'm devoted to helping all people, to ensuring basic rights for people and protecting the innocent, regardless of if I agree with their views or not. A Jedi should also theoretically be humble, not bragging about their skills (see Romans 12: fits right in!), and I believe not stirring up strife. But how do you stay quiet if you disagree? Is it wrong to express your views? And if you express your views once and people ignore or brush them off, then what? I don't think staying silent is the answer, but I do think expressing your views in a polite way is required. But then if people ignore you again? At some point, continuing to express your views (even if polite) becomes a nuisance, or can stir up strife. What then? Some of the greatest changes were brought about through civil disobedience (politely but repeated efforts). I'm not sure how to reconcile the two.

In any case, I'm sure humility is key, along with politeness and respectfulness. You should try to see where the other party is coming from, but that doesn't mean you can't still have your own views. You should always express them politely.

I guess the answer is, even if you think something is ineffective and wasteful, don't oppose it unless it has the potential to hurt people down the line. And then, both as Jedi and as followers of God, we are supposed to stand for all our fellow men, especially the downtrodden and poor, so we must oppose it. Often, these directives will hurt someone down the line. Otherwise, even if we don't like it, we must calm ourselves and learn to accept it. In some sense, accepting things we don't like is part of entering adulthood. I guess that's what meditation is for.