There are no words to describe the beauty.
Hello all! It's been quite a while since the last time I wrote. I know, and I'm sorry. Life never seems to get less busy, you know? I keep thinking "After this week, THEN I'll have time to write again." But then next week comes and new challenges keep me from talking to you guys. I couldn't take it anymore though, and with just a little bit of free time here I'm going to see what I can crank out!
How are you all? Seriously, I mean like I said, it's been a while! Hope things are going well, and that in all you do you follow God's guiding path.
It's been an interesting couple of months. I've seen things that make me believe that there's nothing that humanity can't handle. I've also seen things that make me sick to my stomach. I mean I guess part of that is life. But I truly believe that there's more to it than that. The world's changed. For better or for worse, it's always changing. And that change, well it's made it much easier to see the bad in things, and much harder to see the good.
This post is the beginning of (HOPEFULLY) a series of posts on finding the beauty in life, and what that means.
And I suppose that here's as good a place to start as any....
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Finding the Beauty:
The Distortion of Sin
A couple weeks ago I was surfing youtube and I came across a girl telling her story. You know the one, the flashcard kind. Well the story was really sad, and as I came to the end I found out she had killed herself because she felt she was worth nothing. Kids at her school had encouraged her to do it, saying it would be the best for everyone. They made her feel as if she were worth nothing. How can such young people be so cruel? How could anyone, of any age be so cruel?
Recently our own government has come out to us and said very clearly that on several occasions they have blatantly lied to us, and that has directly lead to some people getting hurt. In a government shutdown those who fight and die to protect our freedom weren't paid, but those responsible for the shutdown were. Not only that, but they constantly vote to get paid more. They say they look out for the people, but more and more politicians only care for themselves. How could people be so selfish?
Over 3000 babies are aborted each day in the US alone. Recently I was at a small pro-life event, and someone set up shop directly across from it protesting. I read an article about it in the local paper the next day. There was an interview with a girl whose mother had chosen life. The answer she gave though surprised me. She said that while she wouldn't be here if her mom had chosen abortion, she still believes that her mom should have the right to chose that. In effect she was saying that her own right to exist should be predetermined on the basis of another person's desires. What kind of world is this, where the most vulnerable are so easily discarded?
As the weeks went on, I kept seeing more and more of this. The terrible reality of the world we live in today. A world where people will walk all over each other just to get what they want, and not only is that ok, but in many cases it's encouraged! A world where the 'I' is the end all and be all. What do I want? What's best for me? It made me sad. I began to only be able to focus on the bad, in the world at large and in my own life. I got annoyed at friends and missed a bus, it rained on me and I got soaked through, I failed a test, among other things. All of this culminated into one big blob of human misery. What good is humanity anyways???
I think all of us get like this sometimes. We only want to focus on the bad. The world has sooo much hatred. It's easy to see, and sometimes not so easy. Either way it's always there. When we get down, the whole world seems that much worse. Even when we feel good, sometimes it seems like the evils in the world are just insurmountable. Like there's nothing we can do against such huge problems anyways, so why bother?
But then we see the glimpses of beauty.
A kid singing disney songs loudly out in public. A guy walking a stranger under his umbrella because they forgot theirs and it's raining. Hearing a snippet of that song you love. A perfect cool breeze. A friend waving hi. The smile of a stranger. Spending time with friends. That perfect day. That day that's good for no reason. People helping others they don't even know. That person who buys you your lunch just because. That hug that you needed right then. The list goes on and on.
The glimpses of beauty remind us that God made the world, and it is inherently good. The beauty is the way things are meant to be. We just put a little snag in that when sin came into play. Sin takes what is good about the world and distorts it. It takes beauty, and changes it just slightly. And just slightly again. And a little more. Through small changes that no one notices, something once beautiful becomes an ugly mess. Our world is distorted by sin, and so it becomes harder to see the beauty. When we rely on God's grace however, then the light comes pouring in, and the beauty is made as visible as day.
The grace that God wants to give us allows us to see the world as it's meant to be. Instead of being annoyed at friends, grace helps me to see them as unique and wonderful. Instead of being angry at the rain, I become thankful and enjoy it for what it is. Grace even helps me to take the hit of a bad test, and learn the lessons that are needed to grow. It helps me to see that even the difficulties are blessings.
Without this grace however, my view becomes murky, and I can only see the distortions that sin presents. I can only see the hatred. For far too many of us this is the case way more often than it needs to be. We let ourselves get trapped in the distortions, and we let ourselves believe that they are the way things have always been, and the way things are meant to be. Luckily for us though God provided a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13! :D) so that we could get back to seeing the world as it was meant to be. Through the sacrament of Reconciliation, the grace we received at baptism is restored to us, and the world can be seen once again for the beautiful place that it is.
Remember when you were a little kid, and everything was fun? There was no such things as evil. I mean there were good guys and bad guys, but the bad guys never won. And you were always the good guy. All you wanted to do was share and be nice. The world was a happy place full of good things and friends. When we receive that grace one again, we go back to that state. The world's just like it was when we were kids. Childlike faith ringing a bell? While the problems of this earth caused by sin still remain, our clear view of how things should be equips us to better fight it. And while we may not be able to make an impact against huge problems on our own, if enough of us begin to trust in God and see the world as He does, then we really CAN make a difference.
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There's a song that's perfect for this post. It's called Come Home by One Republic.
My favorite lyrics go:
I get lost in all the beauty of everything I see
And the world ain't half as bad as they paint it to be.
If all the sons and all the daughters stopped to take it in
well hopefully the hate subsides and the love can begin.
When we stop to take in God's life-giving grace, we too can get lost in the beauty.
Think about this song. See things they way they were meant to be.
Hello world
Hope you're listening
Forgive me if I’m young
For speaking out of turn
There’s someone I’ve been missing
I think that they could be
The better half of me
They’re in the wrong place trying to make it right
But I’m tired of justifying
So I say to you..
Come home
Come home
Cause I’ve been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
Right now there's a war between the vanities
But all I see is you and me
The fight for you is all I’ve ever known
So come home
Oh
I get lost in the beauty
Of everything I see
The world ain’t half as bad
As they paint it to be
If all the sons,
All the daughters
Stopped to take it in
Well hopefully the hate subsides and the love can begin
It might start now, yeah
Well maybe I’m just dreaming out loud
Until then...
Come home
Come home
Cause I’ve been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
Right now there's a war between the vanities
But all I see is you and me
The fight for you is all I’ve ever known
Ever known
So come home
Oh
Everything I can’t be
Is everything you should be
And that’s why I need you here
Everything I can’t be
Is everything you should be
And that’s why I need you here
So hear this now...
Come home
Come home
Cause I’ve been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
Right now there's a war between the vanities
But all I see is you and me
The fight for you is all I’ve ever known
Ever known
So come home
Come home
2 Corinthians 12:9 says "but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me."
His grace is sufficient for you, if you just accept it. See the world's beauty.
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Well that's if for part one!
Next week: (Or whenever I get around to it!)
Finding Beauty:
Love, Hatred, and You
Love you always, and as always I am praying for you. Pray for me as well.
God bless!
~Wanted~
