When was the last time you said, "Have a nice day!"? I hardly use that phrase anymore. Somehow, nice doesn't seem to cut it anymore. "Oh, that's nice!", or in reply to, "How was it?", "Um, it was nice". These days, nice would mean, "well, yeah... it's ok, not bad, not that good, just... nice."
When something's good and it strikes us, we'd say, "Wow, that was awesome!", or "Amazing! It was simply wonderful!", or "Great! That was super!". So, these days, I just say, "Have a super day!" or "Thanks for the great time!".
But you know what's been bugging me lately? These are exactly the same words we use to describe God. Wonderful. Awesome. Great. Lovely. We use the same words to describe the Almighty, all powerful God as we would a sundae. Either our language has very limited words, or we exaggerate and over use big words that they lose their meaning. Maybe it's because simple words like good, nice, pleasant or fine have lost their power and we need something more dramatic to describe a, well, good experience. Hey, when God saw all He had made, He said it was good. The whole world, Lord? Good? More like, it was da bomb! Amazing! Fantastic! Wonderful! Awesome!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Tough Love
I just learnt this term from a friend recently. Two definitions from the internet are as follows.
Answers.com
tough love
n.
The use of strict disciplinary measures and limitations on freedoms or privileges, as by a parent or guardian, as a means of fostering responsibility and expressing care or concern.
Wikipedia.org
Tough love is an expression used when someone must treat another person harshly in order to help them in the long run. For example, parents refusing to support their drug-addicted child financially until the he or she entered drug rehabilitation would be said to be practicing tough love.
This term seems to be used very widely in helping parents with troubled teens, families with problems where a member of the family is a drug abuser or alcoholic and such. It involves parents or family members coming together to set strict rules or ultimatums for the troubled person. This often drives the individual to be forced to improve or take measures in the right direction. Of course, from the individual's point of view it is the pits and will probably feel like very harsh treatment. However, it has to be done for his/her end good.
Only problem with this is that it may backfire and the family/parents may never see their loved one again. So, there is much debate if tough love is the right step to take.
Which brings me to think about how God treats us. He often allows us to get ourselves into such a rut that we have no choice but to look to Him and learn that lessons that we need to learn. This is proven when we read how time and time again, the children of Israel had to be put into trouble before they cried out to Him. Sigh, how pathetic we humans are. The good thing is that with God, He knows what the outcome is. His plans never backfire.
I love to repeat this. God KNOWS what is best for us, God has the POWER to do what is best for us and God WANTS what is best for us. If He was missing any one of the three points, it would be just too bad...
Answers.com
tough love
n.
The use of strict disciplinary measures and limitations on freedoms or privileges, as by a parent or guardian, as a means of fostering responsibility and expressing care or concern.
Wikipedia.org
Tough love is an expression used when someone must treat another person harshly in order to help them in the long run. For example, parents refusing to support their drug-addicted child financially until the he or she entered drug rehabilitation would be said to be practicing tough love.
This term seems to be used very widely in helping parents with troubled teens, families with problems where a member of the family is a drug abuser or alcoholic and such. It involves parents or family members coming together to set strict rules or ultimatums for the troubled person. This often drives the individual to be forced to improve or take measures in the right direction. Of course, from the individual's point of view it is the pits and will probably feel like very harsh treatment. However, it has to be done for his/her end good.
Only problem with this is that it may backfire and the family/parents may never see their loved one again. So, there is much debate if tough love is the right step to take.
Which brings me to think about how God treats us. He often allows us to get ourselves into such a rut that we have no choice but to look to Him and learn that lessons that we need to learn. This is proven when we read how time and time again, the children of Israel had to be put into trouble before they cried out to Him. Sigh, how pathetic we humans are. The good thing is that with God, He knows what the outcome is. His plans never backfire.
I love to repeat this. God KNOWS what is best for us, God has the POWER to do what is best for us and God WANTS what is best for us. If He was missing any one of the three points, it would be just too bad...
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Problematic People
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those with problems and those without problems. The latter are seriously clueless or plainly in denial, for problems are just part of life. Even the Lord Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble." So, my first sentence is wrong. But it isn't the fact that life is full of strife that is on my mind today but what people do about it.
One thing I really cannot stand is when someone says, "I'm like that, that just the way I am." And uses that as an excuse. It's one thing to say, "I'm sorry, communicating isn't my greatest strength and I apologise for .... so on and so forth," but using the 'oh, that just the way I am' line as an excuse for something is just totally unacceptable to me.
So, maybe there are 3 kinds of people in the world.
1.Those who don't even realise they have weaknesses,
2. Those who realise their weaknesses and don't do anything about it, and
3. Those who realise their weaknesses and actually do something about it,
I guess the first and most important step towards anything positive is realising and acknowledging that you have a weakness and that it is a problem. Only then can one take measures to correct it, or seek help from someone who knows better.
But which category of people are worse off? Those who don't even think or know that they have a problem? Or those who know they have a problem but don't do anything about it?
Those in category 1 may not even realise the pain and suffering they are causing others by their problem, but is it really their fault? Or they put the blame on others and refuse to see that they are the ones with the problem.
Those in category 2 know that they have a problem but due to fear, procrastination, pride or indifference just fail to do anything about it. Which is worse? You tell me...
What does the Lord say after telling his disciples that they will surely have trouble in this world? He says, "But take heart! I have overcome the world." Talk about leadership by example! Not only does He save us, He has gone through it all before and promises to be with us every step of the way.
One thing I really cannot stand is when someone says, "I'm like that, that just the way I am." And uses that as an excuse. It's one thing to say, "I'm sorry, communicating isn't my greatest strength and I apologise for .... so on and so forth," but using the 'oh, that just the way I am' line as an excuse for something is just totally unacceptable to me.
So, maybe there are 3 kinds of people in the world.
1.Those who don't even realise they have weaknesses,
2. Those who realise their weaknesses and don't do anything about it, and
3. Those who realise their weaknesses and actually do something about it,
I guess the first and most important step towards anything positive is realising and acknowledging that you have a weakness and that it is a problem. Only then can one take measures to correct it, or seek help from someone who knows better.
But which category of people are worse off? Those who don't even think or know that they have a problem? Or those who know they have a problem but don't do anything about it?
Those in category 1 may not even realise the pain and suffering they are causing others by their problem, but is it really their fault? Or they put the blame on others and refuse to see that they are the ones with the problem.
Those in category 2 know that they have a problem but due to fear, procrastination, pride or indifference just fail to do anything about it. Which is worse? You tell me...
What does the Lord say after telling his disciples that they will surely have trouble in this world? He says, "But take heart! I have overcome the world." Talk about leadership by example! Not only does He save us, He has gone through it all before and promises to be with us every step of the way.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Reality Check
I think most people (including me) need a reality check once in a while. Here are some things that came to mind today.
1. God does not owe you anything. Why is it we some times go around complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves if things don't go the way we want. Read about the children on Israel after God brought them out of Egypt and you'll go, "What the.... ? These people are just too much!" Wake up and look around you and realise we're all the same, in fact, worse. After having the amazing plans of God revealed to us, we still whine and sulk if we don't get our way. AND, to top it all off, God actually wants what's best for us... Mind boggling...
2. No circumstance we're in gives us the right to sin. I don't know about you, but i have often found myself going, "Aaargh, who cares about doing what is right anymore? I'll just do what I want and what I like!" This most probably takes place when I've been put in a situation where I feel life is unfair and I'm not getting what I deserve. Reality check, we deserve hell. Refer to point 1. I believe if we just realise how powerful, awesome, frightening and holy God is, we'd be scurrying around being obedient little servants and appreciating every drop of grace that has been lavishly showered upon us. All this after cleaning up the mess we made from peeing in our pants...
What a patient, patient God we have... let's not dare abuse His love...
1. God does not owe you anything. Why is it we some times go around complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves if things don't go the way we want. Read about the children on Israel after God brought them out of Egypt and you'll go, "What the.... ? These people are just too much!" Wake up and look around you and realise we're all the same, in fact, worse. After having the amazing plans of God revealed to us, we still whine and sulk if we don't get our way. AND, to top it all off, God actually wants what's best for us... Mind boggling...
2. No circumstance we're in gives us the right to sin. I don't know about you, but i have often found myself going, "Aaargh, who cares about doing what is right anymore? I'll just do what I want and what I like!" This most probably takes place when I've been put in a situation where I feel life is unfair and I'm not getting what I deserve. Reality check, we deserve hell. Refer to point 1. I believe if we just realise how powerful, awesome, frightening and holy God is, we'd be scurrying around being obedient little servants and appreciating every drop of grace that has been lavishly showered upon us. All this after cleaning up the mess we made from peeing in our pants...
What a patient, patient God we have... let's not dare abuse His love...
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