Sunflowers

Her hair matches her yellow sundress and golden slippers. Her eyes are like crystals that mirror the bright springtime sky. His hair is combed back and he wears black suspenders and a burgundy bow tie. His eyes are like the ocean with waves that crash in evening.

They’re both too shy to ever muster any courage to talk to each other. Thus, God brings them together Himself, making the situation seem like an accident. He ties both of their stories together by putting them in the correct place in the precise time needed, making their worlds quite literally collide. They bump into each other strolling down a sidewalk in a small town. He apologizes abruptly and she blushes out of embarrassment. They both keep muttering until smiles appear on their faces, and the feeling in their hearts says it’s meant to be. They exchange names and after some awkward discussing, they’re off to their own separate lives again.

But here they are, alone, in a garden with wonderful plants of every sort. By some strange series of events, they crossed paths only a short time ago. When she looks in his confident eyes and he stares right back into hers, she knows it’s destiny. God alone, the very Creator of love, stands between them, binding them unwaveringly with beautiful and ceaseless pleasure.

As they continue their precious time together in the garden, he pulls her through foliage and leads her down a trail. There are trees around them with branches that act as an overhead covering all the way down the extensive path. He puts his hands over her eyes and slowly guides her to the end of the path. She bites her lip, trying keep from smiling too widely as he pulls his hands away, revealing a beautiful tropical beach with no people in sight. She can’t help but praise the Creator for the beautiful masterpiece. Before pulling her to the tide, he picks a bouquet of sunflowers from the garden’s end and weaves them into her hair. He laughs and admits to not being a very adequate braider of hair but she forgives him quickly. “Don’t be afraid to get soaked,” he says before they rush into the water and splash each other’s clothes, while the waves crash against their legs.

You’re probably thinking it’s the usual tale of romance, aren’t you? Believe or not, it isn’t that at all — because this one has something no other does: Love Himself, Jesus Christ, the source of all lasting joy, perfect peace, gifted wisdom and all that is good. He is love. That’s what makes the God-centered love story so remarkable.

Beauty Around You

This blog may or may not be of your interest. If you don’t agree with anything or I establish here, I will remind you it is not personal. I’m simply making a statement through biblical reasoning. I will begin by addressing the fact that some people refuse to admit the Creator and His creation. It doesn’t make sense to me that anyone would believe the universe is meaningless, when the mere act of “believing” itself requires there to be meaning. This life is far from pointless. There is so much to be, to do, to dream and to feel. You can’t rationally explain to me that it’s an “accident.” If anyone honestly has faith — and faith alone is proof of meaning — in the idea that everything has no significance, then that would make your friends, your family, your enemies, your emotions, the beauty around you, the vastness of space, your life and everything else, a total mistake, which you have previously confirmed by your own contradictory assertion to be impossible. If you catch the drift of my statement, I will move from here.

Consequently, the existence of God in this universe is so crystal clear to me, and I believe it should be apparent to others as well, looking from this point of view. Reality is so fragmented by the distortion of mankind’s own rebellion that it causes the best of us to lose sight of the true splendor it contains. In other words, yes this world is very flawed, but that’s only what we made it; and we must be devoted enough to look past all of our own imperfections in order to see of all God’s true righteousness.

I can concur with most of you by saying this life has many puzzling aspects — and that’s a given — because this life is only a glimpse of the full picture. By believing and trusting in Him with my life, I know I’ll get to one day see that full picture. It’s a gift to know Him in all His love, grace and glory. All it takes is faith. That’s it.

I can never say it enough. We are blessed beyond measure.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

James 1:22-24

Eternity

I love not being able to grasp the dimension of heaven, God’s throne. It’s a beautiful thing to comprehend actually not being able to comprehend it, if that makes sense. It’s so captivating to think about but, at the sane time, impossible to wrap your mind around. Thankfully, we will understand one day if we trust in Him with the entirety of our hearts. He has prepared a place for those who accept His sacrifice of love to us.

All of the things to contemplate that heaven could be, far beyond the depths of our own complex but minuscule minds, are completely breathtaking. If the mere idea of eternal life can be so awe-inspiring, imagine how much more it is in reality. I think of streams of pure, running water. I think of trees with the sweetest, purest fruits and sunshine reflecting on every emerald leaf of every branch. I think of golden streets with the greenest of grass in the surrounding. I think of silver buildings in beautiful cities. I think of birds chirping with lovely melodies. I think of people, from all different former natures, gathered together as one, laughing, singing and forever worshiping the Heavenly Father. Most of all, I think of light — so blinding yet so warm, plentiful and brighter than anything we’ve seen — that makes you melt with pure joy, the Light being Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of the sinners. All of these descriptions obviously pale in comparison to what heaven really is because it is truly is perfect, unlike this world we reside in now. We are so flawed we can’t know what “perfect” really is until we see God in His full glory, and that’s the reason we must trust.

That’s why I must cling to the Cross so firmly. That’s why I must take deep breaths of this ever-changing air that surrounds me. That’s why I cannot hold onto anything dear to me except for King Jesus Christ. So will you take a chance? Will you be ready? It’s a crazy world. But believe me, your true home, the home that awaits you, completely surpasses this broken life. You have the splendid opportunity to experience Eternity, the place beyond the frozen past, the place that touches the living present, the place that holds the hopeful future. It’s in your reach.

I have a few things to say about misconceptions regarding the Christian life. Why are we as Christians almost always made out to be so judgmental and hate-filled in our society? I think people have been misled by the ones who claim to be Christians but don’t live like it. I’m not sure which disheartens me more: people who try to be Christians but don’t understand what that truly means, or people who see Christians as stingy hypocrites only interested in criticizing other beliefs. What does Jesus think about the quarrels and the tension of what Christianity is about? He definitely disproves of that kind of behavior, from both sides. Christianity is about placing faith in Jesus Christ with your life; it means putting everything at risk for Him, putting Him in the center. The Bible says so. And yes, I believe the Bible is the source of learning to grow as a Christ-follower. All Scripture is God-breathed. But does that mean we should spread resentment, wrath and condemnation to those who are lost rather than found, spiritually? Absolutely not. The Bible teaches nothing of the sort. Immediately stating personal opinions that contradict another’s for the purpose of selfish satisfaction is ridiculous, whatever “religion” you believe in. Christians are supposed to be followers of Christ who ceaselessly welcome and invite everyone into the Kingdom of God so that they can also experience the Lord’s love and grace that we are so undeservedly offered. That’s what it’s about: being immersed in Him. That does not mean we should accept — much less encourage — the sins the world has considered “normal.” And these sins do include sexual relations before marriage, engaging in alcoholic addictions, the act of homosexuality, taking God’s name in vain, and everything else deemed by society as “common.” I’m merely naming these sins that everyone seems to be so partial to. A sin is a sin, no matter the size. Being a Christian is staying focused on Jesus Christ first and foremost. Once you have your eyes on Him alone, you should then go to the Bible to discover how to live accordingly. This is what I believe.

Sparklers

Sweltering heat invades the midday sky with a blinding sun over an aging forest. Your eyes gaze past the trees as you hide behind a large root. You keep hearing vague repetitive noises — it’s the sound of feet crunching leaves. You obscure yourself behind the root. Your heart skips a beat as the noise grows louder — or closer. It seems like hours before the sound ceases. At this point you feel the presence of someone very near. “Shhh,” you hear a soft voice murmur. You gasp abruptly and hold your breath. Whoever it is reaches out their black-gloved hand; not knowing how to properly respond to such an action in this situation, you grab the hand. The mysterious person pulls you to your feet and leads you down a path through the forest. The person is cloaked and has a hood concealing their entire face except for the eyes — those beady, glowing eyes. A drop of sweat drips down your forehead, then your cheek and then your neck, until it hits the collar of your shirt. You start to feel nauseous and somewhat fatigued. You try to trace back to when you first entered the forest — but you don’t even remember how you arrived. A quiet raspy voice comes from the mysterious person: “They’re coming.” Your eyelids slowly begin to collapse as the person drags you faster and faster.

After finally stopping to catch a breath and take the new route, the person directs you into a considerably spacious cave between two roots. The person lights a match on the end of a branch to act as a torch and then escorts you through the tunnel. “We’re safe for now,” the person says to you as they set the torch in the soil. You feel an immediate calmness sweep over you as the person slips their hood off, and the tiredness leaves you. His face is kind and his eyes are reassuring. He hands you a jacket and a leather bag. “Now you can return,” he proclaims after a few minutes; “and if you find yourself in danger, just wave the sticks that are in your bag.” You proceed to question him but he disappears into the shadow before you can say anything.

After you leave the cave, you stare into the sunset. The night is slowly falling over the forest while the beams of light keep seeping through the leaves and onto the ground, giving an array of luminescent patches. You hear whispers bounce off the trees and resonate around you. Inhaling deeply, you begin to run back to the large root. Once you find yourself there, the noise increases. This time you are sure there is more than one individual. The heat you felt earlier has now been occupied by a sharp, cold breeze. The sun has vanished and all light has evaporated except for that of the moon and the stars — but it’s enough light to reveal shadows moving in the dark. You dare not make any form of racket. But you are certain this is the perfect instance to open the bag. So you slowly slip it from your shoulder and stretch your arm into it to pull out the sticks. You feel snow falling from the sky around you, but it fazes you least. Feeling a burst of hope and security, you wave the sticks in the air. They light up everywhere and glisten with golden flares. You shine them directly at the mystifying monsters of the dark. They screech and flee.

Your heart suddenly shrinks back in your chest where it belongs. You sigh with relief. At that moment, everything returns to you: you remember where you came from and why everything seemed to happen the way it did, and now you are invulnerable. The land is covered in thick snow and a blizzard begins to emerge. You use the sparklers to guide you to your abode. You throw one as far as you can in front of you. It hits the land and flickers everywhere, in many diverse colors, revealing your house in the woods. “I’m back,” you say to yourself. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand — who was that mysterious person?”

Every shadow can be extinguished by Light.