Don't Shoot (For the Moon)

So I have always been one to go for the "shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you'll at least end up in the stars" reasoning. But there is a simple problem with that: the reason you shoot for the moon is that you can't accept anything less, and so landing there is no consolation. You shoot so many times, and you never quite manage to get what you want. And after awhile, you begin to see the cost of gunpowder, and you're tired, and it seems like a mess.

The problem is that we're trying to hard to work for our own advantage. If we work honestly and truly for God, He will accomplish things in our lives we never could have dreamed possible. Doing things only for ourselves promotes selfishness, paranoia, and worrying, that are all avoidable. It is much better that we come to him, all of us that labour and are burdened, and Jesus will refresh us all. For his yoke is sweet and his burden light.

I personally have sought what I thought I was missing, what I thought God wanted me to find, and ended up wasting my time, ending up tired, confused, and wondering what had happened. I believe He wants me to concentrate on things that will really shape my future, like school and extra curriculars, and actually having meaningful relationships with people I can call friends, and working on my family life. This is better than searching for the lost love I wish I could have, because that's something He will give to me, if it is His will, when I am truly ready for it. So all this shooting really ends up causing a lot of fall out.

But I think there's a simple solution. Don't shoot yet. Wait for the Sun to come out, so you can see what you're doing, and then the path will be straight. In the light of God's love, things will become a bit clearer. And He works "not in our ways", so we might have to wait a little while, but everything will turn out better. It seems better now, to not shoot for the moon, but to ready the gunpowder for the sunlight's gentle touch, and wait for the explosion of a lifetime.

The Christmas and the Crucifixion, pt 1

"I can see through the flames that the fire cleanses me"

'A Great Fire' - Silverstein

It is easy, looking back on times where pain and frustration were the major elements in our emotional makeup, to find how the struggle has made us better for today, and for tomorrow.

But it's harder facing the beast directly in the face and displaying the same cool, calm rationale.

That takes much more faith and rugged perseverance in the name of the Lord. It helps me personally to reflect on his Crucifixion, even in the midst of this Christmas season.

Christmas magnifies the miracle of the Crucifixion, in that it shows that Jesus came among us, not to be given a kingship or dominion, but to be born in a stable, and to die upon the same type of material he lived on and worked with in his years working with his foster father. It is an easy reminder that he lived simply, not driving a Corvette, sipping a Starbucks, and playing with his new phone the way many of us do.

However, no matter how many crosses we may bear, we have the help of knowing that each one - just like the cross of Christ - is accompanied by a resurrection, something to help us or those around us. While pondering the pain Jesus suffered and that we suffer in our daily lives is important, doing so without also considering the results is worse than a waste of time, as it also serves to put us in a bad mood and take away the hope that we receive daily from the news of the Resurrection of our Lord. Together, these two things to meditate on work wonders, like peanut butter and jelly, making the bread taste the best it can (though some would say it could use some toasting ;)

I'm coming up with more ideas as I type, but I know that soon enough, my dearest mother will be telling me it's time for sleep, so I'll leave it here for now. Thanks for reading, and please leave any comments you have for me, and I'll be sure to read them.

First thoughts

Starting off this thing, I'm thinking of something to write, but I want to sleep.

Therefore, let sleep percolate my idea until it comes out perfectly.

Adieux.