Tripplehorn

If you're wondering what's with the title, well, only those who have watched a certain movie would find the word familiar. But no, it has nothing to do with what I'm about to blog. Okay, maybe a little, but I would render the connection infinitesimal. =D

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Independence. Youth today are dying for it, nations fight for it. It is often viewed as a positive thing. How many of you always hear your father telling you ever since you were a kid: "NOW is the time to learn how to be independent. That way, you would be prepared for the world." Or even when you're a teenager, for that matter. Parents often stress the importance of it, don't they? And of course, what they're saying is true. Unless you plan to live with and rely on your parents to still be feeding you when you're forty-two, you definitely would want to be more independent during teenage-hood.

So it is that in this world, people strive for independence. We are in a sense, programmed to think and subsequently act that way. I'm not saying it's wrong, but that's human logic and thinking. As people grow, they somehow must manage to find a way to solve their own problems. Even more so when you're labeled an 'adult'. You're all on your own now, and it all boils down to whether you're independent enough for life. BUT... (yes there's a but)

But, is this the way to go in the Christian faith? Why, it's the exact opposite! Think about it. In whatever we do, all we need is to be totally dependent on God. Dependent for? For food, for clothes, for a solution, for a way to get out of the mess you just got yourself into. For EVERYTHING. Yet, as I have explained a whole lot earlier, because of the way we were brought up, it is just so hard for us to let go and let God.

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For all of you gamers out there, what is the only way to beat your opponent in DOTA, Starcraft, Streetfighter and so on and so forth? No mercy. Yes, it is the only way. After all, if you don't kill him off, he'll kill you. And this is not only true in games, but life as well. We live in a competitive world where "Win-Lose" it's the only game available, or so it seems. When a friend comes up to you needing some help in, say, maths, how do you respond? Almost automatically your mind goes, "If I help him, he might score equal with or even better than me in the coming exam. Better not let that happen." Not wanting him to beat you in the test, or you 'losing' and he 'winning', you choose not to help and thus stand a better chance of 'winning', with him 'losing'. And the same goes in the work arena. Somehow, throughout the years, humans have become merciless creatures. Wait, I take that back; 'no mercy' has existed in human history ever since the days of Cain and Abel. No wonder we're what we are today.

Imagine if God was merciless. He would be saying, "I have given man the ten commandments, and I have clearly stated that if he breaks any one of them, he has to die. I've warned him already, and now he sins. Of course he has to pay for every sin he's committed. Far from it that I should help him the slightest bit. Why, he owes me his very life in every way possible!" Yet God spared our lives - at a very high price. We definitely should start replacing 'No mercy' with Yes mercy.

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Even when you view this page, and when you see the big title right at the top, what comes to mind? "Eternity... that's after this life. After physical death, I would be able to enjoy eternity." That's what most people think, me included. So the statement above is true, right? WRONG.

You know, just a couple of weeks ago, while I was listening to a sermon, the speaker painted this picture for me: "One day in church, the Christians were all seated at their respective pews, waiting for the pastor to preach. The pastor came up to the pulpit, and requested all who confess to be Christians to raise their hands. So all who were Christians responded, lifting their hands up high. The pastor then turned back as if he were looking for something, and then he faced the crowd with a magnificent machine gun. While he pulls and holds the trigger, he waves it left and right at all those who were raising their hands. *JEGJEGJEGJEGJEGJEGJEG*"

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter, for no particular reason. It just sounded funny to me. XD Anyway, the speaker then explained to all of us that if Christians were able to enjoy eternity only after they die, then pastors in all churches would do that weekly; then everyone can enjoy! Of course, that's not the case. But it goes on to imply a much more subtle, yet greater significance - It means all of us can enjoy eternity RIGHT NOW. While we're on earth. While we're alive. While we're still breathing. Unfathomable? Check out what I came across a few days ago:

"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."

~Ecclesiastes 3:11

Eternity's in your heart. You have a heart, don't you? And you're still alive, aren't you? That means you can enjoy eternity from the day you were born, not the day you die.

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Oh, the irony.

Prioritize

We all know the famous King David; the one anointed by God after King Saul had disobeyed the LORD. All that the prophet Samuel knew was that the next, new anointed king was one of the sons of Jesse. So off Samuel goes looking for the new king, and in the process this is what happened:

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions."

~1 Samuel 16:7

Samuel had thought that Eliab, a son of Jesse, was surely the anointed one; he was tall and handsome, I suppose. But well, all that really meant absolutely nothing to God. Instead, He focuses on people's thoughts and intentions. And from my understanding, that's what really counts. So as much as we spend our time looking into the mirror, we should also spend, if not more, an equal amount of time examining our own thoughts and intentions. Sure, this whole thing about outward appearance being not-so-important is very familiar and a part of our knowledge already, but it's the obvious things that we often tend to overlook too.

Next, we move on to the story of Mary and Martha. Yet another familiar story, right? For the benefit of those who do not know, I'll briefly summarize it here. Jesus and his disciples had arrived at Mary and Martha's home. Martha, wanting to make sure they would have a full, sumptuous meal, is worrying about whether she was able to prepare it in time and she sees her sister lazing around - sitting at Jesus feet, listening to what he taught. How is it fair that while she sweats it out preparing dinner, her sister does nothing at all to help her? And so she complains to Jesus, hoping He would ask Mary to go and help her out.

"But the LORD said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it - and I won't take it away from her.""

~Luke 10:41-42

Not exactly what Martha wanted to hear, but notice in Jesus' reply that she had focused on the wrong thing altogether - though she had good intentions.


Would we be willing to sacrifice the few hours of looking for the sleek leather shoes, shopping for the chic clothes, and looking into the mirror to check our own thoughts and intentions? Or perhaps you're more comfortable with the statement 'The clothes make the man.'? Living in this modern age, all too easily we tie ourselves down to so many commitments and responsibilities that we find ourselves too busy and start to worry whether we would be able to cope and keep up with the work - like Martha. But, are those details really all that important?

Think about it.