The Paradox of Our Age

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. More degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, and watch TV too much.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, yet still have trouble crossing the street to meet our new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait; have higher incomes, but lower morals; more food, and less appeasement. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less and less communication.

We’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short characters; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more food, and less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. Of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or just to hit delete..."

How November's holding up:

Nyums. I have been getting into cooking & baking a little, mostly out of sheer boredom, and also because my mom isn't going to be my maid and cook whatever I randomly desire (Obviously). One thing I have been craving all November is a nice plate of seafood spaghetti! Seafood is delicious. Most seafoods are an excellent source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, minus the huge calorie content (Depending on how you cook it). Fish is great brain food! ;) But mostly, I just want some pasta.

Fun nutrition facts!
- Most of the nutrients in a potato reside just below the skin layer.
- Most of the fiber in fruit is in the peel.
- One medium sized-tomato provides over a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and nearly a third of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.

Ye-ess, lately I have been drinking my mineral water with half a lemon squeezed into it and 2 teaspoons of honey. Other than the claims of others swearing by this drink to lose weight and detoxify your body (Not that I'm even remotely trying to lose weight.. Rubbish), it is absolutely delish. I am convinced that I will never go back to drinking plain ol' mineral water ever again. Never.  

More fun facts!

- Foods such as orange juice and lemon juice are acidic in their natural state but turn alkaline after they have been metabolized in the body. 

- The French referred to the tomato as "love apples", whereas lemons were once referred to as "golden apples".

- I cannot eat tomatoes or eggplants because they cause my tongue intense pain & makes it swell. 

Random thoughts on a Friday night

Tough decision to make. Momentary pleasures or eternal pleasures? To resist or to give in? The psalmist David said twice in his uber cool book of prophetic psalms that there would be eternal pleasures at Your right hand forevermore - I suppose he knew what he was going on about. Tough, tough, decision. I shrugged my shoulders and thought what the heck. You're worth it. I chose eternity.

Things that make life seem hard. Sometimes I wonder a lot why things happen. Where's the justice that God seems to go on so much about? Hard times get harder. But I realise God's ways are eternally higher. There wouldn't be much sense in believing in a God I could understand - I've realised that if a god were to be like me, that would be a pretty screwed up god. I'm going for the God that is ridiculously mysterious in His ways, yet has proven Himself much too real for me to disbelieve. We go through things for a reason. Cliche and overused, but it rings through. We'll look back a few years from now and see that what we had to go through was essential for us to get to where we are and to lead us in His will. The spark of interest in medical nutrition and eating disorders would never have been ignited if I hadn't gone through my own period of struggle with food and body image. The compassion for the hurting would never have been there if I hadn't gone through hurting myself. The belief and faith in God wouldn't have been there if I hadn't wrestled first with my own disbelief and doubts and finally let God prove Himself to me.

We'd never have been ready for what God had planned for us if we hadn't gone through whatever it was we went through. We'll never be ready for what God has planned for us if we don't go through whatever it is we'll go through. Think of where you are now and how you got there - Think of how going through tough times shaped you. Now think about where you'll be in, say, 5 years. Can't imagine? That's great. Because you don't know, but God does. And I think we all know pretty well that He knows what He's doing.

Everyone falls sometimes. Maybe not a jump-off-a-cliff sort of fall each time, but a fall nonetheless. A trip over a stubborn rock. A clumsy crash you could have avoided - Oops, too late. A slip on a banana peel. We all tumble more than a washing machine.

But its all about your attitude.

You find the positive in every negative - Even if that positive is so small, Google Maps can't even locate it. You find it. It's there.

I can't stand it when people moan and groan like their lives are ending, although it's mostly over small matters. You don't see people in Ethiopia anguished about who among their friends have been backstabbing them. You don't see the persecuted in China griping about how their moms are nagging them to do house chores.

"But Hannah," you whine, "that doesn't even make sense! That doesn't even relate to my life! I'm certainly not a starving Ethiopian! I'm certainly not being persecuted in China!"

You aren't. But what about those who are? What makes them different from who you are? How come they can survive despite how they live and how they are being treated?

We are so spoilt. We get hit by a stone but we cry about it like its a boulder.

You might fall today, it doesn't mean you'll never get up.
You might cry today, it doesn't mean the tears will never dry.
You might hurt today, it doesn't mean that hurts don't heal.
You might have had the worst day ever - It doesn't mean there are no other days left in the year for you to find happiness in.

Sometimes it just hits me how weak and selfish we are. We don't know troubles, we don't know the true pain of toil and labour. We don't know how to find goodness. One thing we do know - We're pretty bloody good at complaining.

Let's stop being so ungrateful. Let's stop being so selfish. Lets

thank God for the sink full of dirty dishes, reminding me of nice food to eat.
thank God for the pile of dirty laundry, reminding me of nice clothes to wear.
thank God for the dirty toilet that needs to be washed, reminding me of convenience.
thank God for the amount of chores awaiting, reminding me how richly You have blessed this family.

Perfect Peace

"I will give you perfect peace if you will stay your mind on Me."
-Isaiah 26:3, my paraphrase

The door had just closed behind Wade . . . the last one to leave with his lunch sack under his arm. Bill was gone. Even Esther, our dog, was outside. And I was getting ready for another big round of depression. I had made it through breakfast and fixing lunches, but now that I was alone I was going under . . . fast.

I had been pacing the house and was walking down the hallway when, in utter frustration, I stopped, made a fist, and shook it in Gods general direction. (I'm confident He was very impressed.)

God! You have promised me peace, and I don't have it! I am an emotional basket case. My insides are churning. My hands are trembling. My thoughts are so confused that I don't know whether I'm coming or going. Theres a lump in my throat that just stays there. I am hurting so badly, and I certainly don't have any semblance of peace! My world is completely haywire! Why, Lord, why?

And it was almost like He whispered to me . . .

"Anabel, what are you setting your mind on? What are you thinking about?"

* * *

How many times have you accused Him of being the reason for your problem, for not coming through on His end of the bargain? No. You must understand that He never promised an unconditional peace. It comes with instructions: I will give you peace if you will stay your mind on Me.

I guess I'm a slow learner, Lord. I still think of peace as freedom from problems. No. Thats not it, is it? Peace is resting in You. Peace is knowing You can face the day through me.

Regardless.

I remember, Lord, when I used to wake up and say, "My God! Another day! How can I possibly get through it?" It's different now.

Oh, I still wake up and call on You, but I say,
"My precious God. Thank You that You are
going to meet today for me."
Thats peace. Perfect peace.
I pray that this thought will cause you to rest more
completely in His arms today.

Lifetime Daily Devotions, day 64

What Love Isn’t:

Love isn’t infatuation. Infatuation is when you like something about a person, but when you get to know the person, you suddenly realize you’re dating more than just a the cute haircut you like.

Love isn’t about co-dependancy. Co-dependancy is about being fixated on another person for approval, identity and self-esteem. If this relationship gives you a feeling of worth that you didn’t already have from God, then this isn’t about love.

Love isn’t lust. Lust is that itchy feeling in your trousers that goes up when they dress a certain way, and down when they dress another certain way. Love doesn’t fluctuate like that.

Love isn’t a crush. Crushes are generally our way of imagining what it would be like to be with a certain type of person. Those feelings can be really strong, but they’re based on a imaginary relationship, not a real one.

Love isn’t about stalking or obsessing. If you’re hiding outside someone’s place with binoculars, this isn’t love, you’ve just bought a one-way ticket to Creepytown.

Love isn’t worship. Worship as about adoring a deity that has the power to change your life. No human fits that bill.

Finally, love isn’t romance. Romance is emotional, love is spiritual. Romance is showing people how much we care, love is way beyond human caring. Romance is delicate, love is not delicate. Love is the toughest thing there is.

///////

TMFS #1

To My Future Spouse,

You're the reason why I'm making an effort to learn how to cook. No husband of mine is going to die from starvation. Or complain to his friends that he has to order takeout every other day because I burnt the kitchen down. Nope, you're gonna get fed well and healthy and your friends will come by sometimes and they will slap you on the back and tell you you're lucky to have married such a good cook. This might take some time, but it's alright. I've got plenty of time to kill while waiting for you. Speaking of food, I wonder if you're getting enough nutrition from that bread that Jesus was speaking about? I know you will be a regular partaker of His bread, and His Word will sustain you when all else fails. I know you will drink always of His rivers, and that alone will be your source of life. I'll know it because everywhere you go, you will be strong because His strength runs through you. Strength that can only come from dining at His table. Eat up.

Yours