Flashcards!

    Ah; the end of the academic semester is finally coming (relaxing break, here we come!). But alas, there's still some work to get done, and studying to do. Which can really make a person more aware of just how helpful certain study aids are.
    Like flashcards--especially flashcards. Few would disagree that they're one of the most awesome types of studying strategies, right? Quick to read, convenient to access, and easy to store, they provide a simple method for swiftly memorizing facts and concepts. And there are so many other good reasons why it's great that flashcards are easily available.
    For one; they can be used for practically any subject. Algebra, foreign languages, history, studies in the Bible--concepts and facts from any of these subjects will fit nicely onto little cards. A term/concept on one end; details/translation on the other.
    Flashcards are also flexible and easy to transport. While a notebook has to be carried around in a bag or in one's hand, flashcards could fit in a person's pocket. They could also be folded, slipped into wallets, left around on a desk, pinned to corkboards, or used as bookmarks. A person could put some in every room of their house if they wanted to, and it wouldn't take up much space at all.
    Plus, it's rare to find fluff in flashcard notes. Because with such a limited amount of space on that blank card, a person is kind of forced to prioritize. So when it's time to review, instead of having to read a blocky paragraph of words, one gets a sentence or two of the important information that they could actually memorize.
    In addition to that, illustrations can be put on flash cards! Visuals like that are helpful, and fun to make, and pleasant to look at when reviewing information. It's like giving a name to a face. Plus, a person could doodle and say it's all part of the studying process. :)
    And conveniently, flashcards don't have to be made with index cards. Anything that can be scribbled on will work nearly just as well; random scraps of paper, old assignments, opened envelopes, even napkins. As long as graphite or ink will show, it can be used; which is sometimes a must when schedules are too cramped for a trip to the office supply store.
    So those are a couple things to be happy about when prepping for a final exam. Are flashcards your favorite study method?

Penny in the Gutter

Gutters are wet and uncomfortable, and stepping or tripping into
one is very unpleasant, but when you find a penny there,
it's a nice, small bright side to the situation, right?

    Life is good--but as we all know, it doesn't always go well. Sometimes unfortunate things happen; disappointments that bring us down. Sometimes multiple disappointments happen all at once, and that kind of discouragement can really make a person feel ill.
    But thankfully, God is in our lives, so there's always good reason to have hope. He's promised that since we've let Him be our Lord, everything that happens to us happens for a reason (Romans 8:28). And because of that assurance, we can also trust that we'll never be in a situation where there's nothing but disappointment and failure. In every low and dark place, there's going to be a bright side. In every huge mistake, there's a lesson that'll help us avoid getting back in the same situation. And in every disappointment, there's always a hope that God will use it to bring about something good.
    It might really be difficult to hold onto that kind of optimistic thinking when one's actually going through problems, but it is true. I've recently just had a time where I got hit by one discouragement after another after another, and though I definitely wasn't confident that the problems would just disappear, understanding that God is in control and wouldn't let everything just be a disappointment was a real anchor to hold to. Soon after calming down, I realized that all of those discouragements had actually opened the door to an awesome (and rare) opportunity that otherwise would have stayed closed. And realizing the blessing that was made available was like finding a bright, round, precious penny in a gutter. Something really good came out of the bad situation, and it's something that'll last a lot longer.
    So while discouragements we have to face in life aren't easy to ignore at all, there's still a sure hope that bad situations don't have to be all bad. The Lord is our God, and He has a talent of using difficulties to create good, amazing things.
    That's such an awesome, comforting thing to be able to hold to. Amen?

Philippians 1:6

 

"Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Philippians 1:6 (NKJ)

    This verse is such an awesome promise!
    It says that we can put absolute trust in the fact that God will keep working in us to make us stronger and to accomplish great things, and it also states that this work will be complete just in time. Which means that it's completely unnecessary to worry about running out of time, provided that we're following the Lord and working hard. And we don't have to feel discontent about our flaws all of the time either, because the Lord will keep helping us overcome them. And this is a promise we can really believe completely because the one making it is God.
    And our awesome God is always right! Amen? :)

Thank Goodness the Lord Made Weekends!

Weekends are just like early mornings: serene, pleasant,
and a good time to rest.

    God invented the weekend when He invented the world. The first six days of planet Earth's existence, the Lord spent the hours creating species and constructing ecosystems; but on the seventh day, when the work was complete and satisfactory, He rested and just enjoyed all the things He created. Clearly God didn't need to rest since He doesn't get worn out, so it's generally been concluded that the Lord took a break on the seventh day of the first week as an example for mankind to follow.

    Fortunately, that example has been followed in most if not all places. Not every country in the world specifically has Saturday and Sunday as their days of rest, but every country has at least one day where people don't have to work; where they can relax, recharge, and spend time with loved ones. Everyone has a weekend.

    And those weekends are so good. Life can get extremely hectic sometimes, so full of things to do and places to go. Some days it's like you have to run from place to place until it's time to go to sleep; everything's fast-paced and nonstop. It's definitely not bad to have a bunch of things to do in the day, or even bad to be a little busy, but having a lot of days where you just work, eat, work some more, and finally sleep can really run a person down--especially when those days are stacked against each other. It's so important to be able to slow down, rest, and enjoy free time on a regular basis.

    It's a downright necessity. Aren't you glad we have weekends? :)

G. K. Chesterton: Fallacies

"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become popular."

~G. K. Chesterton

    I love this author so much; he wrote the Father Brown mystery stories, where a humble, small town Catholic priest goes about solving murders. The stories are really awesome not just because they're well written, but Chesterton has a talent with balancing the pure, precious subject of faith and the gruesome topic of murder. In his writing, he also reflects biblical principles without bluntly preaching in the readers' faces.

    Which gives a bit of foundation work when considering this quote he wrote. Chesterton clearly had a solid faith and a strong awareness of spiritual matters and people; he wasn't ignorant to God's truth, or to the way people think, and he specifically stated that fallacies--practiced characteristic flaws--are not good, but that they tend to be thought of as acceptable.
    That's definitely happening today. A lot of things that are common now were unthinkable a hundred years ago, particularly things that the Bible deems sinful. Taking the Lord's name in vain, getting into brutal arguments with parents, idolizing rebellious figures, entertaining inappropriate humor. Issues like this have somehow become so common that everyone seems to take it as the norm in life.
    And it's not just the non-Christians who go with it. A couple years ago I started hanging out with a classmate who said she knew the Lord, and had a testimony of a genuine conversion (meaning that she recognized her need for a Savior, asked Christ to redeem her from sin, and became serious about her faith), and finding this fellow believer was really awesome, a cause for celebration. But the happy dance I was inwardly doing kind of faltered once I heard this fellow believer sprinkling cuss words into most of her sentences. It was a little shocking, to say the least, for someone who's grown up being taught that cussing is something we're never supposed to do.
    The other Christian acknowledged that the profanity wasn't exactly Christ-like, but didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal.
    Wasn't it?
    I'm not a preacher, and neither was G. K. Chesterton, but Chesterton was well acquainted with them. And from the way he spoke about fallacies in this quote here, it's very apparent that he thought fallacies are not acceptable at all, even when everybody else doesn't see what the problem is.
    And just what is the problem? Well, let's look at cussing. Foul language can be identified as wrongful in the Bible; in Colossians 3:8 (NKJ), Paul says that believers need to take "filthy language out of [our] mouth;" and in Exodus 20:7, one of the Ten Commandments reads that we are not to "take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (NKJ).  Plus, there's the fact that Christ never cursed or used the term h-e-double-hockey-sticks unless He was actually talking about the place. So with these examples in Scripture, it's clear that cussing displeases God, and since we want to please Him, it'd make sense to not practice it, right?
    Another thing to consider is that the way we behave affects how people view us, and in turn, how they view God. As Christians, we represent the Lord; the Bible calls us His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). If I wasn't a believer and I looked at that Christian who cussed as a prime example of a follower of Christ, I wouldn't see the Lord the way He truly is. I would see someone who uses more profanity than my war veteran grandfather; and if things got really bad, I might think about all the Christians who have said that cussing is wrong, and come to the conclusion that the church--and basically the whole Christian faith--is full of hypocrisy.
    So there are two serious problems that come from embracing a fallacy; but yet it can still be so tempting to think that some of it is just a natural thing in life.
    All I can say is: thank goodness we have God's word. The Bible is so clear cut and detailed that it offers explanations for every aspect of life. And with the discernment it gives, whether we just abstain from practicing a fallacy, or if we actually speak out against it, we'll understand where we're standing and why.
    So what are your thoughts? What do you think of fallacies?

Running Out of Time?

    Does anyone else sometimes feel really, really rushed? Not just in a particular activity, but in everything? Like there's always a clock ticking down, draining away time to accomplish things that you really, really, really want to get done? Like time will run out at any moment?
    I'm talking about the fear that the Rapture will come before a person has done all the things the Lord has called them to do; be it a project, or another kind of goal in life. I've been having this kind of worry recently, particularly when I consider how much time I spend procrastinating or investing precious time on less important things. The idea that all this wasted time will accumulate to the point where I no longer have enough time to finish the work before the Rapture tangles me--and surely a lot of others--up inside in knots of nervousness and guilt. And it's really a conflict in the mind too, since we know that fear and worry aren't of God.
    But when one really thinks about it, oversights aren't of the Lord either.
    And in that, there's hope! God doesn't notice anything too late; He's all-knowing and infinite. Before He created any of us, He knew us and our lives inside-out. He knew exactly how much time it would take us to complete a work, even accounting all the time we might spend procrastinating from that work. From the very beginning, He's known just how many hours it'll take for the jobs to be finished, so surely He must have things planned out so that even with occasional bouts of procrastination, the good, fruitful work will be completed in time.
    Not to say that it's okay to be lazy, having the mindset that we have all the time in the world; but the fact that God's gracious enough to grant us all the time we need in spite of our lapses in focus is a real comfort. It's motivating, calming, and it gives a real hope that it's never pointless to keep working on the work God has given us to do. It puts away the fear that time is going to run out and there's nothing we can do about it.
    What do you think? Do you ever worry about the clock striking twelve too soon? Does this idea about God's foreknowledge granting us enough time, wasted hours and all, sound right?

A Couple Thoughts on Reminders

Post-Its and other objects designed
for reminding people of things are
great for bringing up memories . . .

    It would be so awesome to be able to think about the Lord all the time, wouldn't it?
    To never drift off into distracted thinking, to be able to remember God's word on a matter as quickly as a person can remember their name, to just find oneself pondering God's goodness numerous times throughout the day. That kind of mindset is awesome . . . but man, is it tricky to develop naturally.

. . . but it's also really awesome to spot
something completely ordinary, like this
telephone pole, and unexpectedly be
reminded of God and His Word!

    Thank goodness there are reminders, which are really helpful for stirring up the mind. By reminders, I'm not just talking about written notes, but things, practices, objects, and even people that automatically prompt a person to go into deep thought, retrieving memories quickly.
    Objects are the most common things that serve as reminders. Christian artwork can depict God's care and proclaim truths from His word, and pencils with Scriptures printed on them do that too and are able to go with us to school/work. And sometimes there are ordinary objects that aren't meant to bring up godly concepts, but the right timing makes that happen anyway. Like a tree, for example; a person can stop to look at it and remember how in Romans 11:11, new believers are likened to branches being grafted onto an olive tree, made one with all of God's people; a really awesome description that showcases God's wonderful acceptance of us. Objects like this fit in with everyday life as decorations and as multi-purpose tools (well, maybe not the tree . . .), and the inspiration they give can be as close as a few steps away!
    People can act as reminders too. In fact, we believers are supposed to stir up the minds of our siblings in Christ; it's good fellowship, and speaking about something with another person often makes it easier to remember. Having conversations where the word of God is discussed and reflected on is also not only helpful, but it's just really awesome to be able to talk with someone about God, isn't it? And of course, there are also the people outside of church walls who speak good things of the Lord, like a certain aunt who loves to quote the Bible, and radio hosts on Christian channels who speak freely about God's goodness. They speak good words, and unlike objects, we can speak with them as well!
    So those are two kinds of reminders; what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you see a lot of reminders in daily life?

Assumptions

    If you've ever read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you know how assumptions can really mess a lot of things up.
    At its very basis, making an assumption is coming to a conclusion without sound evidence, going off what someone else claims about a person/place/activity, or just making guesses about it based on immediate impressions. Making assumptions means looking at a skydiving brochure and thinking, "death trap," without looking into all the safety mechanisms and careful planning that's put into the sport. In a less dramatic (but probably more everyday) example, making assumptions can be looking at a newcomer to a group who doesn't talk to anybody and thinking, "kind of rude how that person ignores the rest of us," without even walking up to say hello and figuring out whether or not the person's just really shy.
    That's the most common form of harmful assumptions, I think; the ones that smudge the reputations of others.  But then there's another kind of assumption that can do that kind of harm to the person making the assumption. Like thinking that an instructor hates you since they always seem irritated when you go up to ask them about something. The teacher isn't really being put down in any way, but it can still make a person a lot more stressed, upset, and hurt--and it'd be needlessly if the assumption is absolutely wrong! There are few other things more stressful than having the idea that one's being judged harshly by others; it can be so easy to assume that's exactly what's happening though. And having those kind of assumptions on a regular basis gets painful.
    The only good kind of assumptions I can honestly think of are the kinds that involve common knowledge and don't involve people. Like assuming that if a lightbulb's not shining, it's out of juice and needs to be replaced; or that when a library book that you know is in the collection isn't on the shelves, it's been checked out. Guessing on those matters rarely gives a person headaches.
   Releasing a lot of these assumptions, deciding to just not assume things about people, is such a relief! And it can actually be done since we know that God is in complete control of situations in life. Knowing that He's not going to let the worst happen (at least, not without an immensely good reason), there's a freedom to not have to try to keep tabs on everything. We don't have to try to figure out what everyone's thinking and doing; we don't have to make assumptions and worry about whether or not they're true. We can just rely on God, and keep living life without that burden.
    Which is an awesome way to live; don't you agree? :)

Psalm 1:2-3

 

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Psalm 1:2-3 (NKJ)

    A tree planted right next to a clean river has basically everything it needs: nourishing water, nourishing soil, sunlight (maybe not directly mentioned in these verses, but I think one can assume that it's provided), and a secure place to stand. It's a very nice analogy to the word of God, and how it blesses us. Just like the tree gets all those benefits in the place where it's been planted, we get the blessings of nourishment, light, and a secure foundation in the word of God as we dig into it.
    And another really wonderful thing that this verse points out about the word of God is that while we can definitely experience these things while reading it, thinking about it just as we go along also gives the nourishment, light, and security! Having godly principles on the brain while commuting from one place to another, and recalling stories in the word every now and then for reflection opens up doors to a righteous mindset, deep and thoughtful prayer with the Lord, and joy in accomplishing things throughout the day.
    So the word of God is a major blessing that we can experience during quiet times while reading the Bible, and at practically any moment. Isn't that awesome? :D

Oswald Chambers: "Worry is Caused by Calculating without God"

Trying to map out a situation while one is worried
can seem a bit like this, right?

"All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God."

~Oswald Chambers

 

    This is a really accurate way to think of it. Worrying about something involves a whole lot of thinking (or at least, a whole lot of thoughts); considering the bad things that can happen, and predicting what will possibly happen if things don't start changing. Meditations like this, unfortunately, can bring up a lot of negative conclusions, can't they? It's almost like plotting out a story, or multiple versions of a story, only doing it isn't satisfying or pleasant at all; it's depressing. Worrying is not fun, and it does indeed involve a lot of calculating that doesn't factor in God.
    The Lord doesn't want us stressing out like this. In Matthew 6:25 and Luke 12:2 (NKJ), Christ tells His disciples, "do not worry about your life." A couple verses later in Luke 12:25, He says that worrying doesn't accomplish anything (it can't add "one cubit" to a person's height); and as stated in numerous Psalms like Psalm 27:1, the Lord's reliability as one's light, salvation, and strength makes worrying unnecessary. 1 John 4:18 states that "perfect love" (like God's love for us) "casts out fear" (NKJ); and one of Christ's titles is "the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Without the Prince of Peace, without the Lord in our lives and His assurances given to us, there would undoubtedly be reason to worry about dilemmas.
    But we do have the Lord leading us in life; we do have a Savior. Trying to think out a serious problem without Him can only bring on stress and fear; but by exercising the gift of being able to factor in His promises and trust in Him, the need to worry dissolves. He preserves the faithful (Psalm 31:23), and with that kind of promise, we can be calm!
    This quote by Oswald Chambers summarizes that truth very neatly, don't you think? :) Do you also think of worrying as the result of incomplete calculation?

Matthew 19:26

 

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Matthew 19:26 (NKJ)

    This fact isn't difficult to believe (the Lord did create an intricate universe out of nothing, after all), even in the middle of difficulties that don't seem to have any possible solutions. On the contrary, once a person is in the midst of such a sticky situation, the incredibleness of God's unmatched power can really branch out and give the fullest kind of hope to the person who puts their faith in Him. Because since God can do things that are impossible for humans to accomplish or even think of as an option (like making bread, manna, fall from the sky), there's always a solution to whatever problem we're in! There's always hope; there's always a way.
    Our God is an unstoppable and incredible God. Amen? :)

Writing Specific New Year's Resolutions

New year, new resolutions . . .

    As this wonderful year of 2016 comes to a close, I and a plethora of other people who have written New Year's Resolutions have been reviewing the old lists, trying to discern if all the goals were met. As I analyzed my results, I got to thinking about and analyzing the process I took to get the results, and something occurred to me. Something that applies to goal writing in general, in fact: Resolutions work much better when they're specific instead of vague.
    Making a vague goal means that there are no definite qualifications for reaching the goal, and when nothing is definite . . . Well, for example; if someone resolved to "be better at writing essays" without mentioning any specifics, at the end of the year they could tell themselves, "Well, I didn't get anything lower than a C on any assignments, which is better than what I did last year, so I have gotten better at writing essays!" It would be true on a technicality, but is that really the kind of improvement a goal is supposed to create?
    To make big improvements, the goal should be specific and loophole-free. Using the example of wanting to improve essay writing skills, a person could resolve to "get nothing lower than a B, and earn at least two As within the year." This would be a definite goal to reach for; something a person can't explain away. It would also produce a very specific result: a better grade, and probably an array of methods that the person collected in order to earn the desired grades.
    In addition to making the goals themselves specific, it would probably also be more effective for a person to make the methods of attaining them specific. One way to do that would be writing down some guidelines (tentative ideas or instructions to follow by the letter). Still going with the essay writing example, the person could write down that they're going to see a tutor by the end of February, or record their process for writing every essay in a document they'll review once they get the next assignment. The specific dates maintain a clear path to the goal, and by writing this stuff down on a calendar, it would also eliminate the problem of forgetting certain New Year's Resolutions.
    And at the end of the year, one would also be able to see a list of specific accomplishments and have a definite understanding of the improvement that's been made, which would definitely be satisfying!
    I haven't been very specific about my New Year's Resolutions in the past, but I'm going to try to be this time around.  How about you? :)

Wintertime!

A winter sunset; what a blessing they are!

    Winter is a wonderful time of year.
    All of the seasons of the year are wonderful, and they each have their own style of beauty, but personally I love the changes that wintertime brings to the world most.
    Firstly, there's the matter of holidays. Christmas and New Year's happen during wintertime, and Christmas is the celebration of how Jesus Christ came to the earth to save mankind. It's definitely an important and joyous thing to celebrate! And New Year's Eve/Day is also a wonderful time to think about the past year's accomplishments and memories, and be glad for the gift of the new year!
    Then there's the weather. I think I've mentioned before that it rarely isn't hot or warm where I live, so chilly weather is a treat. Being able to bundle up in warm clothes, feel the cool air, and see the amazing phenomena that is snow . . . Winter weather's beauty is both elegant and strong at the same time, and it's a delightful thing to behold.
    And then there's the sky when the sun comes up and goes down. I'm not sure if this is something that happens everywhere, but during winter, the sunsets and sunrises I see are different than sunsets that occur during the rest of the year. During the winter, they tend to be more vibrant, with deeper colors and a smoother fusion of them that remind me of a painting. For some reason, it's like these amazing kind of sunsets only come during the end of the year, and they're something I really look forward to when it's becoming wintertime.
    So those are the major things I enjoy during this time of year. What are your winters like? :)

Martin Luther King Jr.: "Faith is Taking the First Step"

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

~Martin Luther King Jr.

    Life is a lot like a staircase. A long staircase, with a lot of twists and turns (maybe one of those fancy spiral staircases), and a staircase that you can't see the end of until you're actually there.
    I think certain things we do in life are also like a staircase. A ministry that one commits to, for example, or a career path, or a new relationship. Like a spiral staircase, it's a journey that one can't see the end of from the bottom; one actually has to embark on a trek without knowing what exactly is going to happen, or how long it'll take. When we start a new project or plan, we don't know for sure how it'll turn out, or if it'll even turn out at all! That can make it seem a lot like a risk.
    But it isn't really an unreliable risk with the Lord in our lives, is it? Since we've given ourselves to God, He's placed a purpose in and a diligent plan for our lives, which means that He's got everything figured out step by step, all the way. When He places a "staircase" in our lives to climb, He'll give us the strength and endurance to make it to the top, to a good and fruitful end.
     But to make it up to that good and fruitful end, one actually has to take the first step, which requires faith, as Dr. King states in this quote. To live out God's wonderful plan, one has to believe that He has a plan, a whole set of stairs for us to climb, and that He'll guide us through each one to the end. It takes faith throughout the whole way, but faith is especially needed at the beginning; it ignites the action that starts the whole thing.
    A staircase is a pretty interesting way to picture this, don't you think? :)

Deviating from the Schedule; the Solution?

It's usually not a good sign when one's working by lamplight instead
of daylight by the time they get to work on the most important
item on the To-Do List . . .

    Schedules are great! They put the events of a day in order, they keep a person from forgetting important tasks, and good schedules ensure that there's enough time to get everything done that needs to be done.
    But when one has this fantastic schedule that gives just enough time to get all the work done, and one ends up not getting to anything on time because they chose to deviate from the plan . . . everything on the schedule gets shifted time-wise, and it's definitely not great. Things that are supposed to be done around evening-time can become a late-night task, or something to quickly attempt to finish in the morning. Not getting to work at the right time also crams up the day even more, taking from minutes of "breathers" that could have been had the schedule not been altered.
    On top of those things, not doing something scheduled when it's scheduled to be done devours time, it's succumbing to distractions (not the small things like sharpening a pencil, but larger jobs like sharpening every pencil one has), and when one finds themselves scrambling around to finish the important stuff at the last minute, stress and guilt usually join forces to make a person feel really, really crummy (and tired).
    It's yet another form of procrastination, along with a few other things. Hesitation for fear of messing up the task (I think I posted about that in September), and having a sudden thought to do something else (a decidedly more interesting work than the scheduled activity) can also contribute to the frustrating and guilt-prompting choice to not get to work when one really needs to.
    So let's see; what are the solutions? Prioritizing, remembering the reasons why tasks need to be completed ASAP, remembering what happened the last time the planned schedule was shifted; all of these are good, but it seems sometimes that they can be easily forgotten when one's caught up in an unplanned task.
    So maybe involving other people would strengthen these solutions. Requesting that a friend ask about the progress of something major on the To-Do List, asking a family member to point it out when they notice you surfing the Web for a while. It's hard to forget the importance of a task when someone else is talking about it, right? What do you think?

Self-Depreciation: Not as Good as it Might Seem

This is the kind of view one gets of oneself when they
take self-depreciating comments to heart instead of
holding to the Lord's comforting words.

    Am I the only one who's believed that calling oneself "stupid" after making a dumb mistake is just humble self-depreciation?
    It kind of seems okay. It isn't calling anyone else those names; just oneself, and it feels deserved most of the time. Such self depreciation (insulting, chiding, mocking) can be seen as self-discipline, an improvement strategy.
    Only now I'm pretty sure that "self-depreciation" isn't humble, helpful, or okay to do at all.
    For one, there's just something fishy about putting the responsibility of scolding (or complimenting) into the hands of the person who's going to receive it. It's too tempting to pass on the scolding, for one, and just ignore the problems. But a bigger issue is that when one puts themselves in charge of monitoring their own flaws . . . well, there are probably a lot that a person would never realize they had until someone else pointed them out.
    It's not our job to judge ourselves like that anyway. Discerning problematic attitudes and flaws that need fixing is one thing, but when one calls themselves an idiot (a vague insult) and don't even fixate on the issue that prompted the scolding, nothing is being improved. The only one who's really able to instruct us in how to change is the one who actually has the right to: God. He alone sees all the core issues that need to be addressed, He knows the correct way to mend those issues, and He instructs us on doing that in a kind, loving way, whether by people in our lives or by the Good Book.
    Which doesn't involve name-calling. That's another evident problem with self-demeaning. Typically, when a person scolds themselves, they mutter something like "idiot," and feel cruddy about themselves. But after that? Probably not much else.
    Which is eerily a lot like what the enemy does to us. In Revelation 12:10, Satan is said to be accusing us "day and night." Accusing, condemning. Drawing attention to all the mistakes, sins, all the bad, but not in a way that helps or gives hope. It only hurts.
    But God gives hope, healing, forgiveness. The salvation He gives has redeemed us from all our mistakes; another reason not to judge oneself with self-depreciation. Yes, we make mistakes, but we're redeemed from them. The amount of wrong choices we make even after accepting Christ is not going to annul that grace, but allowing self depreciating comments to fill our minds (and actually believing them) will definitely distort one's memory of it.
    God wouldn't call any of us "idiot," and He definitely doesn't want us calling other people things like that (see Matthew 5:22), so logically, it makes sense that He wouldn't want us calling ourselves that.
    So; personal conclusion? Calling oneself "stupid" or "moron" is probably not right.

Psalm 119:169

"Let my cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your word."

Psalm 119:169 (NKJ)

    You know that sort of mindset you get just after hearing a sermon, after having a Bible study? Refreshed by the pure words of the Lord and a godly message, it's like one sees the world through different eyes--righteous eyes. It's easier to think in biblical terms, easier to understand feelings, and doing right is also less difficult than it might usually be.
    Reading God's Word makes things in life clearer, brighter, it gives such a deeper understanding of things! I wish that I always had this mindset 24/7, don't you? :)

Blah! Distractions!

The view outside the window . . .

    Everywhere! Distractions are everywhere!    In the house, at school, at work, by the sidewalks. No matter where I go, there's always something to keep me from doing what I should be doing, or something that's more interesting to think about than the thing I need to be planning for. Even when there's nothing in the room, zoning out or daydreaming happens in an instant, and the minutes get eaten up like crazy!
     And it's not just stuff like that or the Internet or snacking or having a sudden interest in the fish tank in the other room. Distractions tend to involve good things too, like other forms of work; "fun" projects and skill-developing things. Like, for example, designing decorations for an event instead of studying, or reading a great book on writing instead of finishing required reading for class. It's still work, but work that can be put off, and work that keeps a person from doing something that needs to be completed now.

Pets . . .

    But the worst kind of distraction's got to be the kind that one thinks is useful while they're spending time on it, but really isn't. I stopped and began to read a book recently, spent precious hours doing so, thinking "This book has great material! It'll be so useful!" but really I was just enjoying the book for myself, and when the book was finished, I found that I didn't have anything to apply to other kinds of work. And then came that guilty feeling.

And even the way the light shines onto
the wall can be a distraction!

    The guilty feeling that marks the end of the distraction cycle. After the time's been spent, and the distraction's gone, when one thinks about what they have left--which is sometimes really nothing. Guilt, shame, and even anger can come, because it's not just our time that's wasted on distractions, but God's time. He's given us a certain amount of hours, and the thought of some of those precious hours being gone forever because of a thoughtless decision . . . it's really crummy.
    Distractions . . . (cue the long sigh). They'll always be a part of life, which means fighting it is a regular thing too. I guess the only way to really resist distractions and get down to work is to be determined, and to pray (especially the prayer part).
    How do you deal with distractions? Do you put yourself in a place where they're minimal? Or do you have the grit to ignore them and just get the work done?

Well, at Least I've Got a Ball of Yarn

Untangling yarn is about as fun and easy as reorganizing boxes
in a hot, spider-infested attic.

    Failures happen. It's a generally acknowledged part of life.
    But that doesn't mean it's always easy to accept them when they happen. Non-successes are not pleasant, they are not fun, and they can frankly be really depressing.
    A little while ago, I dove into a special knitting project that I needed time set aside for. I'd waited for a while with anticipation before the timing was right, and then got to work. For hours I knit incessantly, gradually noticing the project's progress, thinking out the next step, smiling as the piece grew longer and longer. Eventually, I ecstatically decided that the knitting piece was  finally long enough, and ready to be finished.
    But somehow I made a mistake. A big one. Something that wouldn't allow me to bind off the work. I tried to mend the mistake in several ways, but it was to no avail. I couldn't fix it. The work I'd spent hours and hours on was irreparable, ruined. All that time and effort, and it was a failure. The feeling that proceeded the actualization of that was was really crummy.
    Sitting there in the lamp light, looking at the stringy catastrophe in my minds, I reviewed my options. Turning the thing into something else wasn't possible, so I had no knitting piece to salvage. And I thought, Well, I have a lesson, at least.
    Though lessons are valuable things to glean from mistakes, the thought wasn't much of a consolation at that time.
    But then I looked at the yarn in my hands again, and considered. The failed project couldn't be bound off, couldn't be made into another piece, but it could be unraveled, bound up into a ball of yarn. And reduced to that basic form, the yarn would be something I could use for a different project--or the same one, just a little shorter. It could be salvaged from this failure.
    So I started to work on that, gradually unraveling the ruin of the project, undoing every single one of the many, many stitches and frequently untangling knots that appeared in the yarn. The unraveling process was long and even boring, but I finally managed to wrap up all the yarn of the failed project into a round orb about the size of a baseball.
    So then I thought: Well, I've got a lesson and a ball of yarn.
    There's always a lesson to be learned in a failure, but I wonder how often something else can be found. Using the yarn in this failed knitting project was kind of a no-brainer, but maybe other non-successes hold things that can be utilized in the present, rather than in some possible re-attempt in the unknown future. Maybe there's always more than one thing to be salvaged from a failure, and it has to be actively sought out.
    What do you think? Have you ever salvaged something from a failure besides a lesson?

Lessons from the Squirrel

The Bible talks about things to be learned from animals a couple times, particularly in Proverbs 30. Ants are personified as industrious, grasshoppers are organized, and all over the Bible, people are likened to sheep. These comparisons and lessons to be learned are very helpful to apply to life. So maybe there's at least one lesson to be learned from all animals.

The majestic squirrel

    Including . . . the squirrel. 
    Like the ant, squirrels are industrious. They go out and make meticulous searches for food, extract the food diligently and carefully, and then they go and store up their finds so that they can eat when they can't scavenge anymore. All the things they do have a purpose, something that they gain from. It's a nice work strategy to adopt, and a good way to think when serving the Lord for His Kingdom.

    Squirrels also take risks to get something done. There are sunflowers in my backyard that squirrels come to harvest seeds from, and I've watched those little creatures hang from them upside down by their feet in order to reach the seeds. Seeing how the flower sways beneath their weight with every move they make, one can't help but admire how gutsy they are. It's kind of like having courage to go do the right thing. It can be frightening . . . but there's a harvest.

    Another thing about squirrels that can be applied to life: they're dangerous, but they aren't fierce. It's not safe to try to pick up a squirrel. They have teeth and claws and they will use them when they have to . . . but only when they have to. Squirrels would be pretty intimidating and far less loveable if they always hissed, bristled their tails, and bared their teeth. They would probably ward off a lot more nuisances and predators by doing so, but they don't. Titus 3:2 tells believers "to be peaceable, gentle, showing humility to all men," (NKJ), and 1 Peter 3:4 says that a "gentle and quiet spirit" is "very precious in the sight of God" (NKJ). Gentleness is good. Being gentle and peaceful makes a far better witness for the Lord than being fierce does.
     Have I crossed a line in blogging about squirrels? Or are these observations useful?