Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Butt prints in the sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord,
“What have we here?”
Those prints are large and round and neat,
But Lord, they are too big for yours or my feet.
My child, He said in somber tone,
For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.
You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you, on your butt.
Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight and one must climb.
When one must rise and one must stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.

-- Author unknown (via Chris)

A humourous (but sobering) twist to the famous "Footprints in the Sand." :)

Friday, September 23, 2005

Only You

How could I live without You
How could I survive
Without Your love
Without Your touch
You're the One that heals me
And cleanses my heart
And sets me free

Now I come right before You
With my hands lifted up
With my heart humbly bowed
At Your work on the cross
As You hung there and died
You were paying the price
For my life

For Your love is higher than the heavens
Deeper than the seas
And all I want is You in my life
No one else can satisfy my soul
Can make me feel this way
Only You Lord, only You

-- "How Could I Live" by Hillsong

[Edit: The Chinese version of this song can be downloaded from this thread, at around the middle of the page. Lyrics here, via D W.]

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The blame game

When we were done [protesting], I started wondering if we had accomplished anything. I started wondering whether we could actually change the world. I mean, of course we could -- we could change our buying habits, elect socially conscious representatives and that sort of thing, but I honestly don't believe we will be solving the greater human conflict with our efforts. The problem is not a certain type of legislation or even a certain politician; the problem is the same that it has always been.

I am the problem.

I think every conscious person, every person who is awake to the functioning principles within his reality, has a moment where he stops blaming the problems in the world on group think, on humanity and authority, and starts to face himself. I hate this more than anything. This is the hardest principle within Christian spirituality for me to deal with. The problem is not out there; the problem is the needy beast of a thing that lives in my chest.

[...]

I don't have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad, I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating myself here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual.

-- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

I usually wait until I finish reading a book, before I pick out the good bits to post, because it may well be that I might start off loving the book, but end up hating it when I'm done; I try to keep an open mind. But this struck me hard, simply because this has been on my mind for a while now, and it makes me cringe to see it put into words, only because of how true it is. I'm guilty of playing that blame game too -- if only people were nicer, less stupid, cared more.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Walk by faith

Will I believe You when You say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day

Help me to rid my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With one breath You made me new
Your grace covers all I do

I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

-- "Walk by Faith" by Jeremy Camp

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

For the tiny moments


Image hosted by Photobucket.com

This was two Saturdays ago, when I was walking to the bus stop. I drive very little these days because my uncle has been borrowing the car (which isn't mine to begin with) with increasing frequency and over longer periods.

That afternoon, it had just rained. The air was cool to the touch, the scent of wet grass filled the senses, and the pavement was wonderfully speckled in pink by the flowers that had fallen. As I took slow, deliberate strides across the strewn petals, my heart burst with unspeakable joy, as if the path had been lined just for me. Just like that -- nothing fancy, no big "miracle" -- just a tiny moment between my Father and I, and the beauty of His creation in the midst of this concrete jungle, that made another day perfect. :)

Monday, September 12, 2005

List of a different kind

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

-- Matthew 6:33-34 (NKJV)

"But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits."

-- Psalm 71:14-15 (NKJV)

I make lists.

Every day, I make a list of the things I have to do. Sometimes I finish them all, other times I don't. But I make them anyway -- my "To Do" lists.

Now and then, when I'm overwhelmed by how much I have on my plate, I sit down and draw up a prayer list -- things to pray for, when I can do nothing else; there are so many things that I actually have to write them out. I pray for people who I cannot help, I pray for the courage that I lack, I pray for the windows that are stuck fast to be opened; things that are ridiculously huge, things that I've failed at on my own, things that make my heart ache.

Tonight, as I revisited the oldest list of the lot, my tears smudged the ink on the pages, as I ticked off the items one by one -- prayers answered, requests fulfilled, despite how bleak and impossible it may have seemed when they were penned, and despite me having forgotten half of what I wrote.

And I realised that it's true: to pursue anything else -- no matter how noble it may seem -- is all a chasing after the wind.

I looked back at the items on the list, and I realised that the one thing they all had in common: I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything but pray... and put the check beside it afterwards. My "Nothing for me To Do" list.

***
It was a beautiful letdown
The day I knew
That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do

It was a beautiful letdown
When You found me here
For once in a rare blue moon
I see everything clear

-- "The Beautiful Letdown" by Switchfoot