A Perfect World

Perhaps this is how it was meant to be….complete silence….oblivious of the world burning around you, all the chaos and disorder shrouded by the peace that bears on your consciousness….irrevocable, unwavering….

Maybe this is how it was meant to be….overlooking the hurt that she caused you, the pain of separation, the guilt trips and feigned innocence….overlooking all the dark attributes to forgive and accept back without regret…. Somehow, I imagine perfection not in the alleviation of disorder, pain, suffering….hurt….but in the strength it takes to make it through…

In a perfect world, there would be no rain, no gloom of looming storm clouds, no loneliness, no despair, no lack…..

In a perfect world, perfection would not be needed, because we wouldn’t know what it was…

The ideal situation calls for the job to be completed seamlessly, with milestones overcome in time and with minimal strain on resource…..perfectly…..

In an Ideal situation, there would be no job, no milestones to overcome, no need to manage resources, all the puzzle pieces would fall where they were supposed to…

In a rioting crowd, perfection is bleak, and order is lacking, chaos persists, and in many cases, in a plight to bring perfection to a related situation….I guess you can fill a cup by emptying it….

In a perfect world, I do not exist, since I still seek perfection, I still seek Ideals, In a perfect world, I would not be born…

In a perfect world, there exists none to challenge the other, none to point out one’s mistakes

In a perfect world, there would be none at all to perform the mistake

In a perfect world………….

Sensual Frenzy: Temptation’s Foothold

“Cause I don’t want you to know where I am, Cause then you’ll see my heart in the saddest state its ever been…” (Relient K)

Its a strange thing, Temptation… Showing us how susceptible and  weak the will of man is…

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:15)

We have created systems that cater for a life of sensual indulgence in the discreet pockets of our lives, our sensual indulgence is shrouded by the game face we put up, hoping to ward off keen eyes and shame. What’s sad about all this is that we wake up each morning with a lack of purpose and a senselessness that sears our conscience to reprobation.   Every step we take towards our primitive urges draws us further from our true and right identity: children of God.

We try to break free but every time we find ourselves in the same quagmire that we once escaped from; wallowing in the same mire that we repulsed from….. The plot to the secret thickens, and it becomes so sensitive that more resources have to be spent to manage and organize the urges in a way that does not disturb the societal status. We work so hard to hide it from our identity that we become absorbed in the lie, that temptation spends less and less energy in convincing the weak willed heart to fall and indulge….

This stage of the Christian life is very dangerous: The spirit starves for some semblance of nourishment, sensitivity and discernment diminish, and the peace that once reigned in the Christian’s life fades into the sunset..

The Christian knows one thing: He is dying.

Fellowship does not seem to help, there is no one to talk to about it, everyone else seems to be doing pretty well, no one to notice just how close to the ledge the Christian is…

What to do?

Don’t give up. Its not over yet…the grand deception in the world is that you can handle your sensual urges..you can’t.

Remember how it was when you first you first asked for forgiveness, when those hot tears trickled down your face…when overwhelming joy filled your heart?

There is yet hope…

Sensual Frenzy: Joy vs Happiness

A distraction. 

That is what I want to call happiness.

A Spur of the moment, a high, momentary glee and excitement, a ruse to how better things are, a distraction, yes, a very welcome and effective distraction.

It’s a sad world that we live in. Fewer things offer the satisfaction that our spirit yearns, if fact, I believe there may be nothing else that this world can offer to the Contemporary Christian, more is required from him/her than ever before to maintain the same standards that God set forth from the elder days.

The construct that people have based their satisfaction in has to do with pleasure, occurrences that  spike the pleasure center of the brain to ease the thoughts of discomfort, frustration and malcontent; thus the definition of the word ‘happy’.

Happiness is described as a sunny spring morning, with blue bird on one’s shoulder. It is similar to what an addict goes through during the intense uptake of his/her drug of choice. All worldly hurdles fade into the background as the immediate future promises ultimate prospects of pure and unadulterated satisfaction. The actual needs of the body are immediately ignored, all else simply does not matter.

There is one fact that we all need to realize: The challenges of the world are not about to get any easier. There will always be another problem to solve, one more mountain, one more hill. Accept it.

That being said, what does one do then? Walk around and sulk? No, at least try not to, take it from me, it takes a lot of energy to sulk.

Try the following:

1. Subscribe to reading the Bible daily
2. Surround yourself with people who offer real encouragement, practical and Godly
3. Stay away from intoxicating drinks. They serve to give you an illusion of satisfaction.
4. Subscribe to Joy, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, given freely to all who walk by His precepts
5. Sometimes, its OK to be sad, angry, frustrated, not pleased, because that is the essence of what the world offers-This makes you a perfect candidate to all the amazing promises we have from God.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:9-13

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 28-34

Sensual Frenzy: Superficiality

I would like to present a concept of irony: feelings are superficial. Funny, considering that superficiality is defined as lack of depth of knowledge, thought or feeling. Ok, I’ll stop chasing my tail now.

You ever had one of those friends who just get you? complete your sentences for you? Do not overreact when you caution or rebuke them? Always available to stand in for someone who stood you up? Always the first people you call when you are feeling down, or when you have elating news? I sure hope you have, because they would demonstrate this concept easier.

If you are a guy, and the kind of person I’m describing here is a girl, then not even the other girl you like  comes close to what you guys have, in a word, the comparative term would be superficial. One carries more depth in value than the other.

Feelings are the same. Inasmuch as some of them call for memorably great experiences, they are at best superficial, they do not come close to the alternative God offers, virtues that run so deep that they are entrenched in our thought pattern and therefore our character, feelings take a back seat and only surface for significant impacts at our weakest, gullible or vulnerable moments. The fact is, they offer no growth value in character building when they are most potent, like symptoms to a health complication, so are feelings-they point to the root cause, the origin of the reaction.

Let’s take a look at someone who is really having a bad week.

His boss just trashed his two-week report, and was asked to redo it. His car was totaled by his pedal-happy cousin, his mortgage is due, and he can’t make the payment. His girlfriend just broke up with him. All this happens in just one week. So what options does he have?

1. Sulk

He can feel sorry for himself, and drown in an endless sea of self-pity and low esteem. He can choose intoxication to attempt a chemical alleviation of what he feels inside, only to wake up the next morning and find the situation has not self-resolved. He can choose to hate his cousin, and tell him to find a new cousin to freeload on, he can choose to loath his girlfriend for breaking his heart, and making a grown man cry. He can choose to redo the report, but opt to run over his boss should he ever see him crossing the street in front of  him. He can choose all these, yes he can.

2. Persevere

The feelings in this situation closely resemble what is mentioned in situation 1. The difference is when his boss trashes his report, he positively goes back to the drawing board, having accepted that he might as well redo it. When his cousin totals his car, he quietly decides to forgive him, though it wasn’t easy. When his girlfriend dumps him, well, one can only persevere…. While all the feelings are boiling inside of him; anger, sadness, melancholy, disappointment, and perhaps a tint of hate, he chooses not to base his reactions on them, instead he relies on what little patience that lies within him. He chooses to be gentle to his freeloading cousin, and to forgive his girlfriend. All these act contrary to what his body is feeling, contrary to what the feelings prescribe as a reaction.

Take a look at this:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12: 9-21

I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember a situation that developed from emotional upheavals that ended well. If ever I reacted following the prescription of my feelings, I would end up feeling worse that before……

Let’s take a closer walk with God, no more surface perceptions, let’s try an in-depth relationship with Him, if only to rise above our superficial life values…..

Sensual Frenzy: A Great Conspiracy

They lied to us.

They said that as long as we are happy, we should be OK.

They said that as long as you feel good, it must be OK.  I bet there’s a philosophical inclination to this notion, one with a lot of passive and active behavioral influence.

It does matter how we feel, but it should not rule how we react. We are all  prone to emotions and feelings, but they should never govern our destiny. It has become a byword that satisfaction is established with sensual arousal-it can only be as good as it feels-I tell you, we have all been deceived.

Our depraved minds and reprobate consciences do not award us the opportunity to act within the recommendations of God, and we end up with grave personal disappointments and frustration, even depression, when we realize that all our sensual goals fall short of content, our spirit yearns for something beyond physical satisfaction, it boldly declares to our physical consciousness that it is tied down by our puny desires and goals. Following this universal struggle within our own existence, we live a life of internal turmoil and purposelessness, because we have reduced our intended purpose to a life of fulfilling our physical cravings, which more often than not, leads to a contrast with God’s will.

I want to assert that our purpose  was not to an end of pleasuring ourselves. It was meant to glorify God. We have been estranged from God by our intrinsic sinfulness. Our fundamental purpose therefore is to reconcile ourselves to God, in Whom we move and have our being, for and through Whom we were created:  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:28

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (Emphasis Provided)

It is a known fact that the potency of our senses declines with age, disease, or trauma. These  feelings-influential factors of behavior and perception (unfortunately so) do not therefore hold true in our twilight years, leaving us with a desperation since the strengths we depended on have abandoned us. We need extrinsic strengths to carry us through from the onset.

I propose the following: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance Galatians 5:22-23

The fundamental interpretation is therefore that we were not meant to be happy, but Joyous. We were not meant to be stress free, but patient….see where I’m going with this? The troubles of this world will persist till the end, we just need to raise a standard above them…..

Keep Walking….