Still I'll go

You may punch me,
kick me,
scar me.
Still I'll go.

You may knock me down,
Deliver a blow,
Wound me with words.
Still I'll rise.

You may press me down,
Encircle me with lies,
Taunt me with poison.
Still I'll crawl through.

You will not defeat me.
You are my stepping stone,
My launch pad into destiny.

Victory is a song
belonging to overcomers.
Good bye, fear.

Photo credit: superterrific 

Selfish or selfless?

Selfish: having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people

Selfless: having or showing great concern for other people and little or no concern for yourself

All that differentiates between selfish and selfless are the "-ish" and "less". They both revolve around "self". What makes them different?

-ish: having characteristics of, belonging to, inclined to

less: reduce in amount, opposite of more

So to be selfish, one belongs to, or has characteristics of self, or is inclined to self. In other words, putting "me" first over other things or people. Pushing through the crowd to squeeze onto a tightly packed train. Getting a whole bus to stop and let you get on, making all the other passengers wait. Being late for others. (I'm guilty of this too.) It makes for a bad rap in living with others.

How can we turn this around? How can we live selflessly?

Self-less. Less of self. Less of "me first". Offering others your seat on the train. Holding the door open for the Mum with a pram, or the elderly carefully manoeuvring their way on their shaky umbrella-cane. Doing what freaks you out, then doing it anyway.

It was never about us. It is about what we do to ourselves in relation to others.
So which camp are you in? Closer to selfish or selfless?

Source:
Miriam-Webster dictionary for definitions.
Selfish or selfless photo

The humble seed

A fluffy cotton seed floated right  through the gap of my open window. Gently, I caught it in my hand. It is a beautiful little delicate thing. The thousands of short, fine fibres glimmer in the sun of a silvery white - the clouds often glimmer its lining as they pass by on a bright sunny day. These fibres are haphazardly attached to another fibre into a small clump of fluff around the size of golf ball. In its centre, its prize, is a small, black seed. A cotton seed, with fibres connected to it in all directions. The seed is no bigger than half a whole black pepper seed. Yet, it is lovingly protected with space and interlinked connections so it may find its place to be its own tree. The protection - the white fibres - are not uniform. Some are tightly knit, some are not. But they are united in their role to protect the seed.

I wonder if the seed is Jesus - the cornerstone of the church. Then we - the delicately interwoven white fibres that help the seed achieve its purpose?

Photo courtesy: Riverine Parks

Bloom beautiful bloom!

(Photo courtesy of Hip Hip Gin Gin)
Mum bought a lovely bunch of light pink peonies around Mother's day. Many of them rapidly went into full blossom and filled our living room with a light, fresh fragrance.
However, I noticed one or two of these flowers remained tightly closed. I wondered if they were dead. Should I bin them?
Perhaps, they are still there, waiting for their moment. Give them a chance, I thought.
A few days later, these tight buds gently opened up their petals to their full blossom. I admired their beauty and their struggle to bloom.
What did I learn from the flowers?
Just because you are slower to bloom, doesn't make you any less valuable.
Perhaps you needed that extra bit of life giving water,
a little bit more time,
a little bit more courage.
You are able to bloom too.
Others will appreciate your bloom when others have faded or moved on.
Walk your journey out at your own pace.

Your Decision is Your Responsbility

When faced with choice, it can be overwhelming and confusing. We need to make a decision on what to do ourselves. We can turn to God, family, friends, media, society for counsel. But ultimately, we have the final call, and take responsibility for it. We cannot blame others for our decision to act on their advice.

It is the act of drawing a line, a firm finality to put uncertainty to death. A boundary or rule in place so to guide yourself and others in your interactions. It's like the two pointy ends of an oval shaped leaf. You can see how the pointy ends lead to a definite point, but the middle of the leaf balloons out of proportion when there is not certainty. Confusion ensues until the decision is made.

This is no simple thing to do. Often what we want to do conflicts with God, family, friends, media, society says we should do. However, we need to stand strong and focus on our anchor. For me, it is God. For you, you may not be sure yet, and on the journey to discover your anchor. That's ok. I hope to share in this journey to discover the adventure that lies ahead.

" 'Growing Up' is not simply about a matter of time passing, or of getting taller; maturity is not about the onset of wrinkles. Instead, I would argue, both are about learning to live life to the full in a world that is deeply compromised but without sacrificing personal integrity. It means learning to move from the shallow end of life to deeper and riskier waters." 

---Roy McCloughry, "God, Sex, The Universe and all that", p25

 Let's go to help each other figure out how to live life to the full without the snags of regret that so often plague us. You're invited on board. So you coming for the ride or not?