A Tribute to You, My Friend

            “Put a lid on it, butterscotch!”

            That line often came from the mouth of one of the most cheerful kids I’d ever known. He was always smiling. He was always helping. He was an angel in every sense of the word.

            And he died.

            I knew this boy. I loved him. He had great things for the future. Big plans, big dreams. He was the nicest kid you would’ve ever met*.

            Now he’s in Heaven.

            Why? I don’t know why. How could God allow him to die? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. As I see his face and his joyful smile and his unique way of telling people to be quiet, it hurts. It hurts to say I don’t know. Why did God take him and not me?

            I can’t tell you the pain his family went through, because I could only look from the outside in. There are scars. But there are memories.

            My mind is unsatisfied with “I don’t know”. I want answers. And my heart breaks because a child should never die. Especially not this child.

            Why did I write this? I don’t know. Maybe it’s to tell you that life is short, so make sure to enjoy it. Maybe it’s to tell you to hold those you love closer, because they may not always be there. Maybe it’s to tell you to remember your Maker, because you will have to face Him one day.

            But what I do know is that the world lost a child who would’ve made an amazing husband and a wonderful father. The world lost a future man of God who loved Jesus dearly. The world lost someone it desperately needs.
            I love you. I miss you, and so does your family. But I know you are happier now than you could've ever been here. This is for you.

*Some people exaggerate the good qualities in people who have died. I am not. This boy was truly one of the sweetest, nicest kids you would’ve ever met. There is no way for me to make you believe that, but if there was, I would try. I’m not exaggerating with anything I said.

On the Wall: 2

            I was going to end my previous thought with my last post, but I think I hit on something bigger. How self-reflective are you? Now that you have the standard for how you should be, are you taking full advantage to become the person God wants you to be?

            How much time do I spend thinking about how I act and what I say? It’s uncomfortable, I can tell you that. It’s not fun thinking about the day’s conversations and what you could’ve done differently. But it leads to amazing results.

            That’s why I try to have some alone time every day if I can. This is where I think about life. Was I loving with my actions and kind with my words? Could I have served anyone I didn’t? Did I live like Jesus that day?

            If my answers are unsatisfactory, I think of tomorrow. How will I change? How can I improve? What can I do better?

            But self-reflection doesn’t only have to be about earlier that day or about tomorrow. It can also be about where your life is going. All of us are heading in some direction. Are you setting yourself up for a successful future?

            It can also be about how you spend your time. Are you being productive in your free time? Mindless fun is fine, just make sure it doesn’t render you… useless and unfruitful. Make sure to grow as a person using your free time.

            Think about what you believe. Does it line up with the standard set in the Bible? Does it lead to positive thoughts and a strong faith? Beliefs lead to lifestyles and mindsets. They are the foundation for who you are as a person, so make they are well thought-out.

            That’s what self-reflection is all about.

So What about You?

            How self-reflective are you? How much time do you spend thinking about how you can improve as a person*? I’ve found that the most mature people I’ve met are the ones who think the most. They are very self-aware, and they try to be the best people they can be.

            Find a time of day when you can be quiet and alone… and just think. If you don’t know what to think about, use the above thoughts to start out. It might be uncomfortable at first. American culture doesn’t like purposeful self-reflection. That’s why we are always around people or always watching television or listening to music or on the computer or on our phone.

            Because then we can’t think. Thinking brings us to the bare bones of ourselves. We can put on an act to others. But you can’t fool yourself. You see yourself as you are, and some of us don’t like that.

            Thinking is scary, and it can be depressing. But it leads to improvement. It leads to original ideas and refinement. It leads to maturity.

            Self-reflection will give you a depth to who you are. You’ll see things in new ways. You’ll grow. There will be pain, but the joy you’ll experience is incomparable as you see yourself becoming who you want to be.

*Now, the purpose of self-reflection isn’t to beat yourself up and get depressed. The more you think about who you are and how you act and what you say, there will be times when you will get down. But the goal of thinking is to improve as a person, not commit suicide.

On the Wall: 1

            As I looked into the mirror recently, I realized the mental image I have of myself didn’t exactly match the reflection I was looking at. Was there a huge discrepancy? No, but there were differences. By spending the time to look at myself (I probably sound like a girl), I could see how I really was.

            I wondered about this. Mirrors show who we truly are on the outside (unless you are at a carnival). Is there anything we can use to show who we are on the inside? Or are we just left with our opinion of ourself and others’ opinions of us?

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

            There is a mirror for our soul. Okay, that’s not entirely accurate. There is a standard for our soul. By comparing ourselves to it, we can see where we are and what we need to be.

            Mirrors show who you are. Standards give you a goal or a vision for who you need to be. What is this standard? The Bible.

             In the Bible is someone called Jesus, the perfect human. He is our example of how to walk and talk. If you want to find out more about how to live, read James and Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. If you want to find out how to think, read Romans and Hebrews. If you want to learn of God’s standard, read the Old Testament. If you want to read about humanity’s sinful nature, read 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. And every other book.

             The Bible sets the standard for perfection in Jesus. It also tells you how to walk closer to God so that you can be more like Him. By comparing yourself to this standard, you can see where you are now and what you can do to grow.