Words--followed by Needs and Wants

I sit here, sipping a lovely honey latte, and pondering...about words. Words have unimagined power to change and transform, and yet we throw them around loosely. We don't really think about the consequences of our words--I'd almost wager that if we did, we would start thinking before we speak. Think about it.

Martin Luther King, Jr. started an entire movement and transformed the way a nation thought by his words. They still inspire us today. "I have a dream!" His words not only tell us about his dream, but challenge us to find our own dreams and pursue them. They challenge us to find something worth living for and give it our all.

Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest speakers of all time, inspired a nation to continue to fight for something that it believed in, even though they were tired and weary. "Four Score and Seven years ago, our forefathers brought forth this great nation..." Everyone knows those words. He gave them a reason to keep fighting for a united country.

Obama convinced an entire segment of the country that he could give them what they wanted. That he could bring hope and change to them. He told them that they could do whatever they set their minds to do. And they listened to him.

The serpent convinced Eve that God was holding out on her. He convinced her that she was missing out on something by not eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was his words that resulted in the fall of mankind.

And then there is the most radical, most powerful speaker of all time--Jesus. If anyone had power behind words, it was Him. He promised rest and peace. He gave hope and comfort. He healed the sick, cured the blind, and brought the dead to life with His words. There is one difference between Jesus and the rest of these speakers (well several, really), and that is this. Jesus always spoke Truth. The rest of these speakers all speak from their own angle...some I agree with, some I don't...but Jesus always spoke complete and utter Truth. When He promised peace, He gave it. When He promised rest, He gave it. When He spoke words of hope, it was born.

After returning from class

I just went to my "Relationships In Today's Families" class, and it has left me with several ponderings. My professor said the following: "When we limit our options, we minimize the opportunity and possibility of having our goals and needs fully met." Part of me completely agrees with this. If you aren't willing to branch out and experience new things and situations, you are limiting yourself from things that may meet specific needs and goals in your life.

However, then there is the other part of me that completely disagrees with this statement on the following basis. There is only one way to be truly happy and fulfilled. That way is God. I'm not saying other things can't bring you happiness for a moment, but God is the only way that we will have truly, deep down fulfillment and happiness. Because everything else fades away and ends. People move in and out of our lives whether that be through death or just change. Jobs end. Money is earned and lost. God is eternal and unchanging.

Maybe because I choose to seek my fulfillment and happiness from Him I am limiting my options and thereby limiting my opportunities and possibilities for fulfillment. But I would rather seek Him all my life and miss out on everything else than seek everything else and miss out on Him. Which brings me to another point...

We also talked about having our needs/wants met and I just really had a problem with it based on the following observation. Everything we talked about was self-centered. What do I need to do to be fulfilled? How can my needs be fully met? I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't try to find things that make us happy and do them, but I am saying that we shouldn't sacrifice other people for our own happiness. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not, but I know this: Love does not insist on its own way.

Relationships require self-sacrifice. I believe that is one of the biggest problems in relationships in America today. We are so focused on ourselves that we arent' willing to sacrifice for the other person.

Anyway...just some rants...and this is a lot longer than I expected so I'm going to sign off...peace out yo!