Love.

Hello ! :)

 

Over a year back I wrote a simple post called : Love? and the funny thing is- from when the post was written- up until now - it continues to remain the single most-read post in this blog.

 I've wondered why that is-but it's pretty clear why actually.

 

I've realized over time, that we as 'human beings' - we were pretty much made for this single purpose - to Love.

 

I take absolutely no credits for this fabulous picture!

 

Love is a choice. Whether we choose to love or not (a difficult choice to some, including me) is what it boils down to.

Pain, hurt, the past are all excuses we use to build a wall around us. This wall protects us from further hurt & pain - but it also prevents us from experiencing any Light.

This lesson is a hard pill to swallow, 'cause Love Hurts.

It's hard and

it appears insane.

But

even though love hurts - it's better to love, hurt and lose than to never love at all.

Needing somebody is not always a pleasant position to be in - but we're often there and there's no need to be ashamed about it ( because so is everybody else! )

I've been in a place where I've blocked out people from myself because I don't want to get hurt .. and so have you (possibly).

 

Although initially I felt this place to be comfortable and away from all the hurt- eventually I understood that I'm not going any place good from that place.

But in that place I learnt that Loving myself first is important for people like me and then I saw that no matter who hurts me(for whatever reason) I'll always have and love me!  

 

 

 

Loving somebody(after you love yourself first) is to be vulnerable.

Loving somebody involves swallowing our pride and not holding onto false humility - but to actually be humble enough to give yourself to somebody.
I've confused "Loving" with "Idolizing" in the past - and this is when we overdo it, by near worshipping somebody.

Worshipping a person is not equivalent to loving them. 

Loving yourself first will better enable you to simply love somebody - including their flaws and uglies, because you've done that to you too.. instead of blindly assuming that a person is faultless and hence needs to worshipped all the time.
That is never what a person needs.

 

At one point of time, not too long ago,

I tried to hide my pain, my weakness, my shame, my fears, my insecurities, my idols and all of the ugliest parts of who I am- however, these things are temporary.

You can't hold on to these things forever without allowing them to change who you really are-into someone ugly.

But if you let them go by choosing to be open about them (to people you trust) and give yourself a chance to discover that there's more to life - there is a high chance that you'll find exactly what you've been needing to find.

 

 

I'd be thrilled to know more about what your views are.

 

Love

 Jeff

 

 

 

 

Submission

No, I don't mean the sort of thing a person does with a report to a teacher in school.

Here's what I mean:
"to submit" meaning,"to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person."

When we were all very young, I'm guessing that there we were mostly surrounded by some form of authority - to whom we had to submit to.
I never really had a choice there.
I was born to certain set of parents , I had an older sister and  when the time came-I got to go to school, with a certain set of teachers. At home, there were obviously other people around too, such as aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents etc.
The point is- submitting to these people was something I was expected to be doing even before I learnt that I was a Human being. Whether I did actually submit to them or not - is a totally different matter.
18 years into my life and there are a new set of "people" (family aside) that I "ought" to be submitting to.
 This concept is something anybody with an ego (which is everybody) naturally, has a problem with. For one, I had come to realize that these people I'm supposed to be 'submitting' to, were all imperfect people who didn't have a clue, mostly, themselves.

We are all a bunch of 'Know-Nothings' ourselves- so why should I "submit to" or be a "superior force" to anybody else?

  However, there is a "Know-Everything" that I know of, and His Name is God.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, I've come to see that submission is not the UGLY RACOON MONSTER I'd made it out to be in my head.
 It was something much much more than that.
The vital thing I had forgotton is that we have a choice - the key word to me, in the definition above (in purple) is "to accept". It's crazy but this little thing , made all the difference to me.
   It meant that when someone wishes to propose to you something - you don't have to accept.
It's a choice.
When God - the maker of the whole wide Universe- said that He loved me...I didn't have to accept Him. It was a choice. That's the beautifully crazy and simple thing that makes 'submission-by-choice' different from 'being-controlled-by-somebody-through-guilt-and-force'.
 The matter of choice, sort of places importance on the "not-so-superior-force" (even when they don't deserve it, as in the case of God and man).

  However, a while back- when none of this occured to me,I was just downright angry with God.
 How could this possibly be His perfect plan for my life and for peoples' lives in general?
People are Know-Nothings, they don't 'get' (understand) me.

I was literally beating my fists on surfaces, thinking "Why? Lord, Why?"
"Why give me all these ideas and strength to do ...and want me to choose to submit to somebody else? Why give me all this Power? And wish for me to not use it in any way I can?"

And then this picture pops-up in my head.
Of Jesus, being taunted- by a bunch of Know Nothings - to show them His power as He was being taken away to be crucified.
If He was really King of Jews, if He really was God in the form of man, all He had to do was show them that it was true.
But there He was, quiet as a Lamb.  

Jesus.
He might've wanted to show them - really show them who He was. I mean He could've just snapped His fingers - made the world implode in itself and then escaped in a rocket ship.



"Peace Out, Suckers!!" - But, this is not what really happened- right? 

Jesus chose to let them taunt Him to the best of their abilities. Why?
Because it's what His Father in Heaven, wanted Him to do.

Simple ain't it?

Jesus died.
He CHOSE to let them crucify Him. For us. For me.

But wait, there's more. He rose again, and defeated Death in itself. And reigns as King. As God's own Boy.

This is Proof for me, that submitting to Know-Nothings is the right thing to do if - it's what the Know-Everything wants me to do. Because there's a bigger picture, that I can't see.

And by submitting to Know - Nothings, I'm actually submitting to my favourite Know- Everything in the whole wide Universe.

Love
Jeff.

 

 

Why Serve? :D

Hey :),
 Here is something I wrote for an English Test. It roughly and briefly explains why I think everybody should be involved in some form of positive "service"(and by that I mean, helping others out, keeping only the uplifting of others in mind - for absolutely no personal benefit.)

     Positive change in society begins only when its smallest and most important units - its individuals - begin to think and act positively. Citizens involved in service begin to understand that the world is much bigger than themselves and their problems. They also begin to obtain a different perspective- one which helps them see that their lives needn't be wasted, but can be full of joy and be used to change other lives as well. By this, both the one who is served and the one who serves is benefited. If we want our county to change, we need to see that we are an integral part of it, and by our actions show those around us, through service. 

I know I've said "for absolutely no personal benefit" and then , in the passage mentioned that " by this, both the one who is served and the one who serves if benefited" - and it sounds contradictory, but - it isn't . What I mean is personal benefit will roll in once we focus on other things, besides ourselves. 
    
   I'm not saying that I am an somebody who is an extremely experienced person in the field of Service. 
Au contraire , I am aware of how much I painfully lack in giving back to the society. But I will strive, to maybe become that person someday. One of the main reasons for my posting this here, on this blog, is so that it remains (for however long this page may exist) as a reminder for myself. 

 // Have been Missing In Action for several months mostly because I have been focussing on growth and taking a break-in general. I'm SUPER EXCITED to be writing here again :). Thanks for reading. God Bless :D
Love
-jeff

Love?

Why do people get to feel happy, if it’s all going to go away one day and be replaced with a horrible empty sadness?

Why do people meet other people who totally know them, will stick with them and Love them- ONLY to lose them at some point?

why do we love if it can never last? 

Why do we even bother with love?
Why do we even bother with making friends?

 I know it makes the journey worthwhile, and I know it’s foolish to think that we can make it on our own, all alone.
Because we can’t do that, we need other people. No matter how independent a person we are.
[We know this to be true because : as kids, I'm sure, we all either had to go without any real, faithful friends for a while- or at least had this period of separation from them-that made us feel bad. Just plain bad.]
But, no matter how many people we do end up having in our lives…it doesn’t matter if we don’t even Love ourselves. 
and even if we don't learn this ourselves, God has a Way of putting people in our lives to teach us these things, and hopefully lead us out of our own misery. But it's up to us to accept it.
Because the most helpful ‘other people’ can be, is to show us the way, and to let us know that they are there.
It’s up to our own self to pick ourselves and go that way. It’s up to us to let them be there for us. 

Life is weird.

But, there’s always something that keeps me hanging on.
Hope creeps up ever so often, and things sometimes make sense.
Most times,  it's confusing, very confusing.

Sometimes, though, I think it's enough to know that you're not the only one out there, feeling this way. (this is where you click the play button to the following video :) ) 

(all video credits go to Paramore.)
OH, and Thank You Christina Roshini Samuel- for reading the previous version of this post, giving your awesome constructive criticism and for showing me the important thing that was missing in it. : D
love
 -jeff