The Dictionary definition of Thanks is: to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to.
As today is Thanksgiving, it always gives us the opportunity to spend time with our family, eat some amazing food, and really think about what you are grateful for in your life. Whether it being thankful for friends, family, girlfriend/boyfriend, we all have something to be thankful for. For me, I'm thankful for the fact that I get to live in this country where I get opportunities to achieve my goals and dreams that some don't have in other countries. Some people don't have a home or family, but I am grateful that I have both of those in my life. Some people don't have food to eat, but I get to eat three times a day and maybe even more when I feel like it. Some people have to live from paycheck to paycheck to pay all their bills, but I'm lucky that I don't have those worries. Some people don't know God, but I have the privilege of having a relationship with Him. Some people don't have too many friends in their lives, but I am lucky enough to have all my loved ones next to me. Some people have incurable diseases that they were born with, but I was lucky enough to be born with a healthy body. I am lucky and fortunate that I have all these things in my life, but the thing about having so much, is that sometimes we forget about how fortunate we all really are compared to others that are less fortunate. Some people worry if they are going to be able to live the next day in other countries, while I worry about what I need to make my life better. Some people can't get an education where they live, whether it being a financial problem or not, while I get bored and forget the fact that I'm lucky enough to be in college. Some people go their whole lives without being able to do what they want, while I wonder how fast I can finish ALL I WANT as soon as possible. Some people worry that they will not have enough money to take care of their family and financial problems, while I worry if I'll have enough money to buy something I really want, but don't necessarily need. Some people don't have any family members, while I take for granted the fact that I have such a big family. Some people don't have friends to care and look after them, while I have many people that care for me, but don't show them as much concern at times. Being blessed by God and having such a fortunate life, I at times forget the meaning of being grateful for all that He has blessed me with. I take for granted many things in my life, that some don't have and pray for in their lives. This happens to all of us at times:
WE FORGET ABOUT HOW FORTUNATE WE REALLY ARE IN LIFE, COMPLAINING ABOUT LITTLE THINGS, WHEN PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD DON'T HAVE THE LUXURIES THAT WE HAVE. WORST THINGS ARE HAPPENING TO THEM, AND STILL THEY ARE MORE HAPPY WITH LIFE THEN WE ARE. THAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF BEING GRATEFUL. TAKING WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU AND THANKING HIM FOR BLESSING YOU WITH THAT THING IN YOUR LIFE.
As another Thanksgiving passes by, I really hope that everyone can actually take time and really thank God for all the things He has blessed us with in our lives. Us thanking him for blessing us with what we have should not just happen on Thanksgiving, but everyday of our lives. We should be thankful and grateful to Him everyday, letting Him know how happy we are that He is in our lives. Now that the day "Thanksgiving" will be done in a couple of hours, Christmas is right around the corner. This is the time when we really need to think about our lives, see how we are living with what God has blessed us, and just reflect on what kind of a person we really are. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read this blog entry.
-Paul Lem.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Nothing Lasts Forever.
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
-Marilyn Monroe
The Dictionary definition of CHANGE is: to become different, to become altered or modified, to become transformed or converted.
Nothing lasts forever. Just as the quote above states, people change and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. This quote helps to prove that nothing is forever and that the only thing that is forever is God. Other than Him, on this earth nothing is forever. As we live life, we all go through different changes. We make new friends, new relationships, and most importantly a new you. Right now, I'm in my 2nd year of college, and many people know that the first year or so is the time that many take to find out who they are as a person. People may join fraternities/sororities, start becoming a party animal when they were a good student in high school and vice versa. People get influenced into doing different things, changing the person that they actually were. But there are two ways to look into this. The person could have changed dramatically on the outside but still the same on the inside as before, or the person could have changed on the inside but still the same on the outside. A good reason for this can be the influence from friends. Family and friends are a big part of your life, so when not at home with your family, it's only reasonable that you are out with your friends. So whatever your friends are doing, unless you have a strong sense of what kind of person you are, you will probably be doing the same things because you most likely have the same interest. This just means that you need to be very careful with who you surround yourself with, because from the perspective of an outsider, they will automatically assume you are the same as your friends because that's just what we do first as humans. We classify the person the same as their friends, because if they are hanging out with a certain crowd, they usually have the same interest. This could be a good thing and a bad thing. It could be a good thing in the sense where they may see something positive like a christian group of friends, but also bad in the sense that if you don't party but all your friends do they may just assume you do. But most of the time, people will fall, make mistakes, and have regrets because that's just the way life is. We make mistakes, learn from them, and become a better person. In high school, I made countless mistakes, many things that I do regret but I know that all those experiences made me the person I am today. Now I know my strengths and weaknesses in certain areas, because of what I went through in the past. But it's just hard for me to see people, that I consider close friends that I've known for quite some time, to be making the same mistakes that I made and all I can do is watch. I know what mindset they have, so I know me talking to them won't change it, but it's always good to still go at it. If you see a person that you've known for a long time, start changing for the worse, of course you are going to try to help him/her out the best you can. But people will only be able to change, if they are willing to, and that's what we need to remember. People may change for the worse, because they want to but also want to become better because they want it. A person doesn't change automatically, but it gradually happens over a period of time. I know that many people have those certain type of friends that they've known for a long time, and now are seeing them go down a wrong path but all they do is feel sad at the thought of it. I'm writing this blog because I'm trying to give you guys hope and a solution to that problem. Prayer is the solution and as long as we are willing to be consistent and pray for as long as needed, God will be able to help change anyone if they are willing to change. This subject was just on my mind for some time, and I just really felt like writing a blog about it. But the main point that I want to get across is, people change for better or worse, but we need to always make sure we know exactly what kind of person we are. When you know something for sure, you will never question it in any situation that may arise, so that's what I wanted to get across. That doesnt mean we will never fall into temptation or make a mistake, because no one's perfect, but it's a step closer to strengthing our relationship with God. So I'm going to leave you guys with a quote, showing how much times have changed:
"Remember when... getting high meant swinging on the playground? When protection meant wearing a helmet? When the worst thing you can get from boys/girls were cooties? When Dad's shoulders were the highest place on earth and Mom was your hero? When your worst enemy was your siblings? When race issues were about who ran the fastest? When war was only a card game? When the most pain you felt was when you skinned your knees, and goodbyes only meant until tomorrow? When we couldn't wait to grow up?"
Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
-Marilyn Monroe
The Dictionary definition of CHANGE is: to become different, to become altered or modified, to become transformed or converted.
Nothing lasts forever. Just as the quote above states, people change and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. This quote helps to prove that nothing is forever and that the only thing that is forever is God. Other than Him, on this earth nothing is forever. As we live life, we all go through different changes. We make new friends, new relationships, and most importantly a new you. Right now, I'm in my 2nd year of college, and many people know that the first year or so is the time that many take to find out who they are as a person. People may join fraternities/sororities, start becoming a party animal when they were a good student in high school and vice versa. People get influenced into doing different things, changing the person that they actually were. But there are two ways to look into this. The person could have changed dramatically on the outside but still the same on the inside as before, or the person could have changed on the inside but still the same on the outside. A good reason for this can be the influence from friends. Family and friends are a big part of your life, so when not at home with your family, it's only reasonable that you are out with your friends. So whatever your friends are doing, unless you have a strong sense of what kind of person you are, you will probably be doing the same things because you most likely have the same interest. This just means that you need to be very careful with who you surround yourself with, because from the perspective of an outsider, they will automatically assume you are the same as your friends because that's just what we do first as humans. We classify the person the same as their friends, because if they are hanging out with a certain crowd, they usually have the same interest. This could be a good thing and a bad thing. It could be a good thing in the sense where they may see something positive like a christian group of friends, but also bad in the sense that if you don't party but all your friends do they may just assume you do. But most of the time, people will fall, make mistakes, and have regrets because that's just the way life is. We make mistakes, learn from them, and become a better person. In high school, I made countless mistakes, many things that I do regret but I know that all those experiences made me the person I am today. Now I know my strengths and weaknesses in certain areas, because of what I went through in the past. But it's just hard for me to see people, that I consider close friends that I've known for quite some time, to be making the same mistakes that I made and all I can do is watch. I know what mindset they have, so I know me talking to them won't change it, but it's always good to still go at it. If you see a person that you've known for a long time, start changing for the worse, of course you are going to try to help him/her out the best you can. But people will only be able to change, if they are willing to, and that's what we need to remember. People may change for the worse, because they want to but also want to become better because they want it. A person doesn't change automatically, but it gradually happens over a period of time. I know that many people have those certain type of friends that they've known for a long time, and now are seeing them go down a wrong path but all they do is feel sad at the thought of it. I'm writing this blog because I'm trying to give you guys hope and a solution to that problem. Prayer is the solution and as long as we are willing to be consistent and pray for as long as needed, God will be able to help change anyone if they are willing to change. This subject was just on my mind for some time, and I just really felt like writing a blog about it. But the main point that I want to get across is, people change for better or worse, but we need to always make sure we know exactly what kind of person we are. When you know something for sure, you will never question it in any situation that may arise, so that's what I wanted to get across. That doesnt mean we will never fall into temptation or make a mistake, because no one's perfect, but it's a step closer to strengthing our relationship with God. So I'm going to leave you guys with a quote, showing how much times have changed:
"Remember when... getting high meant swinging on the playground? When protection meant wearing a helmet? When the worst thing you can get from boys/girls were cooties? When Dad's shoulders were the highest place on earth and Mom was your hero? When your worst enemy was your siblings? When race issues were about who ran the fastest? When war was only a card game? When the most pain you felt was when you skinned your knees, and goodbyes only meant until tomorrow? When we couldn't wait to grow up?"
Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
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