"Growing old is mandatory; but growing up is optional."
-Unknown.
From the ages of 13-19, we are considered teenagers. Our teenage years are probably one of the most memorable times we will have in life. I just turned 20 years old two days ago, but obviously like I've said before that age is but a number. Even though just a few days ago I was still considered a teenager to the world, my mind set told me otherwise. Because of all the experiences and situations I went through in my past, it has helped me to mature my mind and ultimately myself as a person. The quote I put at the beginning of the blog entry is what I what to focus on. Just as the quote says, growing old is mandatory for everyone in life, but growing up is optional and ultimately a choice that we have to make in the end. I know people that are considered mature for their age, and vice versa, people that are considered immature for their age. Everyone is different, in how we decide to live our lives and in when we choose to grow up as a person. People go through different situations and experiences in life that may speed up or slow down the process of growing up as a person. When I say that, I don't mean that it will physically stop a person from aging or make a person age faster, but when I say that I mean mentally. These past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot. The things I think about ranges in subjects, but one of the subjects that was on my mind a lot those past weeks was the topic of "growing up". I was talking to my friend while eating one of these past Sundays, and we got on the topic of life in general. But one of the things that really stuck out to me was that even though we are such good friends now and have many things in common that we enjoy, we went through different things growing up and that's what made us into the type of people we are now. He told me of how his parents always had a set plan for him growing up, so now since he's in college he gets feelings of insecurity now that he has to make his own plans and decisions. For me it was the total opposite. I had to grow up doing things for myself so that I can get to where I am now, in the sense that my dad was always out of the house because when we first moved here he had to work multiple jobs and my birth mother left me at the age of 1. So all I had growing up was my grandmother and older brother at home throughout the day, and so I never had parents telling me to do this and that throughout the day. I never went to any tutor places, or took any musical instrument lessons. So it was difficult for me to try to relate with him on that topic, because I didn't know how it felt having my parents planning out everything for me. But than since I know how to plan and make decisions on my own, since I had to start early in life, I was able to give him advice on how he could maybe start getting over this insecurity and live his life making decisions on his own. God really does work in mysterious ways. People go through different things in life, but everything that we go through is something that we could handle or endure, or else God wouldn't have allowed it in our lives to start with. People are put into situations that really test their faith and strength in themselves and God. A big reason I believe that people are so afraid to grow up, is that as we grow up, we are given many more responsibilities and basically in charge of our own lives in whether we will succeed or fail in life. That is a scary thought, but is there really anything in life that we can achieve without taking the initiative first to begin it? Only when we take that risk of either succeeding or failing in a certain thing in our life, will we be able to truly be satisfied with ourselves at the end no matter what the result may be. You don't want to go your whole life wondering "what if" so I say that whatever you want in life, go for it. There is a quote I came across that says: “The hardest part about growing up is letting go with what you have been accustomed to and moving on with something that you haven't experienced yet.” Many people are so comfortable with the lifestyle that they live in high school, that once they reach college it's hard at times to "grow up". I know many people in my life that are like this, but it's only once we finally realize that the kind of lifestyle we were so consumed in, is really a lifestyle that if we were to continue it throughout our lives will only bring us hardships and failure. Obviously I'm talking about the whole party scene, and just chasing after the opposite sex, trying to meet as many people possible so you are well known, etc. When I thought back on how I acted during high school, I noticed how big of a difference my life is now. Talking with my friend, we were reminiscing about the days when we were in high school, and even though it seemed like only a few years ago, to us it felt like a lifetime ago. There was a sense of nostalgia in our conversation, but I feel we both realized how pointless it all was. How pointless it was trying to be so popular when now we really don't talk to more than half of the people we met during high school, and so on. This is the true meaning of growing up for people our age. When you finally realize that you are not the same person you were when you were out doing stuff that you thought was cool and in at the time. When you finally realize that you have matured through your experiences in your past, and you actually use it to learn from your mistakes instead of someone who hasn't grown up yet and still lingers on their mistakes and lives in it. Don't get me wrong, nobody's perfect. We all make mistakes, but it's the people that are matured and grown up in life that take their mistakes and try their best to learn from it, instead of just not caring and living on and making the same mistake over and over. But growing up is something that takes time. You can't "grow up" over night and expect to be a different person the next day. So I'll leave you guys with this quote : "Growing up is a process, not an event." Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Time.
"Time does not change us, it just unfolds us."
-Max Frisch
The expression "time flies.." really is a true statement in itself. I believe everyone can agree that as we get older and age, everything in life seems to fly by. When we were young, we would always say, "I hate being so young, I can't wait until I'm older. Once I'm older, I'm going to do so many things in life and I can do whatever I want." But the true reality is, as we age and grow older, we always have feelings of nostalgia and miss our childhood when we never had half the worries we do as an adult. As you grow older, there are more responsibilities that you obtain. For example, in college, you aren't forced to wake up everyday to go to class as you were in high school by your parents, but now you are given the choice whether or not to go. As you grow older, you need to start thinking about getting a job and what you want to do in the future. As you grow older, you start worrying about how you will make it on your own and start having your own bills to pay. I believe that is a big reason why when we were young, we couldn't wait to become older because we knew once we are older, we will be able to make our own choices but we didn't know the responsibilities and stress that comes with that choice. The dictionary definition of choice is: the right, power, or opportunity to choose. As we get older, we are confronted with many decisions that will affect our lives and it all depends on the choice that we make in each situation. Throughout time, everything changes except for God. That's the funny thing about time. Time affects us in ways that we sometimes don't even realize. Throughout time, all of us will usually mature our mind in the way we think and perceive everything. Throughout time, people change. You lose friends that you were close with before, but end up making new friends also. Now everyone knows the reason for this, it's because people change mind, body, and soul throughout time. The new you might not have anything in common with the friends you used to have, so eventually throughout time you become more distant and find people that you have things in common and enjoy being with. But with all this, the true reason for why time changes everyone is because we make the decision to change ourselves throughout that time. What I'm trying to say is, that as we grow older in life, we start to become more busy and don't take the time to appreciate something as valuable as time. Time is one of those things that you can learn a lot from. A quote that goes perfect with this is, "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back." There's another quote that talks about how "you can always get more money, but you can never get more time." The quote that I gave at the beginning, about how time does not change but really just unfolds us is what I want to focus on. As time passes, we go through experiences in our lives that change our way of thinking. As time passes, we make decisions in certain situations that are our choices at the time, that mold us into the person we are today. As we age, people take time for granted and that's the point I'm trying to get across with this blog. We forget to appreciate the time God has given us to live on this earth, because we get so consumed by all the worldly worries. For me personally, there are so many things that I want to do and experience in my life. For example, I want to travel to many places, take singing/dancing/acting classes so I can go to Korea and chase after my dream of making it big, and also I want to get married and have children of my own that I can care for and love. When I think too much about it, I worry that I won't have enough time to do all the stuff I want, but what I realized is that the time I spent worrying about my future was time that I can never get back and wasted. Not worrying about your future is something that is very hard to do, but I feel God is telling me that as long as I do my best in everything I do, He will take care of the rest. So I'm going to leave you guys with a quote and a song, just ponder on the quote and listen to the lyrics of the song on youtube. Thanks for reading.
Quote: "Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life."
-Alan Lakein
Song: Damien Fernandez - Forever.
-Paul Lem.
-Max Frisch
The expression "time flies.." really is a true statement in itself. I believe everyone can agree that as we get older and age, everything in life seems to fly by. When we were young, we would always say, "I hate being so young, I can't wait until I'm older. Once I'm older, I'm going to do so many things in life and I can do whatever I want." But the true reality is, as we age and grow older, we always have feelings of nostalgia and miss our childhood when we never had half the worries we do as an adult. As you grow older, there are more responsibilities that you obtain. For example, in college, you aren't forced to wake up everyday to go to class as you were in high school by your parents, but now you are given the choice whether or not to go. As you grow older, you need to start thinking about getting a job and what you want to do in the future. As you grow older, you start worrying about how you will make it on your own and start having your own bills to pay. I believe that is a big reason why when we were young, we couldn't wait to become older because we knew once we are older, we will be able to make our own choices but we didn't know the responsibilities and stress that comes with that choice. The dictionary definition of choice is: the right, power, or opportunity to choose. As we get older, we are confronted with many decisions that will affect our lives and it all depends on the choice that we make in each situation. Throughout time, everything changes except for God. That's the funny thing about time. Time affects us in ways that we sometimes don't even realize. Throughout time, all of us will usually mature our mind in the way we think and perceive everything. Throughout time, people change. You lose friends that you were close with before, but end up making new friends also. Now everyone knows the reason for this, it's because people change mind, body, and soul throughout time. The new you might not have anything in common with the friends you used to have, so eventually throughout time you become more distant and find people that you have things in common and enjoy being with. But with all this, the true reason for why time changes everyone is because we make the decision to change ourselves throughout that time. What I'm trying to say is, that as we grow older in life, we start to become more busy and don't take the time to appreciate something as valuable as time. Time is one of those things that you can learn a lot from. A quote that goes perfect with this is, "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back." There's another quote that talks about how "you can always get more money, but you can never get more time." The quote that I gave at the beginning, about how time does not change but really just unfolds us is what I want to focus on. As time passes, we go through experiences in our lives that change our way of thinking. As time passes, we make decisions in certain situations that are our choices at the time, that mold us into the person we are today. As we age, people take time for granted and that's the point I'm trying to get across with this blog. We forget to appreciate the time God has given us to live on this earth, because we get so consumed by all the worldly worries. For me personally, there are so many things that I want to do and experience in my life. For example, I want to travel to many places, take singing/dancing/acting classes so I can go to Korea and chase after my dream of making it big, and also I want to get married and have children of my own that I can care for and love. When I think too much about it, I worry that I won't have enough time to do all the stuff I want, but what I realized is that the time I spent worrying about my future was time that I can never get back and wasted. Not worrying about your future is something that is very hard to do, but I feel God is telling me that as long as I do my best in everything I do, He will take care of the rest. So I'm going to leave you guys with a quote and a song, just ponder on the quote and listen to the lyrics of the song on youtube. Thanks for reading.
Quote: "Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life."
-Alan Lakein
Song: Damien Fernandez - Forever.
-Paul Lem.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
God is Love.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Everyone has their own perspectives on love. The dictionary definition of love is: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Love is an emotion, love is a feeling, love is many different things. But true love is different from what we call "love". In my psychology class I remember my professor telling me the average person is "in love" with their significant other for two years, and than after that it's all about commitment and how long they are willing to make it work. The love we see on television, in movies, and in our lives around people always make us want that in our own lives. Society depicts this image to us of what love is, showing it through media and other forms of advertising. But the thing that society is forgetting is, that without God in the relationship, there will never be true love. God is the only one that can teach us about true love. The relationship we have with Him as Christians, he shows us true love by showing patience, being kind, not being easily angered by our sins and neglect towards Him, etc. When we get into a relationship with someone, we should always base it on a relationship with God as the center of our attentions to know and learn true love for each other. Of course it's easier said than done, right? For me personally, I can't recall a time in the past when I was dating a girl and God was the center of the relationship. We were always in the "honeymoon phase" and wanting to see and talk to each other as much as we can, and when we couldn't see each other we would think about that person as much as we can. This was a big reason why most of my relationships did not work out, because of the simple fact that the girl was taking me away from God instead of strengthening my relationship with Him. Now I am looking for a girl that will not only accept me for who I am, all my faults and imperfections in life, but also bring me closer to God. I recently just saw "Valentines Day" with a few friends. In that movie the part I liked best was when the grandma said "When you truly love someone, you have to love everything about them. All their faults, all their imperfections, and not only the good things." That really stuck out to me, because how many times in life do we look for the easy way out when we find out something we don't like about our significant other? We totally forget all the reasons why you love her and you only look at that imperfection that you find out. Now I'm not saying this happens all the time, but I know it's happened to me a couple of times in the past. When I would find out something that I didn't really like about the girl I was dating, I would start examining more and more on what else I didn't like and than I would usually just end it somehow. Of course I know now how stupid I was, because I'm not perfect and she was willing to see past my imperfections and be with me, but back than I had a different mindset. There is this quote: "Love isn't about finding the perfect person, but seeing an imperfect person perfectly." That quote is true in so many ways. Many people have this mindset of what their perfect girl/guy is in their mind, but what they tend to forget is that love is not about finding that "perfect one". Love is when you see past a person's imperfections and you love them for who they are, flaws and all. So to fix this, we really need to take that image of what we think the perfect person is for us, and just have an open mind with every person we meet. No relationship is the same, it all depends on the two people in that relationship. So when we are in a relationship and start to compare it to a relationship we had before and wonder why it's not the same when you were so "in love" in the other relationship, that can ruin something great with the person you have now if you keep that mindset. For these past few months, I feel that God is really trying to teach me to depend on Him and Him alone, and stop depending on girls like how I used to in the past. Every time I would end with one girl, right after or a few weeks later another girl would come into my life and I never really rejected it because to be honest it felt good to have that comfort and know someone cares about you. But I forgot about the person that cares for me the most in this world, the person that is the only one that can truly love me, and that person is God. So now I'm just setting my sights on him and making my relationship stronger and learning things that I will need to know when I meet the next girl I will be in a relationship with. God is not only love, but He is true love and where we learn it from. Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
Everyone has their own perspectives on love. The dictionary definition of love is: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Love is an emotion, love is a feeling, love is many different things. But true love is different from what we call "love". In my psychology class I remember my professor telling me the average person is "in love" with their significant other for two years, and than after that it's all about commitment and how long they are willing to make it work. The love we see on television, in movies, and in our lives around people always make us want that in our own lives. Society depicts this image to us of what love is, showing it through media and other forms of advertising. But the thing that society is forgetting is, that without God in the relationship, there will never be true love. God is the only one that can teach us about true love. The relationship we have with Him as Christians, he shows us true love by showing patience, being kind, not being easily angered by our sins and neglect towards Him, etc. When we get into a relationship with someone, we should always base it on a relationship with God as the center of our attentions to know and learn true love for each other. Of course it's easier said than done, right? For me personally, I can't recall a time in the past when I was dating a girl and God was the center of the relationship. We were always in the "honeymoon phase" and wanting to see and talk to each other as much as we can, and when we couldn't see each other we would think about that person as much as we can. This was a big reason why most of my relationships did not work out, because of the simple fact that the girl was taking me away from God instead of strengthening my relationship with Him. Now I am looking for a girl that will not only accept me for who I am, all my faults and imperfections in life, but also bring me closer to God. I recently just saw "Valentines Day" with a few friends. In that movie the part I liked best was when the grandma said "When you truly love someone, you have to love everything about them. All their faults, all their imperfections, and not only the good things." That really stuck out to me, because how many times in life do we look for the easy way out when we find out something we don't like about our significant other? We totally forget all the reasons why you love her and you only look at that imperfection that you find out. Now I'm not saying this happens all the time, but I know it's happened to me a couple of times in the past. When I would find out something that I didn't really like about the girl I was dating, I would start examining more and more on what else I didn't like and than I would usually just end it somehow. Of course I know now how stupid I was, because I'm not perfect and she was willing to see past my imperfections and be with me, but back than I had a different mindset. There is this quote: "Love isn't about finding the perfect person, but seeing an imperfect person perfectly." That quote is true in so many ways. Many people have this mindset of what their perfect girl/guy is in their mind, but what they tend to forget is that love is not about finding that "perfect one". Love is when you see past a person's imperfections and you love them for who they are, flaws and all. So to fix this, we really need to take that image of what we think the perfect person is for us, and just have an open mind with every person we meet. No relationship is the same, it all depends on the two people in that relationship. So when we are in a relationship and start to compare it to a relationship we had before and wonder why it's not the same when you were so "in love" in the other relationship, that can ruin something great with the person you have now if you keep that mindset. For these past few months, I feel that God is really trying to teach me to depend on Him and Him alone, and stop depending on girls like how I used to in the past. Every time I would end with one girl, right after or a few weeks later another girl would come into my life and I never really rejected it because to be honest it felt good to have that comfort and know someone cares about you. But I forgot about the person that cares for me the most in this world, the person that is the only one that can truly love me, and that person is God. So now I'm just setting my sights on him and making my relationship stronger and learning things that I will need to know when I meet the next girl I will be in a relationship with. God is not only love, but He is true love and where we learn it from. Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010.
"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.."
G. K. Chesterton
Every January 1st, we think of it as a new beginning and fresh start, but than we forget that it's just another day. Sure it's the start to a new year, but that does not mean that everything we did in the year before us will not affect us in the new year. We say it's a new beginning, but in reality it's not the beginning as December 31st is not the end of something. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not important for us to have New Years celebration. I feel God gave us this holiday so that we may take time to reflect and ponder upon all the events and experiences we went through the year before and how we can improve ourselves for the next year. We think back to all the mistakes we made, and that gives us a chance to know what not to do for this year. We think back to all the friends and people we met, and that gives us the chance to really appreciate them. We think back on our family and whatever we may have gone through together the past year, and that gives us the chance to see how much we really took them for granted when some don't even have a family in their lives. We think back on many things, but it can be said that we always think of God (for those who are religious), and that gives us a chance to see how much He has really blessed us throughout the past year and how loving and great He really is. All the happiness, pain, anger, depression, and love moments we had throughout the past year, God was always there with us and never left. He was there when we were at our highest point of happiness and also there when we were in our lowest point of depression/pain. In the beginning of this blog, I showed a quote that said as a new year comes that we don't think of it as a new year/fresh start, but that we think of it as a way for us to have a new soul/better ourselves in God. There were many times throughout the past year that I've neglected God and felt that He wasn't with me, but as I take the time to think back, I realized that whenever I was in times of pain/depression I turned to everyone but Him and that's why I felt He wasn't with me. But God is gracious and patient, so He always gives us an opportunity like New Years to take time and reflect on our past. I know that God has blessed all of us for this new year that is coming up, and that by taking this time to reflect and think back on how we have been living this past year, it will only make us more mature with our relationship with God. For me personally, there were many things I have learned throughout the past year. I learned to depend on God in my times of need instead of depending on man (even though it's still a work in progress), I learned to appreciate my family and friends more and to know how grateful I am to have them in my life, I learned to appreciate the small things in life, the things that not many people notice anymore because society has become so fast pace, and I learned what kind of wife I want to marry. I remember when I was in junior high, people would always tell me that I should pray right now for what type of wife or what I want my wife to be like to God, but than I never really cared about it. I probably did not care too much about it because I have so much anger/pain towards that certain subject, after my birth mom leaving me and my family. I grew up thinking that was just exactly what was going to happen to me as well; that I would find a woman to marry, and everything would be going great, than out of nowhere she would just be gone. So I never took the time to pray about my wife, seeing how I had so much anger inside of me. I'm not saying that I am fully healed from that emotional scar, because I'm not, but I now know that this was the reason for my past woman in my life. It's funny because I think a lot, usually every night while I'm lying in bed trying to sleep, I just think about life. So January 1st really happens every night for me. I realized that this whole time, I was getting into relationships based on what I thought I wanted, not what God knew I needed. So I am trying to just trust God and follow where ever He leads me, in all aspects in my life. So what I'm trying to say through this is, you don't have to do everything on your own, God is here to help and lead you on the right path only if you are willing to accept His help and guidance. I hope that everyone is blessed much more this year than they were the past year, and that your relationship with God becomes more stronger and on a deeper level. Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
G. K. Chesterton
Every January 1st, we think of it as a new beginning and fresh start, but than we forget that it's just another day. Sure it's the start to a new year, but that does not mean that everything we did in the year before us will not affect us in the new year. We say it's a new beginning, but in reality it's not the beginning as December 31st is not the end of something. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not important for us to have New Years celebration. I feel God gave us this holiday so that we may take time to reflect and ponder upon all the events and experiences we went through the year before and how we can improve ourselves for the next year. We think back to all the mistakes we made, and that gives us a chance to know what not to do for this year. We think back to all the friends and people we met, and that gives us the chance to really appreciate them. We think back on our family and whatever we may have gone through together the past year, and that gives us the chance to see how much we really took them for granted when some don't even have a family in their lives. We think back on many things, but it can be said that we always think of God (for those who are religious), and that gives us a chance to see how much He has really blessed us throughout the past year and how loving and great He really is. All the happiness, pain, anger, depression, and love moments we had throughout the past year, God was always there with us and never left. He was there when we were at our highest point of happiness and also there when we were in our lowest point of depression/pain. In the beginning of this blog, I showed a quote that said as a new year comes that we don't think of it as a new year/fresh start, but that we think of it as a way for us to have a new soul/better ourselves in God. There were many times throughout the past year that I've neglected God and felt that He wasn't with me, but as I take the time to think back, I realized that whenever I was in times of pain/depression I turned to everyone but Him and that's why I felt He wasn't with me. But God is gracious and patient, so He always gives us an opportunity like New Years to take time and reflect on our past. I know that God has blessed all of us for this new year that is coming up, and that by taking this time to reflect and think back on how we have been living this past year, it will only make us more mature with our relationship with God. For me personally, there were many things I have learned throughout the past year. I learned to depend on God in my times of need instead of depending on man (even though it's still a work in progress), I learned to appreciate my family and friends more and to know how grateful I am to have them in my life, I learned to appreciate the small things in life, the things that not many people notice anymore because society has become so fast pace, and I learned what kind of wife I want to marry. I remember when I was in junior high, people would always tell me that I should pray right now for what type of wife or what I want my wife to be like to God, but than I never really cared about it. I probably did not care too much about it because I have so much anger/pain towards that certain subject, after my birth mom leaving me and my family. I grew up thinking that was just exactly what was going to happen to me as well; that I would find a woman to marry, and everything would be going great, than out of nowhere she would just be gone. So I never took the time to pray about my wife, seeing how I had so much anger inside of me. I'm not saying that I am fully healed from that emotional scar, because I'm not, but I now know that this was the reason for my past woman in my life. It's funny because I think a lot, usually every night while I'm lying in bed trying to sleep, I just think about life. So January 1st really happens every night for me. I realized that this whole time, I was getting into relationships based on what I thought I wanted, not what God knew I needed. So I am trying to just trust God and follow where ever He leads me, in all aspects in my life. So what I'm trying to say through this is, you don't have to do everything on your own, God is here to help and lead you on the right path only if you are willing to accept His help and guidance. I hope that everyone is blessed much more this year than they were the past year, and that your relationship with God becomes more stronger and on a deeper level. Thanks for reading.
-Paul Lem.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The True Meaning of Christmas.
How can someone be so caring and loving to willingly sacrifice their own child to save people they don't even know? I heard of this story, about a dad that had a choice between either saving his son, or letting a train full of people die. The son had been stuck on a bridge, and a train full of people were coming. The bridge was up so the father had a choice of lowering the bridge while crushing his son and killing him, or letting the train full of people die. He ended up lowering the bridge which killed his son, saving all the people on the train. He didn't know what type of people were in the train, all he knew was he had to make a choice and he made it. It turns out that the train was full of people that were drunk and just partying and they didn't even notice the little boy as they passed the bridge. This is just like God sending His only son to die on the cross for all our sins. Today is Christmas eve, tomorrow is Christmas; the day that Jesus Christ was born into this world. There are so many different interpretations and symbols for Christmas, but many times we forget the true reason of this "holiday". Of course, it's known as the season of giving and not receiving, but then as human beings we always fall into the worldly pleasures. We spend so much time shopping for presents, when in reality we forget that is not the true reason for Christmas. Christmas time should be the time where we reflect on how awesome God really is and how much He really loves us to send his only son to die on the cross for the sins we commit each and every day. We should take this time to realize that even though we neglect and disregard God many times in life, He still is faithful and never leaves us in good times or bad. There are so many times in life, that I forget how amazing and loving God really is to me. He is the only person in my life that I can truly depend on, that will never cease to fulfill my needs and just loves me for me. He looks past all my imperfections, and in His eyes alone I stand perfected. I know that all the struggles, hurt, pain, and trials I go through are because God is making me into a stronger person so if I were ever to face them again in the future I would know what to do. He's the only person that will always forgive me for my sins, never judging me by them. I tend to forget that He is the reason why I am living on this earth, and He has blessed me in so many ways and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for the fact that He sent his son to die on the cross for my sins, and I'm thankful that He will never leave me because that's all I've been used to in my life. So many people have just left out of my life under different circumstances right when I felt that I was getting closer to them or they were becoming a big part of my life, that I just expect it now. But I feel that is God telling me that I shouldn't be too dependent on people, but just be dependent on Him and Him alone. The lyrics "I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sins upon that cross", they play in my mind so much whenever I think about how unworthy I feel to be considered His son, but than he always reminds me that He loves me for who I am and that I am worthy enough. I hope that everyone takes this time to realize how awesome and loving God really is, and just know that He is always going to be there for you. I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and thanks for reading!
"So it's with everything I am, I reach out for your hand.
The hope for change, the second chance I've gained.
On You I throw my life, casting all my fears aside.
How could any love than this, ever possibly exist?
So I wait upon you now, with my hands released to you.
Where a little faiths enough, to see mountains lift and move.
Yeah I'll wait upon you now, dedicated to your will.
To this love that will remain, A love that never fails.."
-Paul Lem.
"So it's with everything I am, I reach out for your hand.
The hope for change, the second chance I've gained.
On You I throw my life, casting all my fears aside.
How could any love than this, ever possibly exist?
So I wait upon you now, with my hands released to you.
Where a little faiths enough, to see mountains lift and move.
Yeah I'll wait upon you now, dedicated to your will.
To this love that will remain, A love that never fails.."
-Paul Lem.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Give Thanks.
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.
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.
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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