Dream On

Dream big. Reach for the stars, and you will accomplish great things. Dream until your dreams come true. These are all great inspirational phrases that we have been told our entire lives. What most people fail to mention is how hard it is to actually accomplish these “great things” that dreams are supposed to produce.

I think this is the main problem in today’s society. How are we ever supposed to get anything done if we spend our entire lives believing that all we need to do to make our dreams come true is simply, well, dream? Don’t get me wrong, having big dreams is great. At times it is the only thing that keeps us motivated. But what people tend to forget is that there is a lot of hard work required in order to make our dreams come true. I think that as senior year has progressed and we are faced with huge decisions concerning the rest of our lives, many of us have come to realize this same truth.

We all have different dreams of what we hope to accomplish in our lives: some of us strive to be doctors, while others want to become missionaries or pastors. Still others wish to go into business, science, art, or music. Some of us are still undecided, or, as I like to put it, “keeping our options open.” None of these desires is superior to any other; no matter what our goal we all hope to accomplish big things, or even just live happily ever after. However, these goals also have another thing in common: they all require at least some amount of hard work. Some of us may allow ourselves to be deterred by the amount of time, effort, and heart required to achieve our goals, but for those who press on there will be a reward that makes all the sweat, blood, and tears worthwhile: a dream come true.

-SB

Pain and Faith

Pain. This is the one thing in our lives that is absolutely inevitable. At some point in our lives the people we love will disappoint us and cause us some sort of pain. The question I have is it really worth it then to put ourselves our there and run the risk when you already know that the inevitable is pain?

Feeling pain is something that our society tells us is a bad thing. Whether it be in athletics, experiencing a death, dealing with a hard break up, or even losing a friend. Society tells us that we should show no pain even if we are experiencing a great difficulty in our lives. My family always taught me that pain is something for sissies and that if you want to achieve and become something great you have to show no pain or fear. This line of thinking in the end actually caused me more hurt than it did help me in any way. See, after hearing this ever since I was little, it became stuck in my head and soon I was unable to show any kind of emotion whatsoever. I had been so used to hiding all the pain that I felt that it began to eat me away on the inside. I was so ashamed that someone would think that I wasn't perfect that I hid everything from everyone. I got to the point where I was absolutely miserable. I thought that no one could ever understand what I was going through and better yet, I honestly did not think anyone cared. This build up of hurt and pain in my life started to hinder me from actually loving someone. People had hurt me so much in my life it was hard for me to actually believe that someone could actually love me. I had started making these boundaries in my life so that no one could ever hurt me again.

I believe that Meredith Grey said it best in Grey's Anatomy: “At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them....”

I spent so much time every day trying to learn how to keep people out of my life that I never really experienced the happiness and joy of everyday life. Even though pain is something that is inevitable, I have found out it is worth it. I know there are times when everything goes so wrong and it feels like God is nowhere to be found . . . where there is so much pain in your life that you think you could never get thru this. The key in my life has always been faith, faith that God is there and is always looking out for us. Faith that no matter how bad the pain is in my life that God is always there no matter what. That no matter how far I think I have gone from God I can never get far enough to escape his love. God knows my past and he knows what is going to happen in my future. Lately, God has been trying to reveal some of what my future holds for me. However, I do not know yet what college I am attending, but I know that God will reveal this to me in his perfect timing. I have questioned God for so long, and I have finally decided that I am going to have faith in Him no matter what the cost may be. God is calling you to come to that same realization...will you listen to this call?

-Jordan

Facebook

My name is Leanna, and I am a stalkaholic. That’s right… you heard me. Definition? Someone who constantly creeps (lurks) on social networking sites, typically concerning individuals they don’t have a personal relationship with. And ten bucks says that if you’re reading this and have a page of your own, you’re guilty of the very same habit.
Let’s be honest with ourselves… How many times do we log into Facebook or Myspace, complete our original task, and then proceed to spend at least an hour or more “checking up” on other people we hadn’t considered before? You know what I’m talking about. It’s that feeling of “Hey! They posted another bulletin. This oughta be good.” Or, “Wow… She posted a new pic? Ummm looks totally emo. Better check out her entire Profile Pictures album to confirm it.” Then you begin clicking from page to page, all the while channeling useless information whose only purpose is small talk at the lunch table the next day.
Another personal favorite of mine is the classic “Change in Relationship Status”. It’s the only way to keep up with who is dating whom these days, especially since most people go through relationships like dirty socks. What makes this point oh so valid is the Facebook group that revolves around it. I believe the title actually states “They’re dating now? Yeah, it’s Facebook Official.” The awesome thing is that this group has 620,650 fans, and counting. SINCE WHEN DID FACEBOOK BECOME THE NEW SOCIAL CONFIRMER FOR EVERY SNGLE ASPECT OF LIFE? It’s like if you want to know anything about a person, simply check their page. They are most likely a fan of it, have pictures with it, blogging about it, or posting statuses everywhere. Our society no longer cares about the deeper things… Even in face to face conversations, I now feel like we only go for the Internet-worthy details. Forget feelings if they’re not broadcasted publicly through status updates. Forget friends if they’re not plastered all throughout photo albums. Forget relationships if they’re not confirmed online; this person is now fair game. Forget any real communication between two people; as long as someone “likes” your most recent post, it’s all good. Forget the deeper meaning of anything in life. Actually, forget about life in general. Because if you don’t update your online profile every hour, on the hour, chances are the world has forgotten about you.

The Defeated King

Once upon a time there lived a girl who had everything she ever wanted.
She had every toy she ever wanted and clothes from beyond the sea.
Yet she was innocent and humble as can be
She had blue eyes that sparkled and a smile that was bright
Her spirit was cheerful and light
But was soul was mysterious as the night
She had no boundaries and no one laid down any rules.
The world was at her finger tips and she knew of nothing cruel.
Her father was the King, the ruler of all the land
Hatred in his heart, be began his master plan
He knew of no wrong that she had done
Yet he wished instead that he could bare son
It was a warm summer night when it was to occur
She slept in her bed unaware of their lure
Quietly they captured the poor helpless child
And traveled hill after hill, mile after mile
The years went by without a word from the girl
Some thought she died some she lived
But the King was satisfied with what he did
He knew no love and had grace
The people of his land hated his face
They knew what he had done
How he kidnapped his daughter in a quest of a son
The people began to turn their backs
They wanted a ruler with grace and respect
A ruler courageous as a knight
They picked a fierce one to lead the fight
Soon the King was greatly defeated
And asked for mercy from the great dark knight
The knight took the throne and brought in his wife
The woman was beautiful and full of life
She was the daughter of the defeated King

-Danielle

TRUE Love...

Love is a word that is completely thrown around and insincere these days. It's really pathetic. People say that love is just a feeling that they get when they are around that "special someone." But I disagree. I think love is an action. It's giving of yourself. It's not sex. It's not just a special feeling. It's sacrifice. It's doing what you might not enjoy just because you want the happiness of the person you love. It's giving up something that you want in order to put another person before yourself because you have their best interests in mind.

See, love is the opposite of hate. What happens when you hate someone? Usually, you want to do everything you can to get revenge or show your hatred. So why don't we do the same thing with love? Why don't we give up or do anything in order to show our love for someone...if we truly love them?

Valentine's Day just passed and the word "love" was probably cheated out of its real meaning by some people. I admit that I have thrown the word around, but I think we all need to stop throwing around this precious word and learn its true meaning... "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..."

I have several of these aspects that I personally need to improve on. At times, it seems impossible to love some people. But, I know that the Perfector of love (Jesus) can help me get where I need to be.

-Lindsey

Alone

Many people speak about feeling alone. They describe that horrible feeling of utter loneliness. It seems to be a feeling that most people have experienced in their lives, or experience every day of their lives. I am the exception to this case. No matter how rough life gets I never feel alone. The times that I am the loneliest, are really the times that I feel the happiest. God is always with me, right by my side. I can literally feel Him every second of every day. The times in life that I am in pain or struggling the most, are the times that I can feel Him right there with me the strongest. No matter what happens I cannot feel alone. I can’t imagine having to go through life feeling empty, abandoned, depressed, and thinking that nobody would care whether I was alive or dead. It must break God’s heart to be right next to a person who desperately needs Him, but not be able to help them because they don’t want anything to do with Him. God is not our enemy, but the one who takes us through life and makes it worth living. I depend on God so strongly that I don’t believe that I could live without Him. I don’t know how I could survive without feeling his kisses and hugs, or without having His everlasting peace within me. Feeling Him inside of me reminds me everyday that nothing can ever happen where He is not with me and in control of everything that happens. He is my best friend and the only one who knows everything about me. This is why it is impossible for me to ever feel or be utterly alone.
-Ivanna

Body in a Box

Body In A Box: Dallas Green

There's a funeral procession on the highway,
Traffic screeches to a halt.
There’s people searching for a better way
To live their lives.

“Johnny lived a good life,” you’ll hear them say
As tears of sadness soak the ground.
The reaper crept in, took his breath away
In the middle of the night.

We celebrate the lives of the dead.
It’s like a man’s best party only happens when he dies.
We gather round to pay our respects while their souls are still searching for the light,
Searching for the light.

So please don’t come to me on my dying day.
Just let me go in peace
With all the things that I forgot to say
Racing through my mind.

And don’t you bury me six feet underground.
Just burn my body in a box,
And let my ashes blow with the wind
Out into the night sky.

We celebrate the lives of the dead
It’s like a man’s best party only happens when he dies.
We gather ‘round to pay our respects while their souls are still searching for the light,
Searching for the light.

Searching for the light.
Searching for the light.

There’s a funeral procession on the highway, traffic hesitates to stop. There are people searching for a better way, but a better way for what? We run through life not noticing the little things, and rather than taking life moment by moment, we take it day by day and as we age, it worsens to year by year. We lose our respect, our appreciation, and our lives by wasting our time searching for understanding (the light). What no one ever seems to see is that we already have all of the understanding that we actually need to survive… but we forget, why? Why does it seem in life that the most important things are not remembered once forgotten? Why and how do we forget LIFE? It is the only thing that we have without a doubt from our first breath to our last, and we don’t even know that it is there.

The only party that many will ever have is the one they are made to miss because their soul has died before their body… but my revelry is now: so when I die, burn my body and put me back from which I came so that when I pass, the world will forget me, but the earth and wind cannot, and I will go in peace.

Live life well. Solitude is not for those who are still breathing.

-Jill