Thursday, October 29, 2009

Up In Flames

Miguel de Cevantes Saavedia once said, ~The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies and still defying fortunes spite; revive from ashes and rise.~ I think it would be safe to say many of us pretty much know the ancient mythology of the firebird known as the phoenix. For its this fiery creature that lives for possibly 500/1000 years and dies leaving only the remnants of its own ashes. Yet, from within those ashes new life is born as the strong and fiery creature once again emerges. If you think about it, there are certain aspects of life that, in a sense, compare to the death and rebirth of the phoenix. You see, when it comes to aspects in life such as friendship, the human heart, and faith that at times tend to metaphorically burn up and die out, so to speak, only to rise up from the ashes once again.

Without a doubt, a friendship can most definitely burn up and die out leaving ashes of what was left of a strong bond between two once great friends. It's a sad situation indeed when two best buds or gal pals are no longer blazing the skies, in a manner of speaking, creating long lasting memories because of a guy/girl coming in between the two of them or whatever the case may be. Every person has been a witness to or were one half of a dynamic duo in which something happened during a particular time that the friendship was extinguished leaving in its wake the charred ashes of a great friendship. However, the friendship was able to rise up from the ashes burning stronger and flying higher depending on whichever person took the initiative to make amends whether it was his/her fault or not.

Oftentimes, the human heart can for all intents and purposes die from being burned so many times over to where it comes to the point of completely crumbling in your hand. For a number of people they know all too well that innate feeling as if their heart has been totally charred from seemingly experiencing the unfortunate scorching flames of heartbreak, disappointment, anger, bitterness, sadness, confusion, etc. You got to give much respect to those individuals who even though they have been badly burned in the past by guys/girls that left them to, in a way, sweep up the ashy remains of what used to be filled with absolute true happiness, they continue to fight to live each day no matter what exuding an inner emotional, mental, physical, as well as spiritual strength.

1 Peter 1:7 says, ~That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.~ Let me ask you this question, how many of you have went through or are personally going through now your own trials and tribulations where your faith in God is being/has been tested? For some, most or all people have experienced or are currently experiencing situations in life where they've either battled/are battling getting their life back together as they deal with their personal demons concerning alcohol/drugs or dealing with a complications in a marriage/divorce leaving him/her tired, frustrated, and not being able to smile. Let me tell you something, you may lose faith in God when your lif seemingly falls apart but its God who will always be by your side and will never lose faith in you. In retrospect, we're all facing or will face situations in life where one life "dies" and a new one begins. Marriage, the birth of a child, the death of a beloved friend/family member, a new job, faith in God, etc. are considered just a number of things that can be in one's own view as a new flame being born or a dying flame that has caused/is causing you grief. Thinking about it, just like the phoenix we all have a certain amount of time to live on this Earth and you can focus on either the positive aspects in this world as you live it to the fullest blazing a trail flying high in sky or focus all your attention on the negative aspects letting the ashes of your life run between your fingers. In the end, when it comes to the fire that burns in certain aspects of our lives we want it to keep continuously burning and instead not have it go up in flames where the life you live is stained with the dark ashes of pain and sadness.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Down To You

Robert Sexton once said, ~In a time when nothing is more certain than change, the commitment of two people to another has become difficult and rare. Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced.~ Without a doubt, when it comes to matters of the heart in regards to an engagement that moves towards marriage you have to be 100% certain you truly love the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with. For its most definitely a big change in two people's lives and even though there may possibly be a sense of fear being felt they both have committed their lives to each other and nobody else. Thinking about it, of the many values that make a lasting marriage absolutely beautiful the following 3 are considered key: friendship, trust, and faith.

Let me ask you this question to those who are engaged/married, how many of you started off as friends and the physical aspect didn't come into play in the relationship whatsoever? Its an amazing concept indeed to be just friends where talking to each other is actually involved first before ever establishing a relationship that is totally physical. In today's dating scene where hooking up immediately is the norm, you can't get a good grasp of who stands in front of you without knowing what gets one in a lively excited state of mind, which is oftentimes something simple yet thoughtful if you really pay close attention. You see, when you start off as friends you have a smile on your face but as the friendship grows further into something more the smile eventually is seen in your heart.

If you think about it, its rare these days to have one of the most important values needed for a marriage to succeed...trust. Why? The importance of trust plays a pivotal role in a marriage and I think it would be safe when you have someone special in your life you know with absolute certainty you can place your trust in wholeheartedly your worst fears are squashed. To have a guy/girl like that in which it causes you to no longer have any deep concerns leaving you fearfully doubting as to whether or not he/she will hurt you gives you a sense of peace in your mind and heart, which quite a few of you haven't had much of in the past. Let me tell you something ladies and gentlemen, it's hard to trust especially when your heart is on the line, but when time is taken to earn that trust it's all worth it.

Ecclesisastes 5:4-5 says. ~When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.~ Essentially, you have to be certain that the solemn, sacred vows made faithfully to each other, to the people in attendance, and to God as well to where every word leading up to "I do" not only represents Him as it also represents a strong commitment in every sense of the word because if it isn't you're just not fooling yourself you're fooling Him as well. What it primarily comes down to is serious dedication in walking with God who sees, in a sense, two fools genuinely in love for all the right reasons as you both put in the effort of working hard to stay in love instead of being seen by Him as just two foolish people making a big mistake.

In retrospect, you have to wonder how many people are certain they married or are marrying a guy/girl who is their/has been their best friend from the very beginning, a trusting confidant in which what is said between the two of them is kept on the down low, and a Godly spiritual human being who will pray/has always prayed for you when experiencing tough times emotionally, mentally, and/or physically. In the end, to those who are certain you can say to the one you love with a smile on your face that when it comes down to you I have no uncertainty to speak of because there's nothing more certain in my life than you as I give you/have given you my friendship, my trust, and my unwavering faith in you to always lead the both of us on the right path when it involves our spiritual walk with God as we journey together in true happiness.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Don't Speak

Someone once said, ~You don't have to love in words: even through silence, love is heard.~ If you think about it, when it comes to matters of the heart there are moments of unspoken silence shared with a certain special someone that are truly cherished. For its those particular moments of shared silence where there is this a feeling of a strong sense of comforting ease letting you and your potential/significant other know there isn't a need to say anything to each other. A touching smile, a soulful gaze, a soft caress of the hand, a meaningful kiss, etc. are just a number of ways a person shows how much he/she genuinely and honestly cares about you. Essentially, it's a type of love only a handful of people who are truly in love understand as they can hear it loud and clear within their heart.

Without a doubt, so much can be said from one heart to another without uttering a single word. Its an amazing situation indeed to witness couples married for 40, 50, 60 years sitting together and the husband expresses his love towards his beloved wife/best friend in absolute total silence. I think it would be safe to say every young couple strives to have that sense of contentment where you for all intents and purposes embrace the tranquil silence and not let the noisy surroundings become a distraction. Thinking about it, it's difficult for any young couple these days to be in a place of such a heightened state of awareness where you're so emotionally, mentally, and spiritually in tune, so to speak, with each other the love you share goes beyond what words can say.

As said before, there are moments that are cherished in matters of heartfelt silence where you let the surroundings speak for the both of you giving way to the possibilities of an unforgettable, romantic memory. For those who are in potential and/or significant relationships can you remember a specific moment you still continue to cherish in your heart such as sitting together quietly on the beach watching the sun slowly set off in the distant horizon or simply taking a walk hand in had on a particular nature trail leading to a breathtaking scenic view? You see, it's those two special moments and others like it in which you're given the opportunity to say in words how you feel but instead let it be said in a look, a smile, a kiss, and/or an embrace.

Let me ask you this question ladies and gentlemen, how many of you have ever experienced a moment where someone looked you in the eyes and you could feel him/her staring into your very soul to the point where the whole world goes completely quiet? To be perfectly honest, it's rare these days for any person to meet someone who can look not just into your eyes, but look into your heart as well to where he/she sees the remarkable person you undeniably are without opening his/her mouth to speak to you. Every person has experienced or is currently experiencing a feeling like anything you've never felt before as the unspoken care/love being shown to you leaves you speechless, which causes you to become scared and yet it's a good kind of scared.

William Shakespeare said, ~The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.~ In retrospect, it's definitely hard to put into words the love one has within his/her heart for another, which is why there are so many countless acts of stupidity in the name of it. Oftentimes, it makes you doubt as to whether or not opening your mouth to say what is in your heart worth it. However, you can't deny the fact there is something powerful in the pure innocence of love or true love for that matter that can't be hidden as a person's true feelings are revealed and seen clear as day in that person's body language. In the end, it's the special moments in a relationship where you don't speak are the most cherished in a relationship and will be remembered as they speak volumes for years to come.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Just Breathe

Someone once said, ~Love is giving someone the ability to destroy you but trusting them not to.~ Without a doubt, when it comes to matters of the heart in regards to love/true love you can most definitely allow yourself to experience absolute vulnerability knowing full well that particular person has the power to destroy you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. Destroy you in such a way the inner turmoil one goes through leaves you with a tightened sensation within your chest to where its hard for you to even breathe. Yet, even though you may have this overwhelming sense off fear concerning getting hurt by a certain special someone you inevitably put all your trust in him/her leaving you with this sense of peaceful calm you can't explain to the point where the times you continue to spend with him/her you begin to breathe easier and easier.

Let me ask you this question: how many of you have experienced in the past or currently are experiencing a situation in a bad relationship where the guy/girl focused on metaphorically destroying not only your heart, but your overall sense of being? It's a sad situation indeed to know someone or you were that someone who wasn’t shown any kind of love from a once best friend you wholeheartedly trusted to never cause you pain but he/she unfortunately does. Essentially, the negativity coming from him/her gets in all intensive purposes dumped on to your shoulders leaving you to feel the stressful pressure weighing down on you causing difficulty in being able to take in air. However, you no longer feel the stress of negativity weighing your shoulders down as you have met someone who has gradually helped lighten the load, so to speak, off your tired shoulders.

If you think about it, it's impossible to destroy a person's heart because no matter how many times it gets put in the proverbial grinder or gets repeatedly stomped on it's always able to come back from the brink of utter destruction. In a sense, the all out painful beating one takes can leave you emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually beaten/bruised all suffered at the hands of a guy/girl who seemingly doesn't show any kind of mercy. For it's a type of pain that doesn't heal quickly and for a certain number of people they personally know all too well the discomfort of having their own heart tightly bandaged due to the senseless brutality of someone who just doesn't care. Let me tell you something ladies and gentlemen, bruises heal and the pain will go away as time goes along with the right guy/girl by your side heals all wounds.

For the question can be asked to those who are still standing after nearly getting destroyed in a past relationship by a guy/girl who wanted nothing more than to see you break, who/what has helped you through it all? Friends, family, shedding of tears, smiling, laughter, praying to God, reading His word, etc. are just some of the things that initially help not just ease the pain of heartbreak but it helps make every breath you take easier to breathe in each and every day. What it comes down to is having supportive people that have your back no matter what and will stand in front of you if need be to take the brunt of the beat downs. You see, it's the people who genuinely and honestly care about you, along with The Almighty God, that don't have intentions to seek and destroy but instead have intentions to seek with comforting, caring love, whereby giving you more room to breathe easier as times go by.

In retrospect, there are people out there who allowed themselves to be truly vulnerable and have ended up with their heart destroyed causing their views on love/true love to be destroyed also. For some people, they refuse to take off the tight bandage around their heart causing difficulties in breathing to where their hopes of ever experiencing true happiness never happen while others have made the decision to take off the bandage around their heart as they slowly but surely breathe in and out. It's a painful process but by enduring the pain you eventually let go of the fear, doubt, and negative people weighing down on you giving you the chance to live the life you always wanted with someone who loves/cares for you with all his/her heart. In the end, when the weight of the world is off your shoulders and experience for yourself true happiness you're absolutely deserving of with a smile on your face you can finally just breathe, which is a song by former Rockstar Supernova contestant Ryan Star that somewhat reflects this thought.