When what God has called you to do gets tough, you should just give up.
Wait. Before you stone me, read the rest of what I have to say.
That’s right. Give up, and just walk away. God can find someone else to do it, and you can miss out on the blessings He has in store for you.
You see, God doesn’t ask us to do things because he needs us to. He could pick any one of the seven billion people in the world to do it, or even have a rock do it. He asks us so we can experience His blessings.
Consider with me the flood. Imagine for a moment that you were in God’s place. You have decided to start over with humanity, and will destroy the earth with a flood. Which would you do, destroy the earth now and start over, which would take about 47 days, and you would be rid of the thousands who mock you daily by the end of the first, or wait another hundred years so that some old man could build a wood box for him to take his vacation in?
God wouldn’t have even broken a sweat destroying the world and starting over, but He wanted to bless Noah, and so He called him to do something hard.
If you talk to people whom God called to give up everything for Him, they will probably tell you how blessed they have been since doing so. And usually, the more they have given up, the more they have been blessed. And think about this: if they have been so blessed here on earth, how much more when they get to heaven?
So let’s try that first sentence again. When what God has called you to do gets tough, you should just give up. keep going, so that, in his time, God can bless you.
A little while ago, a few months actually, my family and I met a family that is on a email list that my mom subscribes to at a park. We got there at three or four in the afternoon and stayed till 8. I’m not a people person, so I spent the most of the by my self, despite my efforts at conversation. While it was a beautiful park, and I enjoyed being able to just wander around looking at it, every time I would look up at the younger children playing side by side, I would get a deep sense of loneliness. A pain in the deepest part of my soul. I only have a few people I can call friends none of whom I am able to talk to regularly, and none of whom I can call my best friend.
Two of my friends are best friends. They tell each other everything, they know each other as well as they know themselves or better, and are almost constantly talking. That is what I long for, what I have looked so hard for. It’s kind of ironic. I have tried so hard to find that “best friend,” that I have ruined two friendships, and almost a third. I don’t know, maybe the first two weren’t really ever my friends, maybe it was just my imagination, but maybe, even if they weren’t at the time, maybe they could have been, had things been different. And then there were four or five others who might have been truly good friends.
I don’t know why I’m doing this, baring my heart for the whole world to see. It’s stupid, I know, but it’s late at night, and the stars make me lonely.
I almost got to meet one of my friends whom I have never met in person this week. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to though. I really wish I could.
This is silly. I don’t know why I’m posting this. That was one reason I wanted a blog, to write about my feelings. Sorry you had to read that. And thanks.
It’s funny how sometimes, in order for you to see something that is very plain, someone has to say something about it. There is a song on an album by Jj Heller that I recently bought that says “If my arms could reach around You, I would never move.” And it is so true. If we could spend time physically with God, why would we ever want to leave to further his Kingdom? It wouldn’t make sense, would it? I mean, you don’t just leave paradise.
“If my eyes could see you, I’d have no Faith left to prove.” It isn’t Faith when it becomes sight. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) And “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) You can’t walk by faith and not by sight if sight is faith. That would be like saying “I drive an SUV that isn’t a motor vehicle.” And while you may own an SUV that isn’t a motor vehicle, you aren’t going to do much driving in it without a motor, right?
Anyway, that’s all I really had to say. I am sorry it’s been so long since I posted last.
By the way, the song is “Invisible Love,” from the album “Painted Red.” It is, at the time I am writing this, about eight dollars on Amazon.com, if you want to buy the CD. You can also get single MP3 downloads for 99 cents each.
Cheers!
I haven’t forgotten you. I really haven’t. And I haven’t stopped blogging either, I’ve just only been posting on my photography blog. Not because I don’t like this one, I really do, but I can’t get past the thought that I don’t have anything to say that you would be interested in reading. And I know I do have something to say, I just never know what. And I don’t want to use a lot of words to say nothing. Though, that’s probably what I’ll do for this blog post.
I do want to keep posting, and every now and then I’ll even think of something specific to post, but I can never think it through and make it long enough for me to think it is worth my posting it here. And maybe, if I thought about it for longer, I would be able to think of something, but I have trouble staying focused on something for very long. So I guess I’ll never know, will I?
I have been reading a lot, and thinking random things, and I did have a rather long list of things to share with you, but it’s an hour and a half passed my bed time, and I can’t think of any of them. The only reason you don’t see a lot of typos in this is because of spell check.
By the way, if you know who invented that, could you let me know? They need a medal. A medal with super good spelling.
Did I mention it was past my bed time? I did? Well, that’s why these thoughts don’t seem very logical.
Well, not that my thoughts ever seem very logical, but at least that’s a reasonable excuse for this time. And it would have been pretty convincing, wouldn’t it have been? Well, if I hadn’t just told you otherwise…
I wonder where the word “otherwise” came from… Was one person wise, and so they asked him questions, and then when he didn’t know, they went to the other wise? So, when the first wise knew they asked him, otherwise, they asked the other wise.
Yeah, you’re probably right.
Anyway, I was thinking that I didn’t have anything to say worth you all reading, and thought, well, if they don’t want to read it, why would they keep coming to my blog?
So, did you know that the word “blog” is actually a contraction of “web log?” Yeah, I did too. Maybe we should have a marshmallow roast. With carrots. And marshmallow gravy.
I don’t even know how that would work…
Do you think Elias Howe was a curious young fellow? Probably. Why else would he have invented the sewing machine? Well, perhaps it was so that it could be used for sewing. But that’s not very likely, is it?
I have really odd hair.
My sisters think I should go become Dr. Who. (No, we don’t watch it.) I think that the fans would revolt. I do not have the slightest British accent. And I couldn’t fake it either.
I would have to have a really big scarf if I did, like the fourth doctor. My hair is a little like his.
It’s kind of funny. Tom Baker played Dr. Who, and also Puddleglum. I wonder if the characters were alike.
Spell check doesn’t think that Puddleglum is a real word. Which is kind of sad. It’s looking very glum for the spell check. Or maybe for the name. Or the puddle. Yeah, I know. It wasn’t at all funny.
I’m going to go to bed now. Maybe you’ll get a post with more sense to it soon.
I wouldn’t hold my breath though.
That makes it terribly hard to breath.
Cheers!
P.S. Is this post super-awesome? WordPress wants to know… Whatever, I’ll just leave it. Good night!
I hate stress. Stress is not good. I do not handle stress well. I wonder if that’s why I get stressed so easily? Realising that I should have done something and didn’t stresses me out. So does cooking, especially when it gets late. And once I am stressed, the littlest things make it worse. Like, little bothers yelling. Or other little brothers constantly making droning noises.
I guess that’s one reason I keep my hair long-ish. It makes it so that I can pull my own hair instead of my families. Now I just need a punch-bag.
Or some calming music and hot tea.
But then, tea takes a while to make.
But it’s worth it. At least now I won’t rip the front door of it’s hinges.
I get so annoyed with myself when I get stressed. Well, I get annoyed with other people when I am stressed, and then when I am calming down I am annoyed with myself. It is so frustrating for me to look at myself and see how out of control I can be when I am stressed. And, one of the worst parts is that it is usually over such a silly little thing.
I have to go take care of the chickens.
Sorry my first post in a long time was about something like this.
Farewell.
So, I was looking for a file on my computer, (which I didn’t find, by the way…) and found this poem… I’m not entirely sure when I wrote it, or why I wrote it, but I did, and so I thought I would share it with you. I’m also not sure why I wrote it in second person…
Alone
By Joseph Thomas
It took all your strength,It should’ve been easy.
Just a simple task,Just tell her the truth.
Why did it have to be so hard?Why did you wait so long?
Now it’s too late,Now she’s gone.
You failed your task,You lost your chance.
Your cowardice has left you on your own,Your Failure has left you wishing.
Wishing that you had been stronger,Wishing that you had told her.
But now it’s too late,But now she’s gone.
You are alone.
The document says it was the first of January 2012… Anyway, what do you think?
A little while ago, only a few days really, I did a post on why I chose “Forever Knighted” as the name for my blog. For those of you who didn’t read it, the reason is that I have always wanted to be a story-book knight, and because I am a male Christian, I am God’s knight. (You can read the rest of it here.)
The thing is, I’m not the only one who has been called to be a Knight. I believe that every one of God’s children (who are male) are also.
Really though, I’m just a squire. Well, kind of. More like a young knight. Why? Because I still have a lot to learn.
A lot of people have girlfriends these days. Even as young as eleven, people are diving headlong into things that they do not understand, and are not ready for. People do not realize that a girlfriend is the person who you are courting, and eleven is no age to be courting.
What it is time for us teenagers (and children) to do is to prepare, and to train. In my post about the name of my blog, I have a list of the tools that I try to keep with me while I am talking to people, especially if those people are girls. I have to be careful not to say the wrong thing. Here is the list, with a short explanation for all of them.
My horse is truth: What does a knight use his horse for? He rides it, right? It supports him. It’s a whole lot stronger than he is. Truth is the same thing. What would happen if the horse just disappeared from under the knight? It’s the same way with truth. If I tell a lie, even a little one, truth is gone and I will fall. So I do my best to always tell the truth.
My armor, honesty: This is much the same thing as above. If I tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I’m protected from a lot of the dangers that I face.
My sword, the Bible: The Bible it’s self says that it is a sword. It cuts easily through even the thickest layers of lies.
My shield, love unhindered by the romantic nonsense that the world has painted over it: Now, I have nothing at all wrong with adults “falling in love” and getting married. I will probably do so myself. But that is not what I am taking about here. This love is the kind that will take blow after blow and keep caring. We all make mistakes, and we all will offend someone at some time or another, and most of us at least will hurt our friends; the ones we love, but love just keeps loving. And yes, love hurts sometimes, but it is so worth it.
I really wish there were more words than just “love” for the different meanings of love. No word in the English language seems to be sufficient.
The Dragon who threatens is lies: They come in many forms, the more subtle being the most dangerous. Why? Because people are a lot more likely to believe them.
Let’s say you just lost your wallet. If someone were to come up to you and say “I saw Richard tape your wallet to the top of your head” would you believe him? Now, suppose the person were to say “I saw Richard pick up your wallet from off the floor when you walked away. You dropped it while you were sitting down a few minutes ago. I was going to give it to you, but when he picked it up I thought that he was going to, and so didn’t think anything about it.” You would be a whole lot more likely to believe him that time, wouldn’t you? It makes sense. He has all the answers.
Well, you wouldn’t believe him if he tried to make you think it was taped to the top of your head first, but you get the point, right?
You should also read this blog post by Lauren Claire. Yeah, it was written to girls, but I think a lot of it applies to boys too.
So go therefore into the world, but tread carefully lest you fall.
Here’s the poem I promised you! What do you think?
The snow is drifting slowly down,
I can see silence all around.
Everything under this blanket of white,
Bathed by the moon in pure silver light.
I find myself drawn out into the snow,
Where never before I have been I go,
I am not afraid of being alone,
For the way home my steps have shown.
And so I venture into the snow,
Where I am going I cannot know.
That’s the end of it. Cheers!
Recently someone asked about the name of my blog, and I realized that I never did explain what that meant. Here is something that I wrote in March of 2012 that explains pretty well why I chose the name that I did.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a story-book knight. You know, the kind that would ride in on a white charger wearing shining armor, and save the fair maiden from the dragon. Recently I found that I have been called to do just that. For me though, it is a little different. You see, my horse is truth; My armor, honesty; My sword, the Bible; My shield, love unhindered by the romantic nonsense that the world has painted over it; and the dragon is the lies that the world spreads about who and what they [the people] have to be. And I’m not always good at using them, but these are the tools that God has given me, and I pray that I will be able to more efficiently use them in the future.
This is from my Gravatar page. It’s mostly the same thing, only a little shorter, and more lighthearted.
Joseph is a sixteen year old boy who has, for as long as he can remember, wanted to be a fairy tale knight. You know the one, they come in just in time to rescue the fair maiden, and then ride off on a magnificent steed. They are always perfect, and, though they do sometimes make a mistake, they always make it right by the end of the story. Well, that or die, but you get the idea.
Okay, you say, that’s where the “Knighted” part comes from, but what about the “Forever?” Well, forever comes from saying “for” and “ever” together, and then one day in the 17th century they decided to make them both into a single word.
What, that wasn’t what you wanted to know? Oh…
Well, the “Forever” in my blog name, comes from the fact that God’s calling to Christians does not end. Ever. Not even when we die, because we are still His chosen people after death, and we will live for eternity in heaven. So, our calling is forever.
So there you have it. That’s what my blog name comes from.
On a side note… (—> Over there…)
Right before I get married, I want both of our fathers to knight me.
That would be awesome.
And then, during the ceremony perhaps, I want her to knight me.
Wouldn’t that be so romantic?
Anyway, that’s all I have for you today. I will try to post a poem tomorrow. It’s an old poem, and some of you may have already seen it, but I don’t think most of the people who read my blog have. It’s called (Dramatic music) “Winter Walk by Moonlight.”
Cheers!
So, first off, I am sorry it has been so long since my last post. I’ve not had many ideas lately… This one actually came while at a store.
So, what I am going to do is basically list a few of the things that, well, are my favourite things. The things that even when I have one (or two, or three…) I always want to get while shopping. Things such a lasers. Well, laser pointers, anyway. I would love to be able to get a cutting laser, but not yet. Anyway, I actually ordered a laser a few days ago. It is a green laser with a black casing. Yes, I did say a green laser, and yes, they really do come in more colours than just red. Someday I want to try growing a plant using three lasers, red, green and violet/blue. I wonder how it would grow. Maybe someday I will. I hope so. I would also like to try doing it with three red, three green, three violet/blue, and one with a sunlight emulating grow lamp, and see which of the five do best. Probably the red laser or the grow lamp will.
Another thing that I always want to get is a flashlight, especially one that is small enough to fit in a pocket. I don’t know why, but I do. A mirrors. Mirrors are awesome. And magnifying glasses. And pocket knifes. And old books. Like the ones from more than a hundred years ago. The older the better.
One thing that I love to do is read. I love reading almost anything. I am reading a book on body language right now. (To my sisters: :P) Another is take pictures. As you probably know, I have a nice camera and take pictures rather often. I haven’t taken any recently though… I need to. I enjoy shopping, especially window shopping where I don’t actually spend any money. I sometimes spend hours on Amazon looking at different products, comparing prices, reading reviews, and deciding which I would buy if I were buying one of them. I enjoy working. I love the feeling of getting something done. Though, sometimes, due to other things, it isn’t worth it and I would rather feel like I had wasted my whole life. And I do feel like that sometimes.
…Why is it that I keep typing “somethimes” rather than “sometimes?” That’s annoying…
Well, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings. I don’t thing there was an ounce of sense in them, but there they are.
Maybe a grain of sense.
But I doubt it.
By the way, I also love using the British spellings of words. But I’m sure you could have guessed that…
Forever Knighted 