The other day I was over at a resort snowboarding. As always I was working on learning new tricks or improving ones I already knew. This day I decided I would finally try and land my first switch backside 540 single cork. Now I'm sure that means little to you who are reading this, but just see where I'm going.
I had tried the trick last year at the end of the season and this year I attempted it before, but I kept on landing on my stomach. One day I decided to ask one of the guys I knew could cork for some tips and suggestions. I found out that one of the main things I was doing wrong was I would open up and let my arms and legs out. What I needed to do instead was to keep my body compressed.
This is what I thought and how I felt while trying to land this trick. - I was ready to take off and it all felt pretty comfortable, I was confidant, and had faith in the advise I was given. As I left the snow and flipped around in the air my thoughts started to change, I started to feel uncomfortable I started to doubt whether I was doing it right, I doubted whether or not the advice I was given was correct. I decided to trust my fears and think I was right and knew what I was doing. I opened up and once again practically fell on my stomach almost getting the trick, but still too far away to land.
Recently I have happened to realize that the process I went through while flipping in the air is very much like a process I go through in life.
I read God's Word and see how He is so good those He loves. I realize that I can trust Him with my life, He knows what is best for me. Then when I have my newfound trust and faith in what God says in His word about His caring love, I go and try a "new trick". I realize that what God has said about His faithful care is true and it feels good, but then He does something I don't feel comfortable with. I then start to think that what I know is good, is good. However, God has a different plan that is so much better even if it doesn't seem so at first. If I start to trust myself and go my own way trusting in my own knowledge I will just belly flop again. However, if I decide to hang in there, have faith in what God is doing in my life I will come around and see that He was right all along. I will know that He is good. I will know I can trust Him with my life.
Are you going to trust God to care for you, or are you going to believe in yourself? We should profoundly realize that God knows best and He has the best planned for us. We may not see it that way because we don't normally like going through hard times, but in the end when you land, once again you will know that God greatly loves you. His purpose for your life is so much greater than any attempt at a good life we can make.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Controller or Controlled? - The One About Technology -
Over the past few months or so I have thought more and more about the influences of technology on culture and people. Just over the past decade crazy advances in technology have occurred. At this point in time just about everybody has a cell phone, a computer, and maybe a tablet. Now of course not everybody has a cell phone, but many do and I think I can also say that at least 50% of those who have cell phones have smart phones. They also rely on them quite heavily. I remember back in 2008 when I first held an iPhone, I remember thinking it was really cool, but I didn't think there was much of a reason to have one. I thought that you wouldn't really need all those features in normal practical life.
Less seven years from the time that phone was released in 2007 we now wonder how we live without our smart phones. How did that happen? How does something that seems maybe useful, but completely unnecessary later become so "necessary"? The labeling of an item as a necessity is merely a result of the changing of our minds ability to understand life with or without the said item.
Cell phones, computers, laptops and other advances in computer technology are quite useful. They help us to accomplish things faster and easier. They make it possible to accomplish certain feats and gain more knowledge. However, the overuse or incorrect usage of such technology isn't good for anyone.
I don't really have a cell phone, but from my observations of others that do I have come to the realization that cellphones are really a bother. At any moment of the day and even the night anyone can get a hold of you. That is nice for important things and predicaments of emergency, but that also means that whenever you hear your phone ring or ding you feel compelled and obligated to look at what it may be. If you don't believe me just try and not look at that notification on your twitter, facebook, and whatever else. Most likely its not important anyways.
I also have another hypothesis about the affect of cell phones and technology on us. I feel like we may be becoming more forgetful and easily distracted. Here is why; when you are reminded at the right time when you need to do something by your devise why do you need to exercise your brain's ability to remember? When we are so easily distracted by the ding of a notification, how do we not get distracted when it comes to anything else? I know this for myself really. I think that our giving in to all the distractions online is changing out mindset to a point where we have a hard time focusing on anything. Is it causing us to get distracted easier when reading God's Word or hearing the sermon at church? Have we given control over to our devise?
I'm not saying we should all get rid of our cell phones, tablets, and computers, but I'm saying that we should evaluate how the presence of such devices affects our lives and mindsets. Are we being distracted by our devises when we are focusing on something that is actually important, like living for God? Do we control our live, does God control our life, or do our devices somehow profoundly change us into someone we don't wish to be? Are we controlled by the very things we control?
Less seven years from the time that phone was released in 2007 we now wonder how we live without our smart phones. How did that happen? How does something that seems maybe useful, but completely unnecessary later become so "necessary"? The labeling of an item as a necessity is merely a result of the changing of our minds ability to understand life with or without the said item.
Cell phones, computers, laptops and other advances in computer technology are quite useful. They help us to accomplish things faster and easier. They make it possible to accomplish certain feats and gain more knowledge. However, the overuse or incorrect usage of such technology isn't good for anyone.
I don't really have a cell phone, but from my observations of others that do I have come to the realization that cellphones are really a bother. At any moment of the day and even the night anyone can get a hold of you. That is nice for important things and predicaments of emergency, but that also means that whenever you hear your phone ring or ding you feel compelled and obligated to look at what it may be. If you don't believe me just try and not look at that notification on your twitter, facebook, and whatever else. Most likely its not important anyways.
I also have another hypothesis about the affect of cell phones and technology on us. I feel like we may be becoming more forgetful and easily distracted. Here is why; when you are reminded at the right time when you need to do something by your devise why do you need to exercise your brain's ability to remember? When we are so easily distracted by the ding of a notification, how do we not get distracted when it comes to anything else? I know this for myself really. I think that our giving in to all the distractions online is changing out mindset to a point where we have a hard time focusing on anything. Is it causing us to get distracted easier when reading God's Word or hearing the sermon at church? Have we given control over to our devise?
I'm not saying we should all get rid of our cell phones, tablets, and computers, but I'm saying that we should evaluate how the presence of such devices affects our lives and mindsets. Are we being distracted by our devises when we are focusing on something that is actually important, like living for God? Do we control our live, does God control our life, or do our devices somehow profoundly change us into someone we don't wish to be? Are we controlled by the very things we control?
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
The Good Life
What is the big question we all as humans ask? Is it who we should marry, where to go to college, what we want to do for a living? Those all are big decisions that bring lots of big and hard questions, but I think that to encompass what we all wonder the question is; What is the good life? What I mean by the good life is the life that it worth it, that means something, and has purpose.
Something that I find to be interesting if I am right is we don't directly ask ourselves that question often. Even though we don't normally ask what the good life is we are always searching and trying to find it. Some think its being rich, others think its about doing good, being kind to others, saving the earth or whatever. I must say that while some of those practices are good, they are not and do not lead to the good life.
Do we really see what the good life is? Or are we blinded by what society tells us it is each and every day? Society and popular desire says that the good life is when you prosper, when life is plentiful, when life is fun, when you are famous, when you are known and loved because of what you do. The world tells us that the good life is about getting the best for ourselves. The world asks; Its our life isn't it, so we should do want we want and what makes us happy.
You know what I have found? I have found that the good life is when you are in deep harmonious relationship with Christ. He is the one who makes your life the good life. Furthermore my relationship with Christ is only right when it is no longer me living, but Christ living inside of me. I think we all as Christians have this problem, we think we know best and we think we know what the good life entails.
When we live out Christ's desires we are living the good life. When we see that it is not our own life, but Christ's we live not according to the flesh, but in connection with the Spirit and according to God's Word.
Christ's life is the standard for the good life, but we are unable to live it without Him because we are sinners. The closer we get to living for Christ, living in deep relationship with him, and living the life He lived on earth, the closer we get to living the good life. In reality the answer to the long asked question of what the good life is can be profoundly reduced to one the simple answer. The good life is when you are in deep harmonious relationship with Christ and are not living your own life, but the life that God has for you.
Something that I find to be interesting if I am right is we don't directly ask ourselves that question often. Even though we don't normally ask what the good life is we are always searching and trying to find it. Some think its being rich, others think its about doing good, being kind to others, saving the earth or whatever. I must say that while some of those practices are good, they are not and do not lead to the good life.
Do we really see what the good life is? Or are we blinded by what society tells us it is each and every day? Society and popular desire says that the good life is when you prosper, when life is plentiful, when life is fun, when you are famous, when you are known and loved because of what you do. The world tells us that the good life is about getting the best for ourselves. The world asks; Its our life isn't it, so we should do want we want and what makes us happy.
You know what I have found? I have found that the good life is when you are in deep harmonious relationship with Christ. He is the one who makes your life the good life. Furthermore my relationship with Christ is only right when it is no longer me living, but Christ living inside of me. I think we all as Christians have this problem, we think we know best and we think we know what the good life entails.
When we live out Christ's desires we are living the good life. When we see that it is not our own life, but Christ's we live not according to the flesh, but in connection with the Spirit and according to God's Word.
Christ's life is the standard for the good life, but we are unable to live it without Him because we are sinners. The closer we get to living for Christ, living in deep relationship with him, and living the life He lived on earth, the closer we get to living the good life. In reality the answer to the long asked question of what the good life is can be profoundly reduced to one the simple answer. The good life is when you are in deep harmonious relationship with Christ and are not living your own life, but the life that God has for you.
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