Save the Hero

I'll dive right in. In Beyonce's song, 'Save the Hero,' she asks a surprising & simple question. She asks "Who's there to save the hero?"
When listening I thought to myself, 'valid point Beyonce, I'm surprised at you.' 
My point today is to tell you who really is there to save the hero. 
My answer is: no one. 

The hero doesn't need a savior; he is the savior. When Jesus hung on a cross, did anyone save Him? No, & he could have called down an army of angels to help Him. Heck he honestly could have killed all the sinners up in here without even blinking, but He didn't, because He's the hero. 

A hero is "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities."
And you can't deny that, because I got it from the dictionary. 
It's interesting to me that the definition says that the hero is admired for his deeds and nobility. Often times I think that the hero is cast aside because society cannot see his brave deeds or noble qualities. Does that make him more of a hero? 

I think so. I think that the greatest hero is he who does admirable deeds and possesses noble qualities but does not boast or show these traits only in front of large crowds. The greatest hero is someone who is not noticed in his deeds, maybe even sometimes questioned and even laughed at, but he pushes on because he knows it is right. 

Matthew 5 tells us to let our light shine before men. This at first seems to contradict everything I just said. Thinking about it, letting your light shine is not boasting or showing everyone your good deeds. It means allowing the light inside you that comes not from you, but from the Lord, to flow through you out into the world and others around you. 
You can still be mocked by everyone if your light is shining bright. 
Don't give up hope. 
Food for thought. 

Words or Actions?

Alright so, whoever said "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was dumb, right? But whoever said "Actions speak louder than words," was a scholar? Right.

Can we all agree with that? Why? Are the statements true? And should they be?

These are the questions that have been eating at me, and hopefully I can shed some light on the subject here. For myself and whoever you are.

I think that the single most powerful thing is when someone uses words backed with actions. A threat is just a joke without the follow through, and a promise just a lie. Words can be empty and hollow, but without them we are unsophisticated like animals, and they can also be quite powerful, life changing even. However actions are extremely strong, and used without words can be extremely calm and peaceful, like a hug or a smile, but also outrageous and brutal, like a punch to the face. If I could only have one, it'd be actions. They are the foundation of words.

But of course, I love words. I have a deep passion for the written word. Words can change the world. Blowing up a building can cause quite a stir, but an article or book can change a civilization's way of thinking. They are so moving and powerful; they can be more beautiful than the thing they're describing if used correctly. They allow you to see into the characters' minds. You can be whoever you're reading about. It's fantastic.

At the same time, sometimes words just aren't enough.

Of course, the answer is annoying; a healthy balance of both will be the strongest.
Food for thought. I don't have a real answer for you. I'm feeling extra cynical tonight. Sorry.

Trust Issues

I don't believe you.
Honestly, if you tell me you're going to do something for me, I think there's about a forty percent chance of that happening.
People these days can't commit and it's quite stifling. I think there's very few true friends out there for all of us.
When I say true friend, I don't just mean someone I know who will say hello to me in the hall and give me a smile, I mean someone who sees that I am in trouble and does everything in their power to help.
I miss being a kid, when everyone was right, and when you said you were a dinosaur, you really were a dinosaur.
I don't think we ever grow up. We just get hairy and tall.
We learn from mistakes, and we grow through challenges, but we don't grow up. Inside everyone is a child begging to be a spaceship pilot. I know I want to be a spaceship pilot.
But that's besides the point. The point is I have a difficulty trusting anyone around me. It's really not your fault, it's mine. It's fairly easy to see that I think.
I think the reason I can't trust anyone is because I get thrashed when people break commitments, and I need to learn to trust others without placing faith in them, because people are careless.

I am only one man. boy. child. I am only one person.
I need to realize that everyone else are people as well.
At that point maybe I can trust everyone.
I think that the greatest thing to strive for as Christians, & even as humans really, is to love others, and I can't love without trust.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about universal peace & love, like the hippies, I just mean showing others the care that you would like to be shown. It's the golden rule that is taken for granted every single day.
Today I rediscovered 1 John 4:16, which says "God is love, & the one who resides in love resides in God."

To share the gospel is not to spit out the story of Jesus and hope that we get through to the 'poor lost pagans.' If we do that, we are treating everyone we talk too like a free agent we want on our team. If we show them real love and care, I believe we can reach countless more without saying a word about Jesus.

I'm just as bad as this as anyone, and this is more a journal than anything,
but if you struggle with anything on here, I hope I've helped, and please feel free to come talk to me.
You're fantastic,
Austin.

The Other Cheek

Turning the other cheek doesn’t technically mean taking the punch and dealing with the pain. Personally I decipher it as allowing that person to continue their blows while simply ignoring the hurt, knowing that no matter what they do, they cannot actually do anything to you. If a person like me cannot learn to do such thing, they will live their whole lives hurting, instead of finding protection and comfort, without other people’s support. Recently I’ve discovered I’ve been allowing myself to get beat down when others have started to tell me the jobs I do aren’t good enough. I have to learn to allow these comments to roll off my back, otherwise what kind of life am I living? Introvert, extrovert. People who gain energy from being alone, or from themselves, or people who gain energy from being surrounded by others, or from others. Basically, the question is, can you, I, anyone, allow others to become merely people instead of authority, in order to turn the other cheek? Food for thought. Night folks.