http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/28310-americas-obsession-with-sarcasm
This article reminds me of my life before knowing Christ, using sarcasm to bring others down to my level. Even though I now know why I have been sarcastic for a good part of my life, I still need reminding when those kinds of words are about to come out. I wonder what my life would be like free of sarcasm....infinitely more pleasant for others for sure and probably also more pleasant for myself too. One more thing that shows how broken we are as people and how perfect God is as our Savior.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
following your dreams?
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10
In comparison to our parents' generation, our generation has been told to "follow our dreams, do what we are most passionate about, not be afraid of taking a chance on life." In college we come in as the typical engineering majors or pre-med students, but after a year of taking intro courses, we decide that we are not going to follow in the footsteps of our parents, but instead we pave our own way as we venture into the liberal arts and such. Maybe this is more applicable to Asian-Americans, but nonetheless it's seen almost everywhere. So what happens when we realize we aren't following our dreams? Or not pursuing our greatest passion in life? Most of us in this generation quit because we believe that God has a greater plan for us in another career, and that may be true, but are we really seeking his wisdom about it or just covering up our own feelings with a God-centered purpose?
Since being in med school, I have struggled with this whole "following my dream" idea. Being a doctor hasn't been my dream for a couple of years now, but I'm still here. I wonder to myself all the time if I should be doing something else, if I misread some signs from God that he wanted me here, if I was ever cut out for being a doctor. And I have come pretty close to calling it quits, like this week (haha), but God speaks to us even in our greatest times of doubt. He spoke through my parents, my mentor at school, and mostly importantly the Word. This verse comes from when Paul is talking about the thorn in his side that was placed there to keep him humble. It keeps him from doing certain things, but even in his weakness, he recognizes that God is stronger and for that reason he boasts all the more of his mighty power. Now my situation is not as bad as Paul's for sure; however, I can empathize with him. As bad as it sounds, med school has been that thorn in my side (or so I think), keeping me from doing what I want (which honestly, I'm not even sure about). I have tried to remove it myself by contemplating other career options and giving up on this. God for some reason has not let me do this. Maybe because he wants me to see how selfish my reasons are (i.e. it's not my passion, it's not what I want to do, etc) or desires to achieve a greater glory through this journey to becoming a doctor. All I know is that it has shifted my view on how to understand God's calling for you. Yes, he wants you to be happy; yes, he is working for your good; yes, he will give you wisdom when needed. But, if we don't stick through the times where we hate what we're doing, we have no desire to continue on, we lack any sort of passion for our ministry or job or education, how can we say we believe in the power of God working through what Christ has done on the cross? How can we boast of his strength when we don't even let him use it in our weakness? God wants you to follow your dreams, but you have to want to follow him more and what he has set out for you. It may not be clear that this season of life is a step closer to that dream, but I think God knows better than we do the steps that we need to take to get there and how to glorify him the most through it.
In comparison to our parents' generation, our generation has been told to "follow our dreams, do what we are most passionate about, not be afraid of taking a chance on life." In college we come in as the typical engineering majors or pre-med students, but after a year of taking intro courses, we decide that we are not going to follow in the footsteps of our parents, but instead we pave our own way as we venture into the liberal arts and such. Maybe this is more applicable to Asian-Americans, but nonetheless it's seen almost everywhere. So what happens when we realize we aren't following our dreams? Or not pursuing our greatest passion in life? Most of us in this generation quit because we believe that God has a greater plan for us in another career, and that may be true, but are we really seeking his wisdom about it or just covering up our own feelings with a God-centered purpose?
Since being in med school, I have struggled with this whole "following my dream" idea. Being a doctor hasn't been my dream for a couple of years now, but I'm still here. I wonder to myself all the time if I should be doing something else, if I misread some signs from God that he wanted me here, if I was ever cut out for being a doctor. And I have come pretty close to calling it quits, like this week (haha), but God speaks to us even in our greatest times of doubt. He spoke through my parents, my mentor at school, and mostly importantly the Word. This verse comes from when Paul is talking about the thorn in his side that was placed there to keep him humble. It keeps him from doing certain things, but even in his weakness, he recognizes that God is stronger and for that reason he boasts all the more of his mighty power. Now my situation is not as bad as Paul's for sure; however, I can empathize with him. As bad as it sounds, med school has been that thorn in my side (or so I think), keeping me from doing what I want (which honestly, I'm not even sure about). I have tried to remove it myself by contemplating other career options and giving up on this. God for some reason has not let me do this. Maybe because he wants me to see how selfish my reasons are (i.e. it's not my passion, it's not what I want to do, etc) or desires to achieve a greater glory through this journey to becoming a doctor. All I know is that it has shifted my view on how to understand God's calling for you. Yes, he wants you to be happy; yes, he is working for your good; yes, he will give you wisdom when needed. But, if we don't stick through the times where we hate what we're doing, we have no desire to continue on, we lack any sort of passion for our ministry or job or education, how can we say we believe in the power of God working through what Christ has done on the cross? How can we boast of his strength when we don't even let him use it in our weakness? God wants you to follow your dreams, but you have to want to follow him more and what he has set out for you. It may not be clear that this season of life is a step closer to that dream, but I think God knows better than we do the steps that we need to take to get there and how to glorify him the most through it.
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