"For God so loved the World He gave His only son and whomever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
- Created By MewChero
The Rock
I was talking to my best friend one day- a man who helps everyone he knows and sprouts wisdom to all who need it- when I started talking about Easter to him.
“I understand,” I said, “that the sacrifice needed to be made and we must remember it…but not many people know the real impact. It’s kind of hard to explain, too.” I scratched my head. “In fact, sometimes….sometimes I feel like when it can’t be properly described, it doesn’t…” I waved my hands a bit as he watched patiently, waiting for me to find my words, “It doesn’t strike me at all. I know it was important, but sometimes I’m not sure how.”
He leaned back as if he was thinking- though I knew he was not- and he said, “How about this; I want you to take this rock,” he placed a stone into my outstretched hand, “and I want you to pick it up every day. Try not to look at it; in fact, leave it in your clothes or your purse so that whenever you go out in the morning, evening or night you have it with you. After a week, I’ll explain.”
I nodded, a bit puzzled by his words, but I slipped the stone into my purse and, after exchanging goodbyes for the day, I walked home.
The next day, as always, I got up at seven, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and headed to school. The stone was still in my purse, but I didn’t notice it at all; its weight was probably no more than a penny. Throughout the day, I realized suddenly that my bag was starting to get heavier. Don’t look at it. I didn’t check the stone- just as my friend requested of me- and went home.
The second day I was used to the strange weight in my bag, but after I started talking with my friends, my purse seemed heavier. It was a strange feeling. At first I thought one of my friends slipped something into my purse while I wasn’t looking (or maybe my siblings had) so I checked every place but the small compartment where I’d placed the stone. Nothing. I shrugged to myself, scratching my head. It wasn’t as if the weight wasn’t anything I couldn’t bear.
The third day was a strange one.
“Are you alright?” Someone asked, noticing me pause.
“My bag feels heavy and I don’t remember putting anything in it.” I answered simply. When my friend- a boy named Tony- picked up the bag, he swung it around with ease.
“Doesn’t feel like anything’s in there.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but I decided to drop the topic.
On the sixth day I could barely hold my purse. Its weight made my arms and shoulder creak. I winced as I went to meet my best friend- who was standing outside of the school to meet me- and was relieved when he patted a seat beside him. I set my purse down, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
“Feeling tired?” He asked, smiling at me.
“A bit.” I rubbed my shoulders. “I feel like an overworked body builder.”
He laughed. “Why a body builder?”
“My shoulders and arms hurt…like I’ve been training with weights.” I clenched and unclenched my hands into fists, my eyes widening. “Over and over and over…and OVER!” He seemed to smirk a little when I said this, something that made me raise a brow. “What?”
“Oh. I’m just happy for you. A week is just about up. You think you can carry your bag for one more day?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. I give up. Can you tell me now?”
He waved his hand at me. “I said a week, sweetheart. I meant a week.”
I wanted to cry. “But-”
“I always keep my word. No sooner, no longer.” He walked across the street. I didn’t check to see if he was still there. I knew him well enough to know that he was already gone.
The final day was a living hell for me. My body ached. My bag was so heavy I could barely hold my school books. Eventually one of my teachers sent me to the nurse’s office and sent me home for fatigue and pain. When my mother picked me up and took me home, she was convinced I’d been working myself too hard. I didn’t say anything.
When I finally reached my bed and laid on it in exhaustion, I noticed him sitting on my desk chair. “So?”
“THAT WAS TERRIBLE!” I almost shrieked. “What was that?! I don’t underst-”
“Empty your bag on the table.” He commanded, and I stood and did so obediently. Out tumbled my coin purse, my phone, my iPod, a book……and a rock that was the size of my desk.
I marveled at it, standing back. “How did that…?”
“That, my dear, is the stone I gave you on Sunday.” He pointed to the desk. “A boulder now, isn’t it?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes…but what do I do with it?”
He smiled and held out his hand, “Give it to me.”
I squinted at him. “…wait…I get it now.”
He nodded. “This stone is your sin, sweetheart. The longer you let it sit, the bigger it gets…the bigger it gets, the harder it is to bear. I died so that you wouldn’t have to carry this with you every day. That is why you’re made to remember.
“When the Israelites were in the desert, they sacrificed animals so that they could ‘clean’ their sins. The problem was, animals were simply that- animals. They could never completely wash away the sins of anyone- they could only sterilize germs. You learned about that in Forensics class, didn’t you?”
I nodded again, sitting down. “People in hotels steam clean sheets and such, because they need to make up rooms fast. They kill all of the germs that way, but really the stuff that’s on the sheets…is still there.” I winced. “Like urine or throw up. Or worse.”
He seemed to ignore it when I said “something worse”. “Exactly. So I was sent to completely clean those dirty, only-sterilized sheets. That consisted of dying and rising again.” He smiled, “Or, in your case, I was sent to break your boulder into the dust it once was. It will never be able to touch you again.”
I swung my legs. “I feel stupid now.”
“You shouldn’t.” He patted my head. “It was a very good question. Aren’t you glad you asked? And you got a little exercise too. I bet your muscles are a bit bigger now.”
I pursed my lips. “…I don’t want to laugh, but you’re going to make me.”
He laughed as he sat beside me. “I know.”
“You know everything.” I put in.
“Yes, yes.” He chuckled. “But it is not good to boast.” He turned to me. “Have you heard a joke about a camel?”
“Does it involve rocks?”
He pointed to himself with a smile. “Only one, my dear. Only one.”
The biggest mistake we make...
A man and woman who loved each other very much got married. They talked about everything with one another; how work went, what kinds of shows they liked, even things they didn't think the other was interested in.
...one day, the man was sitting with his friends, who asked him, "Why do you spend so much time with your wife? It's unnatural and we don't get to see you as much."
He laughed, "Obviously because I love her."
"Don't you think you should spend more time with us? I mean, we have a bunch of fun things we do when you're not around. You don't know what you're missing!"
Though at first he did not take heed to his friends' words, slowly but surely he spent less and less time with his spouse.
His wife was faithful throughout this entire period; she picked him up when he was down, she took care of the finances when he neglected to because of the wild parties his friend dragged him to, and even when he committed adultery, she stayed.
.....but everyone gets tired.
The man's wife got nothing in return for taking care of him. She hoped that one day they would have one of their talks again....but the day never came. The relationship became so strained that the two divorced, and the man realized how much he lost.
A good relationship consists of "Equivalent Exchange". Most people who have successful marriages know this; to get the good out of your marriage, you must put something good into it.
This is also how our relationship with God works. Do NOT take him for granted.
I know it's really easy. He's EVERYWHERE, He can do ANYTHING, and He MADE all of us...but just as you and I get bored with talking to ourselves, I would think God does too.
Why else would He let us hear Him speak?
I do have conversations with the Lord sometimes, though not as often as I'd like to. I take this to mean that the HONEYMOON PERIOD IS OVER. To keep my relationship with God ALIVE, I have to put more effort into it, and so do YOU! *points at everyone reading this* Get it?
So put in some time. Cut off your phone. Put your computer on hold. Turn off your anime. Stop reading your tankoban! ....I SAID STOP. PUT IT DOWN.
Good.
....and sit down and talk with the Lord. If you LISTEN, really REALLY listen, you will probably hear Him.
Don't think it's a bogus gamble. "What if I don't hear him? What if...I'm sorry to say...he's kinda BORING, like he only wants me to do stuff, like in the Bible?"
SHUT UP.
I often find myself giggling in public because of something the Lord has told me- which is weird, I know- but thinking something like this is not only odd, but also displaying your fear of losing time for your material possessions!
It may be hard sometimes. You can come home tired and only want to vegetate in front of the TV, or pull up Skype, or turn on Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. Remember, nothing here will last forever.
Jesus loves you!
~Hime
End of the World.
Apparently, some guy said the world would end today. *looks around*
Nope.
Nothing happened so far....
By a Christian standpoint, anyone should have rolled their eyes. If someone predicts the end of the world will be a certain day, it won't happen that way. "For I come as a thief in the night" Revelations 21. No one knows the day or the hour! We must be ready!
While I KNEW that the prediction for today would be fake, who's to say it won't happen tomorrow? Or even today, later on? OR NOW?
No one knows.
I personally feel sorry for the man who's made the prediction. Whether he is/was wrong or not, I'm sure he's suffering persecution right now because he predicted something like this.
On the other hand, I DO know that God will give VISIONS of what will happen in the end, but never the DAY. If people knew the DAY and HOUR Jesus would return, everyone would prepare themselves. IT WOULD BE KNOWN TO EVERYONE. So, by default, everyone who plans on that day being judgement day would be taken. That won't make them righteous. It would mean that those who aren't righteous are saved because they saved THAT day to get atonement for their sins so they can be overlooked in judgement.
Though now may not have been the time of the Rapture, we must always be prepared. Got it? No slacking. I know it's easy to slack (I do it sometimes too) but we MUST stay steadfast.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL! ^^
End
