I've got to tell you up front that I don't have all the answers to all of the life's problems. I don't even have the answers to all of my own problems! But in this article, I'll try to talk about some of my good times and some of my tough times. I hope you can relate to what I have experienced and what I have learned in life because I wrote this for you. :)

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

Sometimes I feel like a book on a shelf standing alone, I am all by myself.
People walk by just to pick me up and use me...
Or just throw me down and hit or abuse me.
Their cares are my cover, or eye-catching title.
My contents and pages to them are not vital.
They couldn't care less if I'm torn deep inside...
Just stroll right by with a strut or a stride.
I just want to scream to let it all out!
I wish they could see what I'm really about.
I wouldn't care who is dumb or who is smart.
I would open to each with all of my heart.

Why is our world so hung up on appearances?
Why do we insist on judging people by their covers and never bother to find out what they're really about?
Why do we raise our noses when we pass by someone who is dressed inappropriately?
Why do we ignore someone's answer to a question because of the way she talks?
Why do we pretend not to see the guy with the glasses and the pocket protector?
Why are we insecure about ourselves that we have to make an outcast of anyone who is different?

First Samuel 16:7 says that God does not judge by outward appearance; He looks at the heart.

Why can't we learn to do the same thing? It seems ridiculous that people will shun some guy because he is "too tall" or "too skinny" or "too short" or "not muscular enough" ---- but it happens a lot. And girls are discarded because they are "too flat", "too tall", "too chubby", and "too skinny". 

This kind of judgment happens in school, in the workplace or even in church. It influences our decisions on who gets to join clubs, who gets to be a cheerleader or the class president. But it gets really bad when we start looking for people to date or marry.

I may be prejudiced here, but I see it happen more with guys than with girls. I know, you guys are more visually oriented, and I can't completely understand that. But if you base your opinion of a girl's value solely on the way she looks, you are being deceived. There are tons of women who can get operations, starve themselves, get their hair dyed, and so on.

Good-looking women aren't hard to find! But it can be very difficult to find a woman who truly has a heart for God. You cannot go out and buy one of those. If you pass up a girl because she doesn't fit your blonde-haired, blue-eyed, perfect mold, then you may end up the loser.

But women do this tool if we are passing guys off just because they do not work out enough or because they cannot gain weight or because they have a crazy-looking haircut, then we're not being shallow and superficial, but we may be missing out on someone great.

I'm tired of seeing it happen. I am tired of catching myself doing it, and I'm tired of having others do it to me. If appearances are what we value in others, then we might as well give up on human beings and spend our time playing with Barbie and Ken dolls!

If we only love at surface level, we'll always have a loneliness inside because we'll never learn to connect with others on a deeper level.

I'm not just talking about the way we judge others. Learning to love also means learning to accept ourselves just as we are. To value our "contents" as well as our "cover" and work to be beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.

After all, the person inside is the person God loves. And He judges our lives by the book, not by the cover!

Proverbs 31:20

Charm is decitful and beauty is passing, but a woman [or a man] who fears the Lord, she [he] shall be praised.

Separation Be Gone

A young girl sits on the steps of her camp cabin writing a letter home. Other kids are swimming and canoeing, but she's so homesick she even misses her little sister.

A teenager lies on the bed in her room. She can't stop crying, even though it's been more than a week since she had that big fight with her boyfriend. She can't even remember what the fight was about. She misses him so much.

Two kids sit at the front of the window, staring in disbelief as their father finishes loading the trunk, climbs into his car, and drives off. They had not imagined their parents would ever go through with the divorce. But now he is just . . . gone.

I think separation is one of the ugliest words in the English language. It hurts so much to be cut off from the people you love, the people you need, and the people who care about you.

Little babies scream when they are separated from their moms, and moms panic when they can't find their little ones. Best friends fell lost if they separated from the person they spend most time with. Boyfriends and girlfriends long for each other when they are apart. And the hurt is so much deeper for married people who have to be separated. They have become one in every aspect of their lives; they are a part of each other. When they are separated, they feel like a part of them is missing.

Well, if you can imagine it, God's love is deeper than that of a mother and a child, deeper than the closest friends, deeper than the love of a man and a woman. When we have trust in what Christ did---His death and resurrection--- to save us, then the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside us. He comes into our lives and will never leave us. Even if our friends and family reject or abandon us, God never will no matter what we do. When God makes a promise and a commitment, He does not back out of it.

Unfortunately, people aren't that trustworthy. In fact, I think one reason why people feel unstable about trusting God is because they have seen so many examples of broken promises, broken relationships, and broken commitments. They have a hard time imagining what true commitment is. They live in fear of being let down and abandoned. That is why it is so incredible to know that, no matter what people have done, God is never going to leave us. He doesn't threaten us by saying,  "If you do that one more time, then I'm out of here!".

You may be asking, "If all of that is true, then why do I feel so distant from God sometimes? Why do I feel like God has deserted me?"

There are lots of possible reasons, but one is that you may be the one who is distancing yourself from God, not the other way around.

God is always reaching out to us, loving us, and forgiving us through Christ. When we depend on that, understand and accept God's forgiveness, and look to Him and serve Him, then we are facing our Creator in a warm embrace. But when we choose to sin, we are choosing to turn our backs on Him. So we feel separated. God is still there with His arms open wide, but there we stand too proud to confess our sins and run  into His embrace, and feel His perfect forgiveness.

I think that is a big part of the pain we feel when we sin. It's not just guilt or the natural consequences of the sin itself. The biggest pain is the pain of separation, knowing that we are not with the one we love. It's like when a boyfriend and girlfriend have a big fight. They are both miserable because the separation hurts too much. Well, the deeper my relationship becomes with God, the more painful it becomes to separate from Him, so I desire to obey Him more.

I think this is what makes a mature Christian. It's not that he or she walks around with a list of rules that must be followed in order to be a good Christian. It is that his or her love has grown so great for God that he or she doesn't want to be separated from Him.

If you still feel separated from God, do not think that you are a horrible Christian for feeling that way. Sometimes the pain we feel when others leaves us transfers us how we think God is. Don't believe it. Feelings will come and go. God will not. He is here to stay!

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin Awareness

 Don Fabio Rosini

"The best way to become aware of our sinfulness is not through accusations from others; the best way is to see the beauty of God. This leads us to recognize our own poverty."

There is nothing wrong in knowing and confessing that we are sinners but being far away from our Lord is a different story. Being with the Lord allows us to do extraordinary things. Just like Peter's obedience to God's command to cast down the net in the river, we should be open God's plan for us. Be conscious of our experiences and determine where God can work His hands on. By then, we will become conscious of our sinfulness.

"Awareness of sin is a starting point for abandoning ourselves to God."

It is through His mercy that we are saved. It is not through our deeds, through our words, and through our intentions, but by His undying mercy. Let this be the instrument in attaining consciousness of our sins and truly welcome the pardon that God has given to us.

Let everyone know about God's love for us. Let God transform our sins into missions and be fishers of men.

Real Manhood

Christianity is weird. Why? In other religions like Muslims, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism, there are equal number of men and women who go to church and serve but when it comes to Christianity, most of the attendees are women. Sixty percent of the attendess are women and only forty percent are men. It was on the thirteenth century when the idea of the church as bride of Christ became misconstrued. The idea tailor fit the church for women. Where do the men go?

MEN FOLLOW MEN.

When the leader is male, the followers are men and women. It's so easy for women and men to follow a male leader. If the leader is female, most who follow are women. Men are wired to follow other men stronger than they are. That's why men are not anymore attracted to go to church but more attracted to go to politics and businesses. Men do not allow themselves to be bums. Do you want to become a real man? Real man obey God. A real man protects his family. A real man loves his wife or girlfriend alone. A real man provides. Real men have goals, guts, and grit.

Goals

Real men dream. A woman defines herself by her relationships but a man defines himself by his results. A man who does not have a goal in life is not a real man, he is only a male. Your job is not your purpose. It's just a tool for you to live out your purpose. God is calling you to do something. Find that out. The Lord speaks to us and He already gave us the answer but it is us who do not know how to listen to Him because we are so used to the human ways. We are used to the ways of the flesh but the Lord is a spirit. That's why we have to enliven and improve our prayer life. A WOMAN WANTS A MAN WITH A PLAN.

Guts

You should have the guts to do everything to make your dreams come true. Guts mean doing the right thing despite the fear. Even if you are afraid, you are still going to do it and that is guts. Real men fight for their future. They will not settle for mediocrity.

Grit

Grit means real men work. Men should have something to live for. They should work hard and work smart. Hebrews 12:7. Endure hardship as discipline. Be thankful to the Lord because the hardships will teach you something.

Be a real man. :)

Thank you for spending your time to read this article.
I'll be really glad if you comment "VOTE" in the comment section below.
Thank you!

Be blessed!