Dandelions

I wrote a blog titled 'Fake Plants'. I was thinking again about fake plants but this time I was thinking about real plants too. I like real plants. I like Hydrangea flowers, wild sunflowers, large acacia trees, large any tree and sometimes even dandelions. The thing that crossed my mind was that I desire something real but at the same time there is a big difference between reality and roses.
I am 21 years old now. I know that is not old and that I am just at the start of my adult life. My sister told me once that 20's are hard. I did not really put much thought into it when she said it but I am finding that she was right. This is the time in life where you set the foundations to a certain degree for the rest of your life. That seems like a pretty significant task. The more I dig into life and see what this whole living thing is all about, the more I realize life is not always roses. Nope, it is reality. It is disappointing sometimes. Disappointing that adults struggle with the same things that teenagers do. Disappointing that it all gets more complicated. Disappointing that people are still starving (in all senses of the word). Disappointing that I still can not seem to be the person I desire to be, and disappointing that life is not rainbows and chocolates. That seems like a whole lot of disappointment.
Now why is that way? I want reality but reality seems to let me down sometimes. My dad once said that in some ways the quality of life for people measures down to how they deal with disappointment (however he said it much more eloquently). I think there is a lot of truth in that. Life can be hard, so how do we deal with it?
I mentioned dandelions earlier. They seem to make their way into our lives the same what reality tends to strike. No one really loves dandelions after the point at which they no longer are good candidates for picking for your mother. They are a weed. However, have you ever looked at a lawn that is nicely speckled with yellow dandelions. Although they are ill-intended (if that is a word) there is something slightly lovely about them. How can it be that something that seems to cause so much trouble can actually have a hint of beauty to it? I think it can. I think it does. I think it is the same in life. We live in a cursed world, full of hardship and struggle. But none the less a loving God has still given us grace and hope. I see it all the time in the beautiful things all around. Reality may strike, but look around you! The world is filled with beauty! I desire to hang on to the one who created all the beauty, the one who wont lie to me about what life really has to offer.
I am having trouble in my mind pulling all these thoughts together. Perhaps I am missing the punchline. I think what I am trying to say is, I still don't like fake plants. I still want is reality. In the difficulty it I still want to find hope and beauty. Maybe, I should learn to enjoy the dandelions.

p.s. I hope that made sense but I feel like maybe it did not. Those who know me know that this is the story of my life.

Tried Tested and True

It is late again but I have found that once again just before I would like to be asleep my brain turns on and begins to think. I am sure I am not the only one who is wide awake when I should be getting sleepy. :)

I have found myself on this cold winters night thinking about genuine love and relationships. I have been thinking about how the two end up very directly in relationship to each other. I have been in several meaningful relationships. I am not just talking about romantic ones.

Take a moment to think about your relationships. Who are your best friends? Who is your closest companion? Who are your acquaintance's?

Now take a moment to think about why those relationships hold the status that they do. In my life, my most meaningful relationships have been time, tested and true. My parents and family have put up with me through thick and thin. My closest friends have been the ones who have been accepting of me and I of them in hard and good times. These are the people that I have laughed with, cried with, resolved conflict with, and done dishes with.worked many hours to resolve conflict with. These are the relationships that have been tested.

I am not talking about fluffy feelings. I am not talking about affection. I am talking about genuine, profound, action love. The kind of love that could only be inspired by a being who has a heart that is love.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Wow! Either directly or indirectly every single adjective about love comes into play as an antidote to broken relationships. Could it be possible that discovering genuine love is really a series of tests? I mean, in most relationships, a lack of understanding of love or not responding in love is what breaks people apart. But when you come up against a situation where you choose to 'love' then you gain a more deep relationship but also a deeper understanding of genuine love. Think about it, maybe the relationships we have that are not as meaningful, or strong are the ones that have never been tested. Maybe love has not been tried in them yet.

Let me shift this to another level. We are all searching for true love. Seriously, who do you know that has no interest in finding true love. God truly loves us. He extends His love to us all the time. It seems that in the most trying times of our life we see most clearly how much we need to accept His love. When we accept it, we grow closer to an understanding of true love, we grow closer in relationship with God, we better know how to give love to others. I am having trouble fully wrapping my mind around the implications of this. Is are relationships ultimately a response to love? Think of how many ways this impacts relationships of all levels. Yikes.

All I know is that the love of God is and always be tried, tested and true. That is it.

I am not sure this makes sense at all. I am just pondering things that are bigger than me.

How do you respond when love is tested?

~Charis Vaags