Helpful Blogger Award

Earlier this month I was awarded this award by Brian, the old man at OldMan's Cantankerous Point of View. Brian's blogs is full of honest, funny, touching, and helpful stories. It's well worth a visit. Thank you Brian.

There are a few conditions for accepting this award. The rules are:

-Link to post where you received the award
-Nominate seven blogs that you feel are helpful to others
-Be sure to link to your nominees within your post
-Let them know they've received the award by commenting on their blog
-Share one thing that no one knows about you & quote a sentence from your favorite book

I don't have seven blogs to nominate, so I'll pass this award on to five. They are:

Totus Tuus Family & Catholic Homeschool by JMJ. I love the way she shares her faith with honesty and strength.

Life So Random by Kelly. She has not posted in a while but her blog has the wonderful vision of posting up stories that help and give hope.

Mirra Design. For the wonderful and beautiful Christian Design and Communication Materials shared.

The Self Love Project by Shraddha. A lovely blog with lots of different inspirational stories with a special focus on pre-mature babies.

and

Writing by Sarah. Her sharings for overcoming the damaging effects of child abuse and rape are so inspiring.

Now, the one thing that not many people know about me is I like elephants. I like collecting toys or ornaments of elephants whenever I can.

I don't really have a favourite book but I'll quote a sentence from one I really like...

This is taken from the book 'He and I' by Gabrielle Bossis. The book is about her conversations with God. And in one of those conversations God said:

"I created you in order to make you eternally happy. It was out of pure love that I made you - not for My own interest but yours - to give you infinite bliss"

Unselfishness ♥ Charity. The difference.

I've just finished reading The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. A very interesting and eye-opening book. Since, I'm not a native English language speaker, I found myself having to look up the dictionary more than a few times, but it was worth it. I really recommend this book. It's a collection of letters from a senior devil to a junior devil about the many many possible ways to claim the human soul. From these letters I've learnt how I as a human am easily deceived and brought into sin.

Anyway, one of the points I read really struck home: The difference between Unselfishness and Charity.

Since young, we've often been thought that being selfish is bad. So most of us try to be unselfish...sometimes to the point where we make unselfishness the end itself.

For example: I may share half of my ice-cream with a younger sibling. I do this not because I really want   my little sister or brother to have the pleasure of eating the ice-cream but because I want to be unselfish.

So in reality unselfishness is a lie. I am really being selfish because I'm thinking about myself. I am thinking about how I will feel.

And when other people do not appreciate or show due gratitude to my unselfishness, I become bitter and start complaining. I'll have to admit I do this a lot, and this is really bad.

Charity on the other hand is all about the other person. Charity bears fruit to no grudges. It is free and it allows for freedom. Even if the other party is ignorant or unappreciative because the act was done with love. It doesn't matter whether the recipient said thank you. The act was done out of love and joy.

It's a struggle but I'll try to strive for Charity and remind myself why I'm doing certain sacrifices for friends or family or complete strangers everytime I find myself in the never-ending mantra of complaints.

Hate ♥ Love. Can't have both.

And into the waters of life, the demons poured their poison of malice, hate, and revenge. Since then, every living creature that  sprung forth into being has been tainted by evil. The light came to save and deliver. A victory was won. But the choice was still theirs to make. The creatures had to decide. To choose the light, or to succumb to the darkness that never ceases to hunt and rob them of their souls....

The light is beautiful and delightful. I love my God and want more than ever to be eternally united with Him. But the stain of evil still has it's mark on me. In my heart there grows poisonous vines of bitterness and hate. The child of a venomous dagger that was plunged into it by another. I was hurt by someone. I am still being hurt by that someone. And the only thing that I can think about these days is how much I hate that someone. Perhaps I even take delight in it? And as the poison spreads the darkness surrounds.

I can barely see the light now....in the far of distance. And prayers and praise I have forgotten. My dying heart whispers a name. Jesus. Jesus. Save me. Oh how I miss to be in His embrace. How I miss to be counted as friend.

But I find it so hard to forgive...So hard to let go of the hate. I wonder if it is too late. If I had let it grow into a monster that I'm to weak to now tame...

But I know I must find a way. To let love triumph over the darkness...so that I may gain my Lord, who is love itself. 

Hate and Love. I cannot have both...

Alas it is so difficult...