...s.t.r.a.n.d.s...
twitter.com/apriljmcmillan:
Brandon Mull, Fablehaven (via timetravel-teacup)
yep, they sure do. saves time, money and heartache.
(via theriverdell)
There’s no one better, no one higher, none more powerful, no one wiser, no one stronger than God—our God.
I’m tired of hearing people compare themselves to someone else and deem themselves less than, uncreative, untalented, unable.
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” —Einstein
Everyone is creative. Everyone has something to offer and accomplish—potential to maximize and fulfill. If you judge yourself by what you cannot do, you will find a bunch of useless discouragement. If you measure the value of your abilities by the opinions and fame of others, you’ll always find a reason to feel short-changed.
Yes, we all have some kind of limitation; no one is perfect, we need each other, we can’t all do everything, etc.. But you do need to know and be sure of what you DO have to offer, and you can’t find that out by looking at another person who is just as human as you are and making them your gold standard.
The irony is that if we look to God, we see one who is perfect in every way. He made us each with a purpose in mind, and He is the one who can show us what that purpose is. Why look to others to tell you your worth? They’re trying to figure out their own issues. Some may have some truthful things to say, but if the voices of people are replacing the voice of your creator, you’re on a trajectory for deep pain, sooner or later.
Only God is the true gold standard; God is the pathway to becoming the very best we can be. But the key is to know Him for who He really is, not to create an idea of who we want Him to be.
When you learn to love God for who He is, to accept Him, believe Him, be really honest with Him—then you will love yourself for who you really are. And you will love others in the most true and healthy way. You will be truly free. From this place of real love flow forgiveness, security and confidence. We can be kind in the face of unkindness, we are no longer afraid of the truth (even hard truth), we no longer compromise what is eternal for what is temporal.
We no longer cave under the pressure to compete with those around us. Instead we look for ways to complement them, drawing on our own supply of grace, which comes from God through the love we share with Him.
Then you see what your gifts are, and you use them generously and freely, as an expression of your unique value, not as a bargaining chip for approval. Then it is no longer a disappointment to learn what gifts or talents anybody else has, it is a celebration.
Imagine slave owners who may have told those fighting for freedom for slaves: “If you don’t like that I own slaves, that’s your problem, not mine.” Or picture an abusive man telling his wife’s family: “If you don’t like my relationship, that’s your problem.” Envision terrorists telling us that if we don’t like their actions, that’s our problem.
Abortion is about a woman and her doctor the way child abuse is about a parent and her child. To imply that none of us has a right to protect victims of violence is unacceptable."
No matter if you just checked, there will always be a new notification when you look again. But the most important moments in our lives have no little red numbers on them. They just happen and pass by.
Just thinking…
I forget I like to draw
Me too!! This is beautiful! I like drawing trees, however I haven’t had enough practice to get such a good likeness yet. I would love to see this more developed. It’s very nice; makes me :)
This is just awesome!!!
Paralyzed Patients Move a Robotic Arm With Their Own Thoughts
With the BrainGate interface, Cathy Hutchinson, who is paralyzed from the neck down, moved a robotic arm toward a coffee cup, grasped it and was able to take a drink. It was the first time in 15 years that she was able to drink her coffee on her own. […]
[read more @popsci] [Brain Gate]
(via emergentfutures)
