Lately I feel that the search of happiness is overrated. Or just happiness in general: the fact that people want to be happy and seek to do things that make them happy.
Maybe we cannot search for happiness; maybe it comes when we are faithful doing the small things in life, like saying hello to the clerk, serving other people, doing our work diligently, cooking a home-cooked meal, taking a stroll in the park, being busy studying for exams, loving one another, cleaning the house...
Maybe it's not even happiness that we are looking for, but contentment disguised as happiness, because after all, being content is difficult to accept when the culture is all about consumption and greed.
Maybe happiness is not even that important, because it is not the end of the story, only a passing emotion in this journey of life.
So why all this fuss about happiness?
Friday, July 1, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
1000 Rights
When I was very young, a teacher told me the story about a righteous man, who has built schools for the poor, fed the starving, and helped the community grow. Everyone in that place knew about his kind heart and the good deeds that he has done for each person who has lived there at some point in time.
One morning after he has not slept the night before because he was working on a new school building project, and was really sleepy, while driving towards his office, he did not notice a woman coming out into the street. Caught by surprise, it was too late and he was unable to avoid hitting this woman. This woman fell to the ground and died a quick death. The man was then brought to the judge for his misdeed.
The judge, of course, knew all about this man, thus the question was, how to deal with him? Must he be punished for his carelessness? Or would his punishment be made lighter?
Back when I was young, I remembered hearing many responses from the class, most saying that he should not be punished, because he has helped the community and it was not intentional, some saying that he should be punished but make him receive a lighter punishment, considering all the good things he has done, while others like myself kept quiet because we did not know how to respond.
My teacher then said, the man was punished for his misdeed without lighter sentence, because the 1000 right things he has done do not make 1 wrong action right.
That was one lesson that stuck in me for the longest time. The consequences of a wrong must be paid for things to be made right, while doing the right things are our responsibility. The reward of doing the right things must not come from the possibility in getting an excuse to compromise with a mistake we may make in the future, but that intrinsic motivation that comes with seeing God's people progressing towards the good. This is perhaps why when we do things, we have to do them as though it is for God, and not for humans, thus we give our best to do the right things even when there seems to be no other worldly reward. The reward, then, will be that precious smile of God that one day we will see.
One morning after he has not slept the night before because he was working on a new school building project, and was really sleepy, while driving towards his office, he did not notice a woman coming out into the street. Caught by surprise, it was too late and he was unable to avoid hitting this woman. This woman fell to the ground and died a quick death. The man was then brought to the judge for his misdeed.
The judge, of course, knew all about this man, thus the question was, how to deal with him? Must he be punished for his carelessness? Or would his punishment be made lighter?
Back when I was young, I remembered hearing many responses from the class, most saying that he should not be punished, because he has helped the community and it was not intentional, some saying that he should be punished but make him receive a lighter punishment, considering all the good things he has done, while others like myself kept quiet because we did not know how to respond.
My teacher then said, the man was punished for his misdeed without lighter sentence, because the 1000 right things he has done do not make 1 wrong action right.
That was one lesson that stuck in me for the longest time. The consequences of a wrong must be paid for things to be made right, while doing the right things are our responsibility. The reward of doing the right things must not come from the possibility in getting an excuse to compromise with a mistake we may make in the future, but that intrinsic motivation that comes with seeing God's people progressing towards the good. This is perhaps why when we do things, we have to do them as though it is for God, and not for humans, thus we give our best to do the right things even when there seems to be no other worldly reward. The reward, then, will be that precious smile of God that one day we will see.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Crossing the Road
I was walking around today at my own leisure pace, for I was in no rush to get anywhere or to do anything. I was really just trying to hit my 10,000 steps a day (the global corporate challenge that my friend is making me participate in). I was also trying to stay outside my house as long as I could, since my house is filled with many stressors related to thesis-writing.
So often when I crossed the road, I would not even wait till the pedestrian sign turned green when the road is empty, especially on the smaller streets that make it a little safer to do that. And of course, everyone was doing it, so it would be weird if you wait till the sign turn green, actually. Plus, I was always in a hurry to get to a place, so I will always hit the crossing button multiple times, as though it would help turn the light green faster.
Today, however, I waited for the sign to turn green before crossing the street. This was true for all the streets I was crossing. People were crossing the road before me and it was weird at first, but slowly I felt a strange sense of liberation. The freedom to choose to wait until the sign turns green, the freedom to live as a responsible resident and pedestrian, the freedom to choose to act in a non-normative way.
I wonder if this was true in the Christian life. At first we seem to think that living or choosing to act in a certain non-normative way is weird or even limiting, but slowly we feel that freedom, because we are liberated from societal pressure to act in a certain manner, and so we can behave in a way that reflects integrity and wisdom instead.
So often when I crossed the road, I would not even wait till the pedestrian sign turned green when the road is empty, especially on the smaller streets that make it a little safer to do that. And of course, everyone was doing it, so it would be weird if you wait till the sign turn green, actually. Plus, I was always in a hurry to get to a place, so I will always hit the crossing button multiple times, as though it would help turn the light green faster.
Today, however, I waited for the sign to turn green before crossing the street. This was true for all the streets I was crossing. People were crossing the road before me and it was weird at first, but slowly I felt a strange sense of liberation. The freedom to choose to wait until the sign turns green, the freedom to live as a responsible resident and pedestrian, the freedom to choose to act in a non-normative way.
I wonder if this was true in the Christian life. At first we seem to think that living or choosing to act in a certain non-normative way is weird or even limiting, but slowly we feel that freedom, because we are liberated from societal pressure to act in a certain manner, and so we can behave in a way that reflects integrity and wisdom instead.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Not A Waste
I looked back and understood why God made me take this route.
My Business degree, Psychology degree, Japanese degree, Public Policy degree - typing these degrees out really makes me feel like I'm crazy. But now I understand, or at least partially, why I was to go through all these degrees.
Academic world is a safe and predictable place to grow. I learned about numbers and entrepreneurship from Business school. I learned to listen and be observant with my Clinical Psychology degree. I learned to be analytical and objective through my Public Policy degree. My Japanese degree is a bonus!
So let's just say that I am a little slower than others in terms of character building and learning about life. Looking back, it's funny how God used my love of school to guide and shape me. But this convinced me that whatever I've done, am doing, and will be doing, I'm definitely not wasting my time. There is a sense of relief in knowing that God is making an investment in me through all the experiences and encounters that He has and will place before me.
I hope you too, when you feel stuck in a moment, will have faith that you are never wasting a moment. All is due in God's time.
My Business degree, Psychology degree, Japanese degree, Public Policy degree - typing these degrees out really makes me feel like I'm crazy. But now I understand, or at least partially, why I was to go through all these degrees.
Academic world is a safe and predictable place to grow. I learned about numbers and entrepreneurship from Business school. I learned to listen and be observant with my Clinical Psychology degree. I learned to be analytical and objective through my Public Policy degree. My Japanese degree is a bonus!
So let's just say that I am a little slower than others in terms of character building and learning about life. Looking back, it's funny how God used my love of school to guide and shape me. But this convinced me that whatever I've done, am doing, and will be doing, I'm definitely not wasting my time. There is a sense of relief in knowing that God is making an investment in me through all the experiences and encounters that He has and will place before me.
I hope you too, when you feel stuck in a moment, will have faith that you are never wasting a moment. All is due in God's time.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Words of Encouragement
I remembered last year, I was bogged down with so many activities that life required of me. I was juggling 2 schools, research/dissertation proposal, practicum, and of course, other things in life.
Life was so busy that my apartment was a mess, and I was in an extreme stress that I thought I was borderline depressed. I was missing my lunch almost everyday, lacking sleep even during the weekends, and work was piling up no matter how much I buried myself in work.
A dear friend from school who was doing his practicum together with me at the same site, said this to me, "You can do it, Karlin. If there's anyone who can go through this, I would think it will be you".
Those simple words gave me an enormous strength to finish well. I'm not saying that I will do that all over again, after all, that was not a wise decision to be filling up my life with so many activities at one go. But the words of encouragement from a friend who understands what you are going through, and words of encouragement that came at a time of need, is more precious than gold.
So dear friend, thank you. I hope to be that friend to someone else who needs words of encouragement. Let's all practice speaking blessings to each other!
Life was so busy that my apartment was a mess, and I was in an extreme stress that I thought I was borderline depressed. I was missing my lunch almost everyday, lacking sleep even during the weekends, and work was piling up no matter how much I buried myself in work.
A dear friend from school who was doing his practicum together with me at the same site, said this to me, "You can do it, Karlin. If there's anyone who can go through this, I would think it will be you".
Those simple words gave me an enormous strength to finish well. I'm not saying that I will do that all over again, after all, that was not a wise decision to be filling up my life with so many activities at one go. But the words of encouragement from a friend who understands what you are going through, and words of encouragement that came at a time of need, is more precious than gold.
So dear friend, thank you. I hope to be that friend to someone else who needs words of encouragement. Let's all practice speaking blessings to each other!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Spirituality of Hiking
Spiritual Lesson #1
When the going gets tough, a good company can turn an 8-mile trail into a short walk.
Spiritual Lesson #2
At the beginning, the uphill slope may be unbearable, but as we go on, we build the stamina and become used to the hard path we walk on.
Spiritual Lesson #3
We know that there is an end with a beautiful reward, but we can't see the end with our eyes, only with our faith, and through guidance and marks along the way, we are able to know which direction to head towards.
Spiritual Lesson #4
As much as we want to reach the end as quickly as we can, enjoy the hike and the beauty of what comes our way.
When the going gets tough, a good company can turn an 8-mile trail into a short walk.
Spiritual Lesson #2
At the beginning, the uphill slope may be unbearable, but as we go on, we build the stamina and become used to the hard path we walk on.
Spiritual Lesson #3
We know that there is an end with a beautiful reward, but we can't see the end with our eyes, only with our faith, and through guidance and marks along the way, we are able to know which direction to head towards.
Spiritual Lesson #4
As much as we want to reach the end as quickly as we can, enjoy the hike and the beauty of what comes our way.
Each Encounter is Meaningful
We often do not realize that every person we encounter in the public is not by coincidence. It has been designed. To meet a person on the same day in the same hour, minute, and second, especially when you have personal contact and exchange with that person, is not an easy thing to do. If we think about it, almost all our meetings have been intentional and planned. That is how difficult it is to meet someone.
April 28, I was in LAX on my way to PDX at night. Since I am addicted to Foursquare, I posted my location. After I arrived in PDX, I received a text from a friend. She said that she was in LAX when I was there, and another mutual friend was also in the airport. Imagine 3 people who know each other being in the same location but was unable to meet, even after one of them knew my location.
That struck a chord in my heart. Every person that I encounter, speak to, or exchange smiles with, is there for a reason. It is not that easy to accidentally meet someone. Perhaps I could have said a word of encouragement, or give a friendly gesture, to help brighten someone's day. Perhaps I am placed there because they need a word from me, or they have a word for me. Imagine that vast network that God can use to save souls and to speak His word into our lives.
Being the not-so-friendly person I am in the public, perhaps it will be difficult for me to reach out my hand and start a conversation, what more to evangelize. But perhaps I can start with a kind smile, a positive attitude, and a joyful heart that may bring others the kind of peace that they need from someone who knows God.
April 28, I was in LAX on my way to PDX at night. Since I am addicted to Foursquare, I posted my location. After I arrived in PDX, I received a text from a friend. She said that she was in LAX when I was there, and another mutual friend was also in the airport. Imagine 3 people who know each other being in the same location but was unable to meet, even after one of them knew my location.
That struck a chord in my heart. Every person that I encounter, speak to, or exchange smiles with, is there for a reason. It is not that easy to accidentally meet someone. Perhaps I could have said a word of encouragement, or give a friendly gesture, to help brighten someone's day. Perhaps I am placed there because they need a word from me, or they have a word for me. Imagine that vast network that God can use to save souls and to speak His word into our lives.
Being the not-so-friendly person I am in the public, perhaps it will be difficult for me to reach out my hand and start a conversation, what more to evangelize. But perhaps I can start with a kind smile, a positive attitude, and a joyful heart that may bring others the kind of peace that they need from someone who knows God.
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