Materialism

Back in high school, my year twelve english class journeyed on many-a-tangents. My memories dwell not with the curriculum we learnt (because who remembers school work anyway?), but with how we ventured into random topics, even going as far as what it meant to be an emo. I can recall one particular lesson, my English teacher making a very interesting statement about teenagers and mobile phones. That mobiles had become "an extension of the arm." This thought has come back to me every so often, mainly when I'm in the city. 
I feel that there is a new evolution to the human body in recent years. That of the iPod. I am so intrigued by this, that I decided to include it in Seasons. "Their iPod’s were like an abnormal growth out of their ears, permanently attached after many years of the body accepting the symbiotic relationship."
How does such a thing come about? We went from having home phones to "bricks", to your iPhone of today... and then where did the cassette player go? It's people searching for more and more. They wouldn't need to if they had true fulfillment in our God. Only He can fill the hole in our hearts; the hunger, the yearning inside.

Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is hard to come by,

When consumers raise the bar every time.

Always wanting, expecting more,

And everyone goes home empty inside.

We fool ourselves thinking that this time will be different.

Full of longing, hopes held high.

And still the disappointment rains on our parade,

Washing away our dreams, 

Leaving us with a little hole that nothing seems to fill.

We all know the answer.

We know where to go.

We all know the question to ask,

And who to ask it to.

So tell me, why don't we?

A Seed Of Hope

It's been a while, I know, however writing has been in a different form as of late. University calls for a mind blazing with ideas, and yes they have come flooding in. The problem being that the hours required in study plus the celebration of a significant birthday bring about a certain level of exhaustion- and being tired finds it hard for inspiration. It is incredible how much freer a person feels when they aren't rushing around from one place to another. I can recall only a month ago, before Uni started for the year, just how much easier it was to be creative. I fear for the completion of my novel in the time period I have allocated myself- December is looming!

Thus, it calls for a seed of hope:

In every hug there is a little bit of love.

In every laugh there is a hint of happiness.

In every dream there is a seed of hope.

In every today there is a thought for tomorrow.

No matter the person, the place, the thing,

No matter the church that brings the ring,

No matter the child that waves goodbye,

No matter the good times that make you cry.

Don't ever doubt the goodness in this world,

Just look to the Heavens you will see the reward.

He has a great plan in mind for you-

The most perfect one in fact: it's yours to pursue.

Something A Little Different

My eyes have been widened in the last few weeks and I feel the need to share it, rather than my usual banter about writing. Disaster seems to be left, right, and centre. It’s in countries far from reach, but it also feels as close as my back pocket.

There has been destruction happening in the Middle East for years, but the coverage of car bombs and dead soldiers has been increasing steadily on the TV screen as we’ve watched.

My wake up call to natural disasters began in 2004 when the tsunamis hit the Indian Ocean. The reason being that I was actually in Thailand at the time when it happened and was meant to be in Phuket (one of the places in Thailand that was wiped out), but due to a series of circumstances, I holidayed safely in Pataya (a sheltered cove close to Bangkok). From then on I have paid closer attention to the scary thunderstorms, unusual weather patterns, things like the black Saturday bushfires in NSW, and more recently, the earthquake disaster in Haiti.

Then there is the daily tragedy of people dying in third world countries from disease, malnutrition, and other things that the rest of us take for granted. Not to mention the fact that abortion is now an accepted practice in many places and pregnancies are being treated as “unwanted problems”.

As much as these things break my heart and make me wonder where all the goodness is gone in the world, what tugs at my heart the most (and likely the same for many others) is those things that are happening to the people around me, those people who I know personally and care for deeply. It started with an acquaintances mother passing away. Then a family friend contracted cancer. And then another with cancer, another having surgery, and then another had a heart attack.

I always thought myself lucky to not have experienced the extreme illness or death of a loved one- or myself for that matter. Especially when I knew that others around me had to deal with tragedy after tragedy. And even though these things have been happening gradually (with natural disasters and the like), it still has been a bit of a shock to the system and shaken me up a bit. It makes me wonder what there is left to be done- what could I possibly do to help? For those far away, it just seems too big, too many people. And as for those much closer, how could any of my words or actions be enough? I feel there is only one thing left to give: prayers. Unceasing prayers for the needy- whether it be in basic human needs of safety, shelter, food, love, or belongingness.

I have been given a blessed life so that I can offer this simple thing for these people. It may not be the only thing I can offer, but I can offer it at any time of any day- so can you and anyone else. It’s as simple as the few words, “Lord be with them.” And what would bring Him greater pleasure than to receive, not only our prayers for His people, but also the gratitude for the blessed lives we live- no matter the difficulties faced? I suppose the key is that life is always blessed with the presence of the Lord in it. And we should be thankful for that alone. Anything else is a bonus.