Expectations Vs. Dedications

"Imagine if we did good deeds for others without expecting anything in return. We could see the real satisfaction in serving, which is loving others. Imagine if we expected nothing in return within our relationships as well. What if we solely loved someone and didn't expect anything from them in return? What selflessness... It's nice to know another person appreciates you as much as you appreciate... them, but imagine if you didn't expect them to do the same but found out that they do. Imagine how much more your heart would rejoice without the expectation crippling reality for you beforehand! If we always expect things from others, we are only building up emotional castles that will quickly be knocked down."

Proof, Love, & Hope

You're probably wondering why there is a picture of Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove" floating above these words. You're also probably wondering why there is a little devil on one of his shoulders and a little angel on the other. Firstly, I love the movie "The Emperor's New Groove" because it's flippin hilarious, so why wouldn't I put a picture from one of the funniest parts of the movie on my blog? :) But most importantly, I put it to possibly lead into a different topic. Yes, it's certainly a strange way to start off a blog post but hopefully it will be an effective one: when the devil shows up on Kronk's shoulder, the angel shows up right on the other. The Lord is still shown and is especially evident when the devil tries to mess with His people.

One way of seeing the truth in this statement is simply looking at the Lord and the devil on two sides. If evil exists, that means good exists as well. Black exists, but so does white. Even if you can't see the color white at the moment you see black, you know the color white still exists.

God sent His son to vanquish any sin or evil we have inside of us, and to replace it with the goodness and love of the Lord that will bring us to Him. Love binds, sin separates. That's simple.

A seemingly not-so-simple idea is that the devil himself also proves God's existence. Think about this: we know the devil struggles daily to tempt us and entangle us in sin. But... why does he struggle in the first place? why doesn't he just allow it to happen effortlessly? sometimes it's really easy to become tempted, but often... there's that conscious, that little angel on the shoulder, that stops some people from following through on the sin. why? Because God exists. a lot of people don't recognize that the devil's struggle only happens BECAUSE God is at work.

The same can be said in a reverse aspect as well. Why doesn't everyone just come to the Lord and accept Him and His son as their Savior? because the devil is at work through sin. the last aspect is the unfortunate truth, but thankfully it doesn't even matter because the Lord will always triumph over sin because not only is He our creator and Father who loves and cares about us more than we will ever understand, but He sent His son to die for us so we didn't have to worry about sin separating us anymore.

but now I digress... the main conclusion is, the devil's struggle to enchant us in sin actually proves the Lord existence and power. why else would the devil work so hard?

my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer this past year. it seemed like we just kept getting bad news from once we found out she had a brain tumor. of course, my heart felt like it shribbled up. I didn't understand God. I didn't give up on Him, but I didn't understand why He would let this happen.

the devil wanted to use this situation to doubt the Lord and why I believe in Him. the devil wanted to use this situation to give up hope and keep doubting the Lord would come through.

but why would the devil work so hard and steadily if there wasn't a loving God who was also at work to glorify His love through this experience?

I can't say you and I are going through the same thing. I can't even say what you are going through is or isn't absolutely painful. But if you too are struggling, or feel pain, or your emotions are draining through your brain and drowning your heart, please hear me out: the Lord exists. He is here, for You. He wants You to know it. If you were looking for a sign, maybe this can be it for you. It may feel like the things that should only happen in nightmares are strong, but that is all baloney. What is TRULY strong is you-- the Lord working through you. If you're reading this, that means you are alive, which means have an awesome amount of strength! Congratulations, that is SO awesome! YOU are so awesome! the Lord is already working in you! if you ever feel tempted or doubt, remember what it truly proves instead of focusing on what the devil is trying (but miserably failing) to do.

Phillipians 1:3-6 ^"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."