Soledad's Scars

...sores, scabs and scars...

Soledad stares at herself, at her skin-marked, soul-deep bruises and blemishes with repulsion and resignation.

A disfigured creature, the damage running through her very being, unlovely, unloved, unlovable.

Soledad's Adrift

Adrift.

That is the word, Soledad decides.

She is adrift in a sea of souls, sometimes pushing her way through all the others to a place she seeks but cannot find, sometimes watching them, sometimes just standing and letting them float past her.....but always alone.

And these others, they wisp past, laughing, talking, but every time she reaches out to them, they slip through her fingers like mist and dreams. Insubstantial.

She wanders on, searching for someone who can see her, for a familiar face she has never seen.

She wasn't a stranger to solitude, but it would be nice, Soledad thinks, to have someone around who is like her, because it gets lonely with all the unseeing souls around, with no one to talk to, or to laugh with.

Still they float past, oblivious, disparate beings.

Soledad walks on, a lone figure amidst strangers, always seeking, always searching...

...Waiting.

Relativism consists of various theories each of which claims that some element or aspect of experience or culture is relative to, i.e., dependent on, some other element or aspect. For example, some relativists claim that humans can understand and evaluate beliefs and behaviors only in terms of their historical or cultural context. The term often refers to truth relativism, which is the doctrine that there are no absolute truths, i.e., that truth is always relative to some particular frame of reference, such as a language or a culture. ~ excerpt from Wikipedia, on the subject of 'Relativism'.

There's a saying which goes "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

At first sight, it seems well and fine. I even agree with it, to a certain extent. Then, with more thought given to it, I realize that even standing for "something" can be a bit of a problem.

You see, that "something" has to be the right thing, otherwise it will just succumb to the relativism rule. If the "something" you're standing for isn't strong, isn't true, in the end you'll find yourself being swayed.

Heck, even if you're standing for the truth, you have to stay close to Jesus to keep from being hoodwinked because Satan's extremely good at deception.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness... - 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

You have no idea how insidious and utterly seductive the devil can be.

The Beginning of the End

This is pure madness.

So, Hong Kong authorities are considering labelling the Bible "indecent". People are complaining that it's filled with "sexual and violent content".

Quite ironic, don't you think, coming from a place where movies glorifying gangsters' lives are made; a place where Hollywood movies are embraced? And which Hollywood movie produced nowadays doesn't have at least an iota of sexual innuendo?

This world we live in has shed its inhibitions. If you're a virgin, you're a "prude", or just plain pathetic for not being able to "get laid". Adultery and fornication are as common as fleas on a stray.

Look around you, read the papers: Rape, robbery, abuse. Millions worldwide are addicted to porn.

And yet, these people have nothing better to do than complain about the Bible's content?

Why not ban Hollywood movies? Why not do something constructive to fight porn and child abuse? Why not ban newspapers instead?

Isn't the news today filled with sexual and violent content as well?

But God has already spoken of this time, when His Word will be trampled:

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. - 2 Peter 2:1-2

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many....."Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.....At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. - Matthew 24:4-5, 9-12, 23-25

Christians will no longer be Christians. Truth will be twisted, and even Christians will be deceived.

And those who persist in obeying God's Word as Truth, who follow Jesus, will be persecuted:

...I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held - Revelation 6:9

As Jesus has warned: He who has ears, let him hear!

This morning, fuelled by pure panic, I woke up at 7a.m. Amazing, huh? For me it is, anyway.

Even more amazing, I was actually happy! And then, driving to college, I saw such a beautiful sight, it made my day perfect.

The morning sun shining over the sea right after a rainy dawn is something I can never describe fully. It was a 'you-have-to-be-there-to-appreciate-it' moment. Just too WOW! for words.

I used to think that there's nothing worth waking up early voluntarily for...but now I think that watching a sunrise has cancelled that thought.

It's going on my list of things to do before I die, right up there with walking in the rain!

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. ~Psalm 19:1

apathy, or something

Everyone's suffering from selective sight, it seems.

The carpet's bulging

from all that dirt swept under

but no one notices

so that makes it okay.

It's fashionable, didn't you hear?

to have your third eye open

and both eyes shut;

to laugh at misfortune

except if it's your own.

Love's not blind - it's been blinded.

I'd cry for this world, if I could be bothered

to grope around for my eyes.

I think I left them on my dressing table,

or somewhere.

No one cares about caring anymore nowadays

...but who cares?

Q: How do you get a guy to do something?

A: Appeal to his ego.

Just tell him that some other guy did it; he'll do the rest.

Case illustration: A and T were two girls. T had some heavy boxes she had to carry from her car to another location. A guy, B, was supposed to help T do the carrying. T said, "M carried 3 boxes at once!". B, who initially only carried one box, immediately offered to carry the other box. B said, "If M can do it, so can I."

It was a good laugh for A and T.

The Girl Who Doesn't Exist

Sometimes I wonder...

how many guys who were interested in me before were actually interested in who I am? Answer is, I don't think any of them were.

I think all they fell for was an image of who they thought I was, a girl who doesn't exist.

Or maybe they were just lonely and I happened to cross their paths.

I read a friend's blog entry today, and it made me think...

Friendships are so frail and delicate: the link between each soul tenuous, smoky, and insubstantial. Handled the wrong way, the chain can easily break in your fingers and leave you clutching thin air, wondering what went wrong.

Sometimes the breach in between is filled with things unsaid, and even as I am afraid to speak or unsure of what to say, these unuttered phrases feed the void, the growing gap finally too wide to bridge by human means.

I admit I've kept too carelessly some chains in my life. No one's perfect. It's time to make amends, if that were still possible.