A mother was recently reported to have attempted to murder her two sons because she refused to allow them to experience the horrific nature of the rapture. She would then plan to kill herself afterwards. Another family gave up their entire life savings for the purpose of expanding Camping’s campaign as well as in anticipation of being hurtled skywards.

Harold Camping. You need to repent. How dare you.

To be honest, I still think that there will always be hope for you because Jesus will always be graciously waiting for you to turn back to Him, but I’ll be frank–you make me angry. In spite of the lighthearted snarky remarks I make from time to time, there is a deep-seated conviction within my heart about the grave mistake you are making. The insurmountable disregard for a portion of humanity’s impressionable minds, and an even more incredulous disregard for what Scripture clearly states about Jesus Christ’s second coming, is beyond appalling.

Jesus, be there for the brokenhearted.

“Why is life so unfair?”

A friend once made a profound point about the way we experience our depression whenever we trip over an unpleasant doozie on the road:

“It’s not so much the unfortunate circumstance that causes our depression. It’s the question of ‘Why did this unfortunate circumstance had to happen to me?’ that causes the inner turmoil within us. The circumstance in it of itself is a secondary issue.”

Point taken. So let’s be transparent for a moment—isn’t it true? The very reason why we feel depressed about the ruts we find ourselves in is due to the acknowledgment that the ruts seem to have vindictively chosen us for no particular reason.

“It’s not fair that I’m the one who lost my job.”
“It’s not fair that I’m the one who lost my loved one.”
“It’s not fair that, to this day, I’m the one who’s still single.”
“It’s not fair that I’m the one who had a spouse who was unfaithful.”
“It’s not fair that I’m the one with cancer.”
“It’s not fair that I’m not as intelligent as everyone else.”
“It’s not fair that I’m not as beautiful as everyone else.”

And we constantly ask questions. We’re usually met with very few answers.

There are many questions I could have asked in my own life. When my father passed away in 2004 due to a rejection of the bone marrow transfusion in an effort to treat his leukemia, it was very hard to not ask questions. When certain men in my life had used me simply as an emotional crutch and then disposed of me when they no longer needed me, it was very hard to not ask questions. When I studied my utmost best for my classes and still did not pass, it was very hard to not ask questions. When I was rejected, when I was sick, when I lost my dignity, when I was taken advantage of, all I could think of was, “God. Why me? What did I do to deserve all this?”

And, I guess, you might have considered pouring pity onto me after reading all of that, but please don’t.

God has been so good to me.

Have you ever considered, “Why not me?”

Sin abounds in this world. And the only thing that’s fair about anything is that we shouldn’t and don’t deserve to be alive from the beginning. From the moment Adam and Eve bit into the fruit of the tree of knowledge and became conscious of their nakedness, they and the rest of posterity were cursed.

Separation from God. Sin came into existence. And God cannot and will not tolerate sin.

Disobedience to God has its weighted consequences—not only do they affect you, but like a genetic disorder, they can also affect future generations. So when God tells you not to sin—seriously, don’t go out your way to do it.

But back to the subject at hand. What’s fair? Oh right—death.

Oh, but you realize, as surely as you are reading this blog, you are certain that you are not dead. Isn’t that interesting? You are not dead. At least, not yet. But you are currently existing, when you shouldn’t be existing in the first place.

How did that happen? Oh wait.

Why is life not fair? Because it just simply isn’t—and maybe it’s not supposed to be? This is merely speculation; I’m no expert.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ” (John 3:16-17)

People don’t normally quote verse 17 right after verse 16, but I thought that it’d be appropriate and quite important in this case.

Even though God is a personhood of justice and righteousness, His love and grace is much abundant.

It wasn’t about the condemnation after all. It wasn’t about the sin. He focused on the path of redemption. Even after banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He was the one who still clothed them.

He chose to do the unfair thing at the expense of His own life. What was the unfair thing? He was innocent; we were not. He was the only baby born on this Earth to die, so that the rest of us—who were guilty—could live. Life definitely isn’t about fairness. It never was.

Freewill is a double-edged sword if you think about it. You can choose goodness, or you can choose the opposite. Unfortunately, many people choose the opposite and end up being proponents to the injustice that exists in our world today, whether it be terrorism or world hunger. But Jesus did provide the solution—He gave Himself. If He had true followers, things like terrorism and world hunger would not be a problem today. Love, grace, mercy, self-control, goodness, gentleness, kindness would be prevalent instead. God doesn’t will for us to get sick, but sin is what it is, and we will get sick.

Therefore, blaming God for the troubles of this world is misguided. We need to look at ourselves—we have the choice. God offers the solution. We have to take it. He takes pity upon the orphans and the widows. Whatever we do for the least of these, such as children, God feels that you have done unto Him as well. He came for the sick and the hurting, because as He’s said, it’s not the healthy who need a doctor.

We have a commandment and a commission—to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and to share the love of Jesus. God gave us a brain. God gave us a heart. God gave us resources. Well?

I’m thankful to Jesus that I’m still alive even though I deserve death.
I’m thankful to Jesus that I still have a family.
That I still have a roof over my head, that I still have clothing.
That I have a church community as well as a loving boyfriend.
That I have food to eat.
The list goes on.

Because of His grace—which is inherently unfair—I am still blessed even though I am a sinner. This revelation probably changed my life forever. Bitterness gone, frustration gone, and I am able to live life in a much fuller capacity. And if you’re on the same boat as I am, let’s not be idle. Let’s love and serve those who are still currently hurting. Maybe you don’t feel that you can save everybody, but you can still care for that one person. And that person. And that person. Jesus died for you and me and nothing we do will ever measure up to what He’s done for us, in spite of our iniquities.

It’s not about fairness.

You groan and open your eyes–suddenly, you no longer feel so comfortable.

And for a moment, you look at your own 23 mostly miserable years of life and wonder: How did I get here so soon? I was 6 just yesterday.

For dust we are and to dust we shall return–how true those words ring. A timeless truth. An inescapable reality.

One day, you will grow old and die. Your once luscious locks of hair will loosen its grip on your scalp and fall away to the ground, reminding you that youth does inevitably ebb away. Your once raven dark hair will soon be coupled with blinding white, and your hair strands will contest each other, contrasting each other. You wish and pray fervently that the hair you’ve had so faithfully for decades will win this battle and administer resiliency…until finally, the dreadful white adversary proclaims victory instead. You’re crushed, but you’ve known this would happen anyway. The edge of your eyes show perpetual traces of laughter and grief, creases make its home around your mouth when you wryly smirk to yourself, and your precious collagen breaks down, forcing your face to start sagging. For the love of all that’s good, you don’t want to look droopy, but you don’t have a choice. Your bones become brittle, your energy is depleted, and your mind is not as expeditious as it used to be.

Finally, you’re 90 and ready to die. One day, for no reason in particular, you wobbly get yourself to stand up, ignoring the arthritic pain in all your joints. You walk to a full length mirror and stare at yourself in the reflection, you in all your decrepit glory. If you’re lucky and your mind is not too senile, you’ll think, “Why…am I already…so old?” Your once 23-year-old self is now just a vague memory of the past.

When you realize that this time is coming much sooner than you anticipate, you panic. You wonder–am I really going to see Jesus when I die? Is death as dark as my bedroom is right now? Had this all been one grandiose conspiracy just to console us for what’s to come? If I married someone I loved so deeply–could I accept the fact that it can’t be forever? That even in things like romance and marriage, there is no such thing as “forever?” That even if we held hands and died together, the only thing we could possibly still have is leave behind an intangible legacy? Or will I die alone? Does death hurt? These questions wrestle with your soul without reserve.

We’re so caught up by how much time we “still have,” whether it’s 40, 50, or 60 years down the road, that we forget one indispensable truth: time will never wait for you.

Although I don’t have any particular moral to leave behind, there is one thing I know for certain–we are foolish to think that time waits for us. We convince ourselves that we “still have time.” No. How untrue that all is. Time never waits. It never will. God makes sure of that. So if anything, I can offer one caveat to you–whatever it is you feel, whatever it is you do, whoever it is you invest your time and life in–make it count. You only have one very short life to live.

“This girl is so naive.  About everything.”

I’ve been thinking about marriage lately–and no, it’s not that I’m planning to get married any time soon.

(Although if I ever do get married, you are allowed to glance at the sky with an incredulous expression on your face and ask in apprehension, “…Um, is Jesus back yet?”)

But no, in all seriousness, I’m wondering if getting married at a younger age isn’t such a terrible idea after all.  And by “younger,” I mean the age surrounding the 18 – 22 range.  Please don’t gasp too audibly; I clearly realize that these are college kids, some fresh out of high school.  However, it’s not that far out of reach; tens of decades ago, couples have been getting married as young as 16.  Nowadays, you would be the exception–not the rule–if you got married by 25.  What was the cause for such age discrepancy?  Furthermore, why is there such a stigma for those who choose to get married earlier than most?  If I chose to get married right now (I’m currently 22), I would be judged as irrational and unrealistic.

But is it really that irrational and unrealistic?  (Okay okay, for ME it would be–in case you couldn’t figure it out, it was purely hypothetical.) But seriously, sure, if the person is emotionally and spiritually immature (which also translates to selfish), then he or she shouldn’t get married…but that’s not exclusive to just young people alone.  Thus, I don’t accept the premise that if you’re young, then you must be immature.

Okay, so you ask, “All right, what about finances?  I can’t get married without having a stable financial plan first.”

Do you really need to be financially well off for a marriage to work?  My parents started out with almost nothing, but because they were committed to each other in marriage, they slowly built up income for the household…and now I’m thankful to say that God has blessed my family with His providence.  So again, I don’t accept the reasoning that if you’re “poor,” then you’re “unfit” to be married.  So what is it?

(Disclaimer: I’m not hating on anyone who has actually been called to marry later–I acknowledge that all walks of life are different, the way God appoints your life events are different, and maybe you really are to wait on the Lord.  I’m just referring to the crowd of people who feel that they need to be completely “ready” before they get married, so I hope that clears up some misunderstandings.)

What does it even mean to be “ready,” anyway?  Would you ever be completely “ready?”  Does one expect to have it all figured out first before locking into the commitment?  For some reason, I don’t think that’s the right perspective.  Do you think a person will ever be fully ready for marriage?  I sure don’t.  Also, I think that we subconsciously raise kids to be mentally younger than they should be.  As Pastor Mark Gungor once stated in faint exasperation, “We’re raising a bunch of adolescent 30-year-olds in this generation!”

Somehow, I don’t disagree with him.  I do see immaturity being increasingly produced at a later age within people of this generation.  I should know–I am tragically among those maturity-waned adults.

Lastly, it’s a little sad to see couples’ parents force their kids to not get married until they’re nearing 30…and yet at the same time expect them to “resist temptation.”  I mean, c’mon–that is a borderline-sick joke.  The apostle Paul directly states with certitude,

“…If they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” (I Corinthians 7:9)

In other words, to avoid sexual immorality, get married!  Why not?

Marriage is good.  Marriage is a covenant.  Marriage is holy.  And as a church, we should be the couples’ spiritual and practical support of their love stories…not the obstacle.  But all in all, as a single person, I don’t think I could write any more than I already have since I don’t have the experience to back it up.  I can say that I’ve seen a lot…so what I know about romance and the problems attached to romance is based on only speculation.  I’d love to get married, but I just need to learn to grow up is all.  Hopefully, it won’t take such a long time.

May Jesus teach me how to love like He does.