Growing Up in the Filth...

Fiction:

It is not that I wanted to grow up that way. I wanted the good life. I wanted it all, love, fame and fortune. But instead I got filth!

I remember how he used to tell me that I was the only special thing in his life. Daddy would come back home late at night, and I'd still be up waiting for his kiss on my cheeks. Oh, how I used to long for that kiss. I'd stay awake chasing the flies from my dirty face. I'd stay awake hugging Lucy, the doll who never came to life- with her one eye and half-torn neck. I'd stay awake crying because mama was in her room downing the rum like her life depended on it. Finally, papa would stroll into my room and give me my long-awaited kiss, even with the filth on his mouth from the bituminous coal mine. Yes, daddy worked those unnecessary long hours inside that filthy black hole. They were not worth it because the money was useless. In fact he smelled of rotten eggs every night. He told me it was the damp sulfur in the air which they called 'stink damp.' My older sister ran away from it all, but I was the one who stayed and endured the stench.
.
Daddy was a brave man. Mama was a weak alcoholic. My sister was a run-away child. Why I stayed there in the stench, I do not understand. But I grew up in filth. I'm in a different place now. I'm in my happy place now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This morning I opened those dusty pages again. Remember the great book, the bible? Yeah, that one! I read Matthew 13 where Jesus was talking about the parable of the wheat and the weeds. See, a farmer sowed good seeds and in the night his enemy came to plant weeds amongst the good seeds. After a while, his servants began to notice the weeds and complain. But the master told them to allow the good seeds to grow in the filth. "If you remove them now," he said, "the good ones will be taken away with the bad." So he instructed them to wait till the harvest time when all the plants were mature. At that time, the right time, one would be able to tell which ones are good and which ones aren't. Then, the servants would be authorized to bring only the good wheat into the barn and burn up all the weeds.

So you may have been wondering why you're still living in the filth of yesterday. It's because there's something precious about growing up in filth, as stupid as it may sound. If the filth is taken away from you too early, it may take away something good from you. But you're still there, in the filth, for a reason. You have to learn how to be mature, even in the rubbish. You have to learn the golden rules of life. But just endure...endure till you get to your happy place. It will come...lol. No kidding!

"If you remove them now," he said, "the good ones will be taken away with the bad."

ps: thanks guys for checking up on me...I'm a work in progress, got so many things to take care of at home...but I'm hanging on. How are y'all doing na? May you become mature more and more each day. It's never too late for good seed to be sown inside you. You'll know why later... :)

Photo by redbubble

"We Played the Flute for You, and You Did Not Dance":

You have lived one more year. One more year of not dying. One more year of not turning into a vegetable. One more year of liveliness. It is your birthday.

You hear the sound of jingles, and then you see her- the beautiful Egyptian dancer. She is dancing to the sound of a golden reedless wind instrument, a basic flute. The flautist is blowing with all his might, exciting the air in the cylindrical cavity of the flute. The woman keeps dancing. As she twists her curvaceous body, her eyes are directly focused on you, secretly pulling you to the dance floor. Yet you do not dare yourself to move, although you are really enjoying watching her dance. She looks at the young man beside you, and again her eyes beckon to him, calling him to come forth. He stands up and begins to dance. You throw your head backwards and laugh at the unbelievable dance steps your friend is construing. But you don't show him how to do the steps right. You just sit back on your high pedestal and laugh. The sound of the jingles on her waist heightens, beckoning to all who are interested. Your guests are rising one by one. Some are good dancers, others are not- only making mockery of themselves. You do not join them. You do not show your talent in dancing, neither do you make a mockery of yourself. You do not dance.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Have you ever been in a place where your heart tells you what to do, but you disobey it? A place where your conscience speaks but you choose not to listen? If you have, then a flute has been played for you, but you chose not to dance.

How can you see the vast resources of nature and not understand the wisdom of this world? How can you believe it all happened by accident? The trees, the mountains, the meandering rivers flowing down a hill? The flautist is playing His flute for you, but you are not dancing.

How can you think that you can't be forgiven? You forget the blood that gushed out of the body of Jesus when they pierced His side. You forget that He prayed that the cup should pass him by, but still received a cup of death. You forget these things and you go about your daily lives, acting as if you did not hear the sound of the flute. The flute is playing for you, but you are not dancing.

How do you see the forces of evil, but not the goodness of God? If the world is unjust, then there must be a good judge somewhere. If there are principalities and powers, there must be a greater power than these. That's why you still have the chance to overcome those things you think are plaguing you. You are alive because you need to be a victorious warrior. The flute is playing for you, but you are not dancing.

*This post was done to provoke you to think about your life, and the various ways you are not dancing to the flute of God.*

But what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament." Jesus, Matthew 11:16
.
Photo by redbubble

...Drifter...

Fiction
.
I will wait for the tide to carry me away, the drifter thought to himself. So, he sat on the stones of the seashore...waiting patiently for the wind to lift the wings of the sea. He was there for the next two hours before the wind finally arose. But it came alright! It came and it carried the wings of the sea. It carried the wings of the sea with the drifter riding proudly on top of them. The wind, the sea, and the drifter began their journey. They journeyed till they reached the far west of the country. Then the drifter settled in very nicely, inside a bedrock.
.
Then the next morning the drifter arose and said to himself, I will wait for the raven to bring me my bread. So he actually waited for the next four days, under the shade of a papaya tree, without food. At least he had water to drink from a corner of the bedrock where he slept last night, the drifter consoled himself...like a juvenile who had no mother. Funny enough, the raven came on the fourth day and delivered his bread. The drifter ate the bread and slept. He awoke at the middle of the night to begin his journey again. This time he walked to the far east of the papaya tree.
.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thinking about it, maybe the life of a drifter is quite interesting. It is not like he is bothered about the things you and I think about daily. He is not bothered about when the wind would come or when the ravens would fly, neither is he aware of the necessary things he has to do in his life. A drifter has no worries or direction.

Yes, it could be quite interesting. But you were not born to be a drifter. God has not called you to live that kind of life. His plan is to have you under some form of guidance and wisdom, to have a Shepherd for his sheep so that they would not be scattered all around the earth without any purpose or any sense of direction. So, if your life has not felt like it has any sense of direction lately, I have a solution for you: Jesus. The name above all other names. Plain and simple! That's it. He's the one who was moved with so much compassion for you that he gave up everything to save you. The next verse spills it all...
.
"But when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." Matthew 9:36

Let the drifter in you die. Don't wait for the wind, or the wings of the sea, or the raven, or the papaya tree. Wait for the shepherd and let Him guide your life and make it more meaningful.

Photo by Photobucket

My life now:

One of my middle schoolers, M, asked me a question like a month back. She said she had a crush on a guy in her class and did not know what to do about it. I told her to make sure that he doesn't know she has a crush on him (lol). Funny enough, last week I took her out and she was telling me that she's done with the crush, that she did not even understand why she had a crush on him in the first place. I already kind of figured she would get tired of him anyways. Talk about a sense of direction! *wink*

Have a blessed day guys!