YEAH!

There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away!

RA RA RA RAAAAAAA!

So I've been listening to The Devil Wears Prada today and watching their vids on Youtube, and as usual I was amazed and inspired by the passion these guys have not only for music but for their faith.

Alot of my friends ask me why I like that type of music because they only see it as 'just screaming' and also cause they 'can't hear what they're saying.' One friend even said it felt like they were telling her off. Haha that's pretty funny. I usually never had an answer to their questions, not until now: Passion.

It goes with every hardcore band I admire. When they play their instruments, when they belt out a song, when they scream, when they perform altogether, you can't deny that they put all their energy, all they have and all they don't have into it. They are unrelentless, they don't care about what people think or about what they look like, they are simply doing what they love with an incredible passion for it.

When I listen to bands like TDWP and Underoath, I don't hear the annoying screaming some people hear. I feel the music, and I listen to the lyrics. They are so heartfelt and beautiful. The people who ask me why I like them don't notice that.


I have a friend who loves rap but I didn't like it. Also, she didn't like hardcore. We were discussing our music tastes, and I gave her a song by Underoath to listen to that had minimal screaming but amazing lyrics. She loved it when she had a listen to the lyrics. She in turn gave me a rap song to listen to that had raw and meaningful lyrics, and I loved it! I think that yes, some hardcore and some rap music are distasteful, but when both genres are used to glorify God, it's the most wonderful thing.

When people diss me for this type of music, aren't they also dissing God? It's funny because He gave those people the talents, abiblities and passion to do what they do now. And we can't put God in a box when it comes to music. It's so inaccurate to say that God only loves soft praise songs. I believe with all my heart that whatever music is played to give glory to God, whether its hardcore or acoustic, rap or indie, IS praise and worship. There are just different ways of doing it. I love those bands because their music shows their passion for God and music in an obvious way. Also, I would say I'm passionate too.


Really, who cares about genre of music. As long as God's name is being honoured and lifted, all types music should be cherished and encouraged. Just saying, look beyond the sweaty, screaming men. Look at how much talent, energy and passion it takes to do what they do, and only then can you point the finger at me.

Grace

I fall to my knees

Blood-stained hands smother my face
'Breathe, you've found my grace.'

Another late night epiphany.

I'm just gonna say what I feel, call me irrational or ungrateful.

I'm sick of the worlds standards of what is beautiful and captivating.
I'm sick of feeling jealous and bitter over what I can't have now.
I'm sick of looking to useless things to fill my aching void.
I'm sick of how some boys treat girls...not like princesses, but like tramps.
I'm sick of how selfish and inconsiderate this world is.
I'm sick of me being that way too.
I'm sick of disappointments and lies.
I'm sick of money and the big mess we've tied ourselves in because of it.
I'm sick of my self-conciousness.
I'm sick of smiling when everything is a beg mess underneath it.
I'm sick of how the world cheapens beauty everyday, and girls seem to be falling for it.

I guess, right here, right now, I'm totally sick of this world we live in.
Today I just wanted to crawl in my bed and be invisible. Ever had those days?
And I know the right thing to do would be to not complain and be all talk, but to do something about it. I know I have to. I know in my heart that I want to.
And the action I have to take to combat this sickness isn't what I thought it would be at all.

It's not as easy as getting a haircut, buying a new outfit, trying to be a little more attractive, losing a little weight, thinking outer change will affect inner change. No, it's simply... looking towards God.
It's funny, because one of my new years resolutions was to believe, in it's very deepest meaning, in faith, hope and love. Being pessimistic isn't doing so. In fact, it's doubting the good God has put in this world. I know when I become angry at this world for the wrong reasons, I'm closing my heart and eyes to the beauty left in this world. But you know what? The wonderful thing is, every single day is a chance to start anew. Everyday is a chance to improve. No, every moment. God can forgive and wipe away your old self and present to you a new canvas to paint your life on, everyday, every moment. It's as simple as asking Him to help you become more like Him, think more like Him, act more like Him, speak more like Him.

I realised the other day that we become the people we surround ourselves with. Just look at everyone you know and their company, and you'll understand. So logically, if we consume ourselves in God all the time, and if He is the most beautiful, most radiant person of all, won't we slowly adopt the way He is too? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

I guess I'm re-learning this lesson again, if you have read my previous posts..that I should emerse myself less in this world and more in God. I always thought that I needed a physical change to become a new person, but I certainly didn't. I simply just needed more of God.

Lonewolf.

Well, not really. But it makes me sound more badass than I really am.

This 2010 has really started off rocky for me. My emotions have been all over the place, and I'm only just starting to get used to it.
And because of this toil, and I know it sounds so cliche, but I've learnt so much to depend on God. Yes, my friends have been there, and I have confessed some of what I'm feeling, but no one else does it like God does. This blog is to tell you what I'm learning while I walk through this valley.

I've been crying... but I saw somewhere that ever since birth, crying has always been a sign that you're alive. It's a way for me to release the pain, the anger, the hurt...and it's so okay. We don't have to be strong all the time. Even heroes need their days off.

I've learnt even more so that people will disappoint. They will say the wrong things, and you will say the wrong things. We aren't perfect, just human. But God, oh God.. even though you may talk to Him and he seems silent and far away, when He does speak He tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. And it's always the right thing. On top of that, He won't give you what you want when you want it, no matter how badly you do. It's about knowing that He knows what is best for you. It hurts Him as much as it hurts you. But it's all part of the process of becoming the person He has in mind for you... strong, beautiful, spirit-filled, unshakable, amoung many other things.

I've learnt to be honest with God. I've learnt that if you feel like talking to Him isn't helping, tell Him that. If you feel angry at Him, tell Him that you are and why you are. God will be happy that you are being honest with Him. In fact, I think it is a way of praise. Because when you tell Him your innermost thoughts, good and bad, it shows you trust Him..it shows that you know He can handle it, because He can..it shows that you love Him enough to be honest with Him. Look at the book of Psalms. David did not just praise God for His goodness..he was angry at Him, he complained to Him, he was upset and disappointed with Him, he told Him all his thoughts without hesistation, even if they sounded hurtful. God can handle it. He just wants your honesty.

I've learnt to stay away from things that will only offer me temporary fulfillment. I've been buying so much junk, I've been drowning myself in looking good, I've been eating alot. It hasn't been good. I find that in the end I'm only digging a deeper hole for myself. I'm going to try to stop going on the laptop for so long...stop buying!...stop drowning my sorrows in food. And look to God. Look to Him for my fulfillment and happiness and joy and strength. Not when all else fails, but in everything that He may be my first and last.

Lastly, I've learnt even more that this is not my Home. And it's funny, because my Korean name 'Chum Heung' translates to 'Finding Home' in english. The more I thought about it, the more I shoved it out of my head cause I already knew Home was Heaven. But I was wrong. Finding Home isn't knowing where's Home. Finding Home is the journey towards it. I went to Whangamata for new years, and everyone was drinking and having a good time. They looked so much at home to me, they looked so in there place. And even though I did what they did, I still felt out of the loop. The next day, I sat by the river and just had still time, and I felt so at home with myself. I felt peaceful and happy, more than was when I was with people. It was probably the highlight of my trip. C.S. Lewis puts how I felt that moment perfectly when he said,

'If I find in myself desires which nothing in the world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.'

It's hard, I'm not going to lie. I'm being furnaced, and the fire is burning away all my nonsense, all my junk, all my impurities. The best part is, I know what will become of me after I finally come out: pure, precious and priceless gold. It will proclaim God's goodness and love. And my hope is that anyone is who in the same place as me will just hold fast and believe, in the very deepest meaning, in hope, faith and love. I don't know everything, I am still far from finished. These are just the words of a girl who is going through the dark with God at the moment and wants to offer some sort of hope for those who are too...

'So now, all alone or not, you gotta walk ahead. Thing to remember is if we're all alone, then we're all together in that too. '
Patricia, 'P.S I Love You'

Patience.

Patience with others is Love,
Patience with self is Hope,
Patience with God is Faith.