Lessons from "The Playlist"

This took more than a few tries, some frustration, and lots of editing and technical issues. This post is the final result and I think it turned out okay after all :) Enjoy!

 

I recently watched a short film called, "The Playlist," that one of my friends brainstormed, produced, and starred in as the main character. The whole film was basically on the joys, perils, and lessons learned from being in a relationship. It was exceptionally well done and very inspirational. It really got the wheels turning in my head and this is what the wheels produced:

 

~6 Lessons To Be Learned From "The Playlist".....~

 

1.    "Love" is NOT merely a cliché. We throw around the word "love" all the time. However, we all know that love is more than something we attach to a favorite food to express our enjoyment. Love is an action; it is selfless. C.S. Lewis put it quite well, "Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."
2.  Love goes beyond space, time and reason. Love is always a risk. Sometimes you are going to fall for the wrong person for all the right reasons. You cannot control that. What you can control is what you learn from it and what you do going forward. Alfred Lord Tennyson put it best: "Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."
3. Putting the one you love on a pedestal ultimately kills your relationship. They don't need the unrealistic expectations you have put on them and you don't need the disappointment when they fail to meet them. The one you love is only human; they aren't perfect. To put expectations on them is unfair to you both.
4. Love accepts what is, not what is imagined. This is similar to number 3. The one you love can only be who they are. They have flaws, weird likes and dislikes, and things that make them who they are. Trying to change them is not love. Love, in its purest form, is selfless. It accepts the flaws, the imperfections, and the risks.
5. The definition of love is forgiveness. This is a really big one. C.S. Lewis was on point when he said, "To love is to be venerable." No relationship is perfect and the odds of you getting hurt at some point are fairly high. The one you love is going to let you down and you need to learn to forgive.....yourself and them. You cannot go through life blaming yourself. It will destroy you. At the same time, you need to let it go and forgive the other person. Forgiveness does not erase the wrong done, but it does free you so that you can move on.
6. Love is selfless. Repeatedly, I have used this statement throughout my points. "The Playlist" concludes with the main character coming to the realization that when you can pray for someone, even someone that has hurt you, that is real love in action. One of my favorite quotes by Max Lucado states, "You are never more like Jesus than when you pray for someone else." Love is never easy; it takes acceptance that, you, and the one you love are not perfect. Prayer may not change the one you love's heart, but it will change your heart. That is really the heart of love. 

 

These are a just few things that "The Playlist" made me really think about. They are things I know to be true, yet are by no means easy to put into practice.

  

"The Playlist" is definitely a film that touched me and one that I would recommend to anyone. I have attached a link and if you get the time, go watch it. It is only 23 minutes long and well worth every minute. It makes you think about what your definition of love is and has a depth that can only come from experience and a lot of wisdom. Check it out!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tvEK5bAg5I

Striving for Holiness

I've been thinking a lot about holiness lately........I still have a lot to learn about this topic, but here are some thing I know to be true:

• God tells us to be holy just as He, Himself, is holy (1 Peter 1:16). We know that no one but God can obtain holiness. However, if God has commanded us to do something, should we not obey Him? If we love God we will obey Him.

• We cannot become holy, but we can strive to obtain it. How we do this is by following the example of Christ. This means not compromising in what we know to be true in our walk with Christ. So often it is easy to think that if we do something just once, it won't hurt us. What we don't realize is that by compromising what we know to be true, we have already hurt ourselves.

• Striving to be holy is taking the high road. It isn't an easy road and often, it is a lonely road, but it is definitely a worthwhile pursuit. It helps us learn more about ourselves, purifies our hearts and motives, and helps us to seek God in all we do.

• Holiness is to not to just seek perfection but to seek to be like God. This means that we are to be one with the Father and to desire only what is true and right. We can never be holy because we are flawed human beings, but by striving to do so we can obey God, and in doing so, deepen our relationship with Christ.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

This has been heavy on my heart today and I genuinely felt like I had to write on it. This is going to be a darker post, so be forewarned.

 

Lately, I have noticed quite a bit of pain being felt around me. It might be a temporary pain or it might be a deep pain that cuts to the core. In my last two blog posts, I talked about how when we go through pain, we are not alone. In a way, this is basically the same message, but I am trying to hit it from a different angle.

 

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

 

This verse is so incredibly powerful. It doesn't say "If I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," it says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I can't help but think that this is a promise that we will walk through this valley. It's not a matter of "if" but "when."

 

What exactly is "the valley of the shadow of death?" Well, I believe it is any hardship we face that utterly rocks our world. It shakes our faith in God, people, and in ourselves. It makes us question anything and everything we have ever known to be true. It is a place where we have to live, but question why we are even here.

 

It can be anything from the death of a child, a miscarriage, a divorce, a suicide of someone we love, a bad break-up, the loss of a job, or anything else really that we treasure and value that we suddenly lose.

 

Earlier this year, my family walked through a time that I think I, personally, can say was the "valley of the shadow of death." It rocked my world, my beliefs, and made me question God and everything I knew to be right and true. In this time, I felt there was no hope. I felt that nothing would ever be right again. I even wondered how the world could dare keep spinning under the weight of the pain I felt. I felt hopeless and broken. I didn't know what to do or who to turn to.

 

Unless you have felt this kind of pain, you really are lost at this point. It is such a brokenness and pain that words honestly cannot begin to describe accurately.

 

Yes, I was in the "valley of the shadow of death" and I know many people who have been here and are here. However, the verse does not end there! If it did, there would be no hope. There is a promise: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." 

 

This is a promise that I clung to and that you can cling to too. Yes, we will face trials that rock our worlds, but He IS with us!

 

You know, I hear so many people paint God as someone who expects perfection out of us. I am not going to say that He does not desire us to desire to be like Him, but we also must realize that we serve a God who wants us to be real. He already sees beyond the fluff and pretty stuff we show everyone. He sees beyond the brave faces. He sees the silent pain we bear that can feel like it rips our heart in two. He sees the numerous tears we shed, seen and unseen by others. He wants us to choose to come to Him for comfort and to be real.

 

Only in His comfort can we find hope to get up again.....to live.....to even  keep breathing. The only thing stronger than fear and pain, is hope. This world is temporary and gives temporary pleasures and hopes, but in Him we can find a lasting hope that will get us through. Will it lesson the pain? Not necessarily, but it will help us keep going.

 

Is that not a hope we desire? Is that not a hope we can lean on and fall on? Is that not a hope worth having?

 

In conclusion, I will leave ya'll with this verse from Matthew 11:28-29, "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

 

All you have to do is come and He will do the rest....



 

"You Never Let Go" by Jeremy Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oK18qai8tw

 

The Promise: I Am With You

Have you ever been standing in a crowd and just had this feeling that no one would miss you if you just disappeared? Have you ever just felt utterly alone and you couldn't put your finger on why? If you have, then you are in good company. I am not certain of many things, but I am certain that all of us have felt alone at one time or another.

I began to really think about this earlier today.......

I wonder how many times Jesus felt alone. Of course, He was fully God, but He was also fully man. I mean, the God of the universe is trying to convey deep spiritual truths and the people just aren't getting it! Yes, I am sure there were many times where Jesus felt alone.

There are times in our lives where we are going to stand up for things that we believe to be right and we are going to look around and feel like we are standing utterly and completely alone. There are going to be some days where it just feels like no one is on the same page as we are. There are going to be some nights where all we want is a friend, but we honestly can't think of anyone to call that truly gets it.

Guys and gals, that is a totally normal thing to feel! However, let me comfort you with this: In the moments where you feel utterly and completely alone, I guarantee that God is not too far off whispering, "I am with you." This is a promise that He has given us.

It is so easy to look at our current situations and to think that we are alone. A few weeks ago, I spoke on the power of letting others know that they are not alone. That you care and can empathize......but I am trying to say something more here.

There are going to be moments in your life where you will have silent battles. There are going to be moments in your life where no human being can understand the depths of the pain you are feeling. There are going to be moments in your life where it feels like the pain will kill you but you cannot speak of it; it is too much to speak of. Sometimes, there are no words for the battles we fight. Sometimes we do have to stand up for things where we really are standing alone.

We live in community for a reason. We are meant to bear each others burdens, however, in the moments where we do stand alone or where we cannot speak of our silent pain, we are not alone.

We do not serve a heartless God. Nor do we serve a God who is only with us in the good times. We serve a God who walks with us through the "valley of the shadow of death." We serve a God who sees and holds each tear we cry. We serve a God that knows every tormenting thought. We serve a God who cares about every heartache and burden.

Beloved, know that God is with you. You are not alone! That is a promise that God has made to us. Choose to let God hold you, for He truly cares for you.

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10