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Encouraging Others
3 min read
"Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially no that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." Hebrews 11:24-25.
Do you ever find it hard to be positive, to be uplifting and to be encouraged. Something interesting about an art school is you need to learn humility, honesty, and encouragement. In high school, when you turned in a paper, the teacher graded it an gave it back. The only eyes that saw your work was the teachers. My school has the teachers and the students look at the work together so that it can be critiqued. If you are being critiqued, you need to be able to take negative comments on the cheek and move on and try to better yourself. If you are the one critiquing, you need to be honest with the person to help them, but you also want to be encouraging. You don't simply say "This part of your piece looks really bad." You might say instead "This part right here might need a little work. You're almost there, maybe you could try this."
There are a couple teachers that I have had here and I must say that they really do understand this matter of encouraging others. Just the other week I was very discouraged with one of the projects and kept praying that God would encourage me with the project. The next class I had with that my professor says, "Don't get discouraged, if you're lost, that's good. Right now is a great time for that." It made me feel better. It wasn't like he said try again or keep working on it. He said "Don't get discouraged" which was precisely what I was the previous class.
Now I know that a lot of the people I go to school with are not believers in God and I don't look down on them for that. But I do know that some of them have learned how to encourage others a lot more than some followers of the Lord. In no way am I saying that God's people are perfect, because we aren't.
I had another discouraging moment in class last week where a piece I was creating was criticized by one individual for not being plausible. The second after that was said, two others stood up for the piece I was working on because the idea could fit inside the game world. These two individuals I have known over the years here and they have always been two of the most encouraging people I know. They will critique you if you ask, but they will always offer a solution to make it better.
Sometimes when we've had a bad day, all we'd like to hear is a little encouragement. If you see someone having a bad day or a frustrating time, maybe going and giving them a little encouragement will help them along. Sometimes, it really brightens the day to have someone give you a good word. God may plant a seed in that person because of the encouraging words you spoke. Encouragement is something that can keep us going, even when times look tough. So encourage your brothers and sisters so that they might see the love of Christ.
Do you ever find it hard to be positive, to be uplifting and to be encouraged. Something interesting about an art school is you need to learn humility, honesty, and encouragement. In high school, when you turned in a paper, the teacher graded it an gave it back. The only eyes that saw your work was the teachers. My school has the teachers and the students look at the work together so that it can be critiqued. If you are being critiqued, you need to be able to take negative comments on the cheek and move on and try to better yourself. If you are the one critiquing, you need to be honest with the person to help them, but you also want to be encouraging. You don't simply say "This part of your piece looks really bad." You might say instead "This part right here might need a little work. You're almost there, maybe you could try this."
There are a couple teachers that I have had here and I must say that they really do understand this matter of encouraging others. Just the other week I was very discouraged with one of the projects and kept praying that God would encourage me with the project. The next class I had with that my professor says, "Don't get discouraged, if you're lost, that's good. Right now is a great time for that." It made me feel better. It wasn't like he said try again or keep working on it. He said "Don't get discouraged" which was precisely what I was the previous class.
Now I know that a lot of the people I go to school with are not believers in God and I don't look down on them for that. But I do know that some of them have learned how to encourage others a lot more than some followers of the Lord. In no way am I saying that God's people are perfect, because we aren't.
I had another discouraging moment in class last week where a piece I was creating was criticized by one individual for not being plausible. The second after that was said, two others stood up for the piece I was working on because the idea could fit inside the game world. These two individuals I have known over the years here and they have always been two of the most encouraging people I know. They will critique you if you ask, but they will always offer a solution to make it better.
Sometimes when we've had a bad day, all we'd like to hear is a little encouragement. If you see someone having a bad day or a frustrating time, maybe going and giving them a little encouragement will help them along. Sometimes, it really brightens the day to have someone give you a good word. God may plant a seed in that person because of the encouraging words you spoke. Encouragement is something that can keep us going, even when times look tough. So encourage your brothers and sisters so that they might see the love of Christ.
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Joy can be hard
2 min read
"Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT version
Three short sentences and three rather hefty commands. "Always be joyful." It can be pretty hard to be joyful when you are having a bad day or when it just seems that nothing is really going for you even though you've been trying to wait patiently. But how can we make being joyful easier?
"Keep on praying." This is something that can be crucial to your faith as well as being joyful. If you find yourself in a state of being down or frustrated, pray about it. Let God know what exactly you are feeling and ask for him to give you some joy.
"No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Sometimes when we are feeling that lack of joy, we have a tendency to see the bad in things and don't see the time as a temporary milestone. In these times, if we do pray for that joy, we may see that things might not be so bad after all. If you miss the bus to go to work, it's not the end of the world. You still have your family, friends, and health. You may have a boss who has been in that same position before and understands your frustration. But sitting there loathing the Earth over a small misfortune will only make the world seem a little less bright to you. So keep on praying, when you need a little joy and when you don't.
Three short sentences and three rather hefty commands. "Always be joyful." It can be pretty hard to be joyful when you are having a bad day or when it just seems that nothing is really going for you even though you've been trying to wait patiently. But how can we make being joyful easier?
"Keep on praying." This is something that can be crucial to your faith as well as being joyful. If you find yourself in a state of being down or frustrated, pray about it. Let God know what exactly you are feeling and ask for him to give you some joy.
"No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Sometimes when we are feeling that lack of joy, we have a tendency to see the bad in things and don't see the time as a temporary milestone. In these times, if we do pray for that joy, we may see that things might not be so bad after all. If you miss the bus to go to work, it's not the end of the world. You still have your family, friends, and health. You may have a boss who has been in that same position before and understands your frustration. But sitting there loathing the Earth over a small misfortune will only make the world seem a little less bright to you. So keep on praying, when you need a little joy and when you don't.
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Holy Sabbath
2 min read
.."Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates." Exodus 20:9-10.
Since coming to school, I got into the habit of working on homework 7 days a week, not all the time. In the earlier quarters of school I could get my homework done pretty quickly and have a nice whole weekend off. But the last couple of quarters, there has been so much to do to get ready for preportfolio and graduation. I just kept on working, 7 days a week. It was only a couple weeks ago this quarter that I started to take off Sundays. I knew that I wasn't fully observing the sabbath because I was working the whole day. Since taking off Sundays, I have been in a better mood, more rested, and incredibly more productive than I had been used to. I had been used to being burned out but still working. It would get to the point where I would feel sick from sitting at my computer and would feel better the moment I wasn't in front of it. I really do feel that God blesses us for observing Sundays and taking them off. You'll be better rested and more focused during the week. I also have something to look forward to now. My weekends had only consisted of work but now I look forward to them because I get to rest on my Sunday and get into the word of God to learn and help better myself throughout the week. Thank you, Lord for this day that I might be rested and praise you name.
Since coming to school, I got into the habit of working on homework 7 days a week, not all the time. In the earlier quarters of school I could get my homework done pretty quickly and have a nice whole weekend off. But the last couple of quarters, there has been so much to do to get ready for preportfolio and graduation. I just kept on working, 7 days a week. It was only a couple weeks ago this quarter that I started to take off Sundays. I knew that I wasn't fully observing the sabbath because I was working the whole day. Since taking off Sundays, I have been in a better mood, more rested, and incredibly more productive than I had been used to. I had been used to being burned out but still working. It would get to the point where I would feel sick from sitting at my computer and would feel better the moment I wasn't in front of it. I really do feel that God blesses us for observing Sundays and taking them off. You'll be better rested and more focused during the week. I also have something to look forward to now. My weekends had only consisted of work but now I look forward to them because I get to rest on my Sunday and get into the word of God to learn and help better myself throughout the week. Thank you, Lord for this day that I might be rested and praise you name.
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To whom much is given
2 min read
"Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." Luke 12:48b.
Sometimes I get in the habit of thinking about how it seems some people have it way better off than myself and it just drags me down wondering why they can be where they are but I can't. I've been trying hard lately to just look around and see that I really don't have it bad at all. God has seriously blessed me with more than I know. I work hard and he blesses me back. "To whom much is given" doesn't in any way mean, "The guy who has money." God gives us gifts of all different kinds. He may give a gift of wisdom or of some really good friends. He gives us a supportive family or a good job. There are many ways in which He blesses us. I consider it a gift given that the sun is shining and I can notice and enjoy it rather than shaking it off as just another day where there aren't clouds in the sky. A man who works hard for the Lord doesn't do it vainly for the purpose of being blessed. It is because he is blessed that he works so hard for the Lord. I'm going to try harder to work for the Lord and to acknowledge my blessings.
Sometimes I get in the habit of thinking about how it seems some people have it way better off than myself and it just drags me down wondering why they can be where they are but I can't. I've been trying hard lately to just look around and see that I really don't have it bad at all. God has seriously blessed me with more than I know. I work hard and he blesses me back. "To whom much is given" doesn't in any way mean, "The guy who has money." God gives us gifts of all different kinds. He may give a gift of wisdom or of some really good friends. He gives us a supportive family or a good job. There are many ways in which He blesses us. I consider it a gift given that the sun is shining and I can notice and enjoy it rather than shaking it off as just another day where there aren't clouds in the sky. A man who works hard for the Lord doesn't do it vainly for the purpose of being blessed. It is because he is blessed that he works so hard for the Lord. I'm going to try harder to work for the Lord and to acknowledge my blessings.
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Endure Testing
2 min read
"God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Jame 1:12.
Everyone has trouble with patience now and again. I know that I do like impatiently wanting to get out of college. After I do graduate though, I'll need to be patient waiting to get a job because I'll need one to start paying off loans. That all in itself is considered a test. You might just consider it life, but isn't life full of tests? I try not to worry about loans or jobs too much because I have faith that God will plant me in a position that He wants for me and money, while it is the driving force in our world, is frivolous and won't matter in the end. You can't buy your way into heaven. I believe that God will always get me where I need to go. I may accidentally take a U turn or a detour here and there, but God gets me right back on that path. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" Mathew 7:13. That narrow path is a test itself. If we trust in God and patiently await his guidance, in the end we will get to the end of that narrow path and He will be awaiting us with open arms.
Everyone has trouble with patience now and again. I know that I do like impatiently wanting to get out of college. After I do graduate though, I'll need to be patient waiting to get a job because I'll need one to start paying off loans. That all in itself is considered a test. You might just consider it life, but isn't life full of tests? I try not to worry about loans or jobs too much because I have faith that God will plant me in a position that He wants for me and money, while it is the driving force in our world, is frivolous and won't matter in the end. You can't buy your way into heaven. I believe that God will always get me where I need to go. I may accidentally take a U turn or a detour here and there, but God gets me right back on that path. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" Mathew 7:13. That narrow path is a test itself. If we trust in God and patiently await his guidance, in the end we will get to the end of that narrow path and He will be awaiting us with open arms.
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