Connections

I have often wondered what the key to happiness is. Is it great food? Is it sports? Money? The truth is a mystery. However, over the past 6 months, I have come to realize that what makes my life great are the connections that I have in it. Society seems to be catching on as well, with social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn oozing in popularity. Nonetheless, those are still virtual connections. What I am thankful for are my real connections that God has blessed me with. He has given me a great hometown community in West Lafayette, a loving family, friends, Camp Tecumseh, sports, and an outstanding university that is nestled in Bloomington, Indiana. All of these connections fill me with joy.

             In my faith, joy is often related to God. Many people even say God is everywhere. But if God is everywhere, why have I been sad before, or lonely? The answer lies in us. I believe God is everywhere because a little bit of him is inside each and everyone one of us. When I isolate myself from others, that is when I am sad and lonely. I think we, as humans, are thus the key to happiness. However, with the abundance of media, electronics, and independence that rules daily life, we lose sight of how valuable physical interaction is with each other. The best source of communication is still word of mouth. The best source of love isn’t a kissy-faced emoji, but a hug. Making those personal connections with others is what makes life fun and less burdensome.

Sometimes though, we miss out on the opportunity to increase our connections with each other because we are afraid to verbally communicate or spend time with someone else. This quote by Marianne Williamson clearly explains this concept:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

There is no need to fear others or what they might think of us. If we take the initiative to get to know somebody, it usually ends positively. When people discover their self worth and live life confidently as well as freely, happiness spills out of them and onto someone else. That is where joy comes from. God says in Joshua 1:9b:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

God is everywhere. And he is waiting for you to strike up a conversation with him or admire the natural wonders around you. Therefore, I urge you to go out and make a new connection. Get to know someone better. Discover a new favorite place. Spend more time with a friend. Together, you can go searching for the key to happiness. At the end of the scavenger hunt, hopefully you will recognize that the key was looking with you the whole time.

Believe and Love

This past weekend was Indiana University's annual Little 500 bicycle race and was my first time experiencing this amazing event. The race was founded in 1951 and is dubbed the world's greatest college weekend. It is also the inspiration for the movie Breaking Away, which won an Oscar for best original screenplay in 1979. The "Lil 5" weekend takes place during the third week of April. Many people label it as an excuse to party but forget about how special the race really is. It consists of 100 laps for the women on Friday and 200 laps for the men on Saturday. There are 33 teams per race, each consisting of four riders. Throughout the race, the team members strategically take turns biking around the track in hopes of claiming victory. Here is a link that gives you more history about the race.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_500

My first "Lil 5" was exhilarating. Before the race, each team was recognized, fight songs were sung, and parachute men fell from the sky. When the race was about to begin, I heard the marshall state the famous words I had heard in Breaking Away. He proudly announced, "Riders. Mount your bicycles." After the pace laps were completed, the riders sped away into the pedaling journey of their lives.

 

  

As a fan watching in the stands, my reaction was as follows. The beginning of both races were exciting, the middle super boring, and the end thrilling. It's accurate to say that the end to the women's race was thrilling. However, the end to the men's race was unbelievable. With one lap to go, there were seven teams in contention to win. However, just before turn four on the penultimate lap, one rider crashed. This caused a huge pile up involving five other riders! Only one escaped the wreck, and his team went on to win the race.

Everybody in the crowd was in disbelief. All of a sudden the potential for an exciting, neck and neck finish was gone. The fallen riders got up and finished the race, with disappointment plastered on their faces. However, as depressing as the finish was, there was a bright spot. It involved the Fiji riders, who were one of the teams involved in the crash. As my hands rested on the top of my head, I realized that the Fiji fraternity brothers all came down to the track to give their riders hugs and say congratulations. While I watched the tired athletes receive comfort from their friends, I realized that it symbolized an important aspect of life.

These riders trained all year for one race, for one chance to hoist a trophy. But in this race, all of that training led to nothing. One crash popped the balloon of hope. For some reason though, the fraternity brothers still congratulated their teammates about how much they had accomplished. This made me realize that what really matters isn't the prize. What matters is experiencing the journey and supporting your friends through it.

The Little 500 is a good symbol for life. Like the race, the beginning of life is really fast and exciting. However, the middle is gruesome and tiring. Granted, I'm still young (haha). However, for most people, all they want to do is get to the end, smile, and bask in the glory. Is there anyway to bypass the hard, boring part in the middle? God says no. But he does make us a promise for experiencing this tough structure we call life. It is found in John chapter 3, verse 16. It states:

            

              "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 

If I'm promised eternal life, what do I have to do to get it? Luckily, it is clearly stated in Romans 4:16:

                "Therefore, the promise comes by faith..." 

God promises that we will receive his ultimate prize no matter what happens. All we have to do is believe in him. If I believe in God though, what is the point of living? Can't I just say I believe and go straight to Heaven? Fortunately, Jesus answers this question very plainly in John 15:12: 

                 "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

Therefore, we live to love and be loved. We like to chase personal goals, like how the riders tried to capture the Little 500 trophy. But in the end, love is all that matters. The support of our friends, like the Fiji brothers, is what we should truly value. 

The key to the race we call life is not worrying about what happens in it. We should simply believe in God and love one another. After the race, we can celebrate with our friends knowing that we did it. We finished. So I urge you to stay strong and enjoy the life you have. There is a party waiting. An eternal party.

 



Song for the week: I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts

Heaving up a Prayer

My twitter background quote reads "Don't give up, don't ever give up." I took those words from a man named Jim Valvano, who is an inspiration to me. He coached basketball at NC State, and one of his most famous triumphs was winning the 1983 National Championship over powerhouse Houston. In case you don't know how the game ended, here is a video clip that truly symbolizes March Madness.

During the tournament, NC State was nicknamed the "Cardiac Pack" because of all of their close finishes. Even when NC State was losing, Jim Valvano would find a way to win. For instance, he was the first coach to tell his players to foul the other team towards the end of games, a seamlessly absurd strategy at the time. Today, this tactic is what causes the end of basketball games to take forever! If you are unfamiliar with this strategy, it prolongs the end of a game for the losing team by forcing the winning team to shoot free throws. This in turn allows the losing team to catch up or even take the lead if the winning team misses their free throws. Below is the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary titled "Survive and Advance" that you can watch if you are more interested in Jim Valvano and NC State's classic run through the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Although Valvano overcame many roadblocks during the tournament, one more appeared in his life that took a much greater effort to defeat. Ten years after hoisting the trophy, Valvano was diagnosed with cancer. If his national championship journey wasn't evidence of his magnificent perseverance, his battle with cancer sure was. One of his most prominant moves in his fight against cancer was creating the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. He announced it's establishment at the 1993 ESPYs, while giving an acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe award. Below is the speech. I urge you to listen to all of it because it is very inspirational. If you don't want to though, you can click around the 9:25 mark to hear some familiar words.

All in all, Valvano's famous line, "Don't give up, don't ever give up," has been a mantra for me in my life. It took me a long time to realize though the difference between giving up and quitting.

Throughout my life, I have found that quitting is the hardest thing for me to do. I have always strived to give everything 110%. My "don't quit" mindset was probably engraved into my head through athletics. I played three sports in high school and quitting was something no coach tolerated. Whether it's not finishing a sprint through the line or giving in to fatigue, quitting was a no-no in sports. One of my coaches used to say, "Good enough isn't good enough." I translated this mentality into everything I did, whether it was exercising or doing homework. After graduating high school, I realized I had taken the "don't quit" mindset too seriously. It created an enormous sense of pride within me, and this affected my relationship with God.

Instead of listening to what God wanted me to do with my life, I chose what I wanted. I didn't give him any control. He probably was trying to tell me that I needed to spend more time with my friends. However, my pride blinded me. I had a better relationship with my sports and homework than I did with God and my friends. I now realize how important friendship is. A good analogy of what I am trying to talk about is Jesus. Jesus knew he had to stop living at some point, but he never gave up on God. Jesus could have been selfish and told God he wasn't going to die for humanity. He could have followed his own ambitions instead of what God wanted him to do. However, his relationship was so strong with God that he trusted God's plan for him to die. I shouldn't have been so headstrong about succeeding in sports and doing well on homework. Those were good goals, but God had other plans for me as well that I just couldn't see.

Now that I am in college, I am trying to trust God's plan more instead of my own. Jesus says in John chapter 14 verse 1,

               "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

While college can be stressful trying to balance academics and a social life, I feel at peace when I trust God. Therefore, I challenge you to build your trust with God. This can start by just talking to him by yourself, whether it's during breakfast, walking to class, or before bed. While we may think we know what we want in our lives, God has greater plans. We just have to talk to him and listen for an answer. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll heave up a prayer, and God will dunk it home for you. Just don't give up. Don't ever give up.


Hopefully the song for the week will make you happy. Have a great day!

Judge Not

On Sunday February 2, at 6:30 p.m., Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks will run into Metlife Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. To get there, the Seahawks had to beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship. After a thrilling game, few could forget the post game interview with the victorious Richard Sherman.
Take a listen:

My initial reaction was, "Man you are cocky." While surfing on social media, I realized many people were also expressing their opinions about Richard Sherman, although rather strongly. The most notable label people were giving him was "thug." After all, he is a black football player from Compton, California, one of the gang hubs of southern Los Angeles. He was almost suspended four games in 2012 for supposedly violating the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy. This is certainly enough evidence to call him a thug, right?

Honestly, my first opinion of Richard Sherman was that he was a thug too. When he was a rookie, I didn't like his cockiness, and he seemed to be a loud mouth trash talker. My opinion changed when I read a Sports Illustrated article about him two years ago on an airplane. Little did I know that Richard Sherman was salutatorian of his high school. And little did I know that he chose to go to Stanford instead of power house USC because he wanted to be a role model for kids in his crime ridden hometown. Now kids from Compton know it's possible to go to an elite college, if they work hard enough. Hard work seems to be a notable trait of the Sherman family. Every day, Richard Sherman's dad gets up at 4:00 a.m. to collect the trash of Los Angeles residents. After reading that article, I was humbled. I should not have judged him so harshly.  

If you're more interested in the specifics, take a look at what Richard Sherman wrote about himself in the column he regulary writes for Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQB) site: http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/18/richard-sherman-introduction/

I'm sure a lot of other sports fans would be humbled too, if they gave some effort to actually get to know Richard Sherman instead of judging him on his post game interview. After all, he has a right to call himself the best cornerback in the NFL. In his young career, he has a total of 20 interceptions. That is the second most interceptions ever for any player in someone's first three seasons. In order to get to know Richard Sherman on a more personal level, I encourage you to check out this Buzz Feed list: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjkiebus/23-reasons-richard-sherman-is-quietly-one-of-the-most-likabl

To me, Richard Sherman is a compassionate person who has an extreme passion for playing football. Instead of living like a cocky superstar, he leaves his emotions on the field and is charitable off it. He is involved with the Blanket Coverage foundation to help kids have adequate school supplies and clothes. Hopefully you watched the video associated with number "22." on the Buzz Feed list. All in all, Richard Sherman is not a thug. It is a shame that myself and others judged him to be.

Jesus says in Luke 6:37: 

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 

It can't get more straightforward than that.

  

Even though God says do not judge, I believe it is humanly impossible not to judge. The trick is how permanent you make your judgment.  

Jesus goes on to state in Luke 6:42:

"How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." 

In my mind, Jesus is telling me to take a step back before I judge and to reconsider what facts I am using to label someone. One of my favorite ways to do this is to start a conversation with the person. Often, I discover that my initial perception was way off.

As Richard Sherman sprints onto the field this Sunday, I hope that people will view him in a new and more accurate light. When negatively judging others, take a step back and consider what the truth really is. If possible, maybe open your mouth and start a conversation. I'm sure Richard Sherman will be jawing his plenty this Sunday night.

The song for the week deals with not judging. Take it away Bob.

 

What is real?

In this day and age, it is hard for me to determine what is real and what is fake. Life is getting too fast and too technologically advanced. Here are a couple of examples where the "real or fake" question pops in my head.

Have you ever looked at any juice labels lately? One might read something like this: "Made with real fruit juice." I wish I didn't have to be told that what I'm drinking is real or 100% natural. Shouldn't I expect everything to be made with real ingredients? Sometimes they cost too much money though. So instead, I must consume chemicals that taste like real ingredients. Are drinks real or fake?

Another example in my life deals with advertisements. I'm told that fast food is made fresh, that cars can prevent crashes automatically, and that my insurance agent magically appears if I sing a jingle. Obviously I don't believe everything I hear during a commercial. I just wonder if any of what I hear is true. It's scary how commercials manipulate our brains. For example, complete this jingle: Five dollar, five dollar ___________. Are commercials real or fake?

Also, music these days is tricking my mind. When I listen to the radio, I always ask myself, "Is that his or her real voice, or is that autotune I hear? I wish more artists would stop manipulating their voices. I can't even tell what notes are humanly possible to sing anymore. Is music real or fake?

Here's the big question. Is God real or fake? It is very easy for me to say God is not real. I've never seen God. Nobody has ever taken a picture of heaven for me to see. If God was real, why does He let war occur? The arguments could go on and on.

The reason I know God is real is because I can feel His spirit. If you don't believe that I can feel his spirit, consider this scenario. Let's say someone comes up to me and asks,
           "How do you know your parents love you?"

My first answer would simply be,
          "They've told me they love me."

Let's say the person follows up by asking,
          "How do you know they aren't lying?"

My answer would be,
           "Because I can feel their love daily."

God is a lot like love. You can't explain it. You just have to believe that it exists. You have to share it with others and seek it for yourself.

The song for the week deals with believing. Hopefully we can all believe that God exists somehow in our lives. The lyrics "don't stop believin', hold on to that feelin" remind me to never stop believing in God and to always feel his love. Happy New Year everybody!