It was summer and the sun beat down on us as we walked with Him towards Judea. We did a lot of walking back then.
We were all in complete silence for a very long time, but this silence was broken by a nasally voice in the distance.
"Jesus! Hai!!! Jesus!!! Wait up!!!"
A tall, brown haired, prince-like boy was running our way in a pompous manner. He was dressed like nobody's business-- purple robes, leathery sandals, a golden crown thingy, pretty much everything a guy in Judea could ever want to wear.
"Teacher! Jesus! Hey there!"
He finally caught up, and was drastically out of breath. He seemed to be like one of those boys who spent very little time in his life running, and more time sitting and playing games or counting money.
"Teacher! (Pant, pant...) I have an important question," he said, straightening himself to his tallest degree, and then continuing. "What good things must I do to get eternal life?"
That question.
This was The Question. Ever since Jesus had asked me that one day to get out of my boat and follow him, This Question had constantly been in my mind. I had never asked it. I never thought it fitting.
"Well?" the prince-like boy persisted.
Jesus was smiling. He did a lot of that.
He finally answered with a question. "Why do you ask me about what is good?"
This was rather typical of Jesus. He would always ask a question like this, but his voice was never really in the question form. He always knew the answer to His questions. You could see it in his eyes. Completely understanding. Completely knowledgeable. Completely in control.
"Why are you asking me about how to be good and perfect? Only God can be good and perfect, didn't you know that? If you want to enter Life, then obey the commandments."
"Which ones?" the boy inquired with a low, commanding voice. The kind of voice you would expect from Gob in Arrested Development.
Jesus' smile grew. "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and uhh let's see... love your neighbor as yourself."
"All these I have kept, teacher! Seriously. I've never lied or stolen or murdered anybody before! I'm awesome. I'm amazing. Incredible... Is there anything else I must do?"
There was a pause. Jesus spoke.
"If you really want to be perfect, there is one more thing you must do. Go, sell your possessions (including that nice macbook pro, Taylor guitar, and your Canon Xsi) and give the money you make to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come and follow me."
The boy was shocked. He said nothing, staring sadly into Jesus' knowing face. He turned silently back in the direction of where he had come and walked slowly, sadly, forlornly away into the distance.
"Honestly, it's easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a man like that to enter the kingdom of God."
"But then who can be saved?"
It was me who asked the question. I couldn't help myself. I know it's a selfish question, and it isn't even a very good question. But I had to ask it. Jesus' understood. He turned and smiled at me.
"Well, nobody, really." He said.
"At least with man, this is totally and completely impossible."
He touched my shoulder and I felt his warmth flourish through my arm into my very soul. "But with God," He said, smiling into my eyes, "All things are possible."
Tuesday, June 22
Thursday, June 10
Teehee
I feel very much reduced to passivity.
America- the land of opportunity.
My Arse.
An opportunity to apply for countless jobs and have applications thrown at your face with a, "You can fill one of these out, but we're not hiring for another two months." Perhaps that kind of opportunity.
America- resting firmly upon the strong grounds of Capitalism--
where men will fight and bite (they might) to get a desired job, and where the constitution protects such rights to fight and bite to get what they want.
After applying to dare I say at least twenty Restaurants/Stores/etc., I very much hoped that an employee might die or catch a dreadful cold or get shipped off to Iraq or something dreadful so that I might have a sliver of a chance to earn some form of an income so that I could pay for a college education.
America is fighting for the common man?
Pah.
Perhaps I should apply at a Chinese buffet.
America- the land of opportunity.
My Arse.
An opportunity to apply for countless jobs and have applications thrown at your face with a, "You can fill one of these out, but we're not hiring for another two months." Perhaps that kind of opportunity.
America- resting firmly upon the strong grounds of Capitalism--
where men will fight and bite (they might) to get a desired job, and where the constitution protects such rights to fight and bite to get what they want.
After applying to dare I say at least twenty Restaurants/Stores/etc., I very much hoped that an employee might die or catch a dreadful cold or get shipped off to Iraq or something dreadful so that I might have a sliver of a chance to earn some form of an income so that I could pay for a college education.
America is fighting for the common man?
Pah.
Perhaps I should apply at a Chinese buffet.
Wednesday, June 2
The Little Prince is Unique.
It seems that no matter where I go, the highway is always at least fifty feet away from my existence.
Today I have resolved to be a bit more consistent in my niceness to people.
I have also resolved to read the Little Prince every year around my birthday, just to remind myself of what Matters of Consequence really are and what truly defines Uniqueness.
As of right now, I sit in the driver's seat of my silver ford taurus, surrounded by probably eighteen semi trucks at a Rest Area somewhere close to Texarcana, the town between Texas and Arkansas.
Semi trucks have always looked imposing and threatening. It's as if they were made to crush little deers or small Ford Tauruses.
Today was spent reading the book-mentioned-above to Mom (who enjoyed it thoroughly) and Haley (who fell asleep once we got to page sixty-seven.
It talks about Uniqueness. For something to be unique, it doesn't start out that way. One must, as the Fox puts it, tame it-- spend time with it, get to know it, learn to understand it. The effort that is put into a relationship is just the thing that makes the person with whom you have that relationship so unique.
There might be a thousand little dolls in the world, but there is only one doll that a certain little girl calls her own. This doll is unique to her. It is special because it is the one with which that little girl has spent so much time dolling up.
The same with a boy and his dog.
The same with The Little Prince and his Flower.
The same with The Pilot and the Little Prince.
Once this thing becomes so unique, one learns to love it, which, as the Fox puts it, may at times bring one to tears, but it is worth it.
The things that one loves are the thing of most consequence.
The only problem is that grown-ups have everything turned around. The things of most consequence to grown ups are not important at all.
Also, in the same way, water gains uniqueness, or true importance, when one works to get it. Water is much more amazing after one has finished pick-axing a mound of rocks for detention rather than sitting in a Mexican History Class for forty-five minutes. It is the work that is put into acquiring the water that gives the water its true uniqueness, relevance, and importance.
To understand at all what I am saying, I order you (if you find it to be a reasonable order) to read it. It's a magnificent book.
Along with reading such a magnificent book, Haley and I played the Music guessing game.
I won.
We also talked about future college life.
Needless to say, I'm excited.
Needless-er to say, i'm exited-er for summer.
Today I have resolved to be a bit more consistent in my niceness to people.
I have also resolved to read the Little Prince every year around my birthday, just to remind myself of what Matters of Consequence really are and what truly defines Uniqueness.
As of right now, I sit in the driver's seat of my silver ford taurus, surrounded by probably eighteen semi trucks at a Rest Area somewhere close to Texarcana, the town between Texas and Arkansas.
Semi trucks have always looked imposing and threatening. It's as if they were made to crush little deers or small Ford Tauruses.
Today was spent reading the book-mentioned-above to Mom (who enjoyed it thoroughly) and Haley (who fell asleep once we got to page sixty-seven.
It talks about Uniqueness. For something to be unique, it doesn't start out that way. One must, as the Fox puts it, tame it-- spend time with it, get to know it, learn to understand it. The effort that is put into a relationship is just the thing that makes the person with whom you have that relationship so unique.
There might be a thousand little dolls in the world, but there is only one doll that a certain little girl calls her own. This doll is unique to her. It is special because it is the one with which that little girl has spent so much time dolling up.
The same with a boy and his dog.
The same with The Little Prince and his Flower.
The same with The Pilot and the Little Prince.
Once this thing becomes so unique, one learns to love it, which, as the Fox puts it, may at times bring one to tears, but it is worth it.
The things that one loves are the thing of most consequence.
The only problem is that grown-ups have everything turned around. The things of most consequence to grown ups are not important at all.
Also, in the same way, water gains uniqueness, or true importance, when one works to get it. Water is much more amazing after one has finished pick-axing a mound of rocks for detention rather than sitting in a Mexican History Class for forty-five minutes. It is the work that is put into acquiring the water that gives the water its true uniqueness, relevance, and importance.
To understand at all what I am saying, I order you (if you find it to be a reasonable order) to read it. It's a magnificent book.
Along with reading such a magnificent book, Haley and I played the Music guessing game.
I won.
We also talked about future college life.
Needless to say, I'm excited.
Needless-er to say, i'm exited-er for summer.
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