Can You Tell Me Why Disasters?

Happypizza: My deepest and sincerest prayers and condolences go out to all those who lost loved ones and/or suffered harm, injury or any kind of loss during the recent cyclone in Myanmar and/or earthquake in China.

I’ve been carefully following the news of the two recent natural (or as some say “unnatural”) disasters in both Burma and China. It is so sad and sobering to watch as the full scope of the desolation, which tragically resulted in the loss of an untold thousands of lives, unfolds before our eyes.

It’s real to me personally as I have been to Burma before and have friends in both China and Burma—who thankfully from what I’ve heard are all safe.

I will not get into the politics of the disaster….especially considering the one in Burma where it seems the horror of the disaster is compounded by the political situation. What I do want to write about and touch on is the “God factor” of these events or “acts of God” as natural disasters are often referred too. Especially the question: How could God allow these things to happen?

It seems that natural disasters cause many to lose hope and faith in God. I find it can also, strangely enough, strengthen my faith and hope in God!

You might wonder how I could find a natural disaster to be faith-building? Well, first off it’s helpful to start with a belief in a God of Love and a belief in an afterlife—this life is definitely (and I want to emphasize this point) definitely not the end!!

In short–I believe that death for the loving is not something to dread and fear. This physical life/existence is not eternal or final and we can look forward to the eternal life/existence beyond this life! So I feel no matter how tragic the circumstances are in are in our current physical reality, those who lives have ended and who have passed on to the next are in the loving hands of their Creator and what better place can you be then that? –Maybe it was his mercy?

If you want some further reading on how one can look at tragedies and disasters in the positive–click to read this dissertation below:

“Why Disasters?”

And for a compilation on comfort read here:

“God’s Promises of Comfort and Deliverance”

One addition–not long after I watched a report of both the disasters on the international news, I came across and listened to a old song titled “Can You Tell Me Why Disasters” written and sung by an artist named “Zac Lightman”. I liked it so much that I transcribed it from my MP3 player to my computer so I could post the lyrics with this post. I think the song’s message is as hauntingly applicable for today as it was when it was written over 20 years ago.

Here are the lyrics:

Can You Tell Me Why Disasters?

Why do the innocent seem to fall for no reason?
They say the good die young,
While the guilty go along
You must believe in Love
to truly understand.

It is the same question down through the ages
if God is love how could he let this be?
How could he allow the poor to suffer
and then let the guilty go free?

Although death is not a curse for the loving–
it’s a gateway from suffering and pain
It’s the mercy of God to end their sorrow
and a chance to start over again

Can you tell me why, why, why disasters?
Why do the innocent seem to fall for no reason?
They say the good die young
while the guilty go along
You must believe in Love
to truly understand

Lyrics by Zac Waxman

Please continue to keep the victims of these disasters in your prayers. Pray that help, relief and supplies will get to those who need it desperately and that those who survived will be taken care of and comforted. Please also pray for the commendable and laudable efforts of all those involved in the relief and rehabilitation work–for their strength, courage, skill, and protection while they are helping those who were affected.

Unrequited Love on Valentines?

Do you know what it is like?

So Valentines day is coming up…some have a significant love in their life and others don’t. This post will talk about the latter and more specifically those that are or will be experiencing unrequited love especially during Valentines day. Probably a good majority of us have gone through this somewhat difficult experience. I’m not sure how others deal with it, but it was devastating when I went through it!

When I went through a experience of unrequited love it was tough. For me this kinda situation is not a common occurrence but it did happen. It was very difficult to go through…and it was difficult to find something good about the situation.

Fortunately for me a good friend of mine was going through a very similar experience at the time—loving someone who did not love her in return—and that friend sent  me a beautiful prayer she wrote that I would like to post for you. Maybe you can relate to it if you are going through the turbulent and even traumatic experience that “unrequited love” can be.

Follow On

Follow On–this song was running through my head the other day. The lyrics are simple but whenever I think about the words or sing it, it kinda gives me a hopeful, uplifting feeling. I heard it when I was younger and it has always stuck with me don’t ask me why!

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship asail again
One more step, one more hour follow on

–For every midnight dark and cold
There’s a sunrise and a promise of new hope
And so in every broken heart
Lie the pieces that can make a brand new start
Give the dawn a chance to -rise
Let a new love wipe the tears from your eyes

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship a’sail again
One more step, one more hour follow on

–And though today’s tears fall like rain
Tomorrow’s rainbow will paint the sky again
When sorrow makes you want to die
Let God’s loving hand fashion a new life
Why let bitterness take -hold?
When love can heal our hearts
And help us face the road to

Follow on and the sun will rise to meet you
Follow on through the dark and through the rain
Build a bridge of broken dreams
And set your ship a’sail again
One more step, one more hour follow -on

–Micah Teddy

Behind the Outside

Warning this post might exceed your comfort zones of sentimentalism and cheesiness but do understand that this was written from the depths of my heart at a particularly dark moment in time. –You’ve been warned.

–HappyPizza

 

Behind this simple face
Lies a depth you cannot see

Behind these silent eyes
Lies a unique perspective

Behind these appearing wrinkles
Lies memories rich and diverse

Behind these furrowed brow lines
Lies a willingness to understand

Behind these guarded lips
Lies an unsung heartsong

Behind this imperfect body
Lies a heart that wants to reach out

Behind this frail outer casing
Lies a spirit of strength

Behind this clumsy demeanor
Lies a loyalty that’s sincere

Behind these varied complexities
Lies a shatter of forgotten dreams

Behind this hearts locked chamber
Lies past heartbreaks overcomed

Behind this mediocre impression
Lies a sparkle of compassion

Behind this ordinary life
Lies a friendship that can last forever.

–HappyPizza (29/05/2006)

OMG, I just crashed my car……

sCREECH, bANG, sMASH, ….cRASH!

That’s when it all started. Only seconds earlier I had been on my way to perform as a clown for a children’s benefit show on the theme of “Road Safety”. Ironic isn’t it, I should have a car crash on that day.

I was driving our NGO’s little utility van, following behind one of our other company vehicles. The car I was driving is a tiny Japanese Suzuki bug of a van called a “Bolan Hi-roof”, hardly fit for a tall Caucasian like me to drive. I was driving a little too close to our other vehicle in front of me and when he slammed on the breaks I pushed what I thought was the brake pedal and somehow or another ended up getting my foot stuck between the brake pedal and the accelerator pushing both at the same time. To add to the problem the brakes where already not working so well and due for repairs.

So instead of instantly stopping, the van and I went sailing into the back of the other van I was following behind. Heh heh. Kinda stupid isn’t it. At first I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I was kicking myself for this terrible piece of bad luck I had just gotten myself into. I started to think of all the terrible consequences of having a fender bender on the road while driving a company vehicle. I was pretty bummed out and negative about it. Usually I am a safe driver and in the last 4 years since I started driving I’ve never had an accident or even a minor one.

Well to make a long story short, I remembered about my goal to stay positive on my blog and I was like “great here is a good first test”. So after thinking about it, mind you wasn’t easy, but eventually I came around and thought of some things I’m can be grateful for inspite of my crash. Here they are:

• -I’m thankful, that I crashed into our company car and not some other private vehicle. We have insurance so it covered. My superiors and colleagues were surprisingly civil about it, which I’m so thankful but I did imagine what it would have been like had it been some else.
• -I didn’t hit anyone, people, animals and every creepy crawly thing crosses the road here in this part of the world, plus being a foreigner in this country (a third world country) would have been pretty bad.
• -Neither my passenger nor I were injured.
• -We recently attached a strong bumper to the front of that old tin can van, and it helped in absorbing the impact and protecting me and my passenger’s feet and legs.
• -The accident has made me less cocky and over-confident in my driving which probably means I’ll drive less aggressively and take fewer chances, thereby driving safer.

That’s a few things that came to mind but I’m sure there’s more if I really think about it.

The Magic Mask…..

Did you or do you ever wish to change some feature of your face or your body? Or maybe go for thousands of dollars of expensive plastic surgery? I know I have many times. I’ve often looked at myself in the mirror and moped about all my flaws. I’ve often complained to the Lord about the way He made me. I’ve almost habitually looked at myself negatively for as long as I can remember.

Maybe looks isn’t the thing that is such a problem, maybe your personality is gruff, overbearing, to serious, severe, combative, nasty or unpleasant. Maybe you were born that way, or maybe over the years and the different choices you’ve made you’ve become like that, and people have a hard time being around you.

I’ve often read about medical studies that seem to link our spiritual and mental thoughts, with our physical health, wellbeing, and even some, that say: physically appearance can be effected by either positive or negative thoughts. So if you struggle with a physical flaw or a difficult personality, don’t give up, there is still hope. Just keep smiling, try to stay positive, and pray and ask God to help you start transforming the negative into the positive. It might even make you feel and be more attractive. Read this story that has encouraged me:

Oh yeah, and don’t stop smiling.

 

 

THE MAGIC MASK

A great and powerful lord once ruled over thousands of soldiers, and with them he conquered vast domains for his own. He was wise and brave, respected and feared by all, but no one loved him. Each year as he grew more severe he grew lonelier, and his face reflected the bitterness in his greedy soul, for there were deep, ugly lines about his cruel mouth which never showed a smile, and a deep frown permanently furrowed his forehead.

It happened that in one of the cities over which he ruled there lived a beautiful girl whom he had watched for many months as she went about among the people, and he loved her and wanted to make her his wife. He decided to go and speak to her of this love. Dressing in his finest robes and placing a golden crown on his head, he looked into his mirror to see what kind of picture he would make for the beautiful girl. But he could see nothing but what would cause fear and dislike for himself–a cruel, hard face which looked even worse when he tried to smile.

Then a happy notion came to him, and he sent for a magician. “Make for me a mask of the thinnest wax so that it will follow every line of my features, but paint it with your magic paints so that it will look kind and pleasant. Fasten it upon my face so that I shall never have to take it off. Make it handsome–attractive. Use your greatest skill and I will pay any price you ask.”

“This I can do,” said the magician, “on one condition. You must keep your own face in the same lines which I paint or the mask will be ruined. One angry frown and the mask will be ruined forever, nor can I replace it.”

“I will do anything you say,” said the lord eagerly, “anything to win the admiration and love of my lady. Tell me how to keep the mask from cracking.”

“You must think kindly thoughts,” replied the magician, “and to do this you must do kindly deeds. You must make your kingdom happy rather than powerful. You must replace anger with understanding and love. Build schools for your subjects and not just prisons, hospitals and not just warships. Be gracious and courteous to all men.”

So the wonderful mask was made, and no one would have guessed that it was not the true face of the lord. Months passed, and though the mask was often in danger of ruin, the man fought hard with himself to keep it. The beautiful lady became his bride, and his subjects wondered at the miraculous change in him. They attributed it to his lovely wife, who, they said, had made him like herself.

As gentleness and thoughtfulness entered the life of this man, honesty and goodness were his also, and soon he regretted having deceived his beautiful wife with the magic mask. At last he could bear it no longer and he summoned the magician.

“Remove this false face of mine!” he cried. “Take it away! This deceiving mask that is not my true self!”
“If I do,” said the magician, “I can never make another, and you must wear your own face as long as you live.”
“Better so,” said the lord, “than to deceive one whose love and trust I have won dishonorably. Better that I should be despised by her than to go on doing what is unworthy for her sake. Take it off, I say, take it off!”

The magician took off the mask and the lord in fear and anguish sought his reflection in the glass. His eyes brightened and his lips curved into a radiant smile, for the ugly lines were gone, the frown had disappeared–and lo, his face was the exact likeness of the mask he had worn so long! And when he returned to his beloved wife she saw only the familiar features of the man she loved.

Yes, it’s an old story this legend tells: that a man’s face soon betrays what he is inside his soul, what he thinks and feels, and the thoughts of his heart. The wise and true Scripture tells us, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), and “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). It might transform your life in more ways than you think.

Life is fair because God is good…..

One famous preacher from the USA gave a whole sermon on the theme: “Life isn’t fair, but God is good”. Naturally, I have to admit, I tend to agree with that outlook even when I’m in the best of moods, but with my new positive outlook on life, I now agree with someone else who commented on that sermon and said:

Life is fair and God is fair! If you say life isn’t fair, you’re saying God isn’t fair. And if God is not fair, neither is He good. So if you really believe that God is good, you must then conclude that He made life fair. By saying that life is unfair, by logical inference you must conclude that if God created life, that He too must be unfair. Because how could a fair God create an unfair life? If he’d said, “Sometimes life doesn’t seem to be fair,” that would have been better. But how can God be good and not create life to be good? If you say life is unfair, who’s going to believe you when you say, “But God is good”? God’s Word teaches you to see something good about everything, really, if you love the Lord. The Bible really says all things are good!”All things work together for good to them that love the Lord. (Rom 8:28) When you say that “all things work together for good to them that love the Lord,” you’re saying that all of life is ultimately good and good for you! It also says, “He doeth all things well” [Mk.7:37]. Life is good, and God is good! –DBB