Man~

I'm sorry for my recent string of pessimistic posts, but I really have a strong desire to write about these topics.

First off... I just wanted to say that the all the Renaissance people who thought that man could be generally good are a bunch of idiots. Up till then, as we this year learned in history, people all worshipped God and all the kings were obedient to the Roman Catholic Church. But then during the Renaissance, the people started shifting their focus to man's potential to be good. That's why all of a sudden we see paintings of non-religious subjects, and the "pretty" and famous arts don't only belong to the church anymore. People started to worship money, power, and other people.

Here's why they're a bunch of idiots - this past Tuesday, while our family was getting ready to go out the apartment to school, I realized that I hadn't packed my gym bag yet. So I hastily started sifting through all the clothes in my drawers and anywhere else I thought it could be at. When I asked my mom if she had seen it, she said no, and she asked me where I last saw it. Problem was I didn't know (at least she started to look for it).... Then I asked Elizabeth, and got the same reply, but my younger sister, who was packed and ready, just stood by the door not moving an inch. Then I asked Esther, but Esther spat back at me because she was also looking for her clothes. I was really mad at that point, and I was about to give up, and just go with my uncomfortable shorts to PE. Then I realized how self-centered we are... I mean Esther was really in a bad, grouchy mood cause her top was gone; Elizabeth didn't move an inch to help look for either of our clothes; I was ONLY looking for my shorts and throwing around all other clothes. I stopped and repented inside, and I turned to go out of the restroom (which has the laundry which I was throwing all over the place) I saw a bag. I opened it, and voila~ I found my shorts.

Now a really good way to end my story would be, "I helped Esther find her clothes too and we lived happily ever after."
But I instantly forgot to help, and I waited by the door beside Elizabeth. I feel rotten about it now, and I'll try not to make excuses.

Then that Thursday, we worked after school for quite a while to work on our school yearbook. When we got home, my sister was showing my mom all the pages she worked on, and she asked me for my flash drive so she could show more. Well~ I kinda couldn't find it, and when I told her that, my sister sorta blew up. I don't know what was the reason for this excessive reaction, but I guess she was in a bad mood or just tired. Well I kinda retaliated and we got into a minor bickering which thankfully just died there, when Esther told me that it wasn't any of her business if I lost my locker key and my flash drive (umm what about her yearbook pages? haha) Anyway~ yeah thank God I found it stuck to the computer the next day. But yeah, I saw over the course of the last week (but basically my whole life) that we're soooo selfish, proud, and just plain rotten.

Today's sermon was really nice though... The pastor talked about serving others, and he told us some of his experience of serving. In the verse I'm gonna post soon, Jesus talks about loving others. We all know this passage well enough to say it even if we were to waken up in the middle of the night, but the pastor told us a new part of it. Jesus answers this when a teacher of the law asked him what the Greatest Commandment was. Well we know the 10 Commandments and others all listed in the Book of Moses, and I think we all know what happened to those who didn't obey them. (stone them) Well yeah, Jesus says this is the Greatest COMMANDMENT. The pastor pointed out that this isn't something that was optional, but this was something that would've been punishable by death~ Doesn't that introduce a new aspect to this verse???

Yeah and then the pastor kind of told us a personal experience that helped him to serve others, and I hope I can remember this when I really feel tired, lazy, not-wanting-to-do-something. He said that a long time ago, he once had to clean to whole chapel by himself because the cleaning group for that day all ran away early. (losers haha) So he had to do it alone, but he got so mad that he couldn't take it. I mean, he was the youth leader. And just because a bunch of lazy bums left he was left alone to do it. When he complained to God, he was told that God wanted to do it sooo much, but couldn't and that He wanted the pastor to do it for Him. Not for the bumbling idiots, but for God. So the pastor, in a new, excited mood started cleaning the whole chapel by himself. And pretty soon, some considerate youths also joined in and they got to have some Bible study time at the end too~ :)

edit: I just noticed, but you can take my title two ways~ pretty neat huh?? :)

Matthew 22:39 - And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.