Your Job Can Teach A Lot

I wanted to do a Gratitude of the Week last week but I didn't. I didn't try, I just didn't.

Last week was special. I spent most of my free time helping my friends with the move, with the meals and with the babysitting. And I quit my job.

Last Thursday, I quit my job at Goodwill. Quitting that day wasn't my first time quitting my job but it was certainly a first time quitting in a miserable state. Quitting my previous jobs were out of obligation. I had  multiple jobs (to get full twenty hours a week) but one department wanted me to work "full hours" with a reward of pay raise so I quit my other jobs even though I didn't want to. Then I had to quit that job when I couldn't register at school on their terms. Quitting Goodwill was an entirely different experience.

I came home and saw my friend. She saw that I was in a state of shock and asked me what was wrong. I told her that I quit Goodwill when I couldn't take it anymore. My personal reasons were that I wasn't making money, to work few hours a day wasn't worth driving an hour for, and their wildly and inconsistent scheduling had made me overworked, more tired and prevented me mostly from to do anything else. I persisted for nine months on their terms but I just couldn't withstand their insincerity any longer. Goodwill was a very confusing place to work at. The only thing made sense to me was that I was just their disposable robot. I felt like I was.

So what are the good things that came out of this? I've learned:

• A lot about myself in unpleasant ways.
• More patience. 
• That people are people and system is system.
• That enabling is bad.
• That passive aggressiveness is not good. 
• That attitude makes a huge difference. 
• That numbers don't speak for people.
• That communication is very important. 
• That there are so many people who can't get what they deserve.
• That most people are very friendly when you're friendly.
• That you can make a huge difference in small ways. 
• That not all workplaces reward your long and hard work even when it includes beyond your job description.
• That sometimes, an immediate action is necessary.
• That proper boundaries are important.
• That you can't always protect someone.
• That breaking one rule few times can be bad even if your intention is pure.
• That people can misinterpret your quietness and focus as if you are angry at them. (When I'm focused, I look like I'm angry at the world. Someone had actually told me that. I find that hilarious.)
• That staying positive for a long time is a very hard thing to do when bad things are thrown at you constantly.
• That if you don't like it, change your situation or yourself. Aim high. Don't give up.

Hopefully, this post doesn't discriminate me as a disgruntled, self-entitled, and angry person. I don't have hard feelings toward anyone. I'm grateful that I've learned so much in the past year than I would have at school in over a decade. I hope that I can still meet with people that I worked with. 

Here's a fighting spirit and hope to 2013 for me. No more poor choices. No more depression. No more self-loathing. No more helplessness. No more hopelessness.

The Language of Christianity

The language of Christianity from CNN on Vimeo.

Christianity is like a language with different dialects, and over time some terminology may lose its essential meaning.

Gratitude Of The Week: Knowing An Old Friend Again

This is actually from last week. My old friend from RIT came to visit last week from North Carolina. We met on New Year's Day and it was special. I thought it was a great way to kick off a new year: building new relationships and rebuilding old relationships.

I knew I had changed a lot since we last met. He had changed too. That day, we caught up and got to know each other again. Our bond strengthened when we shared our faith together even though we go to different churches. We encouraged each other to grow more in Christ as we shared what we learned in our walks.

I spent all day (9 hours!) with him and we did not cease talking. No awkward silence or awkward breaks (distractions) which was awesome.

I hope to visit him one day in North Carolina and get a chance to explore the South. I trust that we have a long lasting friendship and continue to walk and grow together even if we are 700 miles away.

The Scheme Of The Ten Commandments

Note: This is simply to explain the laws on the side of the spirit. I hope that it will give you a clearer knowledge of why God made such laws and who He is through them. Because of Jesus, we are highly motivated to do what God commands of us in the New Testaments in light of who God is, a loving Creator.

From the time of Moses to the time of Jesus, the Ten Commandments were the foundation. They were mandated by God for His people. The Ten Commandments were not guidelines and they were not an issue of morality. They were the laws. No one could break one and expected to get away with it.

It seems like the most Christians' sentiment of the Ten Commandments was thinking like they were rules or works or outdated or not important. What they failed to realize that these commandments were summed up by Jesus' Greatest Commandment: Love God and love your neighbors as you love yourself. These commandments are actually practical when we try to follow the Greatest Commandment. Jesus fulfilled the Ten Commandment by showing how he served God and people in the Gospel along with a completion of crucifixion and resurrection.

If you look at them from God's perspective, you will understand why the Ten Commandments were necessary as to why God made them. Think of the world in the long run instead of short run. What would happen if every single one of us followed them? What would the world look like if no one broke the Ten Commandments at any time?

The world would look like heaven. Seriously. No pain, no sorrow, no unnecessary deaths, no grief, no corruption, no dramas, no bad things. Think about the consequences of each commandment (loving your neighbors part) if it is followed by everyone. God made them to protect us from ourselves (our sinful natures).

• No unnecessary and sudden deaths, that lives were taken by someone else. (6. You shall not murder.)
• No hurt, betrayal, confusion, and broken relationships. (7.  You shall not commit adultery.)
• No one had to worry about things and their loved ones taken away. No house was broken into. No life savings were scammed. No lives would be ruined. (8. You shall not steal.)
• Justice would work perfectly. No innocent people would go to jail or prison or get punished. No slander and no lies. No evil people would get away with their evil deeds because they would lie and hurt people in the process. (9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.)
• No jealousy, no drama, no hurt. Everyone would be grateful and got to keep one's own earnings without worry. It would give everyone a chance to share gladly. (10. You shall not covet anything of your neighbor's.)

See how much better the world would be if the commandments were kept? See how loving and good God is?

In order to keep the loving your neighbor commandments, we have to keep loving God commandments because we are sinners. If we focus on God, God helps us to be not self-centered since God is love and all things good. That's the first half of the Ten Commandments. Remember that God has created us and has delivered us. We must honor Him for He is our God. Anything that distracts us from God is an idol. An idol is what we focus on rather than on God which turns us into selfish beings. If we are selfish, then we break the rest of the commandments in one way or another. That is why Jesus said, "Love God" first and then "love your neighbors."

Jesus showed us the way. When we are forgiven of our sins by his death and resurrection, we can start anew and be overwhelmingly grateful of God's love for us. Would it make sense that we want to do what God commands of us because what of God has done for us? For Him to have done for us, wouldn't we want the same for others? That's why he is the way, the truth, and the life. That's why he commanded us to do the Great Commission. Imagine the world would be like if we teach others about God and to follow Him.

I want to implore to you to change your mentality from "God and me" to "God and His wonderful creation".

Gratitude Of the Week: Meaningful New Year's Eve

On the New Year's Eve, I attended a party at the Wilson's. Some of the church family showed up when they didn't have somewhere else to go at the time. The rest went on vacation in other states enjoying their sunshine and their families.

It was very meaningful. We shared our stories about the year of 2012 in terms of how a movie or a book impacted our lives. I got to hear each one's heart and be part of the connection shared deeply with each other. I don't usually see most of them so it was a rare treat. We sang songs and prayed. We shared what we learned from the year of 2012 and what we look forward to in 2013 when we had our goals set.

I'm so grateful to have a very meaningful party and it is by far the best New Year's Eve I've ever had.