Entanglement

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. - Hebrews 12:1-13

A few things strike me about this passage; we are encouraged to cast aside evertthing that hinders and entangles us, run with endurance, endure punishment as necessary, take strength and make "straight paths for our feet".

One of the most common injuries in a workplace are slips, trips and falls. And anyone who works on a ship knows this can be fatal. Best case scenario you twist your ankle and render yourself unfit for service, worst case scenario, you trip and fall overboard. So a constant effort is made to ensure every rope and other hazard is coiled up and stowed away. The vessel must always be kept shipshape and ready for action.The mariner that ignores this, puts himself and others in danger.

Incredible design

I'm learning about genetics right now and I find DNA fascinating. Do you know that DNA is basically digital code? And it's more complex and than our binary digital code (1's and 0's) for one reason (or four) its quaternary digital code (Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine and Guanine or A,C,T,G).

There's also quite a cool way that DNA replicates and preserves all the information each time. The base pairs can only connect one way, A to C and T to G and so whenever the DNA double helix unwinds to replicate the code the information is always semi-conserved because it can only join up again the same way.

I wish I had paid more attention in school... here's a video that demonstrates this and the complexity of the cell. 

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. - Psalm 139: 14-15

Who am I?

I have a question on my mind right now that I don't know how to answer.

Who am I?

I guess the first thing I can do is eliminate who I'm not.

I'm not my job. Men tend to believe they are what they do and alot of times our self-worth is tied up in being in a profession that the world views as sucessful. Ergo why its the first question after What's your name when two people meet at a party. But if I don't do anything or decided to do something different does that mean I cease to exist or become someone else? Of course not.

I'm not my body. If I were my body, flesh and blood then how could I speak to someone over the phone or be present in a video conference or an IM. If I were my body then people wouldn't say "He's gone" when I die and they put my body in the ground. And so my body is a vehicle for me but its not me.

I'm not my words or my creations. These are expressions of who I am. They are like the fruit of a tree and they say alot about who I am but they aren't me.

I'm not even my thoughts because disease or genetics or chemicals can affect my thoughts. Rene Descartes said I think therefore I am and that's logical to serve up as a proof of existence but I don't think it necessarily follows that I am what I think. It may be true that what we think repeatedly we do and in the words of Aristotle, what we repeatedly do we become. But that still doesn't answer the question of who I am.

I'm not my name. If I were then if you and I have the same name are we the same person? If someone changes my name do I become a different person? I believe God changes names so that people think differently about themselves or receive a picture of how He sees them. Jacob means "Supplanter" and God changed his name to Israel which means "Wrestles with God".

I'm not my children but a small part of me lives on in them. In their memories and in their genetic code. My physical body lives on in their DNA but not alot of people know that what I did in life lives on in their messenger RNA. Good or bad some of that code is rewritten and passed along.

I don't expect to answer this question fully in this life but I find it helpful to focus on the light of scripture and God's Spirit to learn about myself and not the things written above. If I had to answer the question today this might be the best answer...

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. - Romans 8:16-17

Purpose

Few things inspire more melodrama than the day you 're too old to fulfill your childish dream. Mine was to be a fighter pilot.
Every other day you can psychologically leave the door open but then one day you reach an age when you can no longer make your dream real. Only because you've had one too many birthdays.

Even if I imagine pursuing a childhood dream... lets say I acheived every goal and dream. If that was my life I imagine I would still leave be empty and unfullfilled the day I asked myself the question "Is this it?"

And if chasing dreams isn't "it" what is?

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“ I have no pleasure in them”:

While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;

In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;

When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.

Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
“ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“ All is vanity.” - Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Everything is futile and chasing the wind except one thing. It's Christ's purpose for you. The deepest sadness isn't failing to catch our dreams. Its a youth chasing after some other lover and then when he's done with us we all end up in the same place... knocking on God's door.

Don't give your youth to someone else.