Just Like Piano Keys

sadness.. sorrow.. loneliness.. hurt. nobody really likes to experience any of these; but everybody goes through tough, trying times. the difficulties may come in different guises for different people; but everyone who has ever lived on this planet passes through moments of anguish.

i have had my share of personal trials. joining a Christian community did not spare me from any difficulty - spiritual or otherwise. in fact, i guess i could say that a lot of the tests and trials i have had to endure came to me when i started the Christian walk.

just recently, i experienced another painful "turning point" in my life. in that moment of doubt and confusion, i asked the Lord how He could allow me to go through so much pain. i wondered how much more I could bear. i questioned if He was listening to me..if He even cared.

but God did listen.. and He did care. He knew how much sorrow i could endure. during those moments when I felt i could no longer take the pain, the Lord would make His presence felt: a simple text message.. an unexpected visit from a friend.. a gentle rainfall.. a special song on the radio.. even a timely quote from a fortune cookie. not exactly what others would call miracles. just ordinary, mundane everyday things.. that became special to me because He sent them at the time i needed them most.

right now, i am a lot better. i have peace.. i have hope. i'm sure the Lord has His reasons for allowing me to go through my dark moments. maybe because of the pain, i will learn to seek Him more. perhaps because of the experience, i will become a better person - more mature, more trustworthy, more disciplined. perhaps because of what happened, i will learn to trust in Him more.. be able to listen to Him even when He is silent. maybe i still have to learn a lot of things.. maybe i still need to grow in so many ways.

a friend sent me this text message once: "Life is like a piano. The white keys represent happiness and the black keys show sadness. But as you go through life's journey, remember that the black keys also create music."

and i guess he is right. there are a lot of white keys in my life.. a lot of reasons to be grateful to God. He may have allowed a few black keys to be played.. but the Lord has always used them to create wonderful melodies in my heart. and i know, in time, the Great Composer will allow me to hear the beautiful song that He has made me into.. Ü

burn

every mind needs a spark. every heart needs a flame. and every soul needs to burn.

i'm not really a "fire" person. i prefer mountain tops to beaches. i love rain, not sunny days. and hot, humid weather causes my nose to get all clogged up. no, i definitely am not a fire person.

but these past few days, i've been thinking more and more about it - not in the literal sense, though. i've been thinking about fire in the context of my life. all of a sudden, i find myself fascinated with it. and though fire means a lot of things to a lot of people, these are my present thoughts on the subject:

every mind needs a spark
we all need creativity. the most intelligent minds would be rendered useless without that creative genius. it is this spark of brilliance and innovation that turns theories into wondrous inventions, paintings into true works of art, and dreams into reality. it is their unique way of thinking that makes the einsteins, michaelangelos, mozarts and fermats of the world shine. the creative spark can help turn ordinary men into extraordinary ones.

every heart needs a flame
each person holds something dear to his heart. it could be a lover. it could be a friend. it could be his family. or even a pet cat. whatever it may be, there is always something special contained in a person's heart. something that moves him. the thought of which could warm him on cold, lonely nights.. or motivate him to change for the better.. or urge him to fight for what is right. that something serves as the flame that powers a person to do that which is most important to him. it is the necessary fuel that drives a man to do great (or terrible) things in his life.

every soul needs to burn
souls are meant to burn. not in hell, no (though i suppose a number of souls would eventually go there). but each soul is supposed to be on fire.. with purpose, with conviction, with passion. life is not something we are meant to just zip through. it is not supposed to be easy, either. life is the furnace through which every soul must pass in order to be cleansed and purified. it is the way by which the soul finds the means of being set ablaze.

great saints have proven the trueness of their faith by demonstrating the fire in their souls. a definite sense of purpose.. unwavering conviction.. passion for God's work.. regardless of circumstances. a life cannot be fully lived unless the soul has been set on fire.

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i have never really been a fire person. my mind may not have experienced a lot of sparks. the flames in my heart may not burn so strongly. and my soul is not exactly ablaze with as much Godly passion as i would like it to be. but there is now this growing realization that i do need fire in my life. maybe someday, i will become a fire person after all..