Paris and The Paris of the Middle East

I’m not usually considered as a sensitive person, maybe that’s because not many things are all that important to me. I’m not passionate about many things, but I am passionate about the following:

-          My faith

-          My family and friends

-          My country

Today’s post is in relation to the three. I woke up to some bad news yesterday morning. Overnight a pair of suicide bombings struck southern Beirut, Lebanon. It or I should say “they” killed 40 people and left at least another 200 others wounded. Then the following day I learned even more tragic news about another terrorist attack in Paris, France. Killing at least 153 people and leaving many more injured.

It’s safe to say more than anything, I am enraged.

I’m not scared.

I’m not worried.

I am sorry.

I’m sorry that such beautiful countries with the most amazing culture can’t seem to catch a break.

I’m sorry Lebanon has to suffer because the pathetic countries surrounding it don’t know how to play nice.

I’m sorry that people had to die as a result of a pathetic group of people’s, (suspected to be members of ISIS) beliefs in extremist ideals of a religion that supposedly screams “peace!”

I’m sorry for the families of these people, I’m sorry for the wounded and more than anything I’m sorry to the people who aren’t fazed by such a disgusting act of terrorism, because it’s just “typical Arab politics”

I am sorry for Paris, I pray for Paris.

But Lebanon, I am more than sorry for you. I’m heartbroken for you.

Lebanon and the Lebanese people don’t deserve to be associated with what I can only describe as the scum that the majority of the Middle East has become. We are not a dirty people, we are a people of culture, of traditions, of passions, of love and of peace.

I am sorry for Lebanon because their “government” never gave them a chance.

I am sorry for Lebanon because while France has declared state of emergency, Lebanon has yet to do a single thing about the atrocity.

I am sorry for Lebanon because the media over-looks them, undermines its suffering and has no compassion for their suffering.

I am sorry for Lebanon because this is NOT Lebanon. This is not what our country is about.

We are the country of the greatest

Saints, home of the Cedar trees (referred to in the bible multiple times) the manufacturers of the alphabet, and we are the country most associated with the phoenix -- and for good reason. With over a total of ten wars, multiple corrupt governments and needless attacks on our great city coming from all other surrounding countries, Lebanon and the Lebanese have fallen and come back up, time and time again. We have rebuilt, we have risen again, we have never given up and we have faced a hell that was forced onto us and you know what? After all the injustices, all the drama and all the reasons to give up and back down, Lebanon has never and WILL NEVER back down. Why? Because we are a people of faith, of friendship and of family. We are a people of compassion and for as long as the greatest Saints who have ever graced this land are standing with us, it doesn’t matter what evil stands against us. God will always prevail and that belief has been embedded deep into the core of our hearts and we live never in fear, sure of this one thing. God will prevail, Lebanon will never die.

For Charlie.

When you finish school, you are in no means prepared for what actually takes place in the real world. You only know that the faces you once saw every day of thirteen years, will no longer be a frequent thing in your life. You know that you’re going to move on to bigger things and you know that nothing will stay the same.

What you don’t actually realize is a reality is that some of the people you went to school with, will be married, or have children – you know this is all a possibility but you imagine it won’t be for some time.

You don’t expect time to move so quickly, or that you won’t actually remember the last time you saw certain people. Sometimes you even forget your class mates until their name comes up in conversation, or you see them on Facebook.

But for all of you, I sincerely hope you never have to hear news of an ex-class mate’s death. When I left school I anticipated many things, but I never anticipated any of my classmates dying. I never expected to be hearing that kind of news about someone my age. None of us did.

I guess that is testimony to the fact that we actually know very little about the next hour of our lives.

You never expect something so wrong to happen to someone so young and you don’t expect to be so taken aback by it. You don't expect it to faze you.

The fact of the matter is that most of us spent our entire childhood and most of our adolescence living with the people we went to school with. By living I mean that you spent at least seven hours of most days/weeks/months of a year with these people. You grew up with them, and even if you don’t keep in contact with them or frequently see each other, you still know things about these people. You know some of their embarrassing stories, what kind of person they were, who they were friends with, what kind of music they listened to and thanks to social media, you can basically keep up without catching up with them.

We may have left school years ago, we may all have different lives to the ones we thought we would have, but deep down in a place we don’t even realize exists we are all still those little kids, running around the play-ground, racing to our classrooms, gossiping about each other, our teachers and dreading those hideous blue blazers. We’re still those kids who keep their timetables in their diaries, hate their uniforms, and can’t wait for recess and lunch just to have a chance to sit down and chill with our favorite friends. We’re all still there, we all still have a piece of each other with us.

We re-visit that place constantly when we see or hear news about one another, we think about it in the back of our minds, we try to picture that persons face, remember the last time we spoke to them, we jog through all the times we encountered them and then we think “how naïve were we back then, that we didn’t ever expect things to change so dramatically” – and that’s the thing about growing up, you realize more and more every day, that each day in its own way is a blessing. That there are no guarantees. We never expect that one day, when we look back on those times, that one of us won’t be existing in the same world that we exist in, that they’ll no longer be with us. That all we actually have is that memory, of when we were young, when things were simple. When you didn’t have to remember people because they were always there. You never have to face the reality that for everyone, there’s an “end”.

Today our entire grade lost a class mate, some of us were still close to him, some of us weren’t, but all of us will look back on those days, when we were still young, still naïve, still together and we won’t forget you. We will always remember you, always pray for you and always revisit our memories with you. God bless you and Rest in Peace.

Matthew 25:21

" His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.’ "

The Simple Life

Life Style Choices. - Simplicity Is Key.

Ever looked in the mirror and realized you've put on a bit of weight, and then noticed your jeans are just a bit too tight and your gut is sticking out a little more than usual OR Woken up on a Saturday and been tired and unenthusiastic about life? Yeah me too.
Unfortunately for me, I lack in a minor (major) essential attribute required for success in life; Discipline (that in turn means patience). I have this strange way of dreaming BIG and forgetting the baby steps to the bigger picture, so I get really really addicted to something, but don't often see it through. So I did a bit of research on how to get healthier, progressively. Here's my conclusion.

If you're anything like me, you wake up in the middle of the night and opt for that quick late night snack and go back to bed, you set your alarm for 6am but find an excuse to stay cozy in bed instead of go for that early-morning run and you always, always make excuses when it comes to unhealthy luxuries- i.e 'This is the last time' OR 'Only one bite'.
Here are some simple and easy to follow guidelines on how to keep both mind and body happy, and HEALTHY!

FIRST
Forget your crash diets, and fat burning pills, your soup diets and your personal trainer. This isn't the biggest loser, no one will force your dieting and working out on you. It is not an instant makeover #InstaSkinny #NoSuchThing

SECOND
Get moving. No walking from your bedroom to the kitchen and back doesn't count, lazy. All it really takes is 20 minutes a day of getting your heart pumping... Go for a run/a bike ride/ do a boxing session, pick anything! Cardio is good for the heart and good for the mind. Stress does not help weight loss!

THIRD
Eating healthier. No, don't go cutting out all your favorite chocolate's and candy. Depriving yourself will not teach you anything about discipline, once you're off your diet, you will jump back on the fast food train and all your efforts won't be worth it. Portion control is key. The easiest way of watching what you eat is by increasing your intake of whole grain, fiber, fruit, veg and protein. By no means should you cut out all the things you love to eat, you should just condition your mind into thinking them of them as more of a treat than a go-to snack. Also, try your best not to eat fast food. It's full of trans fats which usually leads to high cholesterol and diabetes.

FOURTH
No more smoking and/or alcohol. Again, this doesn't mean you can't ever have the occasional beer with friends, but all either do is impair your judgement and condition you to think that you NEED an un-natural substance, to aid you in day to day life. They serve no good purpose, if you can, cut it out!

FIFTH
Sleep! A friend of mine not too long ago, stressed to me the importance of sleeping a minimum of 7 hours and a maximum of 9 hours every night. This isn't only good for your brain, it's good for your body too. Resting helps your muscles relax and repair after a long day. NO this does not mean you can oversleep and become a sloth, this means you sleep the appropriate hours and get back up healthier and in a much better mood. Sleeping in makes you more tired than sleeping less. Remember that.

LASTLY
Stress? What stress? No secret's here, there is stress in everything you do, typing this means I stress my mind and my fingers into taking action, but I can't stress to you enough - see what I did there?- the importance of de-stressing. The easiest way to de-stress is to talk about, and let go of your problems. But beware, the relationships around you shouldn't be a constant cause of stress for you, a friend who puts you down, or makes you feel bad, isn't a friend, they're a foe. Be wise in your decision making and make sure you always keep good, strong and positive people around you at all times.
To be honest, the only full proof form of stress relief I have ever participated in, was prayer and meditation. I think a lot of people have a big problem with accepting that there is a God who is in control of our lives, because we are so caught up in taking control ourselves. I find it rather comforting that the big guy in the sky is looking out for me, plus, I always know I''m not alone!

So to simplify,
FOOD = GOOD FASTFOOD = BAD

EXERCISE = GOOD SMOKING = BAD

SLEEP = GOOD DRAMA =BAD

I hope my guide lines helped, they sure as hell were a great stepping stone for me!

The Forgiven And The Forgiving

Sin. It tears us away from God. What many people don't realize is that God is not the one who moves away from us. We are the ones -- who by committing sin -- separate ourselves from Him. In failing to realize this, we also do not realize, that the only thing keeping us from going back to God, is our guilt - our pride. But the reality of all of this, is that God is always waiting, always wanting to accept us back into His arms.

Does this not then indicate how incomprehensible God's love is to us as mere humans? That He does not give us pre-mature judgement, but rather accepts us, gives us a chance to return to Him, and then upon our return welcomes us back into His loving embrace? Does this not lead us to conclude that OUR God is a God of love and forgiveness.
Does Christ not speak of the good shepherd who after losing one of his one hundred sheep, return in search of the one he has lost, until he finds it?  The truth is there is no love greater than His love. No mercy, greater than His.

How is it then -- While all of us feel grateful for the mercy and forgiveness that we readily receive from our Creator -- that we ourselves struggle greatly in offering forgiveness to those who have offended us?
It is that we are not like God. We are not overflowing with Mercy and Graces. Some of us go a lifetime harboring hatred for those that have mistreated them.

Despite our humanity, God commands us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us for all our wrong doings. He even goes as far as saying that if we cannot forgive one another, He will deny us forgiveness of our trespasses. God will not fully free us from our inequities unless we too free others of theirs. Ergo, forgiveness is a gift and when we give this gift to others, we also give this gift to ourselves.

Nevertheless forgiveness does not come easy to us. Why? Because it is part of our human nature to protect ourselves. It is a primitive survival reflex to remember what hurt us and never return to it, or to try not to allow ourselves to be hurt by it again.

It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we are able to go against our human instincts and really forgive and let go of all the pain and fear that we feel.
Now, let's say for a minute that you are like me, and that forgiving someone -- despite wanting to -- does not come as easily to you. I have found a way that works for me. That way is to logically forgive a person, on the grounds that I too am human and that I often make mistakes, am imperfect and despite that do not feel a dire need to protect myself from myself.

Why?
Because despite my imperfections, and what I dislike about myself. Despite the stupid things I do and the hatred I might harbor for the actions that I commit against myself, another and God, one thing does not change; Although I don't always like myself; I always love myself.

You see; God doesn't necessarily ask us to like one another, or to like the actions we commit, or the things we say, but He does require us to love one another. It is not enough to tolerate each other, or to turn the other cheek. We must bring ourselves to realize that we love ourselves despite our imperfections, just like God loves us despite our imperfections.

'Everybody thinks forgiveness, is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive' C.S Lewis.

So next time you are wronged by someone, remember a time when you wronged someone else, and put yourself in that person's shoes. God see's everything and he knows what is in each of our hearts, He does own them after all.