Observe or Live? And Where God Comes In

A follow-up question then - Do you think it better to observe life, or to live it? In essence, is it better to be an observer on the periphery, or a participant with a purely subjective viewpoint of life? And which of these criteria does God fill (or does He come into a third category? (which I'd hope He does))?
I am sure the only way I can answer that, is to be completely sure of my answer, and here i want you to be completely sure of my response.

If I was brought before the Lord and given that question I would always choose to live life. I would never want to as you put it "be an observer on the periphery". Anyone who does I must say you are sadly deluded. yes it may seem interesting at first, but it gets lonely real quickly being on your own, watching others in friendship and love. And if I don't have friendships then I don't have love, because it requires two participants for love to exist.

I must clear up an issue here though "a purely subjective viewpoint" sounds to me as if you are only looking at one part of life. But the very meaning of living cannot be grouped into one class, one area, as it is all-encompassing. Imagine a diamond. In it's rough form it has a certain attractive quality, but once the jeweller has worked his skill on it, it is beautiful. Each facet, each side are all part of the diamond, but when they are alone they do not emphasise the diamond as much as when they are united. In the same way life cannot have one subjective viewpoint. It can however be the development of one soul in three areas: life, love and eternity.
Only when these three develop together can we begin to really understand and enjoy life.

Some people say "there is a wasted mind", when they see someone going against the law or not achieving their potential. True, but to me a wasted mind is also someone who spends their entire life seeking knowledge, or fitness or spiritual enlightenment, but never seeks friendship or love. That is a wasted life, sure intelligence is great, but physical experiences and memories of great times are surely just as good.
Forgive me if I seemed to drift off topic, but here is the clinch and the answer to your question.

God created man, just as men can create statues. Jesus was begotten by God not created, just as children are begotten of men. Follow this through and we can see that while a statue is a very good representation of a man, it can never be a man. Thus as humanity is created in God's image (like the statue) it can never be God because it was made without something and with an expiry date (i may elaborate on this point later, but it is off topic here). God isn't. God exists in eternity, we don't; so God is able to look beyond time and situations because that's where he is. he is also not restricted by emotions or paths of thought, since he knows all things and thus is able to create them.

If you imagine a line on a paper to represent your life, God is the paper. He is all around but he is also what your life in written on, so not only does he observe from the periphery, but he is also deeply involved in the moments of life. This is because God is within all of us. He inhabits our bodies, like our souls do, but completely surrounding. So although God is able to view from the periphery, he is also intrinsically involved in our day to day lives, because a part of him is part of us. i can only help thinking that this sounds degrading to the infinity of God, but it is the best explanation i can convey.

And so the third category is created. Where God sees all of time, and where he understands every decision he makes and the effects, and the only reason he chooses to do them is because of his Love for us. He has seen every moment of your life and he ha heard every prayer. He has blessed us where he sees fit and has advised us where he knows best. Every deal he has entered he knows the outcome, and the only thing he seeks to gain is our love our praise, and that we can know him more.

The rest he leaves to us. That is why we have freewill, choice. So we can see God's Love and come to understand that what he gave is beyond our repayment. But he only wants our love in return, because he Loves us. This seems logical to me on the basis, if you spend time making something, you put effort into it, you put love into it, you come to cherish it. It becomes special. Like that table you made, or that picture you painted. It will always be special to you no matter what people think, because to you it is more than a table or a picture, it represents a success in your life, or it captures a feeling that you feel every time you look at it. We are the same to God. And that is why he is able to give everything for us to live in eternity with him. Because he loves us, and is delighted every time we choose to stand up and fight "the good fight". Because he believes in us, just as we believe in him.

I hope this answers your question at least in part. And i hope you can see where i am coming from in each part. I would delight in further questions, whenever you feel you need ask.

Planetary Support

Planet Earth, a truly remarkable place. I recall once being told a story about how, if we found a small sphere hovering in a field covered in water, grass, chasms, mountains and life. We would want to study it, want to understand it and want to above all, protect it.
But we didn't find planet Earth. We were born onto it, we have always been in touch with it and that is why some don't feel the need to protect the planet. It is fair to say that we have destroyed parts of the planet. We are making it worthless and treating it very badly. The planet can defend itself, and it may just do the same to us.
The population of the planet is huge, it is a perfect example of exponential growth. But the planet isn't infinite. It has an 'edge' so to speak, it has a limit to the number of people it can hold. And as we continue to destroy the forests, fish the oceans bare, pollute the atmosphere, for the benefit of the masses. So too do we slowly drive in the stake that will secure our own destruction.
Now i understand this may be a very sensitive topic, but if the population doesn't cease to grow, we will all suffer. There will be famine, there will be war, there will be enforced discrimination. That is a path I think none of us want to travel. But now what can i say without it sounding like I'm trying to oppress people? Simply this:
If you have a family living in a house, your main concern(as the head) is for the family. Then for the state of the house. We can apply this logic to Earth. Let us strive for equality, but let us also strive for the future of our planet. Do people really need all these 'gadgets' that 'make life easier'? I don't think so.
Let us try to establish a base line on which every country is the same; standard of living, power, food...and so on. But after that let the money that would be "wasted" on personal satisfaction, be given as charity to the planet. Let us protect that which protects us. It's good sense really.

But heck, from Plato to Jesus, the world has had plenty of good sense. What makes you think we'll start listening now?

A Question

"Would you ever want to just observe life?"

Great question, thank you anonymous e-mailer! A long, long time ago I would have said yes. But perhaps not anymore. And perhaps not in the sense you mean. I would love to be an invisible observer of life. Let me set this straight, i would not be invisible as in not being able to be seen. But as to spend many decades walking the Earth observing people. I would grow old very slowly and my life would be the study, observation and thus learning of humans. Of course this would involve me not having many friendships or relations, i would in fact become a 'lone-wolf' type of person and now i could not do that. I enjoy may friendships and life without would loose, at least in part, some meaning.
To step outside of time like the Big Man(God) can and indeed does is amazing. So perhaps for one day i would love to see life unfolding across the globe, and that people are in fact more compassionate than we realise.

Relational Advancement

You know if you want to get to know someone, texting, instant messaging and even video calling is good, but you never get the whole story. If you want to know someone really closely, you have to spend time with them. So you can see how they react, but also so they understand how you react in certain situations it's a two way thing.
The best thing i can recommend if you are feeling down is to be with people who can understand how you are feeling, but also engage with you on a level that you are comfortable with. Yes it's good to spend time alone, but too much of that and your thoughts will wander into areas you may not really understand.
Being with people can help keep you in check, even if your mood is bad. You just let them know how your feeling and try to be civil and responsive. So maybe civil isn't a word you've heard for a few years, but i believe it's still relevant in today's society. In once definition it means to keep to the normals of polite social relations. Not necessarily sincere but at least responsive.
Back to the main point. relationships are pivotal in our day to day lives. They help us grow in so many ways and understand so many things. Without them we become estranged and lost. But don't let things drift about in friendship. You must let them know you are friends and your life actions must back up that statement. I'm not talking about entering a dating relationship, but rather showing all your friends that they do actually mean more to you than just someone to talk to. So spend time with them, talk about life and the future and help them as best you can. Otherwise, you will be a bored, disillusioned old man/woman for the rest of your life.

Where life takes us

You know what? I'm starting to see the truth. If your life is full of problems and illness and sorrow, then you are not being the best you can be, because someone is getting you down. The devil wants you to suffer, for when you suffer your focus slips away from God. You forget the truth and become self centered, instead of a person involved with others in a serving role. God has your whole life in his hands. Jesus died so our sins, the things we do wrong in life, are gone. They have lost their grip on our lives and we can live in a freedom that was never before experienced. God is almighty, but is also our closest friend if you let him. He wants a deep and personal relationship with you and he wants you to know the Truth.
Your life has a purpose and a plan, that is not only personal to you but it is complete. God knows every aspect of our lives and blesses us so that we can live the best life possible.
So, if you want to see and end to illness and problems in your life, simply ask God into your heart by asking him in your mind. Then say out loud, you problems, you illness in my life be removed in the name of God and never return. And if you have faith, patience, prayer and love your life will be turned around. But being in a relationship with God, also means a relationship with people, so go to a church and get to know them. God wants you to know him. If you have any questions i would recommend going to your local church and talking to people there.
And ask! A person who seeks will find an answer. So don't be afraid to question people, even if it sounds totally impossible or wrong.

nonohino@hotmail.co.uk