Either you see where I'm going after just reading the title, or you are planning a way to kill me brutally and slowly because I just used the term You Only Live Once. Either way, bear with me.
Ok, I've actually heard a couple of people use the term YOLO, and legitimately mean it, so perhaps there is a more pleasant, normal second option to becoming a murderer, but generally people scoff at the term YOLO. I want to correct this concept, though, and I thought it especially appropriate to do so on Easter weekend.
Around 2000 years ago, our savior, Jesus Christ, didn't only live once, and that's what we celebrate today. He died on the cross for our sins, and after three days He rose again, and today He's up in heaven, right next to the Father. He didn't only live once, and neither do we. Without His death, we would be damned to hell for our eternal "second" life. However, because Christ died for us, He gives us the option of spending that "second" life in eternal glory in heaven, with Him. The Bible says we are saved by grace (His choosing to come and die for us, even though we didn't deserve it) through faith (our choice to believe IN Him and live FOR him). So, first of all, YOLO is incorrect - we don't only live for the short time on this earth; our life extends into eternity, and it is our choice how we will live that "second" life.
Continuing off of that correction (and forgive me if this becomes an expression of my confusion regarding the way YOLO is often used), even if you define living once as the amount of time that we will spend in our earthly bodies, I simply don't understand how this can be used to condone using drugs, having sex with every other person you meet, and binge drinking. In my mind, you only live once, so you need to make something of that life. Even if you aren't a disciple of Christ, and/or you don't agree with my view on our "second" eternal life, this still applies to you. Life is short and time is precious, so rather than wasting it by being consumed with self... make a difference in the world. Change someone else's life, and, at the same time, change your own.
If something I've said has triggered a response in your heart, and you want to find out more about this Christ that died for you, email us at reflections.on.life764@gmail.com
Hello my dear readers!
It's been far too long since I have written a blog post. I've just been so swamped with school and life, but I've had a lot on my mind lately that needs to come out in a form of a blog post. So here it goes.
Forever. Always. These are two words of stability, of permanence; words which meanings we come to expect, words that are used often, but aren't thought or talked of nearly enough. Think about it. How many times have you told a friend that you'll always be there for them; a boyfriend that the two of you will be together forever? At the time they are spoken, we may mean these words with all of our hearts, but do we ever really think about these words and the responsibility that comes with speaking them? Until quite recently, I know I never did.
So what do they mean?
According to Dicionary.com, "always" can be defined as:
1. every time; every occasion; without exception.
2. all the time; continuously, uninterruptedly.
3. forever.
4. in every event; at any time; if necessary.
"forever" is defined as:
1. without ever ending; eternally.
2. continuously; incessantly; always.
Okay, so you may have known the meanings of these words, but have you thought about the problem with them? There are only so many things one can always count on; not much lasts forever. These words are eternal, infinite, are consistent to the ultimate point, are permanent. But very few things in this life are permanent.
So what is?
I'm the type of person who longs for deep, life-long friendships. And I don't need that many friends, I just need close ones. Therefore, I often have the mindset that my friendships will last forever - that nothing will come between my friends and me. I know things will change, but I always expect my friendships to adapt to change. This leaves me completely and overwhelmingly shocked when a person I was once close to drifts away, or something happens that causes a break in the friendship. I can easily remove myself from unhealthy situations, but I never see them coming, and I am always hit square in the face with the fact that no matter how much I want them to, friendships don't last forever. People grow up, change, and move away, and I have to move on. Friendships aren't permanent.
Circumstances aren't permanent either. I know a lot of people who get so shaken up when something in their life changes. If they have to move, change schools, change jobs, etc., it's like they expect everything to always remain the same. But it doesn't.
The truth of the matter is, there is only one thing that is permanent. Only one thing that will always last forever. And that is love. But not the kind of love that popular culture promotes these days - the kind that one can "fall out of", the kind that demands something in return, but the kind of love that can only come from Jesus. The perfect, sacrificial, intense, all-consuming love of Jesus. The kind of love that inspired him to die for us, the kind of love that promised us life. That love is something we can always count on no matter what, something that lasts forever, that is infinite, that is consistent, true, and real.
Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't use forever and always unless speaking of God's love, but I am saying that in this temporary life, we as Christians can have hope. We can have hope because we know of something that these can be applied to truthfully. We have something that is permanent.
These are my favorite brownies:
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
6 oz chocolate, chopped OR 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Oven 350°F (175°C)
Instructions:
1. Melt butter on stovetop or in microwave. Lightly grease 9x13 pan.
2. While the butter is melting, whisk flour and cocoa together with salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Combine melted butter, sugar, and vanilla together.
4. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
5. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
6. Toss the chocolate in a light dusting of flour and stir them into the batter with a spoon or spatula. (The flour will keep the chocolate pieces suspended in the brownies so you have nice bites of pure chocolate.)
7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread the batter in the pan, slightly mounding on sides so it will all bake evenly.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from http://www.instructables.com/id/Brownie-Recipe/
Ok, I've actually heard a couple of people use the term YOLO, and legitimately mean it, so perhaps there is a more pleasant, normal second option to becoming a murderer, but generally people scoff at the term YOLO. I want to correct this concept, though, and I thought it especially appropriate to do so on Easter weekend. 
