The Unkindness of a Raven

photo credit: Espen Andersen

I wish I could take credit for this title but it was one that I borrowed from one of my favorite TV shows. My reason for writing is not the same as the original title but I saw it fit in comparison. Ravens are described as aggressive and unwary-somewhat like all of us. Time after time we make mistakes without caution because we know that the wind has offered itself to carry us.

As I sit and watch the Bible I think to myself how could the world not be better after Jesus?  I was younger when the Passion of Christ came out and more than anything it frightened me. I was afraid of what I saw as much as I was of what I did not understand. Watching at 24, the picture that is painted for me is the one that was always meant for me to see. Ironically, thundering and lightening began real time as Jesus said “It is finished” with the same rumbling on the TV screen before me. I know that his death didn’t cause an instant change but I feel a great sadness as to why it did not. Even with writing this I am ashamed of the person that I am today. What do we believe?

I am bothered by all of those around me that have this new found distaste for the face of Jesus. I have always had my own idea of what He looks like as well as the face that was offered to me. What he looks like doesn’t matter to me. I saw something online recently about the portrayal of Jesus being too close to that of Cesare Borgia. Did God not give us a man that would look like us so we could have familiarity? As humans we tend to be more trusting of things and people that look like and remind us of what we are. There were no cameras or instagram accounts back then therefore it is up to us to believe in the face that we see when Jesus presents himself to us.

We cannot see the wind but we can feel it. If the focus isn’t put on the pictures that are drawn for us of what Jesus looks like the focus can be on how He carries us with what we feel. That picture that we are told is of a criminal but given to us to believe to be Jesus should not matter. Without it some other portrayal is put in its place. And just how easy was it to get you to believe in something else? The story of Jesus and the portraits will never be the problem-the people are.

“Without love we are nothing. Love is patient Love is Kind It is not Jealous it does not boast. It is not proud. It Keeps no records of wrong. It rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, it believes all things, it hopes all things, it endures all things. When everything else disappears faith, hope and love remain but the greatest of these is love”- Paul

There is Paul in everyone one of us. He exemplified the unkindness of a raven to later show how beautiful one can be.

Ambitious People-The double-edged sword of reality

How does one treat ambitious? Does it need to be medicated or given therapy? Does it need to be ignored in hopes that it just might go away? Should you feed it? I say yes-to all of the above but in different situations.

Ambitious people can be motivating or frightening and I feel the need to address them from a positive and a negative standpoint. I posted a blurb on my Instagram earlier today that reminded me to write about the ambitiousness of our own kind. Kudos to the author whoever they may be:

“The Cost of Ambition”

• Late Nights, Early Mornings.
• Lots of Associates, Very Few Friends.
• You will be misunderstood.
• You will be single unless you’re lucky enough to find someone who understands your lifestyle.
• People will want you to do good but never better than them.

…and for those reasons, you will do many things alone.

I must say I never thought being a writer would be anything to envy because we are all given a pencil and paper around the same age. But when you think about it, there’s something about being a writer that you know is God given. God chose some of the best to write the most known book in the world but I don’t need to take it there again. (If you need a reminder check my very first post) Just an example of what I am ambitious about. I am paying the price of ambitious in most of those ways. I chose to ignore the negative ones because the existence of it is inevitable. Positively ambitious people are good-keep them around, motivate them-even when you do not understand them. Put it into perspective with what you are most ambitious about and use it as a guide to understanding someone else.

Negatively ambitious people are the ones we have to worry most about. They are the “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, the you scratch my back and I’ll stab you in yours, or the I’ll do anything to see the light over the horizon types. As unfortunate as it is, these people exist. Negatively ambitious people are ambitious but they lack the talent to carry all of that ambition, so they must decide how to achieve their desires without it. It hurts for a little while once you’ve been betrayed but it goes away when you realized that there is something inside of you that the pseudo-friend, social climber yearns for.

Flat but ambitious- we need those types around because they push us and test our true strength. Can you remain on the positive side of ambition?