My Valentine - August Rush

It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m watching August Rush for the umpteenth time. Not a stellar production, but the story line stirred my heart a real deal. It’s a movie about an orphaned young boy’s hope and persistent belief in one-day connecting with his parents. He is the fruit of the loins of a couple of musicians that met by fate – mom a cellist and dad an amateur rock star. Mom become with child after the one and only night she met dad – they never see each other again... Mom never gets to hold or see baby...the lovers are separated by their different lives...It has a remarkable ending.

It seems that as people we are conditioned to believe that we’re not allowed to make mistakes. We are taught and so we believe that we are not allowed to show we’re vulnerable. This is exactly the time we forget how to live and be the pure and loving beings we’re set out or designed to be. How many people are alive around us, but cease to exist in the truest sense of life. How many people “die a living death” in their 30’s and 40’s because they are conditioned by their fears and superficial lifestyles. - Pre-conditioned by the greed and cocked-up notions of this world. They “live” only to pay their bills and to show off the latest creation/purchase of their credit cards. This barricades true happiness because they forget how to justly live with love in their hearts. They forget to have love for their neighbours and even their own friends and family. Yes I have lived, seen and experienced this first-hand a gazillion times.

If we can learn to accept our mistakes, work on these mistakes and make things better instead of concealing them or running from them we would become a better people. We would have better interpersonal relationships and consequently better interaction with our loved-ones, siblings, neighbours, colleagues and even the stranger on the street. It is my wish that we would all live to see our own true potential. I dream of healthy conflict to better relations and an eradication of religious and political wars – as the latter two spins of into the social spheres of life. This is unfortunate and inevitable.

Where am I going with all of this? Well...later in the movie the boy is asked: “what do you want to be in the world...in the whole world...” and the boy answers: ...”found”. A very simple wish for an orphan boy is it not? A very profound and unpretentious wish indeed. If you should ask me what my wish is today, I would answer you...given another chance...

“I will love again; even though it takes a lifetime to get over you...I will love again...” A quote from a song I love for years now. Every time I hear that song I sing those words with absolute conviction.

Maybe we all have to pay a costly price at some time in our life to realise the value of what we had to pay for. I certainly have. I can hear my granny saying; “no use crying over spilled milk” and my mom echoing; “you only miss the water when the well runs dry”. These were two unschooled but very wise women God had blessed me with. May their memories and wise words live long in this pumping heart of mine.

Happy Valentine’s Day xxx “Boy-Again” – you know who you are xxx

Orphaned by Love...

God and I

This would be the first official posting I’ve put on here regarding my relationship with God - in somewhat detail. Just this morning I woke up and realised I have to write this post, and again in my normal style of writing – without any specific outcome in mind. I ask you to please bear with me as it is quite important for me to actually say this out “loud”

I’ve made a conscious choice a little while back to live my life in a way God expects me to live. How do I know what God wants of me I hear you ask? Well, I am born and raised in a Christian home and my teachings of all my life had resurfaced in exhibitions, revelations, sporadic encounters and such that seemed too pure to not be from a Super Natural Being – yes GOD! This in respect to how and what I am taught as a Christian from my days of childhood.

No I am not converted, as I have always been a Christian by birth. Yes I am reborn as by my teachings I have learned that we have to be baptised just like Jesus was baptised by John as an adult fully submerged in water – and this in essence is me reborn.

At the moment though I struggle to allow myself to put God where He should be in my life – in the position of authority He is by default in any respect. As the creator of heaven and earth and all in it, He is a God Almighty... Now all I need to do is pray and work on cleansing my corrupt mind and surrender to what is God’s power in my life as appose to that of my own perceived power.

I am now trying anew to learn about God’s laws and commandments in the life of Donovan G. R. Muller. My desire and aspiration is to include God in all that I do and to be obedient in as much as my fallible self can and will allow.

The greatest commandment is to love God by keeping His commandments. Matthew 22:36-38 says, "'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.'"

So here I am with certain realities I have to face, certain sacrifices I have to make and even more so realisations I must reach. This all is possible if I allow God His rightful place in my life. Yes no-one said it would be easy, but no-one told me it would be this much of a challenge either.

However, be this all as it may – it is clear and evident to me through conviction that obedience is very important in my Christian development and growth. Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not claiming to be sanctified or righteous. Even less so without fault or sin. The truth is, because I am so sinful I need to be able to lay my burdens down at a place where I know I stand a good chance to be redeemed. Where else, but at the feet of the Lord?

Valentine’s Day

Many of us celebrate St. Valentine’s day through out the world on 14th February each year. On this day we traditionally exchange gift and cards as tokens of our love for our partners. The most common gifts by this day’s traditions would of course be chocolates, red roses, sexy underwear, etc... People float about with big smiles on their faces, wearing clothes of red and white and making last minute dinner arrangements.

I’ve once read that about 1 billion cards are sold yearly (world wide) to commemorate this day. Now this is probably the biggest holiday in exchanging cards after Christmas Day if you ask me. The price of Red Roses are also double the price then they normally are, because lo-and –behold if you don’t get home with those roses Mr....Anyway, nothing wrong with making an extra buck or 2 is there. Well, my sister would disagree. She’s happily married to her husband and they do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, because they believe this day should happen everyday any-way. Each to their own I say.

I’m a sucker for love anyway. I love love and am the type that falls in-love every-time as if it’s the first time. I can even fall in love with a gold fish. There’s much to be said about this matter, as I have come across quite a few people in my life that claims that they have fallen in love only once and that was that. Most of these people that I know of are no longer with the one’s they claim they have fallen in love with that once. So, perhaps they were just hurt and did not allow themselves to get over that hurt and move on. Falling in love is such a wonderful thing in my opinion.

The way I see it, Valentine’s day is to collectively spread the spirit of love and a day you can go all out expressing your love to that special person you find yourself spending a great deal of time with. It’s the one day in the year you can embarrass yourself completely in the name of love by making some foolish romantic gestures come to life. In essence all the gifts you give in and over time are no greater than the gift of love. There is no substitute for the treasure of another’s heart.

So from me to you,

What About Discipline?

Definition: A branch of knowledge
A system of rules of conduct or method of practice
A trait of being well behaved
Training to improve strength of self-control
The act of punishing
Controlled behaviour; Self-Control; A systematic method of obtaining obedience.
These are but a few definitions I could find, add your own.

What the Bible Says about Discip
Proverbs 10 v 17 (New Living Translation)
People who accepts discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.

Proverbs 13 v 1 (New Living Translation)
A wise child accepts a parents discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction

Proverbs 15 v 32 (New Living Translation)
If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.

There are a few more passages in the Bible on the subject – I chose these three.

By these few definitions and passages from the Bible as examples of what discipline is one can safely assume discipline brings order in our homes, place of work, education and life in general. Without an equitable sum of instilled disciplines in life and practice things would be chaotic and without course for us to resolve by fair action. We cannot all be mavericks, though I believe they too have a place in all of life’s symmetricalnesses.

We’ve all heard the saying “bend the tree while it’s still young” which is often meant in reference to an unruly child. Children are such joy (says I with none of my own) as I observe them grow from baby’s, to toddlers, to teens and see the transformation as discipline becomes a part of their upbringing. However, we all have seen how children behave when they are not disciplined. We’ve seen them in shopping malls’; banks and even restaurants amongst other places. Many-a-time I have felt like going to the parent of this (wild) child/ren and say – you are allowed to use assertiveness and/or a firm stance in raising your child you know. But as soon as that thought arise I can imagine getting that parent’s brunt of frustration taken out on me. No thanks! So suck it up, and go on with your life like it never happened. However, concern with a hint of anxiety eminently arises when you think that these kids are the future adults of this beautiful space called life.

Yes, let kids be kids, but let’s help them become better kids and even better adults and discipline them in a fair and healthy manner. I have a little niece (my cousin’s daughter actually) that is a little recusant – and will not listen to anyone – and will sooner throw a tantrum and cause a scene that other’s may think she is being murdered. She is 5 (will soon be six) and have done this since she was about 2 or 3 years old. Her parents and grandparents would just walk away from her and allow her to do as she pleases. Now I’m sorry, but I do not agree with that sort of upbringing.

One day at a family get-together my little princess (as I refer to her and her sister alike) decided to do finger paintings with the dips and feed the goldfish crisps (at the house of our hosts). When I saw this I immediately became outraged and took her gently onto my lap and looked her into the eye and told her that what she did was unacceptable and will not be tolerated. While her mom and grandmother came to her rescue, the dad left the room. Now imagine a very uncomfortable silence as everyone waits for the disciplinarian (yours truly) to bring this unruly child into a tantrum fit. I gave mom and gran a look of “butt out” and little princess started crying and going ape like a little rebel should. I did not let go and I brought her very calmly back to order. I spoke to her like I believe it should have been done before I had to take action. Well, she’s still a tantrum queen with her parents and grandparent, but a princess of note in my presence. She often asks her parents to bring her to me so she can visit. She now loves her uncle Donny and shows exemplary behaviour whilst still being a child with crazy antics. Now it’s my 2 year old nephews turn. He picked up a swear word or 2 at day-care and knows it’s wrong to say it but still does. Well Uncle Donny got hold of him too – let’s see how he’s language progresses. I’d rather have him speak the 11 official languages I have never learned to speak than to have him utter any nonsense.

Now as adults – we too lack discipline in many aspects of our lives. And because of that factor it rubs off on our kinds and ultimately our future.

Here’s a thought from a daddy wanna be: We need children to make good youthful choices to enable them to make good adult decisions. So let’s teach our young ones the discipline they so need, so we can eventually sit back and take the credit for a healthy society in our days of age. What do you think?