A century of posts, an eternity of faith, hope and love

This is the 100th posting of my blogging career and as I promised, I have decided to post something special. It's not something that I have not blogged before but just that I think it's a good time at this time of the year and whatever has happened around me and my friends to talk about this issue. But before I start on what I wanna talk about, I will wanna share this short passage with my readers which I recently came across in my readings.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of this cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "faith has healed you." And the woman has healed from that moment. - Book of Matthew 9:20-22


Yes, in case you all have realised, I'm talking about faith. Actually any kind of faith, although in the short passage that I have written, it's about having faith on Jesus Christ (for those who dun believe in him, at least know to show respect for those who does). But as usual, I will bring the issue to a broader context so that it will apply to everyone.

Recently I just read an opendiary. For the sake of the privacy of the writer and his family, I have chosen not to disclose the identity of this person, while relating his story. Basically, to make a long story short, he start losing things in his life, things which are very precious, such as hope. He no longer believes in himself and starts to become a bit anti-social. He's depressed and whatever that is happening to him in school and family doesn't help much at all. To make the short story even shorter, he loses faith in life (or it's just that I read it as so).

It is always to my belief, then and even more so now, that life has hope and you must have faith that there is hope in life. If there is no hope in life, then you might as well not be born because there is no purpose if you are meant to be born hopeless. Think about it this way, no matter what religion you believe in, would life be better if you have faith that there is hope in life and live life to the fullest even when life seems hopeless, or if you lose hope in life and begin to see things in a negative sense? I believe that it will be much more better in taking the former option. You can say that it is crap but it is the most practical way of looking at life and living life. Or if you dun have faith that there is hope in life, at least have faith in something else (not the devil I hope) such as a maple story account or some cute things like animaniacs or some stupid thing like maybe an umbrella or even a pet cockroach (I hope no one does that). At least have faith in something that will make you feel that life is worth living for.

But all this are all focused on the individual, and assumes that the individual wanna feel that life is worth living for. But how about those who wanna help others to realise that life is worth living for and wanna help others to find their faith that there is hope in life? The answer, I believe, lies in the four letter word (not the one you are thinking about). It is Love. To make it ever more clearer, life is all about love. Love someone as you would love yourself. I honestly believe that once someone sees that there is love, he will repick up himself if he has lost all hope and faith. Such is the power of love, the ultimate result is not having someone going to buy a $1000 birthday gift with an allowance of $400 but having someone seeing hope in life. This I have mentioned in my last post but here, let me mention it again. I like to read Harry Potter, this is no secret to most of my friends but one thing that strucked me in the latest book is that Harry Potter has one power which his nemesis Lord Voldemort (I dare to mention his name) doesn't have: the power of love, which makes him much more powerful than Lord Voldemort has expected him to be. Then again, according to Rick Warren, author of Purpose-driven Life, the best use of life is love. Look at the world with love and treat it with love. There is actually also a Greek term for it, called agape. Think I mentioned it in one of my earlier post.

Of course, there are people who will keep on rejecting love and hope, withdrawing themselves into their own world, refusing to open up themselves to other people. I have seen such people. There was a time when I was helping my friend to faciliate a training course in a certain secondary school in the northeast and I met this student, a very withdrawn boy, short tempered and refused to interact with his classmates, insisting to do things his way. There is also another case I have seen in one of my friend. She used to be very opened about herself (not in the physical sense of course) but after she got enrolled into a certain JC not under her own will, she started to change, in proportional result with the change in her academic performance too. She began to withdraw herself, losing all confidence, and began to lose sight of her purpose in everything. No matter how much sense I try to talk to her, it doesn't help. Sometimes I wonder is it because last time I was too bossy or what. But the intention was to help her, that I know and there is no need to wonder. I think it all takes patience for all these people, and of course, what else can I say, it will mean that you have to really love (not in the BGR sense) these people very much to be that patient. Actually we really have to believe, like the song by Whitney Housten and Mariah Carey- When You Believe. I posted the lyrics before and for the benefit of this post, I will post it again:

Whitney:
Many nights we prayed, with no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song, we barely understood
Now we are not afraid, although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains long, before we knew we could

Chorus:
There can be miracles, when you believe
Though hope is frail, It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles, you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe

Mariah:
In this time of fear, when prayer so often proves in vain
Hope seems like the summer birds, too swiftly flown away
Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words, I'd never thought I'd say

Chorus:
There can be miracles, When you believe (When you believe)
Though hope is frail, It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles, You can achieve (You can achieve)
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe

Bridge: (Both)
They don't always happen when you ask
And it's easy to give into your fear
But when you're blinded by your pain
Can't see you way clear through the rain
A small but still resilient voice
Says help is very near

Chorus: (Both)
There can be miracles (miracles)
When you believe (When you believe)
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve (You can achieve)
When you believe
Somehow you will
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
You will when you, you will when you believe
Just believe, just believe
You will when you believe - Mariah Carey/Whitney Housten, When you believe


To those people who really withdraws into themselves, they are really as the song says, 'blinded by their pain' and 'can't see their way clear through the rain'. Somehow or rather, I really feel that this song is really applicable to everyone. I believe that it is true that 'though hope is frail, it's hard to kill.' As what I have said, have faith and there will be miracle.

Hence, if you are still clueless about your life, I suggest that you think about what this post is really trying to say though I dun claim to be an expert in this area. If you know of someone who is clueless about their life or is what I have described, pls do yourself a favour- help them and bring a new light to their life.

Okay, so that's all I really have to talk about faith, hope and love, perhaps the three most important things in life to keep life going. Anyway, this is my century post of my blog. Just a last announcement before I sign off. I'll be starting on a new blog for all my academic insights. Contributions are welcomed and preferably to be historical in nature cos the blog will be mainly about history, but I'll basically welcome any contributions, if you dun mind that there will not be anyone who will read it.

With that, till I write again. Signing off.

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