Fear

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." - Dorothy Thompson

"You must do the things you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt

One of my friends posted as their status message something like "If you are scared to do something, it means you need to do it."

When thinking about bungee jumping or swimming with sharks or playing with poisonous insects, the quote is extraordinarily stupid.

But in another sense, if you think about your fear to speak your mind, stand up for what you believe in, and fight for it. Definitely. You should do anything you're scared to do.

Lots of fear doesn't come from the act itself, but of he effects of it. What is people make fun of me? What if they don't agree with me? What if they stop being my friend?

Exactly how important something is to you is how you fight for it.

Rocco's Keys to Happiness

Mr. Rocco was by Forensic Science teacher last year. He's a man who truly loves his job! On the last week of school, he passed out cards with these tips. Aside from the humor in some of them, there is a common theme. To be happy, find joy in the little things, give back to others. here is what the little yellow card in my wallet says...


Take a nap on a Sunday afternoon.
Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Never deprive someone of hope, it may be all they have.
Be thankful for every meal.
Don't be afraid to say I'm sorry.
Take time to smell the roses.
Don't interrupt.
Don't tailgate.
Improve your performance by improving your attitude.
Wave at children on the school bus.
Listen to your children.
Make a difference.
Leave everything a little better than you found it.
Leave the toilet in the down position.
Keep good company.
Keep your promises.
Be kinder than necessary.
Take good care of those you love.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
Enjoy real maple syrup.
Judge your success by the degree that you are enjoying peace, health, and love.
Be a good loser.
Be a good winner.
Be romantic.
Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity they think of you.
Never refuse homeade brownies.
Vote.
Never give anyone a fruitcake.
Remember other people's birthdays.
Sing in the shower.
Don't nag.
Don't gossip.
Don't expect money to bring you happiness.
Be forgiving of others and yourself.
Never give up on anyone, miracles happen every day.
Say thank you a lot.
Say please a lot.
Take your dog to obedience school, you'll both learn a lot.
Slow dance.
Don't rain on other people's parades.
Don't postpone joy.
Stop blaming others; take responsibility for your actions.
Take care of your reputation, it's your most important asset.
Count your blessings.
Whistle.
Marry only for love.
Call your mother.
Do more than is expected.
Be there when people need you.
Be someone's hero.

Rebelutionary?

I posted this on my book blog a while ago, but it definitely deserves a post here too!

You know why a lot of people think teenagers are hopeless? Why they are always getting into trouble and just being apathetic about everything? You may say it is because of how their parents raised them, or blame it on hormones. In Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, a new perspective is offered. Teenagers are the way they are because of what people expect them to be. Our society says that the teenage years are the time to go crazy, and everyone expects that. If you are a teenager and you aren't out doing things that I wouldn't mention in a blog like this, you must be a freak of nature.

Some adults don't expect me to be what I really am. They expect me to be apathetic, lazy, and have an attitude problem. Sometimes, I can be those things, but isn't everyone, regardless of their age?

I had a teacher last year in a very diffcult class that I thought I was ready for. I was determined to get a good grade in this class, just as I had in my other classes. The teacher's expectations were WAY higher than any other teacher I had ever had. Instead of working at the same level as my easier classes, I rose to those expectations rather than risk a failing grade. I worked by butt off for that year. This class was so hard! I got a C. It was the first C I ever received on my report card. I put in what I thought was A or B work, but earned a C. In my other classes, I didn't do anything and got an A.

The easy classes for me that year are what our society is now. We set incredibly low standards for teenagers (for everyone) so they can squeak by without doing much. Since many don't face big consquences, it is not considered failure.

It now seems to me that the best teachers I have ever had expected a lot of their students. My journalism teacher last year was hard to please, but when she told you an article was good, you knew it was. My history teacher in 8th grade gave really hard tests that you actually had to study for, but the A meant more to you after all of that.

The youth leaders at my church who expect more of us than just coming into a room and filling up a chair...

What if there were higher expectations? What if we expected all teenagers to graduate high school, go to college, not do drugs, not party or drink? Sure, some teenagers still would, but some would rise to the occasion and meet those expectations.In the meantime, all the teenagers who already do those things without being expected to are labelled as the "good kids."

One point that stuck out to me in Do Hard Things was what you DON'T do doesn't matter as much as you actually do. For example, wearing a purity ring is a good thing, but making a stand for a cause you believe in is even better.

You want proof that teenagers who want higher expectations exist? Go to therebelution.com. There is a blog dedicated to this, run by teenagers.

Do You Know What You Really Are Singing About?

"Hosanna" by Hillsong United

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes
Yeeeah

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity

[Chorus x2]

Hosanna in the highest

I've sung this song many times at youth group. Along with a lot of other songs, we just sing it. This is such a beautiful song but we don't pay much attention to the lyrics. Singing this song should be more than just saying the words. The last part (bolded for you convenience) is especially challenging.

Heal My Heart and Make it Clean:
Sounds innocent enough, right? But, healing isn't exactly a fun process. Nobody truly wants to clean their house! Even though healing and cleaning of the heart is sometimes necessary, it can be painful to give up things you are so used to living with. You can't heal and clean without God's help. Saying this means that you're giving God control over these circumstances, and sometimes we don't like the way he does things!

Open up my eyes to the things unseen:
You can see poverty. You can see the effects of war and abuse and all that, but can you can't see the things that really hurt on the inside. Learning about how people feel about things and learning about the pain they are hiding inside makes you hurt for that person too. Opening your eyes to the things unseen makes it so you are focusing on someone else and worrying about them instead of yourself!

Show me how to love like you have loved me:
Jesus loved everyone unconditionally. He spoke to people that nobody spoke to. He took twelve stinky fishermen under his wing. He touched lepers. He payed attention to little kids. Loving like Jesus means giving up your pride and talking to the girl that sits in the back of class that nobody likes. Loving like Jesus means potentially giving up your good reputation in order to be nice to the people no one is nice to!

Break my heart for what breaks yours:
This line was what inspired this whole post. It is almost like "open up my eyes to the things unseen" but it takes it a step further. You can see things and not react to them. You can see someone's pain and not care. Having your heart broken means a flood of emotion. You want to take action.

Everything I am for your kingdom's cause:
Notice that one pesky word, "everything?" EVERYTHING you are for the cause. Not just on Sundays or Wednesdays or late at night when you read your Bible or are too tired to. Everything.

Don't be intimidated to sing this song next time. Even though you will struggle meeting what the song says, pray that you will be able to incorporate these aspects into your life. Singing this song means that you aren't going to walk away the same. Think of the song more of as a prayer than an oath.

For Free...only on this blog and with a bajillion vitamins and minerals...Sarah's Deep Thinking Goodness!

I keep on having these really cool ideas of things to write about but have no place or audience that will appreciate them.

*cue the Full House "awwwww" track*

Thankfully, there is an easy solution to this that I already use! This is not my first blog. My other blog, bookwormsarah.blogspot.com only focuses around my reading. There is more to this person here than just my bibliophilic-ness.

For instance, this will be the place where I will basically share "Aha moments" (to quote Oprah).

Before I went to Mexico last year, we did this activity where we talked about different personalities. I was a deep thinker. I still am.

This blog will share some of that deep thinking goodness with you.