a happy ending

i made my blog public again because i want to learn to be honest and vulnerable.

i was reading givesmehope.com cause jonathan told me to...
no joke, i guess i am very emotional, i almost cried -- and as these perfect stories gave me hope, as they challenged me to live a life with purpose, not for myself (which is the path i have been on) but for others. as i see the selflessness that the people muster in the face of impossible harms, i am humbled. i don't know if they are true. but it does not matter. the fact that it is possible, believable, gives me hope.

i also understand that not every action will be rewarded here and that not every story is a fairy tale - that sometimes, the worst does happen despite our wildest efforts, that sometimes, the world turns when we pray that it would stop.
but i have hope because that, while it may be the norm, is not always the case. there will be a happy ending, there will be one here on this earth, one we could see, remember, live, experience, and enjoy. the human spirit of empathy, courage, mixed with love and appreciation, driven by the need to make things better, consummated by action, can be astoundingly, profoundly beautiful.

praise the Lord!
He comes with a shout,
with clashing of shields and spears,
thunders rumble, the waves crash,
it is the voice of the Lord
calling to His creation.

return, come back to Him who loves,
come to the fountains and find rest,
peace at heart,

Oh! that we may taste
the depths of Your Spirit,
we would find what we lost.

unquenchable fire, consume us!
Father, rain down a glorious storm,
that your blessings would flood the heavens,
washing over us,
washed in the blood of the Lamb.
the Lion of Judah who came,
the Anointed One who is still to come again!

the world groans,
the saints lift up holy prayers,
while songs of praise continual echo
in the hearts of your people,
the cries of your children also rise:
we are pushed on every side, afflicted
as by drought or plague -
yet we stand,
bowed heads, jars of clay, brittle
and precious.

rise up, this generation,
for now is the time ripe,
now is the day of salvation!

let your hands freely give
what was freely given.

oh Lord, come Lord,
we desire to see Your face:
draw near to Your chosen generation.

*might as well add this next part...

adapted from something i said to ewar
**
alone, i fall to my knees,
the loneliness increases,
and in the stillness- in the complete silence,
the securities leave me like whispers lost in the thunder,
yet i find that the warmest sensation,
the comforting thought,
the presence of the Holy Spirit with me,
always guiding me,
always here,
even when i am so prone to forget
that He is always here.