Infatuation

If I were to ask anyone in my immediate world whether they've ever been infatuated, in love, smitten or star struck, I'm sure not one of them will be able to say no.

I remember, when I was 12 years old, I had this intense star struck infatuation with Bryan Adams; I loved his music and I thought he was hot! (I also believed without a doubt that I was going to marry him...hey, I was 12!)  And then, when I was close to finishing High School, I had this overwhelming desire to be like Jessica Alba; to me she was amazing.  (I still think so...sshh!)

And of course I've had my fair share of crushes and infatuations over the years, but here's my question:  What do you do when you're in love, infatuated and star struck?  I can't speak for everyone on this planet, but I know that personally, I try and find out everything about that person that I can lay my hands on.  For instance, Bryan Adams once handed out information cards at one of his concerts that contained the address of the World Wildlife Federation and asked all the concert goers to fill in their details and appeal to save the whales.  Now, I wouldn't have known this if I wasn't interested in every detail of his life at the time.

But did you know that there's someone that's infatuated with you?  No, for real.  So infatuated that he's more present and protective than sparkly Edward Cullen in Twilight.

Check this:  Psalm 37:23 says:  "He delights in every detail of their lives."  Nah ah...don't you dare skip over that verse just because it's shorter than most.  Go back, read it again...I'll give you a moment.  Did you see it?  Do you realize what it's saying?  It's not about some creepy dude hovering over your life and making you feel uncomfortable.  No, it's about an omnipotent, everlasting God who created every single particle of every single universe; every single breath of every single living being; every single dust speck of every single exploding star; the God that stands outside of time and space and sees everything the moment it happens, all at once.  And THAT God delights in every single detail of your life; every moment you think no-one else will ever be aware of.  He delights in YOU.

Why?  Because He loves you unconditionally.  Read it again:  "unconditionally".  That means that, no matter the choices you've made, the things you've done, the struggles you have, His love for you remains constant.

"'Cause I'll be by your side wherever you fall

In the dead of night whenever you call

And please don't fight these hands that are holding you

My hands are holding you

-Tenth Avenue North-

So You Think You Can...

I thoroughly enjoy the audition rounds for shows such as American idol, Britain's Got Talent, The X-Factor and So You Think You Can Dance.  The words most often heard from my mouth during these audition rounds, are:  "What were they thinking!?"  I usually find myself laughing so hard that I end up with stomach cramps afterwards.  The entertainment value is through the roof!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not remotely close to ever being an expert about these things.  There is a very valid and grotesquely obvious reason why I've never auditioned for any such program:  I know my abilities, and most importantly, I have friends and family who love me enough to not allow me to make a fool of myself.

I'm not saying that none of us should ever try our hands at something new; and I'm definitely not saying that we should live mediocre lives if our soul, heart and spirit is passionate about something and presses us to pursue it.

My point is that we should surround ourselves with people who will tell us the truth.  If you have a friend who constantly encourages you to do something that only ends up embarrassing you and causes them to roll on the floor laughing...I'm going to venture a guess and say that your friend probably doesn't really care about your success or well-being; he only cares about entertaining himself.

This might mean that you'll have to take a long hard look at your circle of "friends" and decide whether you are going to keep allowing their counsel to influence your life negatively.

I mean, how many times are you going to believe the friend with the video camera and huge grin when he tells you that "that Superman cape will definitely make you fly dude, just make the jump!"

Be encouraged to always pursue your passions and dreams, but make sure to surround yourself with the people who have the courage to be honest when you most need it.