Just how far is the East from the West?

I looked at myself and asked, how far have I gone as a Christian?

Honestly, I never planned to be like this. It never came to my mind that I'd come to know Him and worship Him. I was a rockstar before, definitely a social conformist. Attending the Sunday mass made me feel as a Christian. It never came to my mind the vision of winning souls, rather, just winning the people's hearts for my sake. This must be the West, where the sun goes down and ends its glory.

But look at where I am right now.

In the East, where the sun rises and takes dominion on earth, my life is now filled with hope. Psalm 103:12 says "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Christians who are absolutely living as Christians are definitely far from their previous state. But what about the others?

I have to share this, but in Philippians 3:18-19: The Enemies of the Cross

¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Are you one of them? Set the disparity. Invest for eternity.

Yes, I stumble too, many times. A thousand times. But I always go back to the paradigm of God holding a piece of metal. I am the metal, and God wants to form something out of my being metal. And yes we know that metals are difficult to bend and flex and form. But one thing:

Pressure is the force on an object that is spread over a surface area. The equation for pressure is the force divided by the area where the force is applied. Although this measurement is straightforward when a solid is pushing on a solid, the case of a solid pushing on a liquid or gas requires that the fluid be confined in a container. by Ron Kurtus (revised 18 March 2006)

In case we don't know or feel, oftentimes we are put into pressure. If we are appalled with pressure, be glad. For if we multiply surface area (ourselves) by pressure (things that pressure us), we get force. That means we have to exert more force (effort) to accomplish the force that was exerted on the first hand (oh yes, talk about jargons). But the bottom line is: we are molded by it. Metals are formed because of pressure exerted. When we try to open a can using a knife, we exert pressure and thus exert force. But what's the product? We enjoy our delicious meals or sauces.

This can also be applied to other people. When we handle people, as leaders perhaps, it's difficult to mold or instruct people. You have to exert force for them to move and to take the walk. But patience and determination determine our success. Also, by His grace, we succeed. It might be difficult during the start of the process (this is very applicable for me) but we, too, are molded by this difficult problem. We just need to take charge. A little pressure and a little patience for the temperature to rise, then this metal will surely melt.

Mom's back from Zamboanga, finally. Gotta set my goals tonight. Let's all level up and melt the metals!