Rhyolite, NV '10
1 John 3
This is another pic from our mini-road trip to Death Valley. Rhyolite is a ghost town somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Nevada and California. There were some pretty impressive ruins from about 100 years ago. The particular structure I am standing by in this photo used to be a bank. It is interesting that these ruins are all that remain of a once flourishing city after a century. There were literally six structures in a valley where there used to be barely any room to drive a horse cart. So little now remains.
Sometimes we look at our lives that way too. We look back at what once was and then we compare it to where we are now and are disheartened. I personally can attest to this, and anyone who has had any remotely difficult situation occur in their lives will also concur. We are often warned against letting our past outshine our future. So we are left with the option of tearing down our past accomplishments to equal our current state of being; or pushing forward and accomplishing something greater. The feeling of being discontented can be used to our advantage. If we are not satisfied with where we are in respect to where we were, we can drive ourselves to move on to greater heights.
We are on the brink of something huge--standing precariously on the edge of greatness. We just need a little nudge to push us over the edge that we fearfully backpedal from.
Everything we went through between then and now is in some way necessary to take us where we are going. Most of us don't know 'where we are going' and so we set out to find ourselves. We don't realize that in actuality, we can never really find ourselves outside of God.
Lend me your imagination, and I'll simplify this notion.
God is a creator in every sense of the word. He has even gifted us with imaginations to be creative ourselves. Using this tool that is indeed vital to our existence, we can shape the world around us and turn our lives into masterpieces.
So what do you say? :)
Photos by: Arina Borodina
More photos from Rhyolite
More info on Rhyolite, NV
2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
This is another pic from our mini-road trip to Death Valley. Rhyolite is a ghost town somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Nevada and California. There were some pretty impressive ruins from about 100 years ago. The particular structure I am standing by in this photo used to be a bank. It is interesting that these ruins are all that remain of a once flourishing city after a century. There were literally six structures in a valley where there used to be barely any room to drive a horse cart. So little now remains.
Sometimes we look at our lives that way too. We look back at what once was and then we compare it to where we are now and are disheartened. I personally can attest to this, and anyone who has had any remotely difficult situation occur in their lives will also concur. We are often warned against letting our past outshine our future. So we are left with the option of tearing down our past accomplishments to equal our current state of being; or pushing forward and accomplishing something greater. The feeling of being discontented can be used to our advantage. If we are not satisfied with where we are in respect to where we were, we can drive ourselves to move on to greater heights.
We are on the brink of something huge--standing precariously on the edge of greatness. We just need a little nudge to push us over the edge that we fearfully backpedal from.
Everything we went through between then and now is in some way necessary to take us where we are going. Most of us don't know 'where we are going' and so we set out to find ourselves. We don't realize that in actuality, we can never really find ourselves outside of God.
Lend me your imagination, and I'll simplify this notion.
It's like we live inside of a painting--a wondrous masterpiece of vivid color and unmatched beauty. Let's say it is a landscape: at the forefront of the painting is a vast field, with a wide stream that runs into a dense forest, and the forest is at the edge of a cluster of rock-riddled hills and the hills are at the base of a towering mountain and the mountain reaches up to the limitless sky... But when you look around you, all you see are the tall grasses of the field, and just at the edge of your horizon is a hazy line of trees. How can you know where you are or where you are going? We have to ask the artist himself, as he is outside the painting and knows full well what is in the painting because all of it is his creation.
We need to ask Him for guidance. If we ask Him--taking the time to listen and obey, we will better understand our place and purpose in this world. We will better understand Him and His purpose, and we will finally see Him. Not with our natural senses, but with our hearts. We will see Him and we will see that His goal is for us to be like Him. Then we will achieve greatness in and by Him. And then, nothing in our past will taunt us, or guilt us or make us feel small.
Who can feel small in God? How can we be useless if we are like God?
God is a creator in every sense of the word. He has even gifted us with imaginations to be creative ourselves. Using this tool that is indeed vital to our existence, we can shape the world around us and turn our lives into masterpieces.
So what do you say? :)
Photos by: Arina Borodina
More photos from Rhyolite
More info on Rhyolite, NV
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