Summer 2013.

Summer has begun. Some are going to summer school while others are going on vacation. Many others are interning at companies or working part-time jobs. I, however, am doing none of these.

I thought about taking summer school or working over the summer; then I wondered what my reasons were for these choices. The answers were quite simple:

• Summer school was to get me ahead of school even more (despite the fact that I'm already a year ahead in college).
• Working was to get me some money which would eventually lead me to buying things for myself.

Both of these decisions revolved around me. Yes, they are good things to do and very beneficial; however, I was only thinking of my own wants and needs. So I decided to revise my summer plans. I felt convicted to place God's work in front of my own. I learned that I need to start prioritizing Him before myself at an early stage of my life so that I can start on the right foot in my spiritual life. Who knows, maybe He will allow me to pursue what I want afterwards. I decided to drop everything in order to go on two mission trips.

The first trip is to Oklahoma. My church at home always goes every summer. We go to an Cherokee Indian reservation to go help with various things: help clean or repair buildings, hold a VBS (vacation bible school) for the kids, or evangelize around the town.

The second trip is to Panama, more specifically, San Blas islands. This is a new thing for our church. We're heading over to the Kuna Indian tribe on these islands to share the gospel. It's pretty straightforward. But going more into depth on this trip, I had no idea of the details when I agreed to attend. 

At the time, I felt convicted to get out of America. I've grown up in a society where we have everything. I've been blessed with everything that I want and need. As a result, I've taken that for granted. I know I should be thankful for what I have, but I haven't experienced what it's like not to have it. It's one thing to KNOW something, but it's another to EXPERIENCE it.

So through this Panama mission trip, I hope to get a better understanding of God and the world. I'm sure He will work through me and show me what kind of life I need to live after I return home. I hope that I will have an experience that will change my perspective of how to live life and how to approach it: with a grateful and hardworking heart.

PS: I later found out the location was the San Blas Islands after agreeing to go. The place is beautiful; Google it.

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End of Freshman Year.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with finals for school. My first year of college is already over. I can't believe it. So many things have happened, and yet, I can't remember much of it. This led to me thinking about how thankful I am about all that has happened.

I'm thankful for:

• Being able to afford and attend a university.
• Having a smooth transition into college life.
• Finding a good church that I can now call a family.
• The knowledge and ability to obtain good grades this year.
• and much more...

But I want to go back to the idea that time has gone by so quickly. Time. It's something we're all bound by. It's something we never get back. Every second that passes by will never be given back. So it got me thinking, time is so precious. We think we have plenty of it, but it's so short compared to eternity. Why waste the little time you have on insignificant things? Make every second count. More specifically, make every second count to glorifying God. With the little time I have on earth, I want to do everything for Him. I want to be able to meet him and hear Him say, "well done". I want to have been a useful instrument and tool for His kingdom. In order to do that, I need to do everything to the best of my ability for Him.

On a side note: God isn't bound by the realm of time since He's eternal. I thought about when Jesus says that He's returning soon. But if He's not bound by time, His definition of soon may be reallyyyyyy long to us but super short to Him. Random thought.

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Homeless People

A few days ago, on Friday, I saw another homeless man next to the Chipotle I always visit. Yes, it was the same location as my previous post. However, this was a younger looking man that I've never seen. Still left with some "buy one get one free" burrito coupons (my last one), I asked the guy if I could get him some food; he looked so surprised and happy at my offer, and of course, accepted.

So I go in and order some food and come back out handing it to him. I tried to get to know him a bit. The only things I specifically remember is that:

• His name is EJ.
• He's been unemployed for 5 years. Before that, he was living with his dad and had a job until his father passed away. (I'm assuming he went through some dark times after that and lost his job through all the things happening).
• He came down to Austin to live his mom and get back up on his feet and start looking for a job.

EJ was so excited to talk to me and was telling me all this. I only asked a few questions, and he willingly shared the rest about himself on his own. Showing me all his job applications and talking about how he tries to keep well groomed to get a job, EJ was so motivated and passionate. He continued to talk about how he's never done drugs and how he's really trying to get on his feet and start again. It felt as if he was trying to let me know that he's not a bad person and that he's different from the sterotypical homeless alcoholic/druggie. But who am I to judge him? I'm just as bad as him. I make mistakes. I make bad decisions at times. I was humbled at that moment.

So as usual, I asked if I could pray for him. He just asked that I pray for him to get back on his feet and find a job; so I prayed for him. Whether he believes in God or not, I just wanted to show some of the love and kindness that was shown to me through Jesus.

After the prayer, I left, and he continued to thank me as I walked in the other direction. This really opened my eyes how everyone has their own story. A few people may have made bad choices to fall into a rut and become homeless and don't regret it. However, I'm sure many didn't choose to be homeless or want to be.

And just a few days later, this video went viral on youtube. It really confirmed on what I thought homeless people felt when they were neglected. They're imperfect people just like you and me. I'm not saying to go out and start giving out all your money to these people. But just be thankful for what you have and try show some compassion towards everyone.
 

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A Selfish Society

Yesterday, a shocking event happened to me. It was, at first, a normal school day with all the same routines and schedule. However, I decided to go grab some dinner off campus (Chipotle). I noticed a homeless man sitting next to the restaurant and asked him if I could get him some food, since I had a buy one get one free burrito coupon. Instead, he just asked for a coca cola so I agreed to buy him one from the CVS next door.

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Eternality

If you think about it, nothing in this world is actually eternal for us. I want to specifically focus on happiness. Everyone wants to be happy, and there is nothing wrong with that. But think about it, nothing on earth can make you eternally happy.

Why do people always buy new toys, gadgets, cars, shoes, clothes, etc.? Why do people like getting high or drunk all the time? Why do people always want more of something?

It's because we want to be satisfied and happy. But because these things can't bring us happiness forever, we always have to do it again or find something greater to give us happiness/pleasure. Throughout our lives, people always are searching for happiness. Some resort to materialism (constantly buying new things) while others get hooked on drugs/alcohol/sex. But think about it, why do you have to do it over and over again? It has to be done repetitively because the pleasure/excitement always wears off.

Well then what about love? Isn't love eternal when you find someone and marry them?

If this is the question, then what is love? Is it just a feeling of emotions? Because if that's what love is, it isn't eternal. Feelings and emotions always wear off after a period of time. Most people base their love on this idea. Why do you think the divorce rate of marriages is so high?

In other cases where marriages are successful, the definition of love is far beyond just emotions. It's a love that is unconditional. It's about commitment, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. As a Christian, this love is what is from God and is expressed in marriages.

Think about it, what else could possibly give you eternal happiness? What are you looking for to fill the emptiness in your life? I'm not trying to force you to let me preach. But think about it honestly and truly.

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Opportunities in Life

This morning, I read a person's status update (on facebook) that asked whether he/she should go to class because it was raining and cold outside. Of course, many other friends and students commented "not to go and skip class". However, I tried to encourage him/her to go. Why? Because I believe we shouldn't waste the opportunities one is given in life.

Please read on if you're interested or agree (However, this post may be long).

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Introduction.

Hi. My name is Justin Ha, and I'm currently a freshman in college. For those of you who end up reading this, I am making this blog for my own purposes: to keep myself spiritually accountable and read back on my past from time to time. If you do end up following my life journey, I hope that I will be of some encouragement as I try to live my life as a Christian. 

Many people seem to think that all or many Christians are all:

• hypocrites
• anti-homosexual
• weird/creepy
• crazy

...and probably many more things. However, I'd like to prove those stereotypes wrong by living my life in a different way. Instead of trying to impress my faith and beliefs on others forcibly, I want to try to live my life through example and share my faith in that sense. So this is just the beginning of my new resolution that will, hopefully, last for the rest of my life.

I will try to consistently post on a weekly basis about my thoughts or experiences.

Disclaimer: I am not doing this for the purpose of gaining fame or popularity, but rather to glorify Him and live with humility.

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