#So I'm truly excited for the possibility of it being celebrated and shown to be something beautiful

[saltpepperbeard]

(different anon!) oh my gosh i'm so sorry people are already discoursing about the panel and fandom's response...personally i think in a world where fictional queer sexuality is so often the source of shame and a thing to hide, it'd be monumental for stede's perception of himself changing ("becoming a man") because he accepts himself and is proud of queer sex and sexuality. it's so shallow to assume that in this Very Specific Context saying stede having sex will make him a man must mean we all also think that applies to literally every single other context...ESPECIALLY because one of the most prevalent themes in OFMD is the notion that everyone's own idea of becoming a man or what makes them a man is going to be different. so terribly sorry for rambling in your inbox it just infuriates me to see people being deliberately obtuse in order to find something to be upset about. also i'm ace if that changes the perception of what i'm saying here

No no please, don't apologize at all! You articulated and encapsulated exactly what I was trying to say. So like-

[operationfortune]

Okay I know this post will gain absolutely zero traction but the more I think about it the more I want to cry about it??

slight spoilers for one of the character arcs in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre ahead,,,

So I saw Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre in the cinema today. I was alone, it was reasonably full, the film technically only opened two days ago, and it's wider release isn't for another week, but I had time to kill and it was the only thing that piqued my interest. It sits in an interesting spot tonally, comparative, I'd say, to Netflix Exclusive Michael Bay movie 6 Underground, though to use a more recent marker I'd drop it somewhere near Bullet Train (though it's definitely much closer to 6 Underground). All this context to say that I went into this Jason Statham-lead espionage action movie with zero expectations and almost completely blind.

So please believe me when I say I was truly blindsided with joy to have canonical, casual queer representation in this Jason Statham-lead espionage action movie.

Maybe it's that I don't watch a lot of media now, but it's something I noticed while watching Glass Onion too, both with Benoit and Hugh Grant (ha, put a pin in that) and especially with the character of Peg, and it makes me a bit teary and excited when I think about it. There's something to be said for how far we've come, to the point that Casual Queer Rep is even possible. There's something about watching Peg get all flustered talking to Helen and knowing that it's because she has a crush, without it having to be flagged, spelled out, or otherwise othered by the film or its writing.

It's normalised.

Which I know shouldn't be a big deal, but right now, to me, it is. I didn't realise I could feel this way; to see a full character who just so happens to be gay, where the plot doesn't revolve around her being gay, but that part of her identity is still made clear?? I love Peg so much holy shit.

But Glass Onion is the second in a series that has established itself as a forerunner for casual diversity. Let me tell you about how Operation Fortune made me want to YELL in theatres.

It's the 8th of January, and it might be a bit early to call it, but Danny Francesco might be my favourite character of the year.

Is he perfect? God no, he's objectively not a great person; he's sleeping with his sister-in-law, he's a Hollywood diva, he's demanding, and he (spoilers, seriously) ends up engaged to a war criminal. Who happens to be the main antagonist. Who happens to be Hugh Grant. Danny is the light of my life, however, and I love him with my whole heart.

So in the beginning we're told that Danny turned down $10m because he didn't want to jump out of Greg (Hugh Grant)'s cake and sing Happy Birthday; whatever, I thought, Greg is a rich, eccentric with an obsession with celebrities, and Danny is the biggest star right now, I shouldn't read anything into it because Sometimes Rich People Just Do Things For Status Reasons. We're also told, and subsequently shown, Greg tries to take celebrity's partners/girlfriends. Cue Sarah (Aubrey Plaza) in a bright red dress that I will dream about for the next month.

Also, in the scene where Danny, Sarah, and Orson (Jason Statham) are joining the fancy party, there's some distinctly fruity vibes between the three of them, but I'm not here to push my Orson/Sarah/Danny polycule agenda, just know that I have one.

So obviously Greg is excited to see Danny, but later makes a Very Distinct Pass at Sarah, inviting both her and Danny to stay with him for the weekend, with an implied Wink Wink Nudge Nudge.

While they end up taking him up on that offer, Danny, who started the film having refused Greg's Rich Weirdo Request, and now having to spend time with him for the job, finds that he actually genuinely likes Greg, who appears to genuinely like him back, doting on him, even giving him gifts.

When Danny says to Sarah "(I'm paraphrasing, about Greg) he's really into you! If you don't take him up on his offer then I might!" my eyeballs were Out Of My Head. Like sure it sounds like a joke that would be written in to simply highlight Danny's materialism, a whole 'gay for pay' joke, something about his vanity, or even just an offhand joke that I might hear one of my straight friends who were super comfortable and confident in their sexuality say about their best friends, I was So primed for this to be something that the audience could laugh off or dismiss in hindsight. Like in my mind that solidified my headcanon of Danny as bi, but I was so used to queerbaiting and years of being told I was reading into things.

So as the plot continues, Danny's fondness for Greg goes on, turns into something incredibly genuine, and looking back, he clearly has a hero-worship crush on Greg by the end of the film.

The last shot we see of Danny and Greg is the pair of them getting into an elevator after Greg pulls a stone cold power move on the films secondary antagonists, which he had Danny assist with for flare after Danny asked specifically to stay with him for that event. In the elevator, Danny tells Greg that that was "the coolest thing he's ever seen someone do" and that's the last we physically see of them.

HOWEVER!! THE ICING!! THE CHERRY!!

At the very end of the film, one of the protagonists mentions how he's gone into the film industry, and the response he gets is;

"You better not be talking about Danny Francesco and his fiancee Greg Simmonds!"

an accurate depiction of me as the credits began to roll;

WE WIN THESE!!

BOTH DANNY AND GREG ARE CANONICALLY BI/PAN IN THIS JASON STATHAM-LEAD ESPIONAGE ACTION MOVIE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2023!! THEY BOTH LIVE UNTIL THE END!! THEY'RE ENGAGED!! THEY'RE BOTH ABSOLUTE DISASTERS!! THEY'RE BOTH FULL, ROUNDED CHARACTERS WHO HAPPEN TO BE QUEER!!

I get choked up thinking about it now, considering how quietly overwhelmed I felt in the theatre realising that Danny and Greg's comments and moments throughout the film weren't some elaborate joke, the dialogue that reminds me of my friends, the moments that felt true to my life as a queer person, they werent the setup for any kind of homophobic mixup, miscommunication, or microaggression; no, I finally, actually felt like I saw a part of myself, of my community represented in media.

Everyone in that movie is terrible in their own way, but Danny and Greg just happened to be terrible people who are also queer. Are they perfect representation? No! Thank fuck! I think we deserve more dumbass, disaster, unethical queers in media.

Even if I don't necessarily recommend this movie (it's pretty okay if you're a fan of the genre I suppose), I subjectively love it and especially it's characters, with my whole entire heart.

Danny Francesco is canonically a dumbass, bi disaster who fell for his sugar daddy, war criminal Hugh Grant. Good for him. It's what he deserves. 🥰🥰🥰

[sheplaysthegames]

Take a trip down the aisle in The Sim 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack! Make your Sim’s journey to their big day special, then plan the perfect ceremony. From the proposal to the reception, customize each aspect to celebrate every Sim’s love story in a way that truly feels unique to them. In the world of Tartosa, (almost) anything becomes romantic.

Prep to Party: Popping the question is just the beginning of your Sim’s wedding experience. Once they’ve said yes, the excitement and nerves set in—there’s so much to plan! Choose the Sim of Honor to make the journey to the altar as fun as possible. Then, bring on the engagement dinner, rehearsal, and a last single night out to remember.

Bring Your Vision to Life: Get into the details of upcoming nuptials as Sims select their wedding day attire and everything else they’ll need for the big moment: menu, decor, schedule… all of it! Tour venues designed by community creators as Sims try cakes, consider flowers, and settle on the traditions that will make their day most meaningful.

Tie the Knot: Before the main event, celebrate with family at a rehearsal dinner. When it’s finally time, feel the love and live out every fantasy. Exchange vows, rings, and kisses at the altar before the real celebration starts. Kick it off by serving tea for the family, or head right to the reception. Newlyweds and guests alike can dance with loved ones, while the new spouses cut the cake, give toasts, and receive well wishes.

Oh I'm just not sure how I feel about this one! Weddings are a base game feature, so I don't know if I approve of them being expanded on as a concept for the second-most-expensive type of pack. This sort of feels like it would have been better as a stuff pack? But I'll reserve judgement until we can actually tell how much we're getting. Maybe this is so detailed that it's worth the higher pack tier. So far here's what I'm noticing:

So the new world, Tartosa, looks like a little costal town? I'm getting Mediterranean vibes from it. It's definitely not the same vibes as Sulani so I'm happy; I was initially a bit worried that it was just going to be the same beach theme but smaller. Hopefully it isn't just a destination world which we really shouldn't have any more anyways.

I'm a bit bummed that dress shopping appears to just be window shopping like what we got with Cottage Living. Hopefully it will integrate nicely with the retail system from Get to Work so that we can have legitimate wedding dress shops too.

Are we getting a preferences update? I think the flowers might be tied to colors, but the cake could potentially mean we're getting a new food preference!

The clothing is quite pretty and seems to be nicely varied. I've seen lots of different dress and suit options, not to mention the different cultures represented too. Hopefully each age group will get a good variety.

Not seeing a lot of veils, just the one short netting one. A least one longer, more traditional veil would be nice. I also can't decide if the one shown is attached to the hair or a separate hat. Really hoping it's separate!

Different engagement rings are mentioned, but only in relation to CAS. I wonder if Sims will actually have the option to choose a different ring or if they're just adding more rings to CAS. It would be cool if it affected the chances of a rejection, like if a materialistic Sim would turn down a cheaper ring.

Boutonnieres look like they're separate from the outfits, my guess is that they'll work in a similar way to the bouquets.

Confirmed wedding parties! So far it looks like we're getting the option to choose a maid of honor, best man, flower girl, and ring bearer.

I love the addition of the wedding traditions. Walking down the aisle, throwing rice or flowers, cutting the wedding cake, tossing the bouquet, etc. And it sounds like they've also incorporated different culture's traditions too!

Slow dancing has returned!

Really curious how planning all the different events will work. So far it sounds like there's a lot of options. Engagement parties, bachelor / bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, the actual wedding, honeymoons...that's a ton of things!

[whichtammy]

Sent from Ithaca Ⅰ

Summary:

After "the Blip" and getting back to his daily life, Sam Wilson gets attracted by an email shown in his mailbox repeatedly and starts continuous correspondence with the sender named Ithaca. During their correspondence, Sam fills the lost memory of his lost home and starts to rebuild new life in the so-called post-bilp era. With the more letters he sends to and receives from Ithaca, however, the more strange connections does Sam find showing up between his real life and the words written down by that Ithaca who loves to tell stories and poems in his letters. Sam can't help but feeling that maybe there was not only an anonymous pen pal who loves literal fantasy behind the name of Ithaca, but a sign with an intention to lead him to get across the boundary between stories and the real life.

—————————————————————

Hi，

I was in your support group for veterans four years ago, are you still work there now? I'm wondering if I could be a member of your group again, or could you please recommend some other groups like that for me?

PS. I'd like to ask that can we talk if it is possible? The group work under your guidance had helped me a lot in the past, I wishthere could be a chance for me to say thank you in person.

Please contact me.

Yours

Ithaca

Sam Wilson finds the mail in his mailbox much of puzzling, the sender'sidentity is ambiguity, as well as the intention. He did work in a support group for veterans for a while, not a short time in fact, it was a regular and steady job after his retirement from the army. However, everybody could know it if one ever had any interest in Sam Wilson, nearly everything of him is on the internet after his real identity was made public, and his work experiences is just a small part of this massive archive of Sam Wilson, open source, 7/24 online. So, even the sender said he (maybe a she, Sam thinks) had been in his support group, there is nothing provable that he or she had really been there, nor if he is really a veteran who is searching for information. It seems like that the only real and clear intention is to get contact with Sam, and for some reasons, the contacts on the other side chose to make himself vague, hiding behind the name of Ithaca, which is no doubt an alias, left nothing of contact details, no phone number, no address. Of this Ithaca, the only information Sam receives is the request of "please contact me"at the end of an email and a traceless virtual mail address.

Another information Sam has is that the sending time of the mail is three years after when it was first sent. He checked through the inbox, there are actually more than one single letter with the same content, that Ithaca keeps sending the same mail to him every three months all the time and today is the day of another third month, so his mailbox received the exactly same words again. He must be doubting, if notthe detail time of "I was in your support group for veterans___ago" keeps changing, that maybe the sender had set a repeating schedule sending and forget it all afterwards, only to leave him an alarmed-like mailbox to remind him that "it'stime"with a virtual Ding.

However, the sender never forgot his letter, nor did Sam ever receive the reminder. He didn'tget any reminds of his mailbox at all during the past three years, in fact, he was even not reminded of himself either for such a long time. He feels like the life of his is a movie with the audience left midway, when the one was back to watch, it is already the "three years later". He also thinks himself as the movie lost audience and the audience missed the movie at the same time, as the movie, he continues without being conscious of, as the moviegoer, he watches with a lack of awareness of what has happened. There is a gap in his memory, something interrupted there, he knows it is there, but he can'tknow what it is that he missed exactly——he just keeps playing and watching, for he has settle down in now, he would have no time to chase the missing part in the past at the same time.

Is the mail a plot supplement of the movie? Sam clicks the reply, forIthaca’s mail, not the other mails alike in his inbox. His mail address got public too after the publicity, people keeps sendingmails in, they are just having a try, it'ssort of a free inviting after all. Many senders write true and false stories about themselves with fictional names and identities, some of them even make up stories of Sam and them to make themselves look like a real person who had real connection with him. Now, Sam has learned to distinguish these big and small lies from his experience of being a celebrity, he doesn'treply any of them now, but he picks up some long mails of them to read with an interest at some time and gets amazed by the imagination and details all the time. He admits to himself more than one time that he would really believe those stories they write about Sam Wilson if he is not Sam Wilson himself. Sometimes he would wonder, did he really in fact play a role in others'life in such a strange and detailed way? Is he really someone to others? Can he indeed have such strange and detailed meaning to strangers'life?

So he replys.

Hi Ithaca,

I'm not working in that group now, if you are looking for something like that, I think that the official website of SRV(Supporting and Rebuilding with Veteran) may provide the information you need about similar activities and groups we had before.

It would be my pleasure if i had helped, I'm so grateful for your supports, too.

Best wishes

Sam Wilson

He reads his brief reply again with a mixed feeling of curiosity and suspiciousness. He wants to see the sender behind the mask, while he is afraid of the fact that what he reveals would only be another face of a hater, a stalker. The mailbox is fulled with mails of stalking, fever, curses and hatred, and they are only a small part of the massive archive of the cult of Sam Wilson. Maybe that is what it takes be to a celebrity, Sam thinks, being a celebrity means exposing yourself to everyone, there is a chance that anyone could come for you, holding a comprehensive information of you and somehow your life truns to be a waiting for the ambush from maybe a friend or foe. He used to believe that he would leave the habit of distinguish people as friend and foe behind when he left the army, he knew he needed time to adopt a new regular life, he would take time to tame his battle life into a tamed daily life, that's why he joint the support group for veterans, as a group member first, sooner a group leader. Sam had expectations of it, he was hoping to build a loose but continuous connection between his two lives and land himself in the soft daily life without enemy in the end.The smooth landing he hoped for would not erase his old friends who had gone with his old foes away in a cold way, he was trying to make it a soft goodbye. Sam truly believe it a realistically ideal plan, he was planing to share this realistic idealism to more people like him. He failed, he thinks later, his vision of life was much simpler that what it is. Life was not going to say a soft hello in return, Sam soon realized the group was in fact the beginning of a new war. He had planned to meet with different people and experience, even complex adventures, the exciting potential was as another a great reason why he choose to keep contact with veterans, but he didn't see the whole vision, he didn't know how strange the man he would meet, nor did he predict the adventures coming along with him. He had no idea about the honor he would fight for, for he was clueless about bad things coming along with it as well.

He recalls that he had regarded the veteran group as a farewell to sacrifice, no more sacrifice he would see, what's waiting for would only be stories of sacrifice to be heard, they would not be alive but are only memories, living in the past and reliving only in the room crowded with lively narrators. That was what Sam expected for, he was prepared for heavy stories and sharing the burden of those who could take their stories alone no more. He would be obligatory to help if the owner wanted to share her or his story. Tell the untold, remember the forgotten, make nameless sacrifice heard and rest in a rectified name, he said this to himself. Now he sees the imprudence of his prediction, the future has given him stories as wish, telling him that his life would be totally changed by a stranger, who carries so many stories that he himself is like a fictional being in the end, every story he had dreamed for would come true because of the stranger, in a wilder way though, just like a fictional fantasy.

For this reason Sam feels he has a empathy for people who write him long letters, how couldn't he show up in someone's "normal life" when the living legend Captain America could ran into his house and asked for help when he was a normal nobody. Sam is immersing in those thoughts and writes his polite reply with a intention of keeping distance from Ithaca. On the one side, the last thing he wants to do is to arouse the interest of a potential stalker, on the other, he would blame himself if he intended to ignore someone with a honest and stubborn heart, even though he knows that the line between a insisting fan and insisting hater is always dim. Sam would like to believe maybe the sender really have some stories to tell, the name of Ithaca implies it, too. The name is another reason made him write his reply, he is home now, spending his time getting familiar with the small town he used to know very well. It occurs to him that the sender, if is telling the truth and did attend his group activities, could possibly be the young man who said wanted to be a poet in a theme activity of "getting a job". Sam remembers his talk, he said he was reading Homer then and recited some verses from the epic. He can't remember the verses by words, but he has a clear picture of the scene, it was some poetic sentences about the desire of going home and the failed of it. The young man said that everyone in the room would share the same feeling when they heard Ithaca calling Odysseus. A long silence fell down to the room after his speech, the young man sensed it too, he said "sorry" as a conclusion. There was no "it's OK" responded, perhaps people in the room had no clue of whether should she or he accept that apology, they may didn't know should they take it as something offensive but forgivable, people were just sad. Sam was short of words for a while, he hadn't read the book then, but the poem did hurt him down in a direct way. He thought at that time that maybe that was the gift of being a poet, look at the reckless young man, he could lift and drown people's hearts only by a verse.

Sam opens the browser to search what exactly the verses are, unfortunately, his vague memory leads him to nothing precisely relevant, which makes him want a reply mail from Ithaca more eagerly, he wants him to contact him back, as long as he is the young man in his memory. Sam opens his mailbox, writes and sends another mail to Ithaca, he thinks himself kind of reckless as soon as he clicked the button of "send", what if he is not him? What if the man on the other side has a dark plan? Would he use his letter as an inspiration of gossips and rumors? Things like that happen all the time. Sam is so tired of get misunderstood because of his own words being twisted, he always gets hurt of those made-up stories, he is tired of making explanations of his stories which are not belong to him at all, he is tired of feeling hurt. He sends it anyway.

Hi Ithaca,

I can't remember if it goes like

"they talk about the days of going home"

Sam

To Be Continued…

[justloatheyoulately]

🐣🐨🦔🐢🐄🐸🐧🦭

DID YOU LIKE MY COUNTDOWN!? That was fun! I had fun. That was actually more fun than I thought it would be! There were too many good posts to name. It was very fun reading all your comments and theories.  Though side note: animal anon has no problem with people joining her BUT it must be animals and it must not mess with my countdown. No statues! Animal anon does animals, not statues. Side side note: can someone settle the debate of if that emoji is a hedgehog or a porcupine? Because I have no idea. Side note side note side note: sorry if you got multiple asks in a day...my system isn't perfected yet so sometimes I send two (or three) because I forgot I sent one and didn't want to accidently miss anyone (also sorry if i did miss you, still perfecting the system, no one has been animal anon blacklisted, i promise!)

Anyway, GUESS WHAT TODAY IS!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 It's been one year since I started animal anon! How exciting is that?! Phew, what a year we've had together! I mean what better way to start this second year than some chaos since that's how animal anon started to begin with! I will admit, it was slightly stressful coming up with something to meet the occasion of this event. I hope the countdown and this post live up to it. No, I'm not going to reveal myself just yet.. maybe that will be for year 2...😏😏. BUT I will give you some fun facts about me! So let's see; first, I'm from the Midwest (so not Canadian, but close so I do have a slight accent), but I currently live in the TriState area. Second, I am a MASSIVE theater nerd. No, seriously I have been to 21 shows since Broadway reopened in September and I'm actually going to my 22nd tonight. I don't know if this makes that fact better or worse, but I've really only been to about 12 different show because out of those 22, 10 of those are one specific show. Third, I am fluent in German and English. Though, I suck at writing in German, I never learned how to, so don't ask me to do that please. Fourth, my favorite color is red, so you can guess my favorite Taylor album (and coincidently also the show I've been to see 10 times on Broadway...). Fifth, I love to talk A LOT if you couldn't tell by the essays I send yall. And lastly, I can also confirm I am not Taylor...but I will say that I do share something very important with her... tell me your guesses down below as to what very important thing you think Taylor and I have in common, and I'll send some extra animals to whomever I see gets it right first!

So contuining on with my dissertation here, this week I have been trying to figure out a prompt to live up to this occasion. As I already mentioned, my system isn't perfect! And I've been thinking a lot about community lately and how that's been lacking for so many because of Covid. So what I want yall to do is if you get this dissertation of mine, please send a message, post, anon, whatever you want to at least 1 other blog (though you can do more), telling them something you like about them and giving them an animal emoji! That way we can keep spreading the love all day long to as many as possible! 🥰

As always, you are all brilliant, kind, worthy, beautiful and as this past week has shown, hilarious and unique human beings. No seriously, some of your posts had me kneeling over in laughter. If you would so like, you can tag #animalanon so I and everyone can read all your lovely posts! IM STARTING EARLY TODAY SO WE CAN PARTY ALL DAY LONG BECAUSE I LOVE YALL SO MUCH 🎊 🦥🦁🐯

Happy 1 year!! This was truly such a fun way to celebrate💕

My guess about your similarity with Taylor is that you both both have the same name (your middle name is Taylor?)

Know that your messages bring so much joy to me and I’m sure the whole tumblr swifties! You sound like such a fun, hardworking, and kind person💜

🐉

[godfirstgodalways]

How can I be passionate about life again? It's been really hard these last few years and it seems to be worse since I'm a junior in college and I just feel like I'm going through the motions and I'm not really living life.

I could say read your Bible more often, pray more often, count your blessings more often, eat healthier, exercise more, do more of the things you love….but I’ll tell you something different, something you can do now that will ultimately lead to being more passionate about that list I just made. Here’s a quick story about me first. I had a lot of struggles growing up since I can remember back when, especially throughout my teen years. This is actually my testimony you’re going to read if you don’t know about my past yet. I am a victim of abuse (physical, emotional, psychological, and verbal abuse). My own father was my abuser. I look back in life and I could say I didn’t deserve all the pain and hurt, but because I’ve come out of it a more confident, stronger, wiser, resilient, patient, and faithful Christian, I don’t regret or am ashamed all that I had to go through. It was for my own good that I’ve come to accept. It takes a lot for me to get sad over a matter or get sensitive over something that someone else might otherwise have thought was a mean or rude thing to tell me. Maybe because I’ve grown to tolerate a lot….I hope I don’t come across as someone who has just become so emotionally cold and because of it, prideful. I sincerely have changed my outlook on emotions and it’s not in any way negative, and it’s because God has transformed my mind. I am however more sensitive to the hurts and pains of others, not in an empathetic “poor you” way, but in a manner that strives to help you “understand more about yourself” way. My dad’s love was very tough and because of this ugly character he used to have, I drew myself closer and closer to God, our Heavenly Father. No matter how much pain I’ve endured, Jesus endured so much more. It’s oftentimes the poorest in spirit that find the most comfort in God because out of desperation He is their last and only hope. That’s why 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 is such good scripture to meditate on…

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

There are testimonies of people in all walks of life who have made drastic turnarounds by professing Christ as their Savior. They are ex-prisoners, ex-gangsters, ex-drug users, celebrities that used to work for the entertainment business, even ex-porn stars, cancer survivors, former atheists….before they gave their lives to Christ, the one thing they all had in common was that they were poor in spirit. They did not at first recognize or acknowledge how badly in shape their spirits were in, but once they did and did something about it by turning to God in desperation, He gave them a kind of strength that could only be found in Him.

In Matthew 5:3-12 it says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I gave my life to Christ and heard of this scripture even before the abuse got worse, but it did not stick with me until years later after I had run away. I rededicated my life to Christ and years after the abuse stopped I had gotten comfortable with my old habits and it wasn’t until then when I realized I didn’t have to experience bad things happening to me to get back on track. Oftentimes it takes extremely difficult experiences for people to change their ways. They need a wake-up call. It takes fear for them to finally get motivated. It could be a breakup, a divorce, losing a job, getting thrown out of the house, a terrible car accident, losing someone they love to illness….those who are the most desperate for change are the ones that actually do something positive with the whatever situation they’re in, and those who easily lose hope and give up go into a deep depression. I’ve learned not to wait for those very difficult times and this is how I do it….I simply practice HUMILITY. I can’t emphasize this enough. SURRENDER AS OFTEN AS YOU REMEMBER IN A DAY. BEGIN WITH GOD EARLY IN THE MORNING. END WITH GOD AT NIGHT. LEARN BY RECOGNIZING WHAT AREAS IN LIFE YOUR PRIDE SHOWS UP IN. AS YOU’RE YIELDING TO CHRIST, REMEMBER WHAT HE DID FOR YOU. YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN, YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE, YOU HAVE NOTHING AND ARE NOTHING WITHOUT GOD, CONFESS YOUR PRIDE AND OTHER SINS AND GENUINELY REPENT. PRACTICE THIS AS MANY TIMES AS YOU HAVE TO EVERYDAY AND YOUR HUMBLENESS WILL BE AS NATURAL AS BREATHING. YOU’LL EXPERIENCE MORE PEACE AND JOY BECAUSE YOU’LL ALSO BE MORE AWARE OF ALL THE GOODNESS AND BLESSINGS GOD PUTS INTO YOUR LIFE.

When I ran away from home and didn’t see my parents for a year, I could remember 6 of those months were the happiest months of my life. It wasn’t because I was away from my dad, well maybe partly…but it was mainly because I had a lot of alone time with God and that’s when I truly began to love myself by getting to know Him more. It was a streak on the mountaintop because I tried the best I could to acknowledge God everywhere I went. I didn’t know at the time that what I was actually doing was surrendering everyday. When you acknowledge God and I mean not just remember He’s present, but simply remembering He sent His Son to die for you, and accepting Jesus as that grace you don’t deserve, knowing how much He actually did for you to have your life where you get to have God as your guide should make you fall to your knees and grieve for how selfish you have been for making life about yourself. Humbling myself made me fall in love with Him more and more, which in turn made me love myself more, which made me more passionate about sharing His love simply by spreading my joy. I am not 24/7 nearly gung-ho and as excited about life as I was then, but overall I definitely appreciate life more now whether I’m in the valley or up on the mountaintop, I have joy because I still take Jesus with me everywhere I go. Some people are fine acknowledging God only once or twice a day, some need to acknowledge Him 20 times a day. Whatever it takes…know that God will be pleased with you for your efforts.

There’s a similar issue I was presented with I think a year ago. Anon asked  how they could be more passionate about reading the Bible because they felt they were just reading it without really getting into it…they needed motivation basically. I can’t remember all that I said, except the part where in order for anyone to get the most out of Bible reading, you have to approach it as if you were a pauper. I believe Bible reading gets boring because we subconsciously think either we won’t get anything much from it or understand anything, or we think we already know a lot when it comes to wisdom. What that is is actually pride but we are not aware of it. There is a fundamental order to prayer and it starts with adoration/praise, then confession, thanksgiving, supplication/prayer requests - ACTS. The first 2, adoration and confession go first because if done sincerely, it should put the one praying in a state of humility. You must be humble when approaching God before realizing He has actually given you a lot (thanks) and before asking him anything your heart desires (supplication). And as Christians we’re suppose to pray a lot throughout the day, enough that it becomes second nature, because really all it is is practicing His presence by talking to God (verbally or mindfully) as if He’s there living and breathing like a real person who’s your really good friend. So approach God with humility by surrendering and praising Him before asking Him that you want to have more passion for life or anything you desire out of life. Acknowledge that you are poor in spirit…I know you probably already know that you are in that state right now, but you should mention it to God too every time you approach Him. Expound on it, be honest with your feelings. “When I am weak, then I am strong. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. God is my guide. He will only give me what I can handle. With Him all things are possible.” Those are God’s promises I put on repeat in my head anytime I can tell my world is about to be shaken. So basically, HUMBLE YOURSELF BY ACKNOWLEDGING YOU ARE WEAK AND YOU NEED GOD’S STRENGTH. BE HONEST WITH YOUR WEAKNESS BUT ALSO DO THE BEST YOU CAN TO FOCUS ON GOD’S POWER OVER YOU THROUGH PRAISE. PRAISE HIM BY MAGNIFYING HIS GREATNESS INSTEAD OF YOUR WEAKNESS. REMEMBER TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO PRAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND HE WILL BLESS YOU WITH PASSION FOR LIFE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, PASSION FOR GOD. That’s my whole but simple secret for true joy. Thank you for this. I will be praying for you! :)

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Luke 14:11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; He crowns the humble with victory.

Philippians Chapter 2 - Imitating Christ’s Humility

By His Grace, Sheela (Via godfirstgodalways)