Day 4: Coolness Through Randomosity

 So today was a very chill day. I woke up to find my little mute Narnians on my bed under the covers; excellent alternative to a heater, but not good at giving me some space. I then decided to go back in time by turning on my PS2 and playing the epic game Kingdom Hearts (Yes, I play that game, and I really like it.) What surprised me about my video gam session was that the part of the game I was in kind of presented a very spiritual thought. So I was in the second to last level, a huge castle called Hollow Bastion. The heroes were supposed to find the main character's closest friend since she was taken by the enemies and her heart lost to the darkness. After around an hour of trying to find the room with the next several boss battles (I'm super slow at video games, just fyi) it came to the part where the main character finds his friend, lifeless on the floor in front of the portal to the castle's heart. There he confronts his other friend/rival basically possessed by a guy named Ansem who's trying to attain the full power of the darkness by using his friend's captured heart. After the fight (which lasted under 5 minutes, unlike the last time I played this game at 14 years old in which it took me several days to beat it) the main character finds that his friend's heart wasn't lost, but actually intertwined with his. It was his job to release her heart from his. When she woke up, he began to vanish and eventually fell into the darkness, becoming a form of darkness himself to free her. But once he was reunited with his friend, his heart was restored, and his goal was reached.

 So what am I trying to say here, you ask? Well, picture yourself in this kind of situation. You are inside a world that is becoming consumed by darkness. You've gone through so much to get to this point: battle after battle, meeting friends along the way, and learning more about life and where you belong in it. And now that you're at the gates of your hardest challenge yet, you begin to wonder if you're going to get through this alive. It kind of reminded me of what I'm about to do in a way. Then you're right in the middle of this battle; not just the battle you see before you, but also the battle within you to hang on to your strength and determination to keep going and to not give up. Are you going to succumb to the darkness around you, or are you going to fight it, press forward, and get to where you're trying to be? Will you stand against seemingly impossible odds and trust in faith that in the end you'll survive?

 Keep in mind this main character wasn't alone either; he had friends at his side, fighting on because they had the same goal too. When he was in trouble, they would come to his rescue and encourage him to fight on. While he was trying to find his way around this dark place, his friends were always near. The only time they weren't there for him was when he had to face the most evil of darkness on his own. They could have helped, but it wasn't their fight. It was his fight. A fight to protect his heart. Do you have friends like that? Friends that are there beside you, whether or not you're in need? Could you say that no matter how bad things might be, that you find parts of your strength through them? If you could say that, then you have great friends. If not, then find friends that have a common goal, ones that won't steer you away from your goals. After all, God puts people in our lives so we won't have to face this life alone. So here's what I say to you: if you have a goal, and your heart is struggling to keep pursuing that goal because of the darkness around us, don't lose hope. Don't give up on that goal. Your heart is your most important tool, because that's what decides just about every choice you make. And find friends that will support you every step of the way; that way your hearts can be connected too. I always enjoy finding preaching-possible things in the random and ordinary; it's fun! Try it sometime!

As for the rest of my day, I went to see Sherlock Holmes, which was an interesting movie; a smart and solid movie. I would recommend it. Well that's all for now, so until tomorrow, adios.

God bless,

Steven