Sunday, September 26, 2010

Beauty

If you look outside, you'll probably notice that the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors. Their morphing from shades of green to shades of red, orange, and yellow, just like a caterpillar in it's chrysalis. An interesting thought that I had never considered was pointed out to me earlier today, though; the leaves are nothing like the caterpillars in their chrysalis's', and for more than just the obvious reasons. While a caterpillar is changing into it's next stage in life, the leaves aren't. The leaves are only so beautiful because they're dying.

That's kind of how it is with us as humans. Now, when I say this, I don't mean literally. Most of us don't look very fabulous when we're dying--at least, not when we're physically dying. I'm not talking physically, though; I'm talking spiritually.

As a Christian, I have two "selfs" in me. I have my "old self" (which is the side of me that does all of the bad things) and I have my "new self" (the "self" that has been redeemed by Jesus Christ and isn't really me anymore, because me by myself is just the old self). These two "selfs" are at war with each other, always trying to get my attention. The old self wants me to go back to my sinful ways, but my new self wants me to follow God's Word. What am I to do?

To put it bluntly: Part of me has to die. Again, I'm not speaking in a physical sense, I'm speaking in a spiritual sense. I have to do something about that old self, and that "something" is to get rid of it. I have to "die" to the world, which means that I can't be doing all of the evil and wrong things that the world around me is doing; I have to be "transformed by the renewing of my mind". I have to put good things in to get good things out; I can't just be filling my brain up with all of the junk that the world is throwing at me.

To really change and be a beautiful person on the inside, I have to fill myself up with God. I have to cling to what His Word says. I have to trust Him and have faith in Him. I have to stop listening to the world and start listening to Him.

That doesn't mean that I can't have friends that aren't Christians or I can't associate with people who don't know Jesus Christ as their savior. It just means that I can't be like them. I have to stand out. I have to be different.

I have to be "beautiful."

Just like the leaves that die and become beautiful, my sinful self has to die so that I can become truly beautiful from the inside out.

Just think about how lovely our world would be if everyone did that.

Friday, September 3, 2010

MR Fanfic (TPPOV) Chapter 48

"I don't understand it..." the scientist muttered to his female partner. "How did he escape without anyone noticing?"

"Have you checked the cameras?" she asked, looking over his shoulder. He nodded and clicked a few things on the computer, bringing up the video for that day. The two of them watched the footage go at double speed until it all suddenly went black.

"Whoa, what's that?" the woman asked, backing up a bit. The man sighed.

"I don't know. It seems as if the cameras shut down for about thirty minutes." he replied, glancing over his shoulder at the contemplative woman.

"That would give anyone ample time to escape..." she mumbled, more to herself than to her partner. "But how is it that no one saw him?" she thought for a few minutes before looking back up at the man.

"You'll have to tell--"

"No!" he exclaimed, cutting her off and jumping up out of his chair. "If I tell him, he'll kill me! He hates hearing bad news, and this is some of the worst news he could hear!" the scientist said, wringing his hands nervously.

"He has to know!"

"Not from me, he doesn't!"

"You were the one in charge of the experiment, so you have to tell him!"

"I was only recently put in charge, and I was only given a short sheet of facts about him! Nothing I read said anything about this!" the man motioned towards the computer monitor, which was still playing black video footage. The woman gave him a stern glare and he finally sighed. He was going to have to play a card he'd rather not use, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

"Fine, but if I go, you have to come to." the scientist said, pointing at the shocked woman across from him.

"What? Why do I have to go? Do you need someone to hold your hand?" she retorted, quickly getting over her surprise.

"No, you have to come because you're my partner, and that means you were in charge of the experiment, too. Besides," the man paused and took a deep breath. "I'd like you to be witness to my demise." the two stared at each other for a few moments before the woman nodded.

"All right," she said softly, "I'll go with you." the man smiled and held out his hand. His partner gave him a small smile in return as she took his hand and the two walked out into the hallway.

Knock, knock, knock. The man hit the door as softly as he could in hopes that perhaps the person inside the room wouldn't hear.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice called from inside.

"D-Doctor Alexander and Doctor Falicia, sir." the man stuttered, gaining control of his voice halfway through his sentence.

"Come in." the voice commanded quickly. Dr. Alexander opened the door and peeked inside. The room was furnished like the office of a CEO for an important company with a large desk in the middle of the room and an enormous chair behind the desk. The chair was turned so that the back was to the two scientists as they entered the room.

"I hope you have good news for me, Doctors." the man in the chair said softly. Dr. Alexander cleared his throat.

"Actually, sir, w-we don't. I wish we did, but-"

"Get on with it, Alexander! I don't have all day to listen to you stutter about your problems." the voice barked and Alexander and Falicia both flinched.

"Y-yes, sir," Alexander began once more and cleared his throat. "We're here about Experiment N1C01_43." the male scientist paused, waiting for a response from the man in the chair.

"Did he expire?" there was a bit of worry in his voice as he asked the question.

"Oh, no, sir," Alexander said quickly. "At least...not that we know of..." he finished hesitantly. There was another long pause as the two scientists looked at each other with worried expressions.

"He...escaped?" came the slow and soft reply.

"Yes, sir..." Alexander said with a nod, not that the other man could see it.

"Well, then, find him." Alexander and Falicia shared another worried look.

"Sir?" Falicia asked, almost as if she hadn't understood the command.

"Find him and bring him back here." the man in the chair said in a much sterner tone.

"But, sir, how?" Alexander asked quickly.

"You two were put in charge of him, figure it out!" the other man roared. Falicia and Alexander jumped. "You have two weeks to have him back here, or the two of you are out. And by out, I mean out." The two scientists gulped and nodded, and they had a feeling that even though he wasn't looking at them, the man in the chair could see them.

"Y-yes, sir," Alexander fumbled with his words once more.

"Use any means necessary. I want that experiment back here."

"Y-yes, sir,"

"Good. Now, get out!" the man bellowed and Falicia sprinted to the door, Alexander close behind. The two of them left the room and closed the door gently before they made their way back down the hallway.

"How are we going to find N1C01_43?" Falicia asked Alexander in a worried tone. Alexander took a deep breath before he opened the door to their lab. He sat down at his computer and began pounding away at it.

"We use any means necessary." he replied simply, bringing up a screen with a map on it. There, on the map, was a small blinking dot in the color red.