A blog. About life. And the views Miss Cale Josten (aka Carolyn Rogers) has on it.
What is this?
This is a documentation of the Foam Cabinet. The Foam Cabinet doesn't technically exist physically. I could tell you exactly WHAT it is, but I won't. Just because.
Remember that this isn't literally accurate; most of what is said is symbolic.
This truth is as follows:
Inside the Foam Cabinet is everything; all answers, all emotions, all connections...
Everything that makes me who I am.
There is a second, equally important part to this truth:
The Foam Cabinet is confusing.
The Foam Cabinet has many flaws. (Such as, the Foam Cabinet CAN catch on fire. I learned this recently.)
That being said, the Foam Cabinet revealed something peculiar. A commonly-used object of incredible purpose and simplicity.
That's right. The Foam Cabinet is home to none other than the black Sharpie.
Why?
Why not?
A black Sharpie means a lot to me; a lot more than a mere tool of yet-to-be-unleashed creativity.
It symbolizes possibilities, and what I've done with these options.
It reminds me of my past reactions to weird emotions.
It tells me stories of far away creatures... (not really)
It creates a sense of question in my soul.
Sharpies are generally happy objects.
They certainly make me joyous.
However, when the Foam Cabinet showed me this Sharpie at this particular time in my life, I felt a painful stab at my ego. I am not better than anyone else. No one else is better than anyone else. We all ought to be loved, respected, and cared for.
What does this have to do with a Sharpie?
Sharpies claim to be permanent. They can be... but only on specific textures, or applied in particularly painful ways.
Friends claim to be permanent. They can be... but only if you trust each other enough to stay together, and work through a painful situation instead of running away from the problem.
Life claims to be permanent. It can be... but only if the right Person is followed, or else that life could disappear quicker than the blink of an eye.
Watch it. Laugh, be merry, look up other Jeffrey Dallas (or Julian Smith) videos...
Now, put yourself in my over-thinking shoes. This means you are about to analyze this video, and all life that relates to it. It also means, open the Foam Cabinet.
The world tells us many things. Now, children, there is a difference between the media and REALITY.
In media, being the best you can be is more than good enough.
In REALITY, rarely anyone ever is the best they can be in the first place.
In media, dreams do come true.
In REALITY, dreams are weird. Why would anyone want them to come true?
In media, self-esteem is valuable, important, and everyone should build theirs up.
In REALITY, self-esteem is only as reliable as the human is.
In media, love, dating, sex, kissing... before marriage... it's all the same.
In REALITY, lust, dating, sex, kissing... before marriage... it's all the same.
It's safe to say that I could be wrong. But, think about it.
And what about waffles? They are pretty tasty, are they not? Filling and usually substantial, too!
Who is Jeffrey? (The guy who "ate a jellyfish.")
Jeffrey is me. Jeffrey is you. Jeffrey is us. Humans. Living creatures. Jeffrey is selfish, and so am I.
What are the waffles?
Money.
Attention.
Lust.
Accomplishment.
Drugs.
Movies.
Lies.
Gaming.
Guys.
Girls.
Friends.
Belonging.
Music.
Food.
Pleasure.
Comfort.
Assurance.
Fame.
Success.
Winning.
Appearance.
Self.
Who are the reasonable young men?
They are everyone who momentarily has it right.
They're selfish, too, but for the sake of justice.
They are the parents who try to discipline me.
They are the teachers who spend so much time giving valuable information to me... stuff that more than half the time I don't even care to hear.
They are the coaches who pull me down... to make me better.
They are the doctors who tell me I have a problem, and this is how it can be fixed.
They are my friends, who love me a little more than I love myself.
I am not saying that "waffles" are bad. Each and every one of us struggles with a different issue. Mike may be totally against cussing, but isn't bothered by the drugs he takes. Katie may be entirely against violent video games, but doesn't struggle much with kissing, among other things. Mike may be comfortable with dressing crudely to please the crowd, but feels guilty when he touches even the hand of a girl. Katie may be fine with being attracted to other girls, but hates the feeling she gets when she tells a little white lie.
And what if Mike and Katie claim to be Christian? They adore Jesus. They live for Him as much as they believe they can, and they worship Him with genuine praise. They love God. They respect God. And they have been saved. They are going to heaven.
Does that make these things okay? Maybe, for some people. But it's not the actions that matter. It's the attitude.
Mike does drugs because his family does. His friends do. He feels comfortable doing it, but he doesn't offer them to anyone else.
Katie kisses, flirts, and is exceptionally promiscuous because her role models are her divorced parents, and her really cool older brother, who sleeps with every girl he can get. She doesn't realize she might be hurting anyone, because she doesn't ever feel hurt by it herself.
Mike dresses in provocative swagger because he likes it. His contractor pays him, too, but that's a bonus.
Katie likes girls because guys have physically hurt her. She just doesn't like them.
Mike hates cussing because that's the only way his dad talks to him. And his dad has abused and disrespected Mike all his life.
Katie hates violence because her little brother was killed in a spar with his "friends". A knife was put through his head. It was claimed to be an accident.
Mike hates physical contact because he got a virgin pregnant on their first date, and never saw her since. But her family never let him out of their scope.
Katie hates lying because her mom always lied to her. About trivial stuff like what she ate for breakfast, or important stuff like who her real dad was.
The things we like to do... it's sin if we do it against God's will. There is a saying, "If it's sin for one, it might not be for another." One man's sin is another man's song. This is REALITY, but does that make it RIGHT?
It is sin if it is selfish.
If it is selfish, it could quite possibly be sin.
It is sin if God says it is sin.
Are we perfect?
No.
Can we live without sin?
Not on this cursed earth. Most certainly not by ourselves.
Is it our right to judge the sin of others?
No.
We can point it out, but don't expect them to like you much.
Don't expect to feel good about yourself.
Is it our responsibility to keep people away from sin?
No.
We can help, but we can't force. I am not you. You are not me.
The Holy Spirit will help you, if you let Him.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
A common verse. Romans 3:23. It describes me.
It doesn't give me a right to sin.
But it also doesn't give me a right to beat myself up over it.
So what do I do? What do we do?
I try.
Again.
And again.
I repent... I turn away... I give up my life to God... I die to myself.
And for a while, I am truly filled.
Right up until I give in to temptation again. It's a sad circle that will never end until my flesh dies.
Maybe it won't result in dire consequences. Maybe it will.
It's so much more fun! Or... is it?
Nobody will know! You don't know that...
Facing decisions such as these... they never end! You give in to one, resist another, and, before you know it, you're right smack in the middle of an infinite circle of temptation. The Foam Cabinet has presented me with such scenarios as these:
- Your friends are going to a hang-out, but your homework isn't quite done yet... and it's super-important; due the next day.
- Your parents ask you what's wrong. You're really irritated, so should you respond truthfully, or responsibly?
- Everyone else has these shiny new shoes. You see some at the store...
- Some friends are taking outings at night. Join them?
These are all fairly minor. However, if I don't take the right paths with such small decisions, what would happen once a huge, life-determining decision comes up? What about financial problems? Or a friend who is really struggling, but has seemingly nowhere else to go but you, who are opposed to their methods? Thankfully, for me, I've at least made one amazing decision: to follow Christ. Which means that small decisions may not be so small anymore, because people are watching. God is watching.
When life gives you lemons, it seems appropriate to make lemonade. Why?
When life gives you opportunity, it seems appropriate to go for it. How come?
When life gives you the easy way, it seems appropriate to take it. Are you sure?
People can read stuff like this, and agree with it or disagree with it all they want. The challenge is, will they actually take their views, opinions, and beliefs to action? Or will they continue to go with the flow?
