The job I have always wanted the most, was to work with animals such as this. The look on the worker's face showed how much care and love she has, and how much she is enjoying her job. I wonder...if one day I will enjoy my career that much. The people visiting the zoo say things like "oh my gosh, sucks to be the workers here. Their job must suck a lot!" But in my heart, I long to be one of them.

I don't know why, but animals always go for the ears.

Guest Post: Identity vs. Reputation

Q: Is it self-serving for God to seek His own honor, to make His sole goal the pursuit of worship?

Think Zoro from One Piece. “I will show you the difference in power between you and me.”

Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.

One Piece characters all have a certain characteristic they personify. One of the most famous and well-loved One Piece characters, Zoro epitomizes powerful, determined characters. His goal is to become the best swordsman, “My name will reach the heavens!” To be the best. To be great. Characterized by an indomitable will and a deadly seriousness to make good on his word and to stick to his own convictions; failure is unacceptable. He does not seek the approval of others—a character whose very presence commands awe from the ordinary and whose dedication merits the respect of the powerful. “It doesn’t matter if it’s as a devil or a saint; my name will be heard all over the world.”

Is seeking honor a selfish ambition or when is it? There’s an important distinction to make here. The goal is not to become a legend, to gain recognition but to be so great that people cannot help but acknowledge it. True greatness demands acknowledgement. Think of it as a standard of greatness. A selfish person wants to BE TOLD that he is great, but an ambitious person wants to BE great. Those who strive to be great with a self-serving ambition strive according to the standard that is man’s approval. Those who strive to be great with an ambition not born of selfishness strive according to a standard that history cannot change.

Without people to talk about it, a legacy is simply not a legacy. So while the honor sought by God requires people, the standard by which it is measured is not something as weak as the approval of man. That standard is greatness—of which God is the very definition. The book of Isaiah is all about God showing this to the world over and over again. Actually, the entire Bible is testament to the greatness of God. God does not seek anyone’s approval. He lays low the proud and protects the humble. He does not need your worship and at the same time commands it and is worthy of it. Only one who is truly great has permission to say, “I am great. Worship me.” Behold, I AM.

Isaiah 45:22

Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Arrogance is the overestimation of self-worth. While ability, skill, and other attributes certainly differentiate, the intrinsic value of a person is the same as that of any other. To be arrogant is to overestimate that value relative to the value of others.

Zoro’s character is a unique blend: confident but not arrogant, ambitious but not self-serving. “A wound that would kill an ordinary man… I won’t lose to it! To face one who is extraordinary…I can’t allow myself to be ordinary!” Is this kind of person realistic or is it truly larger than life? That it is possible makes it truly moving and inspiring. One Piece is one of the most widely acclaimed anime/manga in history because it is just chock-full of these larger than life characters that really aren’t that much larger than life. But to be like this guy, we should look at what drives him. He enters the story with the goal of being the best to fulfill a promise to a fallen friend. Later in the critical moment of being faced with the immense distance between him and his goal, it is his current obligation to his captain that gets him through the fight—to continue to pursue the dream instead of giving up. He strives to be the best both for himself and for others at the same time. It is his personal conviction and ambition that pushes him, but his convictions and ambitions themselves are based on those important to him. So let’s draw lines between OP and the Bible. God calls his people to be great, to love others and so overcome the world. ‘Nuff said. Dream big.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Think of the most powerful character or person you have ever met, read about, or heard of. We have a word for those kinds of people nowadays. I personally really like the word “heroes”; but this new word really focuses on that attribute that makes them heroic, that powerful feeling—whether of conviction or of raw strength and confidence—that just emanates from their very being. Today, we call those people “ballers”. And just like most newly created words, it has multiple functions of speech. In this case, “baller” can be used as either an adjective or as a noun. So think of the most baller person or character that you can, whether realistic or not. And then, I’ll tell you that God is hands down more baller than anyone or anything ever thought up or already in existence and that He is in a way that you sincerely hope and expect him to be.

God. The very definition and embodiment of every value that is truly good in a perfect, humanly unachievable balance called love; an unfathomable existence truly worthy of and only sufficiently describable by the title “God”.

Isaiah 46:5

To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we can be compared?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Was God invented? Well, ask this ancient, staggered yet consistent collection of writings we call the Holy Bible, the Word of God. But is the Bible true? It’s possible as well as completely feasible; and that’s good enough for me. Come on; everyone says that, so whose God is the real one?? Well, which one do you like the best? Because a God that creates a people that can think up a better God isn’t really God at all. I believe that the real one is going to be the best one, and I am confident that the God of the Bible truly resonates with the hearts of all mankind.

Hah. Now if I just acted like it.

Regardless, I will own these words.

To the glory of God.

By Big Fish (aka dyu)

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

(Rough Draft)