Sunday, October 23, 2016

Heart and Soul

The sculpture,

Obtains its true form after being chiseled.

The raku pot,

Must be molded and shocked into its final shape.

The samurai sword,

Is sharpened through repeated and instense striking.

The mighty oak,

Sheds its dead leaves each fall.

The butterfly,

Develops through a cacooning of personal transformation.

The phoenix,

Rises only after it has been burned to ashes.

The diamond,

Can radiate only after years of experiencing extreme pressure.

...

The heart of a true champion can only be revealed through the test of time.

The illumination from the soul can only come after enduring life's great challenges.

...
<SI> Scott Izu, PhD
Copyright October 2016

Friday, October 21, 2016

7 Points of Confusion

There are many things I have confused in my life,

Yes, many things to be twisted in time

...

Familiarity and comfort,

Quite opposite they be,

For what I am used to makes me quite uncomfortable,

A progressive man I am,

A hunter, going after the next big thing,

I cannot just stay where I am,

Growth motivates me and fuels my passion,

...

Sexuality and intimacy,

I have had sexuality with no intimacy,

And later, it fills me with shame,

The dark depths of the closet which I seek to clean,

I have had intimacy without sexuality,

From which I might feel the weight of a broken relationship,

And long for the companionship of another years later,

...

Curiosity with attraction,

Oh, what random thoughts race through my mind!

My natural inclination to explore runs quite a muck,

I even doubted my own orientation,

Simply because I was curious about homosexuality,

Curious about the most taboo subjects,

Has dead ended in disgust rather than attraction.

...

Strong versus weak,

I thought I was strong by being the soldier,

Carrying the weight all on my own,

I was simply made weak since no one was there,

But true strength is the ability to ask for help when needed,

Healthy adults can equally rely on others and can be relied upon

And true strength comes from where we are most weak.

...

Performance versus worth,

I thought I was worth what I had accomplished,

I thought I could earn my parents love,

I thought if I did enough it would undo the words spoken by others

But human beings are worthy alone

Just by existing they have extreme value

For they have a soul which will long outlive their works

...

Character and reputation,

I used to have a great reputation,

And such bad character

Then, I came clean and sought a pure heart

My character started to grow

While my reputation was shot

What God thinks of you versus another's point of view

...

Good versus bad,

I used to think I was good,

But this in and of itself was bad,

For my desire to be good,

Hid from me what was bad,

As if I could be good enough to outweigh the wretched man

So now I focus on daily doing rather than being.

...

<SI> Scott Izu, PhD
Copyright October 2016

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

So He Cheated on You. What now?

I know what you want to do.  You want to hurt him.  You want to hurt him so bad, he feels the pain you do.  You want to destroy the outside world so all can bear the chaos you feel within.

But truly, I tell you, a man and woman may become one flesh.  And if your right hand betrayed you, would you cut it off?  For if you destroy him, you destroy you.

A woman scorn they say.  But do you know why a woman is blessed with such Godly wrath?  It is spared for evil men, who kill their husbands or attack their families.  It is not for a woman to destroy herself.

I tell you, if you seek revenge, you will find justice.  Oh yes, justice will be served.  For this man has no excuse and no worthy defense.  But with your justice, a man's heart will be forever hardened.  Yes, you will murder him.  And along with him, your sons will be murdered also.

But do you want to know how to destroy the evil within?  To wage true war on the devil himself?

You love on him.  You love him till he falls to his knees tortured by the fact that he does not deserve it.  Let his soul torment and convict him more than you ever could.  Give the greatest grace that can only be answered with humble gratitude and a contrite heart.

Such a woman is rare as the finest rubies.  Such a woman saves herself and her children.

...
<SI> Scott Izu, PhD
Copyright October 2016

Monday, October 10, 2016

Where the Wind Blows There I Am

If you wish to study the physical world,

Do you not use the tools of the physical world?

Do you not use your eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, mouth to taste and fingers to touch?

And you who do not have any impairments,

For some are born near sighted, others far sighted, some deaf, paralyzed, color blind,

If you without impairments cannot understand the simplest of things in the physical realm,

How then do you hope to discern the spiritual realm for which you are even less equipped?

...
<SI> Scott Izu, PhD
Copyright October 2016

Monday, October 3, 2016

Memoirs of Arrogance

Dear friend,

How arrogant was I?

A fellow sojourner,

Intelligence, above all.

Someone who knew how to make it in this world.

Someone who had brilliance and relatability.

I betrayed your trust.

Now, drunk and alone,

I feel the loss of what once was.

Your friendship, your companionship.

My greed would take,

Afraid to lose an opportunity,

A moment.

For it all vanishes anyway.

Words on a page simple cannot undo.

You forgave me long ago.

Placing joy in my soul for I know you are free.

But as for me,

I am plagued with the actions I have performed.

And forever will be.

Your friend of long ago,

Me.

<SI> Scott Izu, PhD
Copyright October 2016