B(oston) Strong

Last weekend I had the fortunate experience to visit old faces in Cambridge and New York. Being in New England was one of the most refreshing times I've had in a long time. A locus for intellectuals... who have a mutual and strangely surreal dynamic that is not cutthroat, but rather communal vision to see each other succeed. I was a heavenly experience, in every sense of the word. I haven't felt more at home within a community...

And now I'm back in Chicago, and I can't shake this feeling...rather lack of feeling...that I'm missing this"Candide"-like optimism I'm supposed to have as a believer in God's authority in all things in this world. In Cambridge, I thought the world was my oyster! Ready to tackle my life.  And now here, I must make it a point to make objective insights in my life of ways He attempts to weave His will in my life... how (a single example) unique it is for a person of my educational and socio-economic background to be working as an EMT for example... and I don't just believe, I KNOW Good has placed me on this path... yet why am I still unhappy?

Perhaps it boils down to affirmation? Being confirmed by my peers? Should I try to be more relational? Or do I make myself to vulnerable too quickly?

What's Love Got to Do With It?

What makes love so dangerous is the only people who can hurt you deeply are the ones you allow to get deep inside your soul. The more you love someone the more that person can hurt you. When you give your heart away to someone, you entrust it to that person's care. Your beloved is free to do whatever he/she wants to do with it. You are left vulnerable and defenseless.

Isn't love grand?
(No wonder we're all searching for it)

But love is a thin red line. When you give up on love, everything else that makes life beautiful goes with it - joy, hope, forgiveness, compassion - they're all interconnected.

You might be asking yourself: "What if I never find love?" You can't be held responsible if you've searched for love, risked in love, even fought for love, and yet have always found it unrequited.  When love does not come to you, it breaks your heart, but when you do not give it away, it hardens your heart.

One thing stranger than our need to BE loved is our need TO love.

We are designed for love.

Can you be honest enough to admit how love pulls you

      woos you

             eludes you

                    torments you

sometimes all in the same day?

You were created for relationship. This is and always will be at the core of your being.

All of us have an intrinsic need to belong, and all of us are on a search for intimacy. No matter how many things about us are different, in this we are all the same - we al crave love.

It's as if were searching for a love we've lost. Or perhaps (more strangely) we are searching for a love we've never known but somehow sense IT AWAITS US.

We are created to know God and to know love. It is love that moves God toward us and love that pulls us toward Him. Follow love, and it will guide you to God.

It may be hard to accept, but you are the object of God's love. You were created out of love by him, and though you may not yet realize it, your soul longs to know this love. But it goes way beyond that. You are a creature of love. You are designed to love and be loved. Our search for intimacy explains our need for community, relationship, friendship, and acceptance.

We all long to belong. We are created to know love and to give love. Love is not a limited commodity. Love expands as we give it away. Love dies when we do not.

Without love there is no life. To love is to be fully human.


There is probably no subject ever discussed among human beings that is more captivating... more elusive that live.  From Aphrodite to Oprah, we look to our mavens to guide us through this tumultuous jungle of emotion. Every generation writes about love. We write songs about love.

We are driven BY love
                      TO love
                      even  FROM love.

"How is it hat the same thing that can make your life a rhapsody can also leave you gutted, like a dead fish wrapped in day-old newspaper?" Tina Turner 'What's Love God to Do With It?'

Ruminations on Dissimilarity

The other day, I was out with my brother, and we ran into some people collecting donations for Misericordia: an amazing organization that provides people with developmental disabilities a continuum of care and a network of services. I talk about my brother a lot. I am unashamed about it and proud to call him my own. So obviously, Henry Jaeyoon “Jay” Ham, who is on the ASD spectrum, immediately became the topic of conversation during pleasantries and introductions. Then THAT question came up.

“So is Jay an autistic savant? What kind of exceptional qualities/skills does he portray?”

Having heard questions like this all my life, I sort of just danced around the topic… talking about things he likes to do and so on… and in the course of this spiel, I began to see her eyes glaze over in growing disinterest… but she, like all others before her, still remained attentive, politely smiling and giving the occasional nod. At the end, we said our farewells; she had my dollar, and I had my small bag of sugary goodness.

On the ride home, with my brother nibbling away at a blueberry Jelly Belly, I began to ponder this nagging feeling I have every time someone asks that question. The extent to most people’s experience with someone with ASD the past few decades have been through the media, quintessential examples being the movie Rain Man, and current TV show Touch. Dustin Hoffman and David Mazouz both play autistic characters that are significantly disabled in a social sense, but who have a sort of purity and innocence that enabled them to play a central role in each narrative.  But these roles have established a stereotype in popular culture of autistic people as these secretly-super-abled disabled people (I hope that made sense). This, like most stereotypes, does an injustice to most people in the stereotyped category… what if you can’t count cards or the number of toothpicks dropped by a busy waitress at a glance, and instead face poverty or homelessness because places don’t want to hire even skilled employees who aren’t good at navigating social hierarchies?

That was really verbose, so I'll put it in another way.  “Why do we want autistic people to have superpowers?” Here's what I think… it’s because we’ve become a culture obsessed with exceptionalism. Deep down, I don’t think any of us can handle that fact that some people are just simply different without having something fabulously acceptable (whether it's by our own or worldly standards) as balance. Otherwise we’d just have to accept not just autistic people, but ANYONE, on their own terms.  And that’s hard and challenging and takes patience, work, and prayer.

Top 10 Myths about Introverts

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.


Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.


Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.


Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.


Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.


Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.


Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.


Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.


Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.


Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

Science

Having a handicapped younger brother, I've been exposed to many different ailments (both physical and mental).  I've seen and shared in a young child's joy when he had a new prosthetic limb so he could play soccer once again.  I've met a man who, after receiving an artificial heart a few years ago, was able to live long enough afterwards to meet his newborn grandson.

Experiencing these things brought me a deep fascination and longing to immerse myself in the future biomedical engineering.  It is the reason why I chose to choose my college major, and it plays a major factor in my decision to go to medical school.  I have experienced no greater joy than to share in another's chance at a normal life through the use of technology.

But then there's the other side of the spectrum.

Science and technology are neutral.  It is through the application of scientific knowledge does the trajectory of humanity's future point.  Einstein's E=mc^2 has been fundamental in both bringing energy to millions of people, and has also been responsible for the decimation of an entire race through the atom bomb.

Despite this movie being complete fiction (and a promo for a video game no less), it was an utterly sobering reminder of this fact.  As dramatic as the movie is, this sort of future is not an impossibility.  And I am deeply frightened.

Lord, Use Me

At a retreat, you have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is moving.  The lights are dim and you are in a moment of adoration and deep worship while the deepest part of your soul cries out and you exclaim "Lord, use me!!!"

Use me...I've said it... you've said it...

...but do we know what we're getting ourselves into?

John 9:2-3 begins His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"


Read the next verse and take the time to pause.. "Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'"


Am I truly a life that is willing to be used as a place for God to display His power?  But...

...

How can people ever see our God as a Healer without the presence of sickness?

How can people learn the God of grace without the wounded having been afflicted?

How can we know God as Provider unless we have also known deep need?

Is it possible to understand "peace that surpasses understanding" without having been plunged into depths of confusion and pain?

How can we proclaim our God to be the Restorer unless we have first felt the pain of brokenness?

We all love to rejoice in a victor; but do we welcome the battle?


...

How easily do I grumble!  When the battles come in my life, does the way I conduct myself bear witness to others that I KNOW in Whom I have believed!  Or do I doubt God's presence, care or power in the midst of said hardships.  Do I KNOW that He never leaves or forsakes me!  That I KNOW He works all things together for good?!

...Holy Father, may I trust you completely... May I truly be able to say "Use me".

living sacrifice

Be Still

For those of you that don’t know, I just finished the short marathon that is studying for the MCATs.  During the last several months, I often felt myself burnt out from all the equations and memorizing.  When we immerse himself in work worrying about getting things done and fighting for a favorable outcome, sometimes it feels like we can never do enough… or we don’t do things right.  Our instinct is to prioritize, often times incorrectly.  The To-Do List is never done.  Psalm 46:10 has kept me in check during these times and I know will continue to do so as I live for Him.

God says: BE …not “do”, or “get”, or “go”.  He says that WHO we are is more important than what we do.
In today’s American culture, sleep is becoming more and more of a scarce commodity.  How does any one of us find time to get enough rest?  There’s school, work, family, kids, work at church.  Unending projects -at home and away- are almost (but not quite) enough to keep our minds off the 500 point dip in the stock market.  Plus, we really want to have some time with friends…need some “down time”…

God says: BE STILL …He knows that we are strengthened in our rest.  But, more than that, if we don’t BE STILL, we will undoubtedly miss that “still, small voice”.  Satan, the master and author of confusion, wants us to live in the loud, overwhelming activity and movement of life.  Our God does speak loudly at times…but most of the time the Lord will not compete with the noise that we create and/or allow around us.  Being Still…taking time alone to pray and meditate on Him…shutting out everything and everybody…is part of the self-discipline that is required to develop and maintain a REAL relationship with God.  We must make time and space to meet Him in silence and in stillness.

God says: BE STILL AND KNOW …I figure you can give me a few facts about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.  You know about them… but you don’t KNOW them.  In 5, 10, 20, 30 years… would we really KNOW the people we graduated with?  Do we KNOW GOD or are we satisfied with KNOWING ABOUT HIM?  To maintain any relationship, to KNOW GOD, requires ongoing communication…time spent talking, listening…learning and understanding His heart and mind through the Word.

God says: BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM …Our Father said “I AM”.  He doesn’t remind us of who HE was, nor does He tell us who He would becoming.  He never changes… His priorities, His rules, His commands do not and will never change.  He is ever-present…forever the same.

God says: BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD We easily argue our point of view with people around us.  We readily stand up for ourselves…or wear martyr-like self-pity.  But the truth is WE DON’T GET TO MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS.  We are not our own; we’ve been “bought with a price” (1Cor 6:20).  I’ve seen bumper stickers that say “God is my co-pilot” and I’d have to respectfully disagree.  God, Christ and the Holy Spirit is to be the pilot and we are to “die to self”.  Everything else is disobedience.  We must remember that the greatest among us will serve (Matt 23:11)…and that our God is on His throne and He is the KING

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth
Psalm 46:10

The Wisdom of Einstein

"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving..." - Albert Einstein 

How much more should we exert ourselves then, knowing we are not only the products of the trials and tribulations of those around us, but also from God Himself?

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Oh, How He Loves Us

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; Perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; Perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and music; Perhaps...perhaps....love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from it's green sheath." - LM Montgomery (Anne of Avonlea)

There are two things that come to mind when I first read this quote.  Firstly, concerning love and relationships: I'm not a believer in love-at-first-sight.  I believe in a love that blossoms through continued friendship and respect and a true desire for the well-being of the other.


Secondly: As I was growing up, like some other Christians, I went through periods of bitterness against God.  There's the normal era of teenage angst and frustration.  And then in my particular case, with my brother, I often asked myself "Why did God put me in this situation?"  I'm forever tied to my brother in more ways than some people realize off the bat.  For so long, my family has had to schedule our lives around his needs solely.  What hours I was available to work (having to drive my brother to and from school, that cuts out most 9-5 jobs).  Sometimes where we could travel (places where we could keep him at arms length without him disturbing others too much).  And many other things.


And then I started seeing the so many blessings I've been given in life that I've taken for granted for so long.  I have two wonderful parents who have prayed over me and continue to support me to this day.  Through the years with my brother, he has shaped virtues in me that I have never realized before.  Over the years, realizing these subtle yet powerful examples of how He has molded me into the young man I am today can only be His absolute love for me.


Just because we aren't loved in the way we want to be loved, doesn't mean we aren't loved at all.


Sometimes it means we're loved more than we realize.

^"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8 

First Love

I had the sudden urge to look for my DC Talk CDs.  Their songs are cheesy, yes, but Jesus Freak and Free at Last were my first Christian CDs.  I would argue these are the quintessential albums for young Christians of my generation.  People may sell these short, thinking DC Talk was only about the title cut, but there are so many amazing songs on these albums.

Imagine my elation after saving up for weeks to finally be able to walk into Borders and check out at the register with my own saved up allowance.  And then to hurry home and listen to the CDs on repeat through the night.  I still have the lyrics of "In the Light" ingrained in my head after all these years.

"What's going on inside of me? I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I am a man in need of a Savior
I wanna be in the Light, as You are in the Light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh Lord, be my Light and be my salvation
'Cause all I want to be is in the Light"

Being an awkward adolescent that had no idea how to express himself, discovering these song lyrics was like striking gold.  I was hooked and in love.

There's nothing in the world that captures your heart like that feeling of your first love.  Whether it is with a significant other, or a hobby or your profession, your first love has an immense stronghold in who a person is.  It drives how a person acts, how a person thinks, the decisions they make in life.  Mozart understood this fully, saying this:

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius.  Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.

Too often do we forget that first love we felt in Christ.  It's amazing how subtly the world distracts us from this fact, isn't it?  As we age, we only get busier and busier with our lives.  From school, we get a job.  Most of us will get married.  We might have children.  Bills pile up.  Older loved ones pass away.  Circumstances arise in life that need our attention.  It becomes too easy to cope with the ever-piling load of responsibility by going through the daily motions.  This becomes a slippery slope towards a path of works-righteousness; that we ultimately have this need to perform in our lives to gain favor in the eyes of our loved ones, even God.

I want to remind myself and everyone that it is not our performance that He desires.  He just desires our heart.  Once we find ourselves in that place of rediscovering that first love we felt in Him, everything else will fall into place.

A Year and a Half

I only just remembered I had this.  Call it a desperate attempt at escape from outside responsibilities (aka studying -_-;; ).  But I suppose it's a more wholesome distraction than say... building more pylons and Zealots, or seeing the a Heat player's next attempt for an Oscar.

"Hollywood as hell" as Joakim Noah likes to put it.

Let's talk about the church.  More specifically, what is the church, and His Kingdom supposed to look like?  How is it that we are able to easily welcome newcomers to our church, but so easily also show so much disdain and contempt for people that have wronged us, even within the church?  I wish for my church, and for all churches out there, that people walk in and think "These people are happy."

A place where there is that freedom the bondage of having to perform at a certain standard.

But so many of us don't do this.  We expect people to act a certain way, to do or not do certain things, and we begin to build walls around us.  And we only allow people that fit or act a certain way into those walls.

The Old Testament is familiar to us.  The time when God had His people go through ceremonial cleaning in His temple in order to worship him.  How that turned from recognizing/remember that God was so holy that we as man couldn't attain it, to turning it into legalism... saying "We're going to protect the law, we're going to live out the law."

We know how this goes, better than we even realize ourselves.  You know we have Jesus that we all believe and we follow.  And this Jesus that we know and follow, we feel the need to protect Him.  Protect the Bible, protect the church from those kind of people who can or has defiled it.  Right?  Those people that we think if we allow to sit in our pews or if allow ourselves to know them that the church will become dirty or unclean.  We've become like the spectators when Jesus saw Zacchaeus and said he wanted to stop by his house; we grumble.  We start on the path of ostracizing them in our hearts.

Well guess what.  Jesus was walking around, and a bleeding woman comes up to him and touches His robe and becomes clean.  Why is she healed?  Because with Jesus, there is nothing that can defile Him.  But rather He has the power to cleanse and redeem.  But for some reason we've adopted this stream of thinking that we need to protect the church.  If the Gospel were to come in contact with something that happens or people that are dirty, that it will defile and impurify the Gospel.  That is all wrong.

The church has so many subtle ways of living in this old paradigm of thinking, that Jesus came to undo.

With condemnation of sin also comes restoration.

We need to see how utterly powerful the Gospel is, and see the grace, mercy, joy and forgiveness that flows from that.

Titus 1:10-16

 ¹⁰ There are many people who refuse to cooperate, who talk about worthless things and lead others into the wrong way—mainly those who insist on circumcision to be saved. ¹¹ These people must be stopped, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they should not teach, which they do to get rich by cheating people.¹² Even one of their own prophets said, "Cretans are always liars, evil animals, and lazy people who do nothing but eat."¹³ The words that prophet said are true. So firmly tell those people they are wrong so they may become strong in the faith,¹⁴ not accepting Jewish false stories and the commands of people who reject the truth.¹⁵ To those who are pure, all things are pure, but to those who are full of sin and do not believe, nothing is pure. Both their minds and their consciences have been ruined.¹⁶ They say they know God, but their actions show they do not accept him. They are hateful people, they refuse to obey, and they are useless for doing anything good.


On the whole, this passage pushes us to be active in building up our spirituality and knowledge of the Truth given to us in His word (the Bible).  There are a couple very important reasons for this.  Firstly, it serves as training for believers to be on the lookout for people who teach wrong doctrines and can potentially lead others astray.  This can be anywhere from well-intended teachers who are simply confused and speak opinions without thoroughly checking them against the Bible, to others who have truly evil motives and only pretend to be Christians to get more money, to network, or to attain status/power by being a leader in the church.


The other key reason to continually learn God's truth is that it transforms your mind and world-view.  Reading and meditating on His word molds our souls to become filters through which we perceive situations in our lives.  A heart that is truly Christ centered will learn to see even the goodness in this world.  But an evil and corrupt heart will always find something to taint even the good that they see and hear.  Whatever a person chooses to fill their minds and hearts with will change how they act and think.

Titus 1:5-9 "Titus's Work in Crete"

 ⁵ I left you in Crete so you could finish doing the things that still needed to be done and so you could appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.⁶ An elder must not be guilty of doing wrong, must have only one wife, and must have believing children. They must not be known as children who are wild and do not cooperate. ⁷ As God's managers, overseers must not be guilty of doing wrong, being selfish, or becoming angry quickly. They must not drink too much wine, like to fight, or try to get rich by cheating others. ⁸ Overseers must be ready to welcome guests, love what is good, be wise, live right, and be holy and self-controlled. ⁹ By holding on to the trustworthy word just as we teach it, overseers can help people by using true teaching, and they can show those who are against the true teaching that they are wrong.


It is evident in this passage that a trickle-down effect in leadership holds true even in the Christian church.  Also, these qualifications involve a person's character, not profession, or skills or intellect.


Not only is it important to have effective preachers of he gospel, but even moreso to have those who strive to live it out, and be examples for others to follow.

Titus 1:1-4

¹ From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I was sent to help the faith of God's chosen people and to help them know the truth that shows people how to serve God.² That faith and that knowledge come from the hope for life forever, which God promised to us before time began. And God cannot lie.³ At the right time God let the world know about that life through preaching. He trusted me with that work, and I preached by the command of God our Savior.
 ⁴ To Titus, my true child in the faith we share:
   Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.


The more direct translation of "a servant of God" would be "bond-slave" or "bond-servant".  Right off the bat though, Paul declares his role in life and his relationship to God, calling him self a servant of God...one who is committed to obeying God.

It's easy to miss, but in this greeting, Paul spends quite a bit of time addressing honesty, using words like "truth", "cannot lie", "trusted", "true child".  Apparently, lying was a common thing in Crete v.12 (the city where Titus was).  Paul makes abundantly clear that it is not in God's character to lie.  God cannot lie.  The foundation of our faith is trust in this.

A brief background on Titus, taken from a study Bible.

"Titus was a Greek man, and one of Paul's most trusted and dependable co-workers.  Paul sent Titus to Corinth on several special missions to help the church in its troubles (2 Corinthians 7-8).  Paul and Titus also traveled together to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:3) and Crete (1:5).  Paul left Titus in Crete to lead the new churches springing up on the island.  Titus is last mentioned by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:10, Paul's last recorded letter.  Titus had leadership ability, so Paul gave him leadership responsibility, urging him to use his abilities well."

A Meditation - Psalm 22: Abandonment

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?"  Psalm 22:1

I've been having these bouts of bad dreams lately.  The biggest theme amongst all these dreams is the feeling of abandonment, either from my parents, my brother, or my friends.  The last time I woke up, my mind drifted to those famous words: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?".  Why did Jesus quote this phrase from Psalm 22?  It's easy to stop there at the first verse seemingly have found our answer, that it was simply God turning away from Jesus while He took sin into Him.  But reading through the psalm as a whole, one finds a much more deeper and profound meaning in Jesus' last words.  In light of the whole psalm, the phrase transforms from one of loneliness and lament into a source of great comfort to suffering believers.

The whole of Psalm 22 applies not only to Jesus' death but also to His resurrection.  In fact, the writer of Hebrews cites Psalm 22:22 as also being words of Christ (Hebrews 2:12).  In other words, Jesus meditated upon this entire psalm, not just the first verse.

A step-by-step summary of the psalm would sound like the following:

• The first third of the passage the psalmist overcomes his feeling of abandonment by God by reminding himself how God delivered his ancestors (v. 6-8) and remembering God's past faithfulness to himself (v. 9-10).
• Despite the suffering found in the next 10 verses (v. 12-21), the words found are definitely not one of panic and despair.  Rather, the tone of the middle verses (v. 12-21) is one of composure and poise, having an utmost trust in deliverance.
• The final verses brings the psalm to a triumphant climax of praise after deliverance from death.  He calls upon his brothers to join in praise (v. 22-26) and foresees future generations giving testimony to what God has done in raising him from the grave (v 27-31).

What a beautiful link Jesus has created for us, now that we have read this psalm in its entirety!  If we stop reading the Psalm at verse 1, or even in the middle somewhere, all we still end up with is defeat.  It's not until we read the Psalm as a whole that we can grasp the full message of the gospel.

A Rumination

(Paraphrased from a web-article I read a while ago)

Even if atheists reject the idea of God completely and claim to live according only to cold hard logic of science, they still live with an element of morality.  When a con-artist scams you out of $50, an atheist won't nod his head and say "Fascinating!  This guy is is genetically predisposed to unfair exchange of goods, that generations of Darwinian sexual selection in favor of right social behavior has instilled in me.  How intriguing, this difference is!"

Obviously not; an atheist would think what that guy did was wrong.  He, and anyone else, would want justice.  He would think he should have acted differently.

Despite the fact that there is no "justice" element on the periodic table, no one would think of the con-artist as just a fellow animal who happens to behave differently than you.  Any normal person would think he should have acted some other way, according to an invisible ideal that everybody is aware of and knows they should obey.

When that "Janet Jackson's boob at the Super Bowl" incident happened a few years ago, for a long time afterward, I heard a bunch of people making fun of Christians and their puritan silliness over sex.  They were saying stuff along the lines of: "We're all just mammals!  It's just a breast, all females have them.  What are you getting so worked up about?"

Yet, the moment you find out that while you were on vacation, your girl got drunk and slept with the entire Chicago Bears... suddenly sex is something to get upset about.

Suddenly it's not just meat slapping against meat.

Suddenly the exclusive sexual bond between you and your girl was important, was to be protected, was almost.... sacred.

Again there's this invisible rule that was supposed to be followed, that everybody was supposed to be aware of, that can't be proven by logic.  Whatever it is, wherever you think it came from, you can't deny that it's there.

Studying

Pooh looked at his two paws. He knew that one of them was the right, and he knew that when you had decided which one of them was the right, then the other one was the left, but he never could remember how to begin.

I feel like I'm precisely in the same predicament, only with MCAT knowledge.