Love

I just finished watching the first two episodes (two-hour season premiere) of the fifth season of One Tree Hill. Yeah yeah, I know I'm supposed to be studying/mugging hard, but let's just say I'm taking a break. :P It's also because I am a huge fan of the show and have been a "faithful follower" ever since it was first aired on Sept 23, 2003. One appealing factor is that it has many elements that any teenager/youth/young adult can relate to: Abilities, talents, decisions, emotions, drugs & alcohol, fear, friendship, forgiveness, love, lying, peer pressure, pride, relationships, and the list goes on.

(WARNING: Spoiler ahead, read at your own risk!)

It's four years into the future and the Tree Hill gang has finished college. Now, their lives have taken completely different directions. Lucas has written and published a book, Brooke has made it big in the fashion industry with her brand "Clothes Over Bro's", Peyton is pursuing a career in the music business but is miserable, and Nathan and Haley continue to raise a now older James Lucas Scott.

There's one scene where I was moved, and it was a phone conversation that took place between Peyton and Brooke. It talks about love (or the lack of it), and how people tend to look for it in all the wrong places. The following is the actual conversation, word-for-word, that took place:

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Peyton: Hi, it's Peyton. Yeah, I'm sorry. I know it's late there, I just... what happened to us? You know? I don't know who I am anymore. Or how I got here. I miss who I used to be. I wanna have a home again, ya know? And real friends. You know, the kind of friendships we used to believe in. I miss that. And I miss you. I guess I just miss all of it. Does any of that make any sense?

Brooke: Yeah, it makes all the sense in the world, Peyton. Four years ago, it all seemed so clear, didn't it? Conquer the world, save the world, live happily ever after.

Peyton: Are you happy, Brooke?

Brooke: Sometimes. Not always. Are you?

Peyton: No.

Brooke: Okay, then let me ask you something. What is gonna make you happy, Peyton? Is it how you look? Or the car you drive or the people you know? Is it money or celebrity or power or accomplishments? Because I have all those things and I don't think it's enough.

Peyton: Well then, what is?

Brooke: Love, I think. And that love can be for a boy or a girl or a place or a way of life or even for a family. But where you find it is up to you.

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Indeed, many questions are running through your mind right now: Where do you find love? What makes you happy? You could have all the things in the world that money can buy, but can you honestly say that you can "buy" love? And even if you could "buy" love, how could you be certain that that"love" is genuine, and not reciprocated out of man's selfish ambitions?

Kudos to Joann for the following quote that I found on her blog. It not only makes a lot of sense, but it reminds us all about the essence of true love:

Love isn't about finding someone you can live with; rather it's about finding someone you don't want to live without.

Anyway, I'd like to emphasize on the LOVE OF GOD at this point. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 that you can die for God, but if you don't have love, it's worthless. By having this love of God, we can learn to love others too. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Maybe there are times when your actions aren't always what you want them to be, but if you love God, He alone will know it. Galatians 5:6 says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love".

Your love for Him and others is what matters most.

Hence, I would like to share something brilliant about mathematics and how it can even be applied to God's love that you can think about and lose some sleep over:

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

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1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

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9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

987654321 x 9 - 1 = 8888888888

9876543210 x 9 - 2 = 88888888888

Brilliant, isn't it??

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And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

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From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

And:

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN,
look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there,

It's the Love of God that will
put you over the top!

x Smile! x

~Tim~