I never thought acne could make a good analogy...

Look at the title. It could be a good analogy...or a crazy farfetched one...

Anyways I'm putting aside an idea for a blog post to write this before I forget this one. Why acne you ask? Well...let's just say it's an issue my mom has with me. You will understand it by the end of the blog post. Story time? I think yes.

Ever since I was junior high, my mom either complained about me being too fat, complained about my dry lips, or complained about me having too much acne. I know it's her way of saying, "This is my way of saying I love you because I am scared that you can't get a wife in the future," but it still bothers me to this day. Whenever I would have an outbreak, she would blame it on:
1) lack of sleep/sleeping too late
2) eating fried food/desserts/not eating enough vegetables
And those things she blame my outbreaks on would give her an excuse to call me a bad boy and reasons to control me.

While those reasons may play a part in acne, I discovered I did not grow as much acne when I am in Santa Barbara and rarely, if ever, have an outbreak. I find that funny because I sleep less in college, have been eating a lot more vegetables than I used to, and have been eating more fried food and desserts in college. Yet, when I am home, I eat less sugary goodness, fried food, and I sleep in a lot. Granted, I still sleep late, but I really don't sleep later than when I am in school. Still, I have outbreaks when I am at home which I somehow do not get in school.

I also noticed that my lips only become dry when I'm back home. I never had to use chap stick when I am at school, but I need to use it when I come back. I decided maybe it is the dry climate here. I googled it, and dry climates can cause acne. I try explaining that to my mom, and she says that cannot be a reason and that it must be the same reasons she always uses. I also reasoned that if it is food, maybe it is all the Chinese food I eat at home. Chinese food tends to be oily, but that mostly applies to restaurants. Home-cooked is a lot healthier.

I am sure that I am right about the climate and my mom is wrong with her reasons, but at the same time, I have to accept that I could be wrong and that my mom would be right. It still does not explain why I have outbreaks at home while I do not in Santa Barbara.

My mom tries to treat my acne through various methods. It includes:
1) forcing me to have facial appointments
2) giving me different products to wash my face with
3) telling me I am not allowed to eat fried food or desserts
4) attempting to make me sleep before midnight (which never really works)
Facial appointments are good for removing the acne that is already there, but it does not prevent it. My mom still thinks going to facial appointments prevents acne. I sometimes feel that using multiple products would cancel each other out...or they just do not work and companies make tons of money by taking advantage of people's insecurities. A quick google search helped me determine that brownies and sugar are not the cause of acne. Sleep may be a reason, but again does not explain why I do not get breakouts in SB.

I just finished watching a movie, and as I passed by Starbucks, I saw Patrick there. I talked to him a little and mentioned the acne problem. He agreed that using products and going to facial appointments may treat the problem on the outside, but it does not stop the cause of the problem. When he said that, I thought, "hey, this sounds like it can make a good analogy..."

And here I am writing this. I think in a lot of areas, people want to solve the outer, most noticeable problems. However, when people are focused on the outside, they do not look deep into the root of the problem. I'm probably guilty of that a lot. There might be a deeper reason I am convinced that my mom is wrong, and a deeper reason for me to want to prove there are other reasons through googling. Ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn a similar fashion, I can see an outside reason for me not wanting to date is that I'm waiting for a clear sign from God saying, "this is the woman you will marry," when there may be a deeper reason like maybe getting rejected when I was younger or something and not wanting to be hurt again. However, that does not mean that the outside reason is not a reason. I still think it is best if I wait for God to tell me "this is the girl you will marry". That way, I don't have to date different people only for them to be obstacles in my future marriage or me being the obstacle in their future marriages. Sorry for going on a random tangent like that, but the point still stands that there may be a different, deeper reason for me choosing to not make certain choices.

I'm sure that is the point of having a sozo. A sozo is a ministry of healing. It goes into deeper healing. According to Bethel, "The Sozo ministry is a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry in which the main aim is to get to the root of those things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." I probably need to get a sozo. I'm sure there are people who might find this kind of stuff iffy, but I've seen it work with people.

The alternate title for this post could be "Deep Wounds"...but I think the current title sounds funnier. Plus I spent most of the post writing my story about acne problems. My relationship with my mom apparently can bring interesting stories. :P

I can notice problems with myself, but I might not be seeing the deeper issues with my problems. It's definitely something I should pray about. If you also need prayer for deeper issues, I could pray for you too.

Anyways, I need to be driving my brother to the airport in about five hours...

Until next time,
Kenneth