If all the flowers in the world were one color, or if there was only one type of tree, it would get boring after a while. Beauty is found in variety—the varying types and textures, hues and shades of nature.
When we try to change the way we are in order to meet someone else’s definition of beauty, we’re giving someone else control over us, over how we think, over our happiness. Who, after all, decides that one thing is better than another—hair that’s dark or light, curly or straight; bodies that are lean, muscular, or round; noses that are large or small; lips that are thin or full? When we try so hard to fit a certain mold of beauty‚ whether it suits us or not or is realistic or not, we’re giving up our uniqueness. One of the many problems associated with comparing ourselves with others or trying to fit into the fashionable standard of beauty is that we’re never going to be truly happy. We might feel a sense of satisfaction that we changed something we didn’t like, or kept up with the latest trend, but even if we do manage to achieve the level of beauty that we’re hoping for, even if we finally become the most popular person in our circle of acquaintances, it is not going to last. We’ll eventually run into somebody who’s higher up on the physical beauty ladder. If it’s happiness we’re looking for‚ we’re not going to find it like that. The constant need to meet the world’s standard of beauty leads to obsession—first the physical makeover, then the molding of our personality to fit our new image, then the struggle to keep the look or to keep up with the changing looks as each trend gives way to a new one. Is it even possible to ever fit the world’s idea of perfect beauty? Not even celebrities can reach it, and they have plenty of money to change anything they want. And change they do, because the trends in what’s beautiful keep changing. Even the rich can barely keep up. It’s human nature to want to be thought attractive, but true beauty is not only about physical appearance. It’s also about inner beauty, that spark that sets a person apart from the millions of others who are dressing the same way, getting the same haircut, and trying to achieve the same body. We can save ourselves a lot of time, trouble, and grief if we clear our mind of everyone else’s perception of what is beautiful. It’s much better to focus on the specific qualities or features we’ve been given that make us unique. When we enhance those, it will bring out our best—and we’ll be the most beautiful.—From Activated Magazine
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A Spiritual Exercise
By Abi F. May Life is often pictured as a journey. Step by step, day by day, we travel along a road that is uniquely ours. Although we sometimes share our joys and griefs with others we meet along the way, nobody else’s journey is exactly the same. The one thing that we do have in common, however, is the possibility of a life companion and counselor who will be with us each moment. God says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” and “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.” (See Jeremiah 33:3 and Psalm 32:8.) If you look back at your journey through the past year, particularly times when you struggled, you can probably recognize situations that could have played out better had you prayed for guidance and followed the path that God indicated. But don’t worry! It’s a new year, fresh with new possibilities. Take a few minutes to think about your daily routine. Perhaps you could start a prayer diary, or make a plan to read through the book of Psalms or the Gospels, or take five minutes when you wake up or before you go to sleep to think about the good things in your life and thank God for them. Whatever you decide, make it a resolution and stick with it, for you have “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, Gives unto each day what He deems best, Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest. —Lina Sandell (1832–1903), translated from Swedish to English by A. L. Skoog (Adapted from the Activated magazine)
Quote of the day:
“To be great, it is necessary to suffer.” – Enrico Caruso Think about it: The story behind the quote is about Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873 – August 2, 1921) one of the most famous Italian tenor singers of all time. Caruso’s favorite saying was, “Bisogna soffrire per essere grandi,” which means, “To be great, it is necessary to suffer.” Caruso’s early life was full of difficulties. His mother gave birth to seven children, only three survived. His family was extremely poor. It wasn’t until he was 18 that he was able to buy his first pair of shoes with the money he earned from singing at a resort. In his first publicity photograph, he is wearing a bed sheet draped like a toga, because his only shirt was being washed at the time. Perhaps his poverty contributed to the richness of his character and his voice. There was something magical about his voice that brought him great riches and fame. A music critic observed, “His is a voice that loves you, but not only a voice, a sympathetic man.” An amusing illustration of Caruso’s sympathetic nature can be found when during an opera performance one of his fellow singers lost his voice and could no longer sing. Caruso sang his part while the hoarse singer mouthed the song. Surely, there are many more stories that tell of great people who overcame their difficulties. They give us hope, that if they could do it, so can we. By Keith Phillips
The New Year is more than just a marking of time—or at least it can be. Many people see it as an opportunity to make a new start in some area of their lives. Perhaps it’s our new calendars with their fresh images or our new diaries and weekly planners with their unspoiled pages. Perhaps it’s the knowledge that some of the people closest to us and millions of others around the world are making New Year’s resolutions and setting their sights higher. We don’t want to be outdone or left behind. Call it what you will—a personal wake-up call, a jolt to our collective conscience, or peer pressure—it’s effective ... at least for a few days. We all know how that goes. This year can be different. This year, your New Year’s resolutions can be the start of wonderful lasting changes, especially if you include God in your plans and work with Him. If your motivation is to please Him most of all, then you can be sure that He is more than happy to help you make any necessary changes. In the process, because He loves you and wants you to be happy, He will also bring other good things your way in answer to your spoken and unspoken prayers. That He has promised! “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) And don’t let it stop with you. Find out what changes others you care about would like to make, and get behind them. Now that’s rewarding! —Adapted from Activated Magazine.
Quote of the day:
"Make the choice to talk more about your blessings than your problems and more good things will come your way when you do.” – Author Unknown Think about this: Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player, was dying of a blood infection, which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed, “Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease?” To this Arthur replied, “The world over, 50,000,000 children start playing tennis every year, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the great slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 reach the semifinals, 2 to the finals. When I was holding the cup, I never asked God, ‘Why me?’ So today in pain I should not be asking God, ‘Why me?’ either.” What a great attitude to have about his misfortune. Instead of bemoaning it he was thankful for his blessings. What sort of attitude do you have toward your misfortunes? By Ariana Andreassen
In most countries the New Year is celebrated on the first day of January, but in Cambodia, my home for three years, we got to celebrate New Year three times every 365 days. First comes the international New Year on January 1, best known for late-night parties and morning-after hangovers. Then there is the Chinese New Year in January or February. The Chinese New Year is a time to light firecrackers, visit relatives, and burn faux paper money to one’s ancestors. The most important New Year, though, is the Cambodian New Year. During the two-week celebrations leading up to New Year, almost everyone returns to their ancestral birthplace to visit with relatives and to pay respect to their forebears. The celebrations span three or four days in what is mid-April on the international calendar. This is not only the most important holiday of the year, but also the only time that some people ever take off from work—and everybody does. The first day of Cambodian New Year, according to tradition, marks the inauguration of the new angels who come to take care of the world for a one-year period. People clean and decorate their houses and prepare fruits and drinks to welcome the angels into every home. Elderly people meditate or pray, children play traditional games, and singles look for that special someone to marry. The second day is for offering gifts to elders. Many employers also give gifts to their employees, and people donate money or clothes to the poor. In the evening, people visit temples to ask the monks for blessings of happiness and peace. On the evening of the third day, the New Year festival ends with ceremonial bathing. One thing that the three New Years have in common is that each is a time to evaluate one’s life, set new goals, and resolve to do things better in the coming year. Actually, every day can be a new beginning because every day is another chance to do things better. We may have some pieces to pick up from the previous days, but we can take heart in a promise found in the Bible: God’s love and mercy are renewed every morning. (See Lamentations 3:22–23.) So instead of saying “Happy New Year” once or even three times a year, we should say “Happy New Day” every day, because it’s another opportunity to give life our best shot. (Adapted from Activated magazine.)
Quote of the day:
“What was hard to bear is sweet to remember.”-- Portuguese proverb Think about it: The world’s largest theme-based shopping mall in Dubai is centered around the life of the world traveler Ibn Batutta. This adventurous Moroccan began his journey in his early twenties and kept on the move for 29 years, traveling by foot and camel some 75,000 miles (120,700 km), which was three times the distance that Marco Polo traveled. He lived by the motto, “never, if possible, cover any road a second time.” Like all life journeys, his too was fraught with hardships. He had more than most of his share of troubles to overcome, such as being attacked by bandits, almost drowning in a sinking ship, and escaping from a dungeon and the executioner’s sword in the service of his captor, a ruthless Sumatran king. He was almost lost in the vast Saharan desert where he wrote of the difficulty of finding the way where there was “no visible road or track in these parts, nothing but sand blown here and there by the wind.” In some places he went, the population was ravaged by the effects of the Black Death*, where thousands died each day. (*The Black Death or bubonic plague was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350.) Yet, despite the hardships he encountered, he returned to his home safely and wrote about his experiences. Today, about 700 years later, they remind us of the many wonders that await discovery, and yes, that all troubles have an end. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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