What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him! … Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!--1 Peter 1:3–4 MSG
The promise of Easter “Because I live, you shall live also.” We need these seven words above to help us to endure The changing world around us that’s dark and insecure; To help us view the present as a passing episode, A troubled, brief encounter on life’s short and troubled road. For the fact that life’s eternal because our Savior died And arose again at Easter after He was crucified Makes this uncertain present, in a world of sin and strife, Nothing but a steppingstone to a new and better life! —Helen Steiner Rice Overcoming crises Are you worried about your future and that of your loved ones? Does it feel like your world recently came crashing down around you? Do you feel helpless, depressed, isolated, or lonely? If so, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, these are challenges that people all over the world are confronted with. And the gospels tell us that Jesus’ disciples faced similar uncertainty and apprehension after his execution. In their case, the solution was realizing that the Master was still around and that they could continue depending on Him, just as they had done until then. It took a while for them to understand it, but seeing the risen Christ put everything else into perspective and confirmed that He was powerful enough to provide all the help they could need. The same is true for us today. Jesus didn’t promise that everything in our lives would go smoothly or that we wouldn’t face problems and opposition. But He did promise that He would never leave us, and that He will always love us. Our path may not be easy, but we are not traveling it alone. If we don’t let the trials and tough times overcome us, but instead use them to strengthen our connection with the one who can give us hope, joy, and peace, we will come through our personal difficulties and crises stronger than ever, just as Jesus’ disciples did.--Samuel Keating * Now the iron bars are broken, Christ from death to life is born, Glorious life, and life immortal On this holy Easter morn: Christ has triumphed, and we conquer By His mighty enterprise, We with Him to life eternal By His resurrection rise. --Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885)
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Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God. —John Stott
God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. —Unknown Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith. —Paul Tillich For many people in our world, the opposite of faith is doubt. The goal, then, within this understanding, is to eliminate doubt. But faith and doubt aren’t opposites. Doubt is often a sign that your faith has a pulse, that it’s alive and well and exploring and searching. Faith and doubt … are, it turns out, excellent dance partners. —Rob Bell For many of us, the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it. —John Ortberg Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to. —From the movie, Miracle on 34th Street Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving. —Frederick Buechner Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You can’t see the future, yet you know it will come; you can’t see the air, yet you continue to breathe. —Claire London Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. —Martin Luther King, Jr. Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. —Helen Keller Quote of the day:
“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles, and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?” -- Lao Tzu Think about it: You might think of “waiting” as taking time, but it’s actually less about clock time and more about inner space. Of course, there are moments when our immediate gut-level response to a situation is a flash of intuition that can be trusted, moments when it’s crystal clear what needs to be done. But at other times, an experience stirs up some of that inner mud, and at those times, patience engages us in the process of becoming still. An unclear mind, one in which right action isn’t obvious, isn’t a “bad” thing. Wisdom, after all, develops at the edges of our understanding. Our fundamental questions can frustrate us, or create a positive sense of wonder and possibility. The challenge is to develop enough stillness to allow the questions to pose themselves without judgment. This is where patience comes in. Needing answers isn’t the point—patience is in finding value in the questions, in and of themselves. The root word for question, after all, is “quest,” and so this spirit of adventure is embedded within true questioning. That’s not to say that answers aren’t important. They do come, but often not the ones we’d expect, and often ones that open up to even deeper questions. In this way, those moments of fuzziness, when dealt with patiently, become opportunities to turn our boundaries into edges of exploration. When we think we know, we expect to find a solution in the direction in which we are looking; when we don’t know where to look, we remain open to all directions. But remaining open and “unmoving,” as Lao Tzu suggests, isn’t about being passive or lacking conviction. There’s lots of committed activity happening beneath the surface—it takes great effort and discipline to remain alert to what’s happening within. This sharp alertness awakens us to the power of the subtle: the mental seeds we sow become the roots of our skillful words and actions. And it is patience which creates that inner space. First, the mud—our unexamined reactions and habituated patterns of interpretation—rises to the surface, but then eventually it settles. Our view clears. We find that those initial, rigid interpretations relax, and a multiplicity of perspectives emerge. We start to see in a way that is more real, more whole, truer, and we become freer to consciously choose our actions. Through it all, the journey of patience is rooted in knowing that our current reality inevitably gives way to change. But change won’t always happen when we think it should, and patience with ourselves comes from accepting that there are things we can control and things we can’t. And though we must make diligent efforts to keep pushing the boundaries of our awareness and to deepen our ability to rest comfortably in the present moment, how fast we develop isn’t up to us. Patience, then, is a kind withholding of judgment and conclusion, a valiant invitation for our development to unfold just as it needs to. (adapted from Motivated magazine.) For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows. And the beauty of a woman, with passing years, only grows! You are unique. There has never been a person like you, nor will there ever be another just like
you.—Author Unknown Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.— Eleanor Roosevelt Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. — Saint Francis DeSales When people compliment you, pay attention. Repeat the compliment to yourself. Don’t downplay or dismiss it. Why should your own negative voice be louder than the positive voice of a friend? — Carole M. Wallace It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. —Author Unknown How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone. —Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel You were born an original. Don’t die a copy. —J ohn Mason Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. — Henri Frederic Amiel Wherever you go, go with all your heart. — Confucius Originality is... a by-product of sincerity. — Marianne Moore All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own. — Johann von Goethe Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. — Dr. Seuss Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are. — Julius Charles Hare Why try to be someone you’re not? Life is hard enough without adding impersonation to the skills required. — Robert Brault It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is. — Desiderius Erasmus In 2012, there was an on-line contest with a $100 reward for the best answer to the question, “What are you thankful for?” I scrolled down the 87 comments that were posted. I was not surprised to find that most comments included gratitude for family, friends, and good health. But then there were those that were different and stood out. Here are some I found share-worthy and thought provoking:
I’m thankful for so much—every time I see a puddle in the street, I’m thankful to our town council for neglecting to fix it so that birds and strays can have a drink of water. I’m thankful for the rays of sunshine warming the homeless during the winter months, and for every breath I painlessly take. I thank God for putting up with us. — Chrystall Antoniadou I’m most grateful to be surrounded by such unconditional love and friendship. Up until now, I’ve been enduring chronic pain from a work injury, which cost me a dream job but has led me to new-found love and utter possibilities. Without having suffered such pain, I never would have moved or met the love of my life, found a place to call home, in the literal sense, versus being a wandering gypsy, gallivanting and having world adventures. I’m so forever thankful each day that pain has led me to a place of being grounded. It has made me more empathetic, loving, and most humbled and grateful. The conclusion is LOVE. With that, everything else that should matter will come.—S. Daniels Life! As a woman fighting cancer, I’m thankful for my life and whatever life looks like when I’m finished. That includes all the people in it–my family, my husband, my caretakers, my amazing friends, my colleagues and clients, and all the people who were strangers but have come into my life because of cancer. I’m thankful that I’m able to fight this disease and look beyond it to so many amazing blessings. I’m thankful to be here–right now!—April Boone I am thankful for the simple things in life like clean air and clean water. I am thankful for my beautiful land that stole my heart away. I am thankful for the wondrousness and awe-inspiring ability of a star-filled night sky. I am thankful for being surrounded by people I love, being generally fortunate in life, and that I have been able to retain my childlike wonder of the world even during times of tragedy and despair. I am simply thankful that I have things to be thankful for.—Amanda (Adapted from Motivated Magazine.) Stress is the trash of modern life—we all generate it—but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.—Terri Guillemets
Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.—Charles H. Spurgeon Believing that you must do something perfectly is a recipe for stress, and you’ll associate that stress with the task and thus condition yourself to avoid it. —Steve Pavlina Stress believes that everything is an emergency.—Natalie Goldberg Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response to what happens. And response is something we can choose. —Maureen Killoran The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.—William James If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high stress levels. However, if you try to see the good in a situation, your stress levels will greatly diminish.—Catherine Pulsifer Keep your sense of humor. There’s enough stress in the rest of your life to let bad shots ruin a game you’re supposed to enjoy.—Amy Alcott For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. —Lily Tomlin Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.—Ovid A 113-year-old man, when asked the secret of his longevity, replied, “When it rains, I let it.”—Author Unknown We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining—they just shine.—Dwight L. Moody
Shine your light and make a positive impact on the world; there is nothing so honorable as helping improve the lives of others.—Roy T. Bennett A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home. —Author Unknown People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own. —Ben Sweetland Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.—Michael Strassfeld Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.—Anthony J. D’Angelo Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.—Norman B. Rice Quote of the day:
What many people fail to realize is that the world of tomorrow is what the adults of today make it, according to what they choose to give or not give the next generation. — David Fontaine Think about it: I was a scrawny, asthmatic eight-year-old living in Asia with my family in the early 1980s when an old family friend visited and informed me with a smile that she had taken care of me when I was a baby. I felt a special link with her. As she reminisced with my parents, I knelt behind her and silently braided her honey-colored hair. It was my first attempt at braiding, and it turned out quite loose and unsymmetrical. But when I finished and I asked her how she liked it, she felt the back of her head and said, “It’s lovely! And it’s much more comfortable in this heat. Thank you for doing that for me.” An eight-year-old who thought she wasn’t very good at many things gained a sense of worth and learned the reward of helping others in little ways. A year or two later, also in Asia, we went for an all-day outing up a local “mountain” with a thousand stone steps. My asthma forced me to rest often, but it was worth the effort. When we reached the top, we explored a fascinating old museum that had once been a magnificent palace and observed the lifestyle of bygone royalty in the carefully preserved, fully furnished rooms and lush, immaculately kept gardens. The next day our teacher asked us to write an essay about our excursion. I became completely absorbed in painstakingly documenting every event of the day—the hike up the mountain, the monkeys we met on the way and how they took peanuts from our hands and ate them, the massive statue of a fierce warrior at the entrance of the palace, and every detail of the palace itself. I was pleased with my essay and so was my teacher, but she gently explained that it’s usually better not to begin every sentence with “then.” She suggested some alternatives, and I liked the way they sounded. Such constructive criticism and collaboration were new concepts to me, but the encouragement and help I received that day steered me toward a fulfilling career in writing and editing. Whether we are a parent, teacher, caregiver, or “bystander,” we should never underestimate the influence we have on the children who share our world. Sometimes all it takes is an approving smile or an encouraging word to change a young life, and the love we give will come back to us. (By Anaik Alcasas adapted from Motivated Magazine) A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are. — Author unknown
The only way to have a friend is to be one.—Ralph Waldo Emerson Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry … I’m here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.—Charlie Brown to Snoopy in Peanuts, by Charles Shulz The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing … not healing, not curing … that is a friend who cares. —Henri Nouwen Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over. —Gloria Naylor A cheerful friend is like a sunny day spreading brightness all around. —J ohn Lubcock A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. —Arabian proverb Do not save your loving speeches For your friends till they are dead; Do not write them on their tombstones, Speak them rather now instead. —Anna Cummin |
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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