Tag Archives: #faith

Spirituality

It’s Valentines Day

In the United States today is Valentines Day, the day of love. Or is it?

This day provides the florists, the chocolatiers and Hallmark cash flow to get them through until Mothers Day. Not a bad thing, but people build this day up to be something that can set the stage for disappointment.

If your significant other truly cares about you, he or she will show you all year long. You will know you are loved. Your relationship will be close and intimate, not one that is taken for granted.

The greatest demonstration of love is one we cannot fully understand. God allowed His son to be tortured and beaten beyond recognition so we, lowly humans, could be reconciled to God. There is no love like Divine love, and God loves us all the time, not just on February 14th.

Show people you care through your actions. This includes every other day besides Valentines Day…

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Spirituality

Phonies

You have probably heard of imposter syndrome. People believe themselves to be a fake because they are acting like things are better than they really are. That’s not being fake. It’s simply not airing everything in your public life.

Phonies are like chameleons. They shift their energy from crowd to crowd. You are never sure who you’re going to get. Being a phony is pathological when it is manipulative. Other people are just insecure, so they put on a front.

Get comfortable with who you are. Accept yourself and work on personal growth. You are here for a purpose, and there’s nothing phony about that!

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Spirituality

Saying Goodbye

When someone dies, I don’t think of it as a goodbye. It’s simply “see you later.” Hopefully, much later!

We hang up the phone and never think it might be the last time we ever speak to that person. Our thoughts move on to whatever is next. Recently we had three plane crashes. The family and friends of the dead never thought they wouldn’t see them again. We take life for granted.

It’s best to resolve conflicts with your circle of people. Keep things out in the open so there’s no bad blood between you. In this manner, should their life (or ours) be ended, there is nothing left to work through. We can miss them without any guilt.

People have severed relationships due to politics. In my opinion, this is shallow. People are important and we are way more than just our political beliefs. Would any of us refuse to help someone in need because they have a bumper sticker of the other side? Some have said goodbye and shut the door forever.

Please remember, if you are in conflict with someone else, I encourage you to resolve it. Have the difficult conversations, unless you believe it might cause more harm than good.

Above all, pray for each other…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Dare To Be Different

I need to tell you something. You might want to sit down if you aren’t already.

You are different. There is no one like you now, and there never has been. There will never be another you. Since the beginning of time as we measure it, over 100 billion people have lived. That’s a staggering number. Yet, not another you.

I encourage you to acknowledge and embrace your uniqueness. God created us for a purpose. There was nothing random in creating you. Your life story might not be idyllic, but you can choose to be whatever you want to be. You are only limited by the barriers you create in your mind.

Trying to “fit in” will only leave you frustrated and unfulfilled. Dare to show yourself to the world. Be who you are, not who others want you to be. It’s your life, not theirs. Do not concern yourself with the critics. They are everywhere, but they are just projecting. Their opinions don’t matter.

Pursue your purpose. It’s time to live and thrive in authenticity…

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Spirituality

This Must Change

Recently I read about people who were doing “Dry January,” putting their drinking on hold for 31 days. From the struggles people seemed to be experiencing by giving up alcohol, they should have chosen a shorter month, like February!

Our country has become obese, and it’s not getting better. Obesity is as harmful as alcoholism. We can rationalize eating because food isn’t going to hurt us. Or does it?

Healthy bodies begin in the mind. How we think will determine what we do. Good health is available to everyone. Taking the steps to improve isn’t a sacrifice.

What we gain must remain in the forefront of our minds. Read articles about health. Get any junk food out of your house. You can regain your health if you refuse to give up. And I encourage you to use your extra energy for something good!

Good health is within your reach. Reach for it…

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Spirituality

God Moments

There are times in our lives where we are keenly aware of God working. Albert Einstein famously said, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” Things happen, but the only explanation is supernatural.

One thing worth remembering is, God is always working. He doesn’t take time off or sleep. The more quiet we get, the more we can hear God’s voice. That voice, perhaps it’s a whisper, is guiding us to our greater purpose. There is nothing random about us being here during this time in history.

Take some time and quieten your mind. Listen for the voice of encouragement and calling to appear. It may not happen every day, but it does happen. Write down your thoughts in those moments.

Remember, God didn’t create us and then forget about us…

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Spirituality

Weighed Down

Is your past holding you back, weighing you down? It’s time to release yourself from the dead weight of the past and start living again.

The mistakes we made are good for one thing: we learn from them. There are a lot of things we do the right way. We rarely give those much thought, but we should. Turn your thoughts toward your daily victories, whether big or small.

The voice inside your head that constantly tries to dissuade you from trying anything new is a liar. Stop listening to it and listen to the other voice, the one that encourages you, prompts you, the voice that is on your side. This voice will lead you to your purpose.

Both voices will always be there. They are inside everyone’s heads. It’s your choice to decide which voice to listen to. It’s always been your choice.

Choose wisely…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

But It’s My Idea!

Have you ever worked on something that turned out great, but someone else took credit for it? Some people are so determined to make a name for themselves that they cut corners or take shortcuts.

Accomplishments are one of the reasons we work at things. You will get results only through placing time and concentrated effort into something. Do you want your children to grow up to have solid character and a strong work ethic? You must put in the effort with your children and it’s not easy. But you will get results if you stay with it.

People have been taking credit for other people’s work forever. It doesn’t matter. You will always know, but so will God. And the collective good is the outcome.

Harry Truman once said, “it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” It was true when he said it, and it is true today…

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Spirituality

One Small Voice

Everyone has a voice. Some people use theirs to impose their opinions and beliefs on us, whether we want to hear them or not. Sometimes they yell.

Social media has given people a platform. How we use this opportunity is up to us. Do we spread optimism and encouragement, or rage and anger? Right now more than ever, people need hope. Mental health is fragile for many, suicidal ideations are the highest they have ever been, and the world is divided. A breaking point is in our future unless we right the ship.

We can turn things around. We can use our voices to encourage others, lift them when they are despondent, and our words can bring hope to the hopeless. One small voice, speaking collectively with other likeminded people becomes a force. And the momentum builds into a storm. A storm for good.

Remember to ask yourself before you speak, am I helping or hurting others with my words? You know what to do from there.

And one final thought, I encourage you to be a voice for the voiceless until they find their own…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Rush to Judgment

For as long as I can remember, some parts of society believe you are guilty until proven innocent. Our laws believe it is the other way around, thankfully. If we are accused of wrongdoing, we are still assured of our due process under the Constitution.

My favorite book (and movie) is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The book is fiction, and it is enriched by a great plot and subplots. In the main theme, a man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a woman. The story is set in Alabama in 1933. Tom is black. The woman is white. You see where the story is going. Tom was automatically guilty because he couldn’t be trusted around white women. This was untrue then and it is untrue now. Yet, because of this work of fiction as well as many real life stories, the south has forever been deemed to be racist. It isn’t.

Rushing to judgment clouds the thinking. It’s difficult to see truth when you are looking through the lens of guilt. Facts matter.

I encourage you to steer clear of judgment, all judgment. Put yourself in the same situation and treat others as you would like to be treated.

Freeing yourself from judgment opens you up to seeing people for who they are. And isn’t that what we all want?

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