Poetry, quotes, photos, and stories to provoke spiritual thought and contemplation as well as thoughts on my personal journey towards finding meaning, peace and joy.
It is so nice to have a real Spring season and not jump directly from Winter to Summer. Cool sunny days, birds singing and gentle rains.
If it's Spring where you live, let every blooming flower, budding branch, April shower and nesting bird bring you joy, renew your hope and remind you of God's enduring and limitless love for you.
Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)
Do Not Worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Much has been written recently about a well known minister’s comments which seemed to damn a nation. It is not my intent to discuss that issue here other than to reflect upon the power of words.
There’s a saying “Stick and Stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me” As children we all knew that this saying is not true no matter how much adults tried to convince us otherwise. Children instinctively know that words have power. But sadly, as we become adults many of us either forget about the power of words or we learn how to use that power for our own purposes. We learn how to bless or curse.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]”. -- Amplified Bible (AMP)
Said another way,
“Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.” - The Message (MSG)
This past Good Friday, I was reminded of a message by Victoria Boyson entitled, "The Power of Blessing". In this message Victoria recalls a young women who seemed to be extremely blessed but did not live or feel that way.
“I once knew a young girl who seemed to have a lot going for her, but consistently failed in many areas of her life. I could not understand why- she seemed to choose failure over a successful, happy life. She was beautiful, talented and intelligent, but it was obvious that she did not esteem herself. And she continually made bad choices.
For years I could not understand why she did not see her true value as a person - until I met her mother. Her mother saw her as the biggest failure ever born and told her so. She would vomit out her many objections about her daughter to anyone who would listen to her. With her daughter present she would declare to a roomful of people what a failure she was. It did not take great discernment to see why the girl struggled so. Why should she like herself when the woman who gave birth to her did not see any good in her?”
Did this mother realize that her ill spoken words were cursing her daughter? Probably not. Did the daughter realize that words that her mother spoke over her were the cause of her low self esteem? Maybe. But whatever the mother or the daughter did or did not realize or intend, the power of the words still accomplished their work
In the Old Testament the descendants of Abraham recognized the power of words. In fact the words of blessing from a father were so sought after that mothers and sons stooped to deception to obtain. Many of you recall the story of the lengths to which Rebekah and Jacob went to have Isaac bestow the blessing of the first born on Jacob. Genesis 27
Words have power to bless and to curse. YOU CHOOSE! “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”Deuteronomy 30:19 (New International Version)
"There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread" -- Mother Teresa
Over the years there have been dozens of people who have played an important role in my life and to whom I wish I could turn today and say thank you. Sadly, sometimes I did not realize just how important they were until they were long gone. So in this post I'd like to publicly say a few "Thank You(s)" that I meant to say.
In the daily business of living, we are each thrown in with a wide cast of others, some of whom bless our lives immeasurably by tiny acts of kindness that impress and change and help us make a difference in the world. When we spend just a moment or two out of any given day expressing our appreciation to those who have gone out of their way to help us, we not only make them feel better, we change our own vibration, as well, raising it to reflect the goodness for which we are grateful. The first step in making the world a kinder and gentler place to be is to acknowledge the kindness and gentleness we've already been shown.
May you always be willing to show your appreciation.
And may you always be aware that you are loved beyond measure and a cherished blessing to me.
Until tomorrow,
May your day be filled with all things good Kate Nowak Live More Abundantly Productions, P.O. Box 58, Strawn, Texas 76475, USA
The following video was made for a thanksgiving luncheon for the parents of the youth group, Joy Fellowship.
" Have you ever wanted to say "thank you", but didn't? Next time, say it.."
This post is dedicated to Aunt Nessy, Addie Brown, Bernice Kemp Bell, Jack Butler, Anna Cooper, Sharon Johnson White, David Johnson, Milna Johnson, Barbara Demps, BJ Walker, Ellen Dubin, Jill Gabbe, Debra Iannotti, Daniel Bloom, Ruth Samzoric [ I know I just butchered your name :-) ], Elaine DiBonis, Lucille Lonardo and, the terrific Professor and Unitarian minister who taught "History of the Bible 101" at Emerson College in the late '70s.
If there are a few people who you meant to thank, why not add their name to comments.
As the previous message mentioned, many people face the holiday season feeling that they have little reason to celebrate. Certain holidays like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and of course, Christmas can be the saddest of all because of their focus on relationships and gifts. For people who have recently lost a loved one through death or divorce, who may be struggling with physical illness, who may have recently lost a job or, who may simply be a long, long way from home, the songs, decorations and commercials of the season may evoke melancholy instead of joy.
For many years Christmas seemed to have lost its joy for me because I could no longer spend it surrounded by a huge family with lots of children and in my favorite childhood place, my grandparent's farm. This year I've learned the secret of making the holidays special. In fact, it's really no secret at all.
The secret to enjoying the holidays is finding the meaning, the miracle and the sacredness in EVERY day. Approaching each day in this way has helped me find joy throughout the year and celebrate each holiday in a way that is meaningful for me. However, I will never forget the years of dreading the holidays or the Christmases of going through all the motions of shopping, cooking and decorating only to feel a terrible let down when Christmas Day arrived.
So for the next few weeks, I will be celebrating the season and while doing so try to share messages that will help anyone that is facing the holidays with dread, stress or emptiness.
Pamela Lyn
P.S. When you stop and really think about the good old days of holidays past you remember that they weren't really as perfect as you recalled.
Holidays are supposed to be a joyous, happy time, filled with warmth and laughter. Yet, for many, the emotions present are often tension, anger, disappointment, sadness, disillusionment, and even incompetence. What happens that turns these holy days into horrid days? And what can be done to keep that from happening?
Let's start with the first question. There are three things that combine to produce the pain: pressure to have a perfect experience, unrealistic expectations, and the expectation of intimacy. Let's look at each one.
The Perfect Experience. In our culture, holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, are portrayed as "perfect moments." Fairy tale pictures in commercials and holiday cards show us scenes that for many rarely happen--snowy landscapes and horse-drawn sleigh rides, flickering fireplaces and perfectly arranged candles, golden brown turkeys and laughing family members toasting the season. The subtle message is: This is how holidays should be; anything less is inadequate. The reality of holidays is oftentimes holiday dinners that exhaust the cooks and kitchens that take hours to clean; dinner rolls that won't rise; misguided gifts; and people who show up late, "spoiling everything."
Unrealistic Expectations. Trying to have the perfect experience is unrealistic, but other impossible expectations exist as well. There is tremendous pressure to spend too much money on decorations, food, drinks and gifts. Others expect you to "get into the holiday spirit" by entertaining at home or by attending more parties between Thanksgiving and New Year's than you are invited to all year. Declined invitations bring raised eyebrows or sad looks. How can you want to stay home and have a quiet evening? You should be enjoying yourself!
Expectation of Intimacy. The idea of coming home for the holidays is another cultural pressure we must face. The message is simple: You're supposed to be with family during the holidays, and you're suppose to enjoy being together. The reality is often very different. Frequently the added stress of the holiday season's expectations undermines attempts at being together and enjoying one another. The number of people seeking counseling increases after the holidays because of the stress that uncovers flaws in relationships during this time.
In spite of this dismal picture of the holidays, they need not be stressful times. Here are some ideas that can make a difference:
Start by remembering what holidays are really all about:
· Thanksgiving is for giving thanks for what you have,
· Christmas is for celebrating God's gift of eternal life though Jesus Christ,
· New Year's is a time of reflection, renewal and refocusing on things that really matter.
Stop and rethink your habits and traditions associated with these days:
· Make a list, write a narrative, jot some notes to yourself in which you describe what you really want to do versus what you think you should do. Traditions can be very helpful because they provide a sense of continuity with the past. This in turn fosters a sense of belonging, security, relatedness, and intimacy. And traditions provide a structure for important moments. But traditions should be reexamined, because they may need to be changed, revised, even abandoned if they don't achieve what they are suppose to achieve.
· If new traditions make more sense, replace the old ones. It's one thing to visit everyone in your family when there are only two of you and one or two families to visit. But, as families expand and/or change through divorce and remarriage, another approach may make more sense and be just a meaningful.
Accept those things that can not be changed, but change those things that can:
· For example, your Christmas this year is not likely to bring the emotional supports you needed from your parents when you were growing up. If they couldn't do it then, they probably can't do it now.
· Decide to break the bad habits you have with siblings or other relatives, such as rehashing old hurts.
· Intimacy and warm feelings come in momentary waves, not long-lasting deluges; take what is offered and be thankful rather than comparing that to what you wished for and making yourself miserable.
By trying to follow these suggestions, you can actually celebrate the holidays as what they are meant to be: holy days.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun
The following quote sums up my philosophy of life --
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
- Albert Einstein
" My religion
consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who
reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our
frail and feeble mind." -- Albert Einstein
" Nothing in all the world is
more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. "
-- Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
"In our era, the
road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action." -
Dag Hammarskjold
