Rejection

This is the day after Good Friday and the day before Easter where Christians celebrate the saddest however the most beautiful days of our lives.

Jesus Christ was rejected by mankind and by his father God to be crucified on the cross for our sins. No one who has sinned can enter into heaven and have a relationship with God but Jesus took our spot so we can have relationship with God. We just believe we won’t be rejected by our Heavenly Father.

We all know what rejection feels like. It is not a good thing at all. We have been rejected by family, friends and peers. The hardest rejection is by those closest to us and we feel ashamed. Often we can feel it was our fault for the rejection. In some cases it is true however those who reject us have been rejected as well. We need to realize that everyone has been rejected at one time or another. It is not an easy thing to deal with. We do things sometimes so we don’t get rejected. We all have stories to when it comes to rejection. When I was in junior high I used to fall asleep weeping feeling that no one cared for how I felt. No one understood what I had gone through. There are cases where depression is a medical condition however it can be because of rejection as well. Going into depression sends you into a dark place and rejection feels even worse.

We must acknowledge that we have been rejected. We may still deal with issues concerning rejection even though it may have a long time ago. We do have hope because on Easter Jesus Christ was resurrected and had a new birth. We can have a new birth as well even though we may have not died. Today forgive those who have rejected you and don’t feel guilty any longer for those you have rejected. That is the thing not only have we been rejected we have rejected others as well.

Look to Jesus Christ the son of God to forgive you of your sins and turn your life over to him. He will not reject you instead he will love you. Most likely you will be rejected by people in the future however he will not at all. This is what Easter is all about. Amen!

The Cross

Today Friday March 30 is Good Friday or at least the day we celebrate it this year for Christians. This represents the day he went to the Cross and he was crucified. This was reason for his life and purpose.

We all have a cross to bear when it comes to our life purpose. It means that our purpose isn’t always easy. We likely will have to lay things down that are important to us as well. When Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross he said to forgive them they don’t know what they are doing. Often we may have to do the same thing when others may not understand what our purpose is. There could be cases where people will come against us because of what we stand for and care about. They may even shout insults at us so we have turn the other cheek and forgive them. Living our life of purpose isn’t always easy. Some may decide they may not want to live the life they were created for.

We all have to make the decision whether we want to life our purpose or not. I know that those that come to contact with us will benefit from our purpose but they may not see that way as well. The important thing will we deny our purpose or press on to accomplish our purpose. Only we can answer that for ourselves.

So today while you celebrate Good Friday in whatever manner you do think about the cross that you bear and whether you want to continue. Is the cost too much I don’t think so. Peace and grace to you all. Amen!

Be Bold

When it comes to hearing these two words “be bold” which are very uncommon and what we do with it is a question as well. Most people who know me personally can tell you that I like talking a lot and I will not deny that either however being bold is not something I am used to either. I am probably now feeling more comfortable to being bold but it has taken a while to do so. I am sure this blog has helped me in that regard.

Anyway I believe we all need to be bold in our lives. It is nothing we have to do on a regular basis however there are times we should be. What are those times you may ask? Well when you have a conviction that others are not listening to I would call that a good time to do so. Another if you see an injustice happening it would be good to be bold in that instance as well. All you may have to do is go to the powers to be and let them know your concerns. I have an example on Tuesday while out walking I saw trash along the side of the road. I had previously mentioned it in a group that I am in on Facebook but this time I decided go to the county government to let them aware of the situation and if there was anything they could do. So I checked on Twitter to see if they were on there and they are so I sent a tweet to them letting them know about the litter problem off the road that I live on. They wrote back thanking me for letting them know and they would send out a crew to take care of it. Also they gave me a phone number to call if something like that occurs again. They thanked me for making them aware of the situation.

What came to my mind while beginning this post the television show and soap opera “the Bold and the Beautiful” you see we not only can be beautiful we can bold at the same time. How about that! I don’t watch the show but the name sounds good to me.

So when the time and circumstance arise let’s be bold. Speak our minds after careful thought to be affective people using our purpose in life. Amen!

Speak with Compassion

                                                       Good way to start the day

Recently I wrote how important it is to think before what you say or write anything especially what you have a strong opinion about. Also I believe it is important to sound compassionate especially those who have a different view point from yours.

What I see on social media like Facebook people posting how they feel about a subject like the shootings and guns. I am sort of in the middle on the issue however I have found that most who go on the side of having guns and not limiting control show little compassion. Those on the other side show more compassion for those who want to have no controls on guns. In fact often I see finger pointing or being nasty all together. In some cases they know the other person that they are speaking to and others they don’t know at all. I went through the same thing when we had the Presidential election.

Actually now I usually don’t even read what people post on Facebook or I take a little glance. I believe most everyone knows how the other person on the issue feels so why continue going on and on. I guess they are so strong about how they feel let’s not stop. I have mentioned by adding my thoughts on Facebook that they don’t go across as being compassionate but that doesn’t change a whole lot either however I figure that I might as well try every once in a while.

So my thought here is to speak loud how you feel about an issue but at the same time be kind, considerate and compassionate. The world will be a better place to live though it certainly has a way to go. Also don’t lose your friends that don’t agree with you either.

Lay it Down

Here we are this week for many Christians it is called Holy Week. For the last six weeks I believe anyway that we have been going through Lent. Many Christians during this period give something up for Lent.

What I have to remind us is that is important to lay down our lives for others in the same manner that Jesu Christ did. Easter is celebrated that he laid his life down for all mankind and that we can have relationship with God. We should follow the same example he did by laying down our lives. For us to truly live our life as a purpose we must consider others before ourselves. Not an easy task because I know that I have to deal with my life on a daily basis. We have to put others before ourselves to truly live as we want to.

So during this Holy Week look to sacrifice your needs about everyone else. Be the servant that Christ was when he walked on the earth. We all have heard the story of the Good Samaritan who helped another while others walked by. The Samaritan’s were not well liked by the Jews and I believe the person he helped was Jewish. Those who walked by thought of themselves as being righteous but when it was time to do something they let their thoughts and feelings get the best of them while the Samaritan didn’t care that this man was considered an enemy to his people he helped anyway. This is the life we need to live not worry whether the person is our friend or not or believes the same religiously or politically. We might have different beliefs but we are all people and in many cases just trying to live the best we can. So whether it is easy or hard let’s lay our lives down today. Tomorrow we will have to look to do the same as well. Not an easy thing to do however we will be rewarded for what we do. Amen!  

Encouraging Children

On Sunday at church the elementary children sang three songs and then we saw a video they played in showing the time between Palm Sunday through Easter. It was really well done on both parts. Each child had a chance to sing a short solo or duet in the songs and all did a marvelous job.

What I see in all this is for the children to find out what their purpose and destiny in life is. Not one of them may be a singer or actor when they grow up but they are getting the opportunity to find out what their talents and gifts are. I believe that is the purpose of the parents and teachers.

I am on a ministry team at church where we look into what is called “original design” other words what their purpose was when God created them to be. We then go into pray for them for what are called “strongholds” which might be described as the areas that have kept them from fulfilling their purpose.

We all have areas of our lives that keep us from becoming who we were meant to be. The strongholds were put on us by our parents, teachers, siblings or peers. It could be one or all of them. No one is perfect and often the struggles or strongholds can be passed down generation to generation. We pray that the person forgives those who have hurt them along the way and to forgive themselves for their reaction to the hurts. It is amazing how people have responded and their lives have changed over receiving prayer. My encouragement is whatever we have been through over the years our lives can change in a moment. It is important that we don’t put on baggage to the children because of what we have been through. The children are the future and they can make a difference in this world in the same way we still can no matter what we have been through. I had a late start however I can change the world that I live in day by day. Let’s do it. Amen!

Our Number One Ingredient Is Love

Whatever our purpose is in life the number one ingredient is love. We have to show everything we have with love. The way others will see our purpose is how we share love with them.

When I post to this blog I want you to know the love that is behind it. You will feel the love that I express through this post. The same goes for the rest of my life when it comes to my purpose.

Whether it is on this blog or when I post to social media I think a lot of what I am going to say before writing it. My friends appreciate even if my opinion is different than theirs I write with consideration of their feelings.

The constitution here in the United States gives us the freedom of speech however consequences still can happen if we don’t watch the words that we say. We may not be put in jail for our words unless we are threatening someone like the President of the United States but we can still lose our job over what we may say or we may not get a job for the same reason. These days companies often check on employees what they say on social media and whether you think it is right or not it is what is happening. Companies feel often that their reputation can be compromised by what an employee says about them on social media or about any issue for that matter.

So I see that when words are spoken love should be in the equation though often because of strong feelings the wrong words are spoken. In the heat of the moment we all can say the wrong thing so we have to apologize when that happens whether we are right or not.

So for us all let’s love be the ingredient that makes our purpose taste good. Amen!

 

Loving Our Purpose

Nothing better than loving our purpose that God created us to do. Not an easy road to walk sometimes but it is the one we have been given.

There are other things to do besides our purpose so we can’t forget our responsibilities on them too. Our jobs and families are an important part of our purpose. In fact they are at the top of the list  I believe in my heart. Whatever we know as our purpose or some may say is their calling family is number one in my book with the job coming in second. We have our job so that our family can live in security and have a roof over all of our heads. I have heard of people who put their calling ahead of everything including their family and that is not right. The family is your calling because you chose to have one and care for them. So loving your family is loving your purpose. Teach your children in the way they should love others and go for their purpose. When they ask questions you answer them in the best way you can with wisdom. Recognize their talents and gifts so they can accomplish what they were created to be. Amen!

A Great Talent

On Thursday with the trip to Seattle Center my sister, mother and I visited the Glass museum next to the Space Needle. One of the reasons we went there was that none of us had been at the museum before and another reason it was raining along with being cold. Mother didn’t want to walk a long distance either with her walker. She usually uses a cane around the house and her daily life but when going on trips like Seattle she likes using the walker.

Right now the Space Needle is closed for renovation however the crowds to the museum was good size for being off season. I don’t know when the Needle will be reopened but I am sure it will be when summer arrives.

I am going to show below a few pictures that I took at the museum. You can actually see glass sculptures as you may call them both inside the museum and some outdoors as well. There is a nice café in the museum to that you can have lunch. We realized to that it would be nice to come back at night because they would look even better then.

It was so nice to recognize the art’s talent and brings me to the point that we all have talent though might not be recognized by the masses but doesn’t make it any different the talent we have. I figure to that in the art world along with theatre, movies and music who we see are overnight sensations are not actually so. It takes hard work no matter what your talent is. Not everyone has the talent where you are recognized right away and sometimes it is plain luck to become an overnight sensation.

This leads to again about our purpose and destiny in this life. For some it will happen where many will recognize and enjoy our talents while the rest of us it will be only by a small mass but doesn’t change our purpose why were created. Who knows we could be the next overnight sensation however the most important thing is to do your talents and gifting because if we can change one person’s life we have done our job.

 

 

Off to Seattle

Today it is Thursday with my sister Barb visiting and this being her last full day here we will be taking a trip to Seattle. It has always been the big city to us in this area though I only visit about once a year. When I was working for my father I used to go Seattle on business at least once a week depending how busy things were going on.

Seattle has always felt like not a part of my everyday life. Seattle feels like a city in another country. Growing up in a small town going to Seattle was always special especially visiting my cousins, aunt and uncle. We usually went there on holidays like Christmas. Other times we would drive through Seattle to visit other relatives in Bellingham and Vancouver, British Columbia. I always enjoyed seeing the lights of Seattle when returning at night back to Gig Harbor.

This trip we will be going to the city center where the famous Space Needle is located and the world’s fair was back in the early sixties. Not only will I enjoy the time with my sister and mother I will see what path I take and who I may meet on the way. Who knows there could be the chance I meet someone who changes both of our lives. This is truly the way it can be living out your purpose and destiny. Every day can be special with new experiences. It is not like I will look for my purpose for the day however I look for the chances something can and will happen. So in a few hours we will be heading to the city of Seattle with the memories of the past included and making new ones today. May that be the same for you wherever you go.

Take the Path to Find Your Purpose

                                            I know it is a road but the same as the path

Often we take different paths until we find the right one when it comes to our purpose. When we finally get on the right path it makes somewhat easier but not perfect. Like the last post there will be those who want to knock us off the path we have finally made.

The important thing is to realize we are on the right path and no matter what is going on we are where we should be. We can actually make it this time and others will benefit it as well as we do.

I know that every day I have to remember where I am at and where I am going. It isn’t easier than the other paths we walked on we just know it is the right one. Also we can enjoy the trees and everything else that is on that path. The path won’t be flat there will be hills and valleys as well. The important thing to is knowing that God is with us and he is the one that made the path for us however he gave us the free will to walk on it.

I was doing a search this morning to see other sites that talk about life purpose as well. Most of them write and think in the same manner as I do. I recommend you read other ones just for confirmation. We all want to encourage and lift each other to finish the race we are on successfully. God bless you and may path be straight and narrow for you. Amen!

Let’s Not Be Defeated

Believing in ourselves means that we don’t need to be defeated. What that means that there are forces that are coming against us to defeat us and for us not to live out our life of purpose and destiny.

Even day one of our life there are those who don’t want us to succeed in life.  This can be through the natural laws or the spiritual laws. We live in the natural on a daily basis however there is a spiritual life as well. For most of us it takes a while to tap into it if we ever do.

Although I have been a Christian since I was seventeen and I have experienced the spiritual world to some degree or another recently I have recognized that I can live in the spiritual along with the natural. I can make a difference in both the spiritual and natural world. The more I recognize and understand the purpose I have been created for the better my life and those around me will benefit. The more I tap into the spiritual I can find the gifts and talents I was given to be as affective in the natural world as well.

There are those in the spiritual world that want me to be defeated. They know even from day one of my life that I could be dangerous for them. The spiritual world is not an easy one to live in because of those who want to defeat us. They find their way into the natural world as well because they know this is where we live all the time besides the time we are in the spiritual world.

I know this can sound crazy especially for those who haven’t spent any time in the spiritual or don’t believe in it either. Actually being a Christian gives me authority from God to be a strong warrior in the spiritual world and can led me over to the natural world for the same thing.

The more we believe in ourselves and our purpose we will not be defeated by those who come against us. Without God going into the spiritual world is not easy and you will be defeated because you have no one to help you. The rewards though are great in both worlds. So know in your heart and mind that you will not be defeated. Amen!

Believing in Yourself

The number one thing I do believe when it comes to our life and purpose is to believe in you. When you have the lack of belief or faith in yourself it is hard to know that you have a purpose.

It has taken me a lot of years to realize that I have a purpose because the unbelief in myself. Since I didn’t think that others believed in me how could I believe in myself as we. In most recent years being encouraged by others and being told that I do have a purpose then I now know that I was created for a purpose.

So if you have gone through tough times in the same way that I have let you know my experience you can make it and that you do have a purpose that no one else can fulfill. You were born for this time to make a difference in the world. Continue reading my blog because I will let you know how to live a life of purpose. We are on a journey where we can learn more and more every day. When someone discourages you they are not telling the truth or if they are than you take the determination to change. I am sure we will see a change in ourselves and others over the years ahead. Also will help is seeing the success in the purpose we are meant to do when others’ lives change in the same manner as we do. Amen!

Family Together

I have to say that I am blessed to be born and living in a good family. It is not a perfect family because no one’s is for sure. On Monday my sister Barb and her youngest son Connor will be coming to town for a visit. They have spent a few days in the Portland Oregon area. Connor had a week where he spent time with wines. He is a waiter at a restaurant in Ottawa Ontario however he orders their wines as well.

So Barb and Connor spent Friday during several wineries and then on Saturday toured around Portland. Barb lived in Portland for a little while after graduating from college in Eugene at University of Oregon. Sunday they spent the day around Astoria Oregon visiting our cousin Jennifer and her husband Holt. Barb’s eldest son is coming out in a couple weeks to visit Jennifer first and then see my mother and I as well.

We are supposed to have a wonderful family that we were born into and have sweet harmony unfortunately it doesn’t always turn out that way. This is truly what our life purpose is supposed to include as well. In the situations where family isn’t what it was meant to be we have friends that substitute for family. The ideal would be to have a loving family and friends.

We are all expected to have a purpose exactly designed perfectly for us where we can enjoy life to the fullest but others get in the way. Some may call it imperfection or faults however the true name for it is sin. The meaning of sin is falling short of what our lives were meant to be and not living under the will of God. So what we must do is ask God to forgive us along with those who have sinned against us. It is not an easy task to forgive others. We forgive others not for their benefit but for ours. The lives we live will be better when we forgive. This will allow us to get back on track to fulfill our life purpose. This doesn’t mean that we forget what they have done to us but we forgive them in the same way we hope that others will forgive us for misdeeds and sins.

So while I enjoy my sister and nephew this week remember your family this week and forever wherever they maybe. Those that you will see this week give them a hug and those far away give them a call. Let them know that you are thinking of them. Remember to they were put into your life for a reason.

Life and Purpose

Life and Purpose go hand to hand together. We were created for life and a purpose. I am saying this not to be a burden but to lighten the load. We sometimes do more than we should.

Remember if you have family they should be your highest priority and then your job that helps out your family. They are the main purpose in your life. Whatever else that you are doing that comes across as your purpose should be secondary to family and work.

When we have the time to do other things that we feel is our purpose and calling so be it however they should never be put ahead of family and work. Sometimes it is a tough choice but we can never become tired for doing well. In fact I would recommend that whatever you are doing as your purpose and calling your family should be involved as well. For example if you spend time helping people move bring your family along to assist. They will feel included into your purpose.

Of course people need help at times however so your family does too. Also pray for those who you help along with your family. If your family isn’t able to participate make sure they know that they still are the most important ones in your life.

If you are being involved in to many things it would be a good idea to cut back. Not an easy thing to do at times however it is necessary. You don’t want to be overworked where you are not able to be affective. At times we do have to set our priorities. Amen!

Knowing Our Hearts

In our life the heart is the hardest to know. In fact I would have to say every day we learn something knew about our heart. Truly knowing our heart is a life time journey.

Today we may know our heart in one fashion and tomorrow in another way. We can be cruel to another or ourselves today and tomorrow we can love another. The only thing we know for sure is that our heart keeps beating on and when it stops it is the end of our life.

The important thing is we have to know how to tame it along with our tongue. The heart, the tongue and our mind can work to give praise or evil. As a child we often speak evil though at times we can be kind as well. Over time is when we learn to tame all three. We spend the time to encourage others though the words we hear ourselves from others at times can bring out the worst in us. The importance is when someone says something to us that can push our buttons is not to react in anger. Not easy to do because I know by experience easy to respond back to them.

Many of our relationships end because of how our heart reacts and our tongue spews out not a good thing. How we can renew the relationship is to go back to the other person and apologize. This is not easy to do and we may feel that they won’t accept our apology however if they mean a lot to us we must at least try and hopefully the hurts will be mended.

Today we should search out our hearts to get the evil out and to give out kindness and encouragement. Also to forgive others who have hurt us in the same way. Our life can never be the same until we do so. Let us know kindness, goodness and praise. Let us get our hearts in order. Amen!

Compassion

These days I find it rare that people have compassion for others or at least that is how they come across sometimes. There are issues like gun control that people are strong on both sides that they don’t seem to feel for the young people who are stuck in the middle.

I am not saying that I am perfect when it comes to compassion however I do know how people feel. If you feel compassion than I salute you very much so we need more like you.

I can’t say those that feel strong about a particular issue they don’t have the right to feel that way however the rights of those who think differently than they do should be taken seriously as well.

In the Bible first Corinthians chapter thirteen describes what love is and one of them is to protect. I am sure there are a lot of people who are members of the NRA or stand up for the 2^nd amendment believe that guns are a part of protection which I believe is true however those who want gun control feel that there has to be a way to keep guns out of the hands of those shooters. Of course I have heard those that say guns don’t kill people it is people that kill people and that is a true statement but this is where I don’t see compassion. There has to be an answer that both sides can live with.

I could go on and on about this issue but I won’t because I am in the middle of the issue however important to show compassion to those that don’t agree with you.

So the next time you see someone that you know doesn’t agree with you on any issue give them a big hug. Don’t do it because you want to sway them to your side but do it because it is the right thing to do. Also give hugs to those that agree with you too. Let compassion ring wherever you go.  

How to Encourage Others

Sometimes it is hard to know when to encourage another person. Also what may work for me might be different then it is for you.

I believe that every occasion can be different then another. I find that there is no special formula when encouraging others although giving a smile and showing concern is certainly a good way to start.

The most important thing you can do to encourage another person is being yourself. Often your past experience can help the person. For example if you have gone through the same thing as they have. A good start would be to show sympathy and then how you dealt with the circumstance.

There are many different ways to encourage other people besides giving them a smile or your experience. Still the important thing is to discover what is best way for you to encourage others. You can practice encouragement without saying a word to another. You can be somewhere like a coffee shop or restaurant or your work’s cafeteria and look at those in your surroundings. Give a look without staring and think what you would like to say to that person if you have the opportunity to encourage them.

I have a something to say to all of us right now and that is you can be all you can be. Don’t let others discouragement keeps you from accomplishing all you are meant to accomplish. I hope this helps us all and many blessings to you.

 

How We Should See Ourselves

Recently I wrote a post to a local closed social media group that I didn’t like the fact the street that I live off of trash is being thrown on the side of road from cars. I believe that something should be done to those who are throwing the trash. Also that the side of the road should be widen as well so those who are walking, running and bike riders can do so much easier.

So what does this all mean for what I want to say? Those who are throwing the trash don’t care for the environment or for themselves as well. If they cared more than they would not throw the trash; also the county could have access to more garbage cans along the roadside and those in the cars can have garbage bags in their automobiles as well. I always have a garbage bag that I have set next to me in my car and then I unload it at a garbage can.

This shows me in underlying thinking of ourselves. We either don’t care about us as much as we ought to or for others as well or we are very selfish. It could be a combination of all three.

I am not saying that we should think more highly of ourselves over others but we need to think well of ourselves.  There is a balance on how we should think. Some feel if they think less than themselves than they are being humble which isn’t true at all. Being humble knows exactly who you are. None of us is really better than another but we are not lower than others as well. So see yourself as you ought to and the same for others as well. Life will be so much better this way.

Spring Coming Early to Northwest

   A look at a brighter note. On March 12 here in Western Washington the temperatures got above seventy degrees along with the sun. I believe it has to be record for this day or at least as long as I remember anyway.

Anytime the sun comes out here especially between October and March we celebrate since it is raining season. We expect to have rain once again and it might happen today.

The unfortunate part is that I have been sneezing and having to blow my nose so enjoying the weather hasn’t been as much fun as if I had been feeling better. On the bright side I could be doing the same thing and it is wet and cold. The weatherman or woman in this case said that the problem could be a high level of tree pollen which is supposed to lower today as well. If that is the case on how I got this than I should be feeling better in the next twenty-four hours which I really hope for.

In any case being sick doesn’t stop me from doing what I am supposed to it just slows me down. People here in Western Washington feel a lot better attitude wise when the sun comes down. Not so much depression. Yes having a lot of cloudy days can make anyone feel bad. I just hope for the sun every day even if it is for five minutes.

So keep things going and I hope the weather is good where you are. It is Tuesday so we are living the bright day. Amen!

Having Peace

Most of us want to have peace in the world though it is hard to see or find it. The problems getting peace is a lot to do with governments and big business along with evil people.

How do we get peace then it begins with us. We have to choose to have peace. Not an easy thing to accomplish however it can be done. Actually peace comes into our hearts. Often there is darkness but light wants to come in and we choose the light over the darkness. I know that I have had problems over the years struggling with peace. Although I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ it is still hard to get true peace which comes through him.

How do we accomplish the peace is a very good question. It is something we have to work on a daily basis. Today we may have peace however again tomorrow we have to make sure that it comes once again. Darkness always wants to find its way into our lives however the light is knocking for us to decide whether to accept it or let the darkness live within us.

We may believe that we don’t have any darkness or evil with in us but we are liars to say that is true. We do have goodness as well but the battle continues on a daily basis between the goodness we want and the evil that comes in. This is the reason we battle with peace. Although we want to have peace on earth or in our lives it is not something we can accomplish on our own without choosing to be on God’s side and let him in with his light.

For us to know our purpose in life we must decide living for ourselves or for God. We will never have true peace without God. This is the major reason we will not have peace on earth because many have decided that their lives are more important to lead on their own instead of giving over to God. I am not saying this because I have totally accomplished the feat because I haven’t. Every day I must decide to follow him and have his peace within me.  

Contact with Others

                                            Enjoying time with others

Most of us at least here in the United States we have heard a saying or proverb or whatever you want to call it “It takes a village to raise a child.” 

I am sure in some cultures that is what really goes on though I don’t really believe in it because the parents are responsible to raise their children and this saying in some respects takes that away from the parents or gives an excuse why they are not raising their children.

I am not writing this though about raising children it is about community or village where we should spend time together. I would prefer that people spend time in small groups that range from six to twelve people. Many people don’t feel comfortable being groups any larger than twelve. I know that I am one of those people.

On Saturday I went to a men’s breakfast at my church. We had around fifty men at that breakfast which is pretty good I would have to say. We had three long tables that had around fourteen men sitting and a couple round tables for a few that showed up late. Although I would call that a big group I spent most of my time before and after my meal to talk with about four or five men so for me we were in twelve small groups.

The importance of small groups whether they are at your church or work place or neighborhood is that we should not be isolated from each other. There are some especially men who prefer spending time by themselves or their families. Of course a family is a small group which it is important to spend time with since I did say the parents are responsible for how their children are raised but it is vital for us to spend time with others besides. You can call it a support group or a social group or whatever. The importance is to be able to share your life with others and I hope learning from them. Though when we become adults we don’t need to be raised but we do still need community even if it is at its lowest denominator.

So spend time with a friend or a group of friends where you can be heard and listen to others as well. We need to know that others actually care for us. It is important that everyone gets to share without someone dominating the conversation. Whatever we hear and learn another thing is we can laugh together as well. So whether you meet with a group every day or week or twice a month put yourself out there. You may surprise yourself how much you can learn and contribute. This way we all become better people.

Being a Teacher

I am not sure there is not a better profession than being a teacher. We are who we are not just because of our parents but the teachers we had in school whether positive or negative in some degree. I am sure that we remember the teachers we had over the years and how they affected our lives.

I have classmates who became teachers themselves and most of them did so because of the teachers they had. My mother was a teacher for twenty years. She taught French and German. She not only enjoyed her job she did so my brothers and I would have her around when we were out of school. You look at one of my early posts I wrote about a trip our family took across Canada and eastern United States. We left the day after school was let out and returned a couple weeks before school started again. So we were gone for over two months. This trip has been with me ever since though I don’t remember everything. I look forward someday to see those places again. I would say it was a learning experience as well however we would not been able to make the trip if our mother wasn’t a teacher.

In many ways we are all teachers or mentors. There is someone we reach out who learns from us. We may never say a word however actions are often better than words. If we don’t think we have anyone to teach or mentor we do for ourselves. We teach ourselves every single day of our lives or in another way life teaches us.

The job of a teacher is rewarding even if we don’t get paid for doing so. Look into yourself and see what you can or have taught others. Pat your back for doing a good job and do even better today.

Knowing Yourself

For us to become more affective with our purpose in life is to know ourselves better. This goes along with the reason we were created in the first place. Often our experiences cloud out what the reason we fall short of our purposes.

Our early experiences in life can cause the reason why we have fallen short of our purpose. We often are told of our faults whether true or not. As time goes by others we continue to believe what we have been told. Some of what we have been told is true while some things can be lies. What we have to do is figure out what is the truth and what is lies. Children can be very mean to us so we could believe in lies.

So the thing for us to do is discover what is true and what is not. Often those closest to us now can tell us the truth about ourselves. Although I do see some of the people I grew up with now and then most of them I don’t see on a regular basis. So those that I have met and I have relationships with now can tell me what they think and know about me. They likely don’t know my past history or if they do it is because I was willing to share those things with them. Also I do know often we may have lifelong friends who know the good, the bad and the ugly still care and love us. It is important to listen to them about you. I am sure they have told you the truth over the years.

I am sure that we all do some of the things we were created to do however there could be a lot more for us to do that we don’t realize. So meditate on those things you know about yourself and you may discover more about yourself. How that works out to help others only time will tell but you may help yourself most of all. Peace and have yourself a good weekend.

It’s Ok

 When it comes to our purposes for living there will be some that won’t like it and that is OK. I am not saying we will like it because at times we will not however we know that we are doing the right thing especially if we are in a high position.

Most of us will not be in a high position but we can still get opposition to our purposes because others might be jealous of what we are doing. They may think that we are not qualified to do what we are doing as well. This is still all ok and we must press on toward fulfilling our purposes.

The most important thing is to enjoy our purposes. We should not feel that we are doing these things because of our gifts and talents. Some of our purposes can be for a period of time. It is possible we won’t do them for the rest of our lives. Also some of these purposes will be used on occasion as well. We just have to be available to use them at the right time.

So be ready and available to use your gifts and talents remember they are the reason you were created. It is OK to take some time off as well. There are times we need to be refreshed as well.

Set yourself goals that can be accomplished as well. Recognize all your purposes and to know that you don’t have to be good at everything too. Best to us all while we discover more and more of our purposes.

Being Encouraged By Others

 I enjoy encouraging others on a daily basis however I enjoy being encouraged as well. Life isn’t easy a lot of the time but if friends and acquaintances can tell you that you’re on the right track how better can you feel.

We all should encourage one another as often as we can. It is our choice to decide that we can do it.  A former schoolmate of mine a granddaughter of hers died at the end of January from brain cancer. Today March 7 would have been her 11^th birthday. My schoolmate’s daughter wrote on Facebook how much kindness that the girl had for others. I never got the chance to meet her but I feel so honored to have learned about her even before her death. Not only did  she showed kindness to others she has passed it on to her little sister who is five years old. So much kindness that when her parents let her know that her older sister had died she wished that it was her instead.

So to be kind and to encourage we must first of all be unselfish. Not an easy task at times because people don’t always deserve to be encouraged. I believe we have to look beyond what we may see and encourage others for the potential in them along with the hurts and insecurities they received over the years. I know that I want to be treated the same way. Others see me beyond my imperfections and what is in my heart instead.

So today find at least one person that you can encourage and be kind to. This could possibly be someone that you have never had friendship with. Both your life and the other could be changed forever. Amen!

Nighttime

I believe anytime of the day is good however I really like nighttime where we can relax and meditate on how our day has gone.

Seeing the sunset is so beautiful as well. Nice to be able to look outside and see how peaceful it is; we know that we have made it through another day whether it has been the kind of day we wanted or not.

We can learn from this day to make tomorrow a better one though we know that it can be worse as well. We don’t have any control over today. We may see some of the same people and do the same work but they can turn into something more different than we thought. The most important thing is to enjoy the day the best we can despite that we don’t have any control over it.

Thank you nighttime because we know that you helped us make it through the day. We like the stars and the moon when they come out. We see how awesome the universe is regardless that we have no control over it. Shows us how awesome God is as well. Our planet earth is one of the smallest in the galaxy among many galaxies. We have no idea whether there is life like ours anywhere else. Whether there is life like ours or not shows us how much you care and love us.

Our time here is limited and we know that you have a place for us to go when our life ends here. We hope that we have learned all the lessons you given us. We look to nighttime to reflect on these lessons and be thankful that we made it through the day. Thank you very much.

Delighted

I am delighted because of love. Without it where would we be?

We can have a smile on our face for those we delight in.

We care for those who care for us and encourage us each day.

We choose to be delighted so we can overcome all the troubles in life.

Allows us to come out of darkness and despair; gives us hope when we can’t see the end of the tunnel.

We are delighted in grace. When we make mistakes grace covers us and we know that we can make it through another day.

We are delight in unconditional love. Those who care for us know the potential we have besides where we are at right now.

We are truly delighted in life. We can laugh even though the circumstances show we should be grieving. Every door that we open there is a surprise and we are delighted in it too.

Today we live in being delighted and anticipation of what is ahead of us. We love those who love us and those who don’t either. What joy we have in being delighted and there is no more to say other than we live in love.

How Different Life Would Have Been

I am sure at one time or another we all have what life would have been like if one of our siblings was different then they turned out. What I mean by that I was number three in the family with an older sister and brother well my parents wanted to have another girl however I ended up having a younger brother.

I love my younger brother and we are like very good friends as well but I was just thinking how different my life would be like if I had a younger sister instead of brother. Although they wanted a girl they were very happy to have my brother.

Another difference would have been where we lived. I can’t believe in living anywhere else growing up in Gig Harbor, however if our family had lived in Tacoma where my dad had his business or Seattle or anywhere else life would have been not the same. Actually living in another neighborhood of Gig Harbor would have been different as well. I would have had different friends and may have gone to a different elementary school. Junior high school and high school would have been the same because we only had one of each back in the day. I would have known my friends but the relationship would have been a whole lot different.

I could have had other changes in my life as well but I am glad that things turned out the way they did. I am sure most of us feel that way though we didn’t always like what was going on in our lives. We are who we are because of our past. I am a stronger person today because of the trouble that happened to me as a youngster. I am more compassionate than what I may have been but of course we will never know. Yes life has turned out the way it supposed to be even with circumstances that was not always right.

We can use the good, the bad and the ugly to help others have a better life. We can have a smile on our face being blessed for who and where we are today. We were destined to be the person we turned out to be and we hope that others will be blessed as well. Amen!

Being Real

 

Being ourselves is being as real as we can be. Thinking back to my childhood I know that most of us tried to be someone else besides us. I am sure that most knew that it wasn’t us.

Probably the reason we tried to be someone else is that we got rejected often for being us. The world is not a kind place and we find that early on with our peers. I know later on we regret some of the things we did and said to others.  This of course happens after high school most likely when we have gone through the stages of bullies. We all were bullied or were bullies or knew bullies. With social media now it has gone to whole other level. It is amazing that we survived our childhood. Unfortunately there are some who didn’t think they could and took their lives. They didn’t know that it was only a small piece of life.

Being real is standing up for yourself no matter the obstacles that are in the way. Rejection is not easy to live with but not being real can be worse. So not only stand up for you help others to stand up as well who don’t know they can stand or how to do it. The world is a tough place to be at times however those that are real know how to be tough as well. You will be amazed how your perspective will change.  

Sneezing

I have mentioned before we all go through times where we can be blocked by things or circumstances so we can’t do our purposes we were created to do.

On Thursday I had to go into a drug store because I have been sneezing a lot lately. I have never been through something like this before so it was new to me for sure. I asked the pharmacist if they had anything over the counter that I could take for sneezing along with my nasal having trouble too. So I was recommended a pill to take and now I am taking it. The pharmacist said that it could take a week to recover. So I figure that if I still have the problem in a week the next step would be for me to see my doctor.

I am mentioning this is often we have to take precautions to over things that we feel are taking us away from our purposes. We continue to press on toward the goals until we cross the finish line just like marathon runners.

I wish everyone a happy and joyful weekend along with us all to accomplish our purposes. We can continue to let ourselves be successful with all our determination.

Our Calling

Right now we are all involved in a calling or what I may call our purpose.  Our calling may not always be easy as we know however it is the reason we are doing what we have too.

The reason of our calling can change over time. Right now my major purpose is to take care of my elderly mother. She is in pretty good shape for the most part however I never know when that could change. Fortunately it doesn’t happen often but the elderly can and likely will fall at some point. How bad it can be will depend on the situation. Many of the elderly are  in a hospital or a rehab center or assisted living or nursing home because of accidents; it is a reality we all have when our parents or a loved one gets in that state. Unfortunately we will all be there someday as well.

I know what my purpose is for the rest of my life however at this time it is primarily a caregiver for my mother. I have no problem with it and I enjoy it for the most part but I do know that someday that calling will end. It could be days or weeks or months or possibly years so I have to plan for the next stage of my calling as well.

 

 

So remember whatever you’re calling is today that could change anytime so you must plan for the future as well. Enjoy every moment each and every day. Amen!