(This will possibly be my last entry; so I had best make this one interesting enough for you to read!) How we choose any activity is usually by experimentation. Granted, we may feel a natural gravitational pull that inclines us in that direction (some would say temptation, while others would say predisposition); yet we WILLFULLY “accept” (perhaps not completely however) what we will “live out” in our daily experiences all the same. I say “willfully”, although I know that even here we will have some who will argue this point! Yet, in all truth, even a child “chooses” the particular nature it will later develop. No one individual is ever “forced against their will” to be a certain way in life. They may be conflicted, but they eventually make a choice. Because even “no choice” IS A DECISION YOU MAKE. I “chose” by experimentation many things, good and bad, in my life. So have you. This is really no mystery or great enigma. Mankind has been doing such for millennia now! Even, whether we should get sick or not (believe it or not!) is often our own choice in Life! We may not understand how we choose, on an unconscious level, but that we do is undeniable all the same. You may ask me: “Would I unknowingly choose to do myself harm or even kill myself?” YES! YOU MAY NOT KNOW IT CONSCIOUSLY, BUT YOU MAY CERTAINLY FEEL IT! Much of what we do as Humans; no Animal would “thoughtfully” do to itself! Yet, why and how we do it, is known within the deepest recesses of our minds and hearts.(Oftentimes “unconsciously”). Are animals “self-destructive”? Perhaps. But Mankind is one of the most “self-destructive” creatures there is! I, as well as Martin (my former roommate) and others have ALL “been there, done that”. Many of my friends and Loved Ones have engaged in “self-destructive” behaviors at one time in their lives or another. Drinking, smoking, taking drugs, promiscuous sex, crime…. yes, it’s all been done! We actually give ourselves license to do such repeatedly. WHY? Because this is all part of the Learning Process in our lives. WE MUST EXPERIENCE SUCCESS OR FAILURE THROUGH OUR “EXPERIMENTATIONS”. And even then, some of us NEVER LEARN what lessons are there to teach us! Will these lessons continue to “repeat” themselves until we DO LEARN? Perhaps. But then, let us consciously seek the “good” and not the “evil” in our lives and those lessons will not be so hard to learn, now will they?! Peace be yours.
Have you ever wondered why; without our understanding of how something “symbolizing” or “corresponding to” something else came into being, we could not understand Life as it is? Take for instance our Alphabet. Letters (which are actually symbols of ideas) are placed together to form WORDS. Words then form sentences and paragraphs which also convey to us thoughts and feelings of people, places, and things which we are trying to comprehend. Light and Sound are received through our senses and then “interpreted” according to wavelength and vibration to “mean” something in our understanding. Yes, I know you understand the mechanics of all that. What we may not “understand” is how our minds and hearts decipher these stimuli so as to “put it all into perspective”, so to speak. Those who “live in their own world” are usually considered abnormal, demented, or eccentric by the majority. Having a common “Database” from which we draw a “uniform consensus” for language is vitally important in relating our ideas to others. There must be an underlying agreement in the ideas we which to express. Otherwise we cannot communicate at all! So… just what am I getting at? What does this all mean? If a tree means one thing to one person, and another thing to another; there is no basis for communication. BUT, THERE IS A COMMON “DATABASE” from which various ideas have their meaning and purpose. For instance, colors, in and of themselves, mean nothing but different intensities of Light. Sounds mean nothing, in and of themselves, apart from the significance we attach to the vibrations that affect us. The same applies to other definitive “markers” as well. These subjective and objective experiences are all “common” to most people. HOWEVER, NO TWO PEOPLE WILL EVER THINK OR FEEL ALIKE! Therefore, those who choose to “rebel” against the “uniform consensus” when it comes to language are considered uncivilized, odd, strange, arrested in development, backward (retarded), or just plain “mad or crazy”! When Jesus came to this Earth speaking “riddles” (properly called Parables); naturally some people thought He was either Mad or Crazy. Even “Demon Possessed”. Yet, today we know, in understanding the basics of language; that “ideas” are being conveyed to another that may not draw upon OUR OWN common “Database” of ideas we hold significant. We can learn something from everyone! Even those whose own life and experience differs from our own perceptions of reality. And the correspondence of Earthly (physical things) to Spiritual (those things of our minds, hearts, souls, and spirits) are the very means by which we “get along” with others. Diversity is wonderful, in and of itself. Variety in thoughts and feelings teach us to move beyond our own “narrow-minded” sophistication. Let us embrace others “differences” while admitting that we are all “Human”, all the same. Amen
Whereas, Christianity nowadays may have moved beyond saying that only they themselves will ever occupy Heaven; accountability to God nowadays seems to be a non-issue. Everyone, including Christians have been seen to do “that which is right in their own eyes”. Whether we personally are accountable to a “GOD” as LORD or Master over our individual existences is not even considered worthy of most people’s attention. When we as United States Citizens can be the subject of spying CONSTANTLY by our government; why then should we even fear a more merciful overseer of our lives? Why we don’t care or even acknowledge what Mankind does in deference to God, is possibly because we believe we can “excuse ourselves”; whereas GOD CAN’T AND WON’T! God is looked at as unrelenting and harsh in judgement. GOD (if He even exists for us) is NOT “for us”, but “against us”. And our Divine Parent will not ‘cover over’ our crimes. (sins, properly understood). Where we began believing that “GOD” would not forgive us; began probably with our own “parental ideas”, and then just perpetuated themselves generation after generation. Even the most loving parents still discipline (not punish) their children! But kids as well as parents have been known to “get away with murder”, so to speak. And those who could care less about following laws and rules have NOTHING to stop them! Is Sin really an issue worthy of our consideration? Should we even bother with such? Or will EVERYTHING be held “to a higher standard” for us in THE END? Personally, we ALL have SOME IDEA, whoever we may be; of “right and wrong”, “good and bad” actions and behavior, what is and is not acceptable among us. Even from the time we can even understand; we ARE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE, if only to ourselves. Why now is this important? I think it is what MAKES US HUMANS MORAL CREATURES RATHER THAN JUST ANIMALS. There, now I’ve said what we all know. We do not want to be “seen as an animal” driven by instinct, lusts, and uncontrollable passions. Now, DOES ANY OF THIS REALLY MATTER “ULTIMATELY” FOR US? I ask: Does whether your next meal gets cooked well or burnt to a crisp MATTER “ULTIMATELY” to you? Yes, IT DOES! FEAR. Yes, that much is a very strong deterrent to motivate us towards our so called “moral and better selves”. Even animals fear. But let us not fear, BUT BELIEVE, that LIFE ITSELF- GOD (if we even dare to use the word) ALWAYS has our “best interests” at heart. Even as a Loving Parent; nothing will happen to us that He is not going to try to prevent either in one way or another. You can rest assured: You are in good (God’s) hands. Amen.
Astrology, as with Horoscopes are fine as long as you don’t completelybelieve in them. They alone, do not, nor will they ever determine your future. You alone, will determine the direction that the journey called “Life” takes you. You alone, will (oftentimes but not always) determine your success or failure, your happiness or misery, your health or sickness, your legacy or infamy. Being born under a certain “Sun sign” or “the exact alignment of certain planets” will not guarantee you anything! Nor will what religion you are born into. Nor will attending a Church, Mosque, or Temple every week. Nor will ANY EXTERNAL CEREMONY OR RITUAL. Only by coming to know of Father-Mother-Light-Love and Life yourselves will you ever find Joy, Peace, and Harmony in your day by day living experience. You know, it truly grieves my heart to think of those who look to Fate, or Chance, or Happenstance to explain away those “Divine moments” of God’s Intervention. Maybe they will all ‘see’ one day how He was ALWAYS THERE for them. But then, maybe not. Look and LEARN THE TRUTH! You are NEVER ALONE, EVER! Be thankful for that much; as you are always cared for no matter where you are or how you have been. Amen.
This is part of the chorus of the song by Natalie Grant entitled: King of the World. Yes, often I do forget amid my many trials and hardships of Life that this is TRUE ONLY OF JESUS CHRIST. Granted, many don’t accept, nor even believe that this is so! I realized when I had lost my car in a parking garage yesterday, how very true these above words are. Who else in my moment of panic and desperation could I look to? My own navigational skills could not help me then. And frankly, WHO REALLY CARED ENOUGH TO EVEN HELP ME? Have you too, in desperation, cried out to GOD for help because nobody else was there to help? Remarkably, in my case IT WORKED! I found my car, and didn’t have to pay an additional fee! In fact someone, fortunately enough, gave me a validated ticket to get out! Now you might call that luck; but I call it the GRACE OF GOD! Let us be thankful and appreciative of how things work together for good. And let us never forget He’s “the King of the World”!
These may be the words to a song I hear on the radio. I’m not certain. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is how I respond to them. They came to me this morning. Haven’t we all been in this place before? For me, at least, crises in relationships or Life seem to come quite frequently. Never do we “totally get along” with others. Unless we just “put up with” a lot that we wouldn’t otherwise! “Making up” seems to be a daily occurrence. So, why do we have such trouble in our interactions with others? Why is it that our friends, partners, spouses, Loved Ones and us are always disagreeing with each other? And why do we “put up with their crap” anyway? No two people are exactly alike. Not even “Identical Twins”. Yes, I know, you’ve heard all that before. What you don’t see is that personalities WILL NATURALLY CLASH almost CONSTANTLY with others! This is because everyone demands on “having their own way” of living. Now, “getting along with another” is just a way of compromising on some things so as to work out harmony between you and that person or those people. Agreement is not a given in any relationship! You must ‘make it work’ if you wish for it to work at all. Again, I’m saying nothing new to you. You have known “this much” all along. What we don’t realize is that we place our own “romanticized” or “fantasized” expectations on others CONSTANTLY! (Yes, I just realized this today.) We are normally living in unrealistic expectations where we begin to “idolize” others. Hence we develop “crushes” or “obsessions” towards others CONSTANTLY! Why do we do this? Perhaps, because it helps us to feel loved and wanted in another’s life. We question (but don’t lack) our own Self-worth or Self-esteem to the point of making that person or those people “better” in some ways than ourselves. Then when reality sets in we wake up to see that they really are no better than ourselves. Perhaps they will be even worst in our own estimation, but we will cling to them all the same! We are all “struggling Humanity”, so to speak. We are all flawed individuals. Yet we fail to ‘see’ how very much we are all dependent on others for our livelihood. Life is a Interdependent Transaction. Mankind was not made to “live alone”. So, next time you get down on yourself for your “unrealistic expectations” of others…JUST BEHAVE YOURSELF! Realize that others are in need of you just as much as you are of them. Relax, take the pressure off yourself and breathe knowing you are loved.
After considering whether to end a friendship, or just distance myself temporarily from it; I remain conflicted in my emotions and alone with my thoughts. Yet, I realize I am NEVER truly alone. That is, God is there with me in all my troubled emotions and present in my thoughts, if only I let His Light come shining in and through the circumstances. Whenever we turn to GOD for direction and guidance; He is faithful, and His Goodness is constant enough to uphold us through the conflict. Nothing in our lives is given up without something subsequently replacing it. With friends, it is hard to lose a close, good friend. But just possibly, you may be able to replace such eventually with either another friend (or friends) that will be there to aid and support you through all the hardships and trials of your life. Jesus Christ will always be a valuable part of my life (now His life) despite how many friends I do or don’t have. NO, NOTHING HERE IS EVER PERFECT! And yes, I still believe that Life costs you a lot more than just money! The loss of even one friendship is costly enough for me. But I was doing just fine before they ever came along. And I will continue to do well once they have left. Only Jesus remains my most faithful, true, “good” friend until the very end. Am I sad for having to give up this friendship? No, because it just may “evolve” into something else. It may be “a very important lesson” to have learnt in just how to develop relationships with “realistic expectations”, not “romantic” or “fantasy” ones! That person knows how to make “contact” with me. And he can do such if he wants to. So far, he hasn’t even called me! “Why leave an open door for that person to enter back into your Life?” you may ask me. People NEVER DO leave us ENTIRELY! Our Present is largely influenced by what has occurred in our Past. And friends and Loved Ones have all had their place in the ongoing Drama/Comedy/Tragedy/Mystery called Life. Some are continuing to influence us even to this day! Be thankful for the “good influences” and be gone with the “bad”.
It is so hard to maintain honest relationships with others if you are not aware of the “game playing” tactics they use. Why do I say that? Because most people (not all) will try to manipulate you to get what they want out of you nowadays. At least, many I know do just that! My own family and friends will subtly use and manipulate me to get me to either give them something, or do something for them. Trusting them is difficult, because you can often not see their craftiness until in retrospect. How does one safeguard themselves from such duplicity and possible deceit? You need to set boundaries with EVERYONE! Even your Loved Ones and best friends can take advantage of you if you let them. As I have said elsewhere previously: “In God we trust”. All others must EARN our trust! And even then they can break that trust at any time. Nothing is really holding them to absolute honesty with you concerning their motives. How very sad this is! BUT THIS IS TRULY HOW IT IS. We will eventually either “give in” or “refuse to submit” to the whatever is happening. Hopefully we will always see it. Oftentimes we won’t. Why are people this way? Because, if they know you have something to offer them they usually are right there to get it from you. YES, GREED IS OFTEN AT THE BASE OF OUR MOTIVATIONS! I know I have been guilty of this as the next person. May God help us to steer clear of all greed and emotional manipulation of others. Selflessness does not come easy for some, but with practice we can put others interests and needs before our own. God help us all to live for the benefit of helping others to see past their own selfishness. Amen.
I waited a day before putting down my thoughts on this matter. Recently, I had a friend ask me to relate something to a group of my friends for him. The message was not pleasant, nor welcoming. I later told him that it wasn’t my responsibility to “fight his battles” or “deliver his rebukes” to others. I felt awkward and inciting trouble by relating his message; but I went ahead and told the group anyway. How we are perceived by others is mainly due to what we ourselves put into the transaction. If we come across as retaliatory or confrontational; then we have only ourselves to blame for that perception. Are we combative? Do we always seek to right a wrong by aggressive means? How is it then that we hope to seek any mutual understanding or harmony when we take this stance? I did not relate those words to my friend. I think he is aware of his own disposition. He does not think he is combative. I think it is best to “put some space” between us for now. Don’t we currently see this very same scenario at work in our political arena? And doesn’t one candidate always feel that their own position is right and the other’s is wrong? Jesus Christ was always well aware of how his own words would affect others. He would speak the Truth as what God, His Father directed Him to. He had no fear of retaliation or confrontation. He knew that GOD WAS HIS REFUGE AND DEFENSE for all He said. What about us? Can we ourselves likewise claim that “the Truth alone” is our only defense? Or are we only defending our position so as to win friends and supporters to our side? Again, Jesus had his friends and supporters in His disciples. But what He said, and how He said it WASN’T JUST FOR THEIR SAKE! Nor was it said “just to win an argument”, so to speak. So, how do we best frame our words so as to reach the most people in a harmonious and effective way? Jesus again tells us what is the most advantageous means. At Mark 13:11: Jesus says: “But when they shall lead you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.” Granted, we won’t always be motivated by the Holy Ghost. (Especially nonreligious, non-believing people). But we would do well not to “premeditate” our words before they are spoken! If we are guided by Love and Harmony in our words; then we should have no fear of mishaps or “slips of the tongue”, so to speak. Let our words and actions be motivated by Love and Respect for others rather than “one upmanship”.
This is the thought that came to me this morning. The words, in part, are from the lyrics of a song called Forgiven by a Christian Music group named Gabriel’s Voice. Yes, our own mothers may not always want the responsibility of a child that is not exactly what she was expecting! Those sons and daughters who are NOT conforming to the mother’s expectation or wishes are usually rejected very early in life. Those sons and daughters who do conform may become coddled, or end up demanding their own way quite frequently in an attempt to earn their mother’s love and respect. Hence, they may become manipulative and temperamental later in life (though not always) so as to ensure a constant inflow of love and affection. God, our Father-Mother-Life knows of our insecurities from birth into this world. He-She-It knows of all our needs and wants. And like any parent, LIFE ITSELF will supply just what you need (though not always what you want) to keep you contented and happy. How frequently we meet or ‘come across’ those individuals who demand you do not offend their hypersensitive or reactionary natures! They are like dogs who would snap and turn on you with little or no provocation. The risk of abuse in the relationship (even if only emotional or verbal) is always there. What should you do? Continue to maintain a relationship, or walk away? This is a very hard choice to make since you may deeply value that person’s friendship. To back away or leave the relationship may errupt other problems you may not wish to encounter. Fortunately, THE REAL SOURCE OF ALL LOVE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU! Never are you abandoned to the worst without some means of escape. And even when you feel you can’t escape, God has promised to NEVER leave or forsake you. You can decide for yourself either way and still have the constant assurance of God’s Love and concern for your predicament. So, you can confidently make that decision without a loss of “True Love”. Thank God that LIFE ITSELF was designed to work for you to see to your best interests always! Hallelujah!
Walking on the narrow path. The works of Timothy Baugh. (https://thesurrenderedone.wordpress.com) 