I learned all about friendships from my sisters. I've heard it said that we don't truly appreciate family members until we grow up. That may be true for some, but in regards to my sisters, it doesn't apply to me. I knew I had a treasure in each of them when I was a kid. Of course, we all have had moments of disagreements and arguing, but those are mere moments in comparison to a lifetime of loyalty, friendship, and love.
As a kid, I remember wanting desperately to be like my older sisters. I wanted to keep up with all the things they did. I remember feeling proud of them and being in constant amazement of all their accomplishments.
And I remember waiting for my younger sister to get big enough to play with me. I'd check on her daily to see if she got any bigger over night. I wanted a playmate just like my older sisters had in each other. I remember walking away from her crib thinking, "Almost... She's almost big enough." For years she and I were inseparable... partners in fun and the innocent crimes of childhood.
And finally, I remember when I was almost ten and my youngest sister was born. I was absolutely mesmerized by everything her. I remember the first time I saw her... I was in awe. She was so little and I promised myself that I would love and protect her my whole life. She, just as each of my other sisters, had captured my heart.
I treasured each of those girls as we grew up together and I treasure each of these women now. The best gift my mom gave me, besides her love, is my sisters. The best gift I can give my sisters and my mother is to love them as well as they have loved me.
Whether we live near or far from one another, my sisters are always close to my heart. How could that not be... as each of them have stenciled the meaning of love and friendship on my heart and soul. I love them and I honor the place they have in my life.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Humility
To love with mercy and to do justice are choices each of us are confronted with everyday. To serve them without humility would lessen their impact and somehow, they would still be revenge.
Humility is foundational to mercy, justice, peace, and love. Humility is the power of forgiveness and it is the strength of compassion.
When we have received mercy and been forgiven, when a hand of justice is extended to us with compassion, when we know love and thereby enter into peace, humility and thankfulness will fill our souls. And we find we are able to draw from that very same well to offer those blessings to others.
Humility knows we are re-gifting a gift. It is our pleasure to do so. This is how we love our family, our friends, our neighbor, the outcast, and our enemy.
Granted, it's not always easy, but love never fails.
Humility is foundational to mercy, justice, peace, and love. Humility is the power of forgiveness and it is the strength of compassion.
When we have received mercy and been forgiven, when a hand of justice is extended to us with compassion, when we know love and thereby enter into peace, humility and thankfulness will fill our souls. And we find we are able to draw from that very same well to offer those blessings to others.
Humility knows we are re-gifting a gift. It is our pleasure to do so. This is how we love our family, our friends, our neighbor, the outcast, and our enemy.
Granted, it's not always easy, but love never fails.
Friday, April 21, 2017
A Rose
Does she know her time is short or is she completely secure in the present?
Oh, what a flower! True to herself as she follows the laws of narure. Year after year she awakens to new life. In the course of her days, she regally displays her majesty as she stretches from root to bud. Silently opening as light becomes the air she breathes. Admiration is captured as eyes hold what hand cannot.
A stillness becomes her as she releases aroma as well as nectar. An open invitation for bees to freely take what is needed. Does, I wonder, a hive retain the scent of a rose?
Rosa, from seed to flower, unquestionably deliberate.
Uncommonly beautiful in her varying yearly sameness.
Standing tall on stalks of thorns. Proudly she arms herself with beauty and sword. Daring and inviting all, save insect, to gaze from afar. Perhaps her truce with bees is based on their shared ability to wound with a sting.
Twice blessed with beauty and intention.
For no other flower speaks of love and pain as does this rose.
Dressed in finery for all to admire. The feminine knight. Many a body and soul bears her scar. A visual warning. She holds her boundary in her being. She will protect her fragility with a wound. Her being is not filled with wrath. She only requires respect.
Behold, the rose. Beware, her sword. Enjoy her beauty. She'll speak of your heart if you'll allow her to.
A Rose
Petals fall littering the ground with beauty. Even in death her elegance gives pause.
Does she know her time is short or is she completely secure in the present?
Oh, what a flower! True to herself as she follows the laws of narure. Year after year she awakens to new life. In the course of her days, she regally displays her majesty as she stretches from root to bud. Silently opening as light becomes the air she breathes. Admiration is captured as eyes hold what hand cannot.
A stillness becomes her as she releases aroma as well as nectar. An open invitation for bees to freely take what is needed. Does, I wonder, a hive retain the scent of a rose?
Rosa, from seed to flower, unquestionably deliberate.
Uncommonly beautiful in her varying yearly sameness.
Standing tall on stalks of thorns. Proudly she arms herself with beauty and sword. Daring and inviting all, save insect, to gaze from afar. Perhaps her truce with bees is based on their shared ability to wound with a sting.
Twice blessed with beauty and intention.
For no other flower speaks of love and pain as does this rose.
Dressed in finery for all to admire. The feminine knight. Many a body and soul bears her scar. A visual warning. She holds her boundary in her being. She will protect her fragility with a wound. Her being is not filled with wrath. She only requires respect.
Behold, the rose. Beware, her sword. Enjoy her beauty. She'll speak of your heart if you'll allow her to.
Does she know her time is short or is she completely secure in the present?
Oh, what a flower! True to herself as she follows the laws of narure. Year after year she awakens to new life. In the course of her days, she regally displays her majesty as she stretches from root to bud. Silently opening as light becomes the air she breathes. Admiration is captured as eyes hold what hand cannot.
A stillness becomes her as she releases aroma as well as nectar. An open invitation for bees to freely take what is needed. Does, I wonder, a hive retain the scent of a rose?
Rosa, from seed to flower, unquestionably deliberate.
Uncommonly beautiful in her varying yearly sameness.
Standing tall on stalks of thorns. Proudly she arms herself with beauty and sword. Daring and inviting all, save insect, to gaze from afar. Perhaps her truce with bees is based on their shared ability to wound with a sting.
Twice blessed with beauty and intention.
For no other flower speaks of love and pain as does this rose.
Dressed in finery for all to admire. The feminine knight. Many a body and soul bears her scar. A visual warning. She holds her boundary in her being. She will protect her fragility with a wound. Her being is not filled with wrath. She only requires respect.
Behold, the rose. Beware, her sword. Enjoy her beauty. She'll speak of your heart if you'll allow her to.
Monday, April 17, 2017
A Tribute to Friendships
Cheers, my friends, cheers!
To days filled with deep laughter and deeper still with words birthed in the secret places of the soul that are shared, not with an acquaintance, no, nor with an unknown, but with a friend.
Hear, my friends, hear!
Your eyes, like mine, look beyond the mask and sees the soul. Your ear, like mine, bends to hear not just the words, but the heart. And woven into the tapestry of friendship is trust, yes, trust is unquestionably the strongest of threads which willing remains in the shadow, yet binds our hearts and souls together.
Love, my friends, love!
Images of days gone by, too numerous to count, are blurred in feelings of forever. For surly your kindness is more than a gift, yes, more than a token. For your kindness has gently traced your likeness upon my soul. And I am a better person for knowing you.
And you, my friends, I will carry throughout eternity, yes! However, now that I think about it, eternity may not be enough time to enjoy who you are!
Cheers, my friends, cheers!
To... friendships! To... happiness! To... being known! To... life! To... now! And to... forever!
To days filled with deep laughter and deeper still with words birthed in the secret places of the soul that are shared, not with an acquaintance, no, nor with an unknown, but with a friend.
Hear, my friends, hear!
Your eyes, like mine, look beyond the mask and sees the soul. Your ear, like mine, bends to hear not just the words, but the heart. And woven into the tapestry of friendship is trust, yes, trust is unquestionably the strongest of threads which willing remains in the shadow, yet binds our hearts and souls together.
Love, my friends, love!
Images of days gone by, too numerous to count, are blurred in feelings of forever. For surly your kindness is more than a gift, yes, more than a token. For your kindness has gently traced your likeness upon my soul. And I am a better person for knowing you.
And you, my friends, I will carry throughout eternity, yes! However, now that I think about it, eternity may not be enough time to enjoy who you are!
Cheers, my friends, cheers!
To... friendships! To... happiness! To... being known! To... life! To... now! And to... forever!
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Forgiveness
What made Jesus authentic to some was not his resurrection, it was his wounds.
Think of Thomas' words, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Friday's death can never be separated from Sunday's resurrection.
For although Jesus forgave humankind for the betrayal, torture, and death, he still bares the wounds.
Forgiveness does not take the memory or the wound away.
Forgiveness means there won't be retaliation. It means the enemy is loved.
Forgiveness is not a trite expression or offering. The one giving it is laying down their life again. Forgiveness means there will be no eye for an eye. The cycle of retaliation is finished and it is complete love which breaks the cycle of violence.
The forgiver is saying to the one who inflicted the wound, "You are free of my judgement. Although I'll bear these scars my whole life, I'll welcome you into relationship."
Do you ever wonder if the wounds inflicted on Jesus were still physically painful on Sunday and beyond?
I can't imagine they wouldn't be. And yet, even with the painful reminder of the offence, he loves anyway.
True, there is no greater love given than a person lay down their life for a friend... even if that friend betrayed, tortured, and killed him.
Perfect Love. Perfect Man. Perfect God.
We are loved more than we can ever know.
Think of Thomas' words, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Friday's death can never be separated from Sunday's resurrection.
For although Jesus forgave humankind for the betrayal, torture, and death, he still bares the wounds.
Forgiveness does not take the memory or the wound away.
Forgiveness means there won't be retaliation. It means the enemy is loved.
Forgiveness is not a trite expression or offering. The one giving it is laying down their life again. Forgiveness means there will be no eye for an eye. The cycle of retaliation is finished and it is complete love which breaks the cycle of violence.
The forgiver is saying to the one who inflicted the wound, "You are free of my judgement. Although I'll bear these scars my whole life, I'll welcome you into relationship."
Do you ever wonder if the wounds inflicted on Jesus were still physically painful on Sunday and beyond?
I can't imagine they wouldn't be. And yet, even with the painful reminder of the offence, he loves anyway.
True, there is no greater love given than a person lay down their life for a friend... even if that friend betrayed, tortured, and killed him.
Perfect Love. Perfect Man. Perfect God.
We are loved more than we can ever know.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
The Day Between Death and Life
There was not any anticipation of resurrection on this weekend two thousand and some years ago. Jesus was dead. Gone. Never to be seen again. Hope was lost. Dreams smashed. Pain, though overwhelming, had not yet turned to anger. Some were in a daze. Others wracked with grief. Some thought they had saved a nation, while others did not mourn at all.
All of them awoke on Saturday to the same routines they had followed ever since they entered this world.
All day long, no matter their emotional state, they remained true to the cultural norm of their Sabbath. They followed the rules, least they sin and offend God.
Ironic, don't you think?
The same folks who betrayed, tortured, and killed God on Friday, feared to offend him, by doing any sort of work at all, on Saturday.
In their disdain of a peaceful man they showed they were ruled by their fears of a retributive God.
Yet the reality is no one truly believed Jesus was the exact representation of God, in their eyes he was just a sinner, so Saturday was just another Sabbath to all.
And during that day as they obeyed the rules:
Some grieved over the death of a good man.
Some thought their violent actions brought peace to their nation.
Others were wrapped in the realization they had betrayed their best friend by failing to stand with him in his time of need.
Some people's hopes were dashed when the one who they considered to be their Messiah failed to redeem Israel.
All, no matter what emotions they carried, had this in common... their own interests were more important to them than the man in the grave.
My point as I ponder all this is:
Not much has changed with the passage of time.
Today, some still stand in hopelessness.
Some still use violence as a means to peace.
Some beat themselves up for their acts of betrayal towards God.
Some don't believe Jesus was God.
All woke up today and followed the rules and routine just like every other Saturday of their lives.
The gap between the death and resurrection of Jesus is filled with... humanity, with us.
Humankind, in all our foibles, different beliefs, cultures, rules, and ability to kill God on one day and wake up the next morning to try to please him, is still represented today.
"Today," is the day between that Friday and Sunday... we all stand in this day... the day between death and life.
For the disciples, it seems to me, choosing to believe in the resurrection after it happened was an easy choice. It required no faith on their part. Until they experienced the reality, they didn't believe. In a sense, prior to the resurrection, the death of Jesus nullified his teachings. It wasn't until post-resurrection that the disciples truly learned to live by faith and take in the importance of his teachings.
What takes faith... is living intentionally. Living each day in opposition to the futility of the vague. Living in the seen while believing in the unseen. And living with hope while dealing with the mysteries of pain that plagues and burdens humanity. By welcoming patience within ourselves and others... not knowing if the seeds of faith, hope, and love that are being planted will grow in us or in the field of lives around us.
Living purposefully while loving God, loving our neighbor, and loving our enemy are the most profound things we will ever do.
I believe these three things matter more than any particular doctrine. They are how Jesus lived before and after the cross.
Little did the disciples remember, it wasn't the death or resurrection that brought forgiveness or peace with God. Both peace and forgiveness were offered to them and others by Jesus prior to his death... during his ministry as well as during a time when he knew he would be betrayed.
In his darkest hours on the cross, his heart was for forgiveness and peace when he spoke of forgiveness for humankind's fumbling and ignorant way of trying to appropriate peace through violence.
Never has peace come by violence. If we experience peace by killing our enemy we are representing a spirit that is the antithesis of Jesus and his father. This manner of living invites and incites more violence.
No, the peace we long for comes to us from a man who died loving those who betrayed and killed him. His peace to us came in the form of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
Lasting peace always follows forgiveness. It's why Jesus could say, "It is finished."
On the other hand, retaliation will bring a temporary ease, yet once the ease dissipates and the offence is taken up again, violent retaliation will be required. It is never finished.
Hense, a follower of Jesus will serve and love all others, and will most likely be persecuted for doing so.
Nothing angers hatred more than loving-kindness.
Paradoxically, loving-kindness is what it takes to change a heart filled with hatred.
It will always be easier to protect our interests by living in the routine of a religion that is built on the laws of retribution rather than in the innocence of love that desires well-being for all others.
However we live, it will always be our choice.
"Today," in all its customary routines is simply a reminder of the fact that each of us have a choice in how we will live in a community of humans on a daily basis.
If we are followers of Jesus, will we reflect the God who loved us completely before his last breath was taken on Friday and continued to love us all the way through and beyond his first breath on Sunday or will we reflect only our own interests?
On this day, this Saturday that is bound between death and life, whether in the agony of hopelessness or not, we have an opportunity to choose.
And perhaps, the choice made in darkness to believe in light, or the choice made during violence to forgive instead of retaliate is what faith is all about.
In the darkness of this middle day, its helpful to remember:
God's love never fails. In him love, forgiveness, and peace are found every day.
All of them awoke on Saturday to the same routines they had followed ever since they entered this world.
All day long, no matter their emotional state, they remained true to the cultural norm of their Sabbath. They followed the rules, least they sin and offend God.
Ironic, don't you think?
The same folks who betrayed, tortured, and killed God on Friday, feared to offend him, by doing any sort of work at all, on Saturday.
In their disdain of a peaceful man they showed they were ruled by their fears of a retributive God.
Yet the reality is no one truly believed Jesus was the exact representation of God, in their eyes he was just a sinner, so Saturday was just another Sabbath to all.
And during that day as they obeyed the rules:
Some grieved over the death of a good man.
Some thought their violent actions brought peace to their nation.
Others were wrapped in the realization they had betrayed their best friend by failing to stand with him in his time of need.
Some people's hopes were dashed when the one who they considered to be their Messiah failed to redeem Israel.
All, no matter what emotions they carried, had this in common... their own interests were more important to them than the man in the grave.
My point as I ponder all this is:
Not much has changed with the passage of time.
Today, some still stand in hopelessness.
Some still use violence as a means to peace.
Some beat themselves up for their acts of betrayal towards God.
Some don't believe Jesus was God.
All woke up today and followed the rules and routine just like every other Saturday of their lives.
The gap between the death and resurrection of Jesus is filled with... humanity, with us.
Humankind, in all our foibles, different beliefs, cultures, rules, and ability to kill God on one day and wake up the next morning to try to please him, is still represented today.
"Today," is the day between that Friday and Sunday... we all stand in this day... the day between death and life.
For the disciples, it seems to me, choosing to believe in the resurrection after it happened was an easy choice. It required no faith on their part. Until they experienced the reality, they didn't believe. In a sense, prior to the resurrection, the death of Jesus nullified his teachings. It wasn't until post-resurrection that the disciples truly learned to live by faith and take in the importance of his teachings.
What takes faith... is living intentionally. Living each day in opposition to the futility of the vague. Living in the seen while believing in the unseen. And living with hope while dealing with the mysteries of pain that plagues and burdens humanity. By welcoming patience within ourselves and others... not knowing if the seeds of faith, hope, and love that are being planted will grow in us or in the field of lives around us.
Living purposefully while loving God, loving our neighbor, and loving our enemy are the most profound things we will ever do.
I believe these three things matter more than any particular doctrine. They are how Jesus lived before and after the cross.
Little did the disciples remember, it wasn't the death or resurrection that brought forgiveness or peace with God. Both peace and forgiveness were offered to them and others by Jesus prior to his death... during his ministry as well as during a time when he knew he would be betrayed.
In his darkest hours on the cross, his heart was for forgiveness and peace when he spoke of forgiveness for humankind's fumbling and ignorant way of trying to appropriate peace through violence.
Never has peace come by violence. If we experience peace by killing our enemy we are representing a spirit that is the antithesis of Jesus and his father. This manner of living invites and incites more violence.
No, the peace we long for comes to us from a man who died loving those who betrayed and killed him. His peace to us came in the form of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
Lasting peace always follows forgiveness. It's why Jesus could say, "It is finished."
On the other hand, retaliation will bring a temporary ease, yet once the ease dissipates and the offence is taken up again, violent retaliation will be required. It is never finished.
Hense, a follower of Jesus will serve and love all others, and will most likely be persecuted for doing so.
Nothing angers hatred more than loving-kindness.
Paradoxically, loving-kindness is what it takes to change a heart filled with hatred.
It will always be easier to protect our interests by living in the routine of a religion that is built on the laws of retribution rather than in the innocence of love that desires well-being for all others.
However we live, it will always be our choice.
"Today," in all its customary routines is simply a reminder of the fact that each of us have a choice in how we will live in a community of humans on a daily basis.
If we are followers of Jesus, will we reflect the God who loved us completely before his last breath was taken on Friday and continued to love us all the way through and beyond his first breath on Sunday or will we reflect only our own interests?
On this day, this Saturday that is bound between death and life, whether in the agony of hopelessness or not, we have an opportunity to choose.
And perhaps, the choice made in darkness to believe in light, or the choice made during violence to forgive instead of retaliate is what faith is all about.
In the darkness of this middle day, its helpful to remember:
God's love never fails. In him love, forgiveness, and peace are found every day.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Words
I'm covered in words. More now than ever before. They are everywhere. I can hardly be still. I can hardly remember how to quiet my heart. I can barely hear silence calling. Can you hear her? For me, anymore, it's only when I close my eyes. Yet silence is more than sleep. Silence is invigorating, fulfilling, and peaceful.
Listen, she is calling.
Listen in the silent places. Listen to the moment. Listen to the language that has no words.
Listen in the silent places. Listen to the moment. Listen to the language that has no words.
It's all around us.
It's in us.
It's now.
It's in us.
It's now.
Silence is calling. Unplug and recharge. Life is more than words. Life is being. I mustn't let my desire to chase after and capture the multitude of words that bombard our society cause me to miss the moment.
I must stop.
I must listen.
I must live.
I must listen.
I must live.
A cacophony of meaningless words will fill the quiet space if I allow them to. If I allow the distraction, I will miss the moment. I will miss the strength the silent presence of peace brings.
Shhh... quiet your heart and listen to the silence with me...
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Who are you?
Did you cry over the deaths?
Or did you thank God that some of our enemies were destroyed?
Did you mourn for the loss of civilians?
Or did you think the world is minus some extremists?
Did you weep with the families who lost loved ones?
Or did you celebrate this attack as an inroad of righteousness judgement onto a godless nation?
Who are you?
Perhaps a Middle Eastern citizen rejoicing over the death of capitalistic infidels on 9/11 sixteen years ago?
Or maybe an American citizen who this week rejoiced and proclaimed that any death of a Muslim in the middle east is a death of a potential terrorists?
Or are you a member of the global human race who weeps over senseless deaths, who believes violence only produces more violence, and one who longs for a peace that is made possible by loving an enemy.
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am a member of mankind." ~ John Donne
(No Man is an Island)
"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'
I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst." ~ Jesus
(Matthew 5:43-44, The Message)
Or did you thank God that some of our enemies were destroyed?
Did you mourn for the loss of civilians?
Or did you think the world is minus some extremists?
Did you weep with the families who lost loved ones?
Or did you celebrate this attack as an inroad of righteousness judgement onto a godless nation?
Who are you?
Perhaps a Middle Eastern citizen rejoicing over the death of capitalistic infidels on 9/11 sixteen years ago?
Or maybe an American citizen who this week rejoiced and proclaimed that any death of a Muslim in the middle east is a death of a potential terrorists?
Or are you a member of the global human race who weeps over senseless deaths, who believes violence only produces more violence, and one who longs for a peace that is made possible by loving an enemy.
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am a member of mankind." ~ John Donne
(No Man is an Island)
"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'
I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst." ~ Jesus
(Matthew 5:43-44, The Message)
Friday, April 7, 2017
The Gift of Friendship
Friendship is a treasure chest filled with invaluable gifts meant to be shared between souls.
Kindness, honesty, love, laughter, loyalty, fun, sincerity, and protectiveness are just a smattering of the gems passed between one another.
The cohesiveness that holds it all together is trust.
Be true to yourself and be true to your friend. Guard the place of trust that connects you and you'll find the treasure chest will be bottomless. And you and your friend will reap the benefits for life.
I wish you all much happiness in your long lasting friendships!
When I think of my friends, I can't help myself, I smile. Do you?
Kindness, honesty, love, laughter, loyalty, fun, sincerity, and protectiveness are just a smattering of the gems passed between one another.
The cohesiveness that holds it all together is trust.
Be true to yourself and be true to your friend. Guard the place of trust that connects you and you'll find the treasure chest will be bottomless. And you and your friend will reap the benefits for life.
I wish you all much happiness in your long lasting friendships!
When I think of my friends, I can't help myself, I smile. Do you?
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Effect of Greed
"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Revelation 3:17
Love never fails, but we humans can fail to love.
When love of money, power, country, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, skin color, or any other thing we can think of is more important, valuable, or intrinsic to life than being kind, generous, and loving toward our fellow humans, we show a lack of realizing our own humanity and a lack of humility.
When greed drives our actions, our souls will suffer, individually and collectively... just as there will be suffering of those we feed off of for our gain.
Do not be fooled, although our bank accounts and lives may be full, greed eats away at our souls and ensures a shallowness of dignity, compassion, and mercy within. Those very things are replaced with pride, which merely fuels our desire to obtain more and more.
And along with our desires to obtain more, greed always begets more greed.
It's a vicious cycle. Personal, corporate, national blindness is the way we deal with the havoc we wreck on others.
If we allowed our eyes, souls, and our hearts to see the devestation that greed demands, in all likelihood, we would change our ways. However, we justify our greed and our subsequent actions to pave the way of requiring more things.
Yet, justifying atrocities for the sake of any type of gain reveals the depth of our depravity.
Our actions have revealed our hearts. Love is available, yet it must be chosen. What will I choose? What will you choose? What will we choose? We are all in this together.
As humans, we may have failed, but love always gives us an opportunity to live honestly and to love sincerely.
Love never fails.
Love never fails, but we humans can fail to love.
When love of money, power, country, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, skin color, or any other thing we can think of is more important, valuable, or intrinsic to life than being kind, generous, and loving toward our fellow humans, we show a lack of realizing our own humanity and a lack of humility.
When greed drives our actions, our souls will suffer, individually and collectively... just as there will be suffering of those we feed off of for our gain.
Do not be fooled, although our bank accounts and lives may be full, greed eats away at our souls and ensures a shallowness of dignity, compassion, and mercy within. Those very things are replaced with pride, which merely fuels our desire to obtain more and more.
And along with our desires to obtain more, greed always begets more greed.
It's a vicious cycle. Personal, corporate, national blindness is the way we deal with the havoc we wreck on others.
If we allowed our eyes, souls, and our hearts to see the devestation that greed demands, in all likelihood, we would change our ways. However, we justify our greed and our subsequent actions to pave the way of requiring more things.
Yet, justifying atrocities for the sake of any type of gain reveals the depth of our depravity.
Our actions have revealed our hearts. Love is available, yet it must be chosen. What will I choose? What will you choose? What will we choose? We are all in this together.
As humans, we may have failed, but love always gives us an opportunity to live honestly and to love sincerely.
Love never fails.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Approval
However nice the approval of others may seem, I am learning, it is not the most essential thing in the world. For a couple of weeks now, I've been thinking about the wisdom of a quote by John Lydgate. He said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
I've found for me, this lesson is learned through experience and pain. For undoubtedly, disappointment, discouragement, and strained relationships follow in the wake of disapproval.
I'm learning the most important person I need approval from is me. So, I'd like to modify the above pictured quote to reflect my heart:
"I am who I am. Your approval, although desired, is not necessary."
As I have walked this road for the last couple years, Mother Nature has seemed to me to be the comforting presence of God; she has been my solace. The quality of being, existing in a constant flux of change, allowing growth to take place in the ritual of days and seasons, watching as the sun rises and sets, tracking the moon in its continuous orbit, witnessing the dormancy and then the burst in growth of plant life, and enjoying the routine, wistfulness, and faithfulness of animals... has opened my soul and has ushered in a sense of wholeness, hope, and renewal. And although I am still in the midst of the lesson, I am so very grateful for nature's teachings.
Living life, instead of living an ideal, is multifaceted. I'm learning about myself... my weaknesses, and my strengths. I'm learning about my difficulties in extending forgiveness, and I've realized I cannot do so without extending unconditional love. I'm learning about nature and its cyclical faithfulness. I'm learning about peace of heart in the midst of pain, and joy in the midst of suffering. I've felt the sting of a word spoken in frustration, and I've felt a wound close from a word aptly spoken by a faithful friend. I've witnessed the courage of another in offering a truce. I've received forgiveness and I have forgiven. At times, I've done these well, but more often than not, I've stumbled my way through them. I ask you, can it be any other way for a learner?
And in all this, it's my hope and prayer that I am able to walk in love, mercy, and compassion for myself and others. Because whether humans agree with one another or not, we still belong to one another. In the constant ever-changing ways of our todays, it's my prayer that I will be a faithful friend to each of you. I am who I am. You are who you are. And both of us are beautiful.
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