A silent sunrise over an autumn reflected lake.
A brilliant blue sky over a mountain peak.
The smell of pine on a well traveled path.
The sound of the rain on a sturdy roof.
Running through the sprinkler on a hot day.
A campfire on a starry night.
Finishing a good book.
A soft sleeping baby.
A child’s belly laugh.
Holding hands.
Hugs.
Not getting my way. Nothing will make it right.
Can’t see past my disappointment. Can’t see any good.
Bitterness has a drug like pull. I can be a victim. I can hide behind my anger.
I can push aside all who try to help. I wallow in my self pity. Pouting in my cocoon.
Is there a way to move on? The only control I have is in my own reaction.
I can push through and let my disappointment propel me forward. I can find better things.
I don’t have to wallow in darkness and doubt. I can still be disappointed but I can feel more.
I can be proud and grateful. I can be appreciative of support and love.
I can see another day. I can find another way.
The easy road. Straight, no turns or forks. So simple. I wish life was a highway like that. Instead we are faced with choices. SOOOO many choices. Where, when, why, who, how and what…..apply those to every aspect of your day and there are infinite possibilities. Choices that will affect your hour, day, year and life.
How do you know if you have chosen the right path? The right person? The right breakfast?? The answer is you don’t. The only assurance that you have is if you feel a measure of peace in your soul. Whether you believe in God or not, your spirit will feel settled with some choices and out of whack with others. How do you explain this to someone else? This unsettled feeling that can really make your life awful. It effects how you treat others and the other choices you make. How do you explain a feeling? Again, you can’t. But you can act on it. Make sure you feel settled before you fully commit to any choice. Even your bagel.
Stress is a strange word. People use it as a noun, a verb and an adjective in the English language. We let it consume us, change us and control us. It follows us everywhere. You can change jobs, houses, cities, even relationships but there it is. From that report you can’t seem to finish to the kid that teases your kid at school, stress can change form. It keeps you from doing things that you want to do. It can make you sleep more or not sleep at all.
The question is, how can we change clear the stress mess out of our lives? We take off our clothes at night, why not our worries and “stresses”?
We can. There is one place and one person that we can give them to. He’s waiting at the office door. He’s waiting at your car door. He’s waiting at the door to your home. He’s waiting right beside you now. Ask for his help. Give him your burdens. He will make them light.
Matthew 11:28
Just ask.
I had always made friends easily so when I was nine and started at a new school, I approached a group of girls on the playground with a friendly smile. I was shocked and crushed when one of them turned around and said, “I don’t like you. You can’t play here.” I didn’t understand and went off to stand by the wall alone. Maybe she was having a bad day. So the next day I tried again. “I don’t like you.” she said. This time I was ready. “Why not? You don’t even know me.” She scoffed and said, “I don’t like people who wear red.” Dismayed again, I turned away.
The next day, I wore blue because it was what the girl had been wearing when she commented about not liking red. “I don’t like you. I don’t like people with white shoes.” Again I turned away. The next day I wore my sparkly red shoes. “I don’t like you. I don’t like people with brown hair.” Now I was getting angry. Nothing I did could please this girl. So the next day I didn’t approach their group. I just played on the swings. The following day, I played with a different group of kids. As I made friends with others I forgot about the girl who would never like me.
Until the day I heard a voice behind me saying, “Can I play?” I was shocked to find her standing behind me with a hopeful look on her face. All I could do was smile and say, “Of course.”
Faith is believing in something or someone. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is important to you. It could be because of the way you were brought up. It could be because of something that happened to you in your life. It could be because of something that didn’t happen to you. But everyone believes in something.
Instead of the Elf on the shelf, my kids are trying out the wandering wise men this Christmas. (I thought the “watching” elf was a little creepy.) The Little People Wise Men wandered into the ceramic nativity that I had set up. My eldest made a comment about them finding their own Jesus. It got me thinking. Everyone has their own “Jesus” that they believe in.
Christians believe in Christ. Hindus, Buddhists and Islamists each have their own deity. Atheists believe that there is no God, that’s faith in something. Why then is it so hard for individuals to accept the faith of others? Why must we tear each other apart BECAUSE of what we believe? Shouldn’t it be more important that we believe in something? That we have our own goals and reasoning? Most faiths teach understanding and enlightenment, peace and tolerance. Shouldn’t we strive to achieve these things in our individual faiths instead of trying to disprove and tear down others because they believe differently?
Why does it feel like our society is pushing us to point out our differences instead of seeing our similarities? We are all humans. We all have feelings. We all just want to be accepted and loved. Why can’t that be enough?
What if you had never been born? Whose lives have you touched even slightly that would be different?
Obviously, your parents, spouse and your children would be affected. But what about that person that you said hello to in line at the store? What about the boss who you helped change their perspective or the coworker that can now look at things from a different angle? We interact with dozens of people everyday and we don’t even think about the impact that we have on their lives. A smile, a wave, just an acknowledgement of their existence sometimes makes an impression on someone.
When you are out and about, look around. Who can you encourage today?
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