Time to be Thankful

Yes, when I reflect back on this year I realize that I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my family and friends who have seen me through a dark pit of despondency and desperation. I am thankful for a roof over my head, food on my table and relatively good health. I am thankful for God who loves and provides for my every need.

I still have a long way to go. There are still obstacles in my path, some are scary....others not so scary. I take comfort in knowing that I'm not alone. I have support coming to me from all different directions. Yet sometimes I forget this. I have to be reminded that if I follow God's will and let him lead me, then I will see his glory shine in me. If I don't, then only I suffer for it. God doesn't punish me like I deserve to be punished. Instead he beckons me to follow him, let him lead and lay my burdens at his feet.

With God, nothing is impossible. I can be thankful for the life he's given me to share with others, the opportunities he's given me to serve others and for the many people I've met during this year of discovery. I am looking forward to next week when I will be introduced again to my new co-workers and start another journey. I do have a good feeling about this new job. I am thankful for this opportunity to fulfill a need.

Seeing things through another person's eyes

You never really understand things until you look at them through someone else's eyes. It is difficult to relate to them when you are only concerned about your own well-being. I have had to relearn this lesson a number of times. In some ways I am a slow learner. Some would say that it is human nature to care about filling your own needs before you turn to supply someone else's needs. Yes, I do agree with that statement. It is a lot easier to fill your own needs than it is to fill someone else's needs. Yet this is exactly what you don't want to do. It's selfish and self seeking to focus only on how you are going to fill your own needs. If you instead look outward, studying the people around you for what their needs are...then amazingly enough you will fill your own needs as well.

I've seen this in practice. Finding out what someone needs really isn't that difficult. You must first decide that you are going to take your eyes off your own situation. Worrying about all the bad things that could happen to you only saps your energy anyway....so why worry? Next, you should be open to listen. Listening skills can be learned. Good listening skills will help you define what the person needs and you may be able to provide. You will find some interesting stuff when you decide to shut off the "noise" and listen to others. Let the person know you're listening by: repeating what they said, asking questions and commenting on the words. Don't interrupt them while they are talking. It is rude...and makes the person lose their train of thought.

Write down what you plan to do and share it. Make sure they understand where you are coming from and ask for clarification of anything you don't understand. Once you do this, on most occasions, you can genuinely see through that person's eyes and resolve their problems.

Finally, step back and enjoy the colors of autumn. Their beauty is fleeting. Remember that when you feel like giving up on the human race.

Thanking God for family and friends

I've been going through a really rough trial the past year and half. Some of what happened is still clinging to my soul. It has changed me. There is no denying that. I realize that I can't go back to the way I was a year and half ago. There are things that I learned that I won't forget that readily. I don't want to forget them. I also don't want to forget to thank God for my family and friends. Without their support, I don't think I'd make it through this life sane.

I know that I've had to step back, reevaluate what's important and hold onto it. There were times and still are when I feel like giving up. The naysayers tell you that you'll fail. They tell you to give up before you even try. Then someone who knows you offers encouragement and help. They tell you that you can't give up. They tell you that even if you do fail, that you will be able to get back up and try again.

Sometimes my mind is overwrought with everything that I still need to do. Yet when I step back, take a deep breath and listen...I find that my mind is perfectly calm. I cherish my family and friends. I realize that often I snap at them for no reason...and I marvel that they don't (thankfully) snap back at me. I am still learning not to take in everything at once...the way this world seems to want you to do....but to take things in piecemeal in manageable chunks.

Keeping Positive when everyone around you wants to bring you down

Yes, I had one of those weeks. You do try your hardest to remain positive about the increasingly dire situation you're now in. It's not easy. You wonder from day to day if there will ever be a light to see by. Some days all you hear is the negative things which makes it hard to stay afloat in the restless sea of life. Other days you can see something in the distance, so you move towards it. Weights of fear and doubt drag you under the waves. You can't breathe. You can't even think straight...Then it happens.

Someone comes alongside you, seemingly out of nowhere. He or she steps in when you feel like you're just one step away from succumbing to the negative forces surrounding you. You know he or she is from God because everyone else wants to see you join them in the morass of despair and hopelessness. Only God can rescue you from that pit of despair that threatens to overwhelm you. You know this.

Yet something inside wants to rebel. How can you keep positive when there is nothing to look forward to in this life? Do you really have to suffer while everyone else is seemingly happy? Are they really happy though or is it just pretend? You ask yourself this daily as you struggle to make sense of the increasingly difficult trial you are going through. Why can't I be happy? Why must I struggle so? What has righteousness and purity have to do with anything? When will it all end?

Ah...I do know these questions very well. I know that God has a plan for me, and that there is something to look forward to in this life. I may not see it now, but someday I will. I can keep positive because God loves me, and he provides for me daily. Sometimes I do suffer because of my own stubbornness and pride. Sometimes I suffer because others don't understand why I take the stands I take. Happiness is a state of mind. I tell myself that I choose to be happy. I can let the difficult trial I'm currently in wreck me or I can grow and learn from it. I don't know why I struggle so much at times. I guess it's because sometimes it's difficult to see what God has in mind for me. Righteousness and purity are values I strive for in my every day life. I want others to see God through me. It will end soon....I wait anxiously for the Lord's return.

Living in these Last Days-Does anyone have a primer?

Christians have a tough time accepting that the now accepted norm of the society around them is to subsidize everything including sexual preference. Non Christians don't understand why the Christians refuse to subsidize sinful practices. They also don't understand understand why some Christians are balking at signing up for subsidized healthcare. They can't see what the end result will be. I have a very strong feeling that we are living in the Last Days mentioned in the book of Revelation. Too many signs of this are appearing everywhere you look. For instance, most of the developed countries (not all) have what they call government healthcare which in essence means that all of your information is gathered in one place, including your health information.

I don't want to scare anyone with the information that is now really plain for all to see. But....it appears to me that there's only a tiny little step to be taken for some entity to control every aspect of your life all over the world. The technology is here now. The countries are lining up for what is touted as free healthcare or what I call controlled healthcare. It should scare you to think that you can be shut out of basic services for standing up for your beliefs. Yet I fear this is happening now....in the very beginning stages.

I'm not alone in this feeling. I sense that this will be ten times worse than it was in the 1940's when at least a fortunate few had some refuge and resources to go to and escape. With this new technology (which has been around for awhile) there is no refuge for those who dare to stand up for their beliefs. It will be fairly easy once every human being is "cataloged" in the database to persecute those that refuse to take the "mark"...(biochip technology now available) to get the healthcare, food and shelter they need.

I need a primer. How do you deal with people now that call you unpatriotic in your refusal to bend to their will? I can't fathom right now what will happen in the future and what my role will be in bringing light in the darkness. All I can say is that we all need to be prepared to be persecuted if we continue to stand for the high moral standards set out in the Bible.

More and more as days go by, I eagerly wait for the Lord's return and pray that I'm worthy of his great love for me. I also pray for those non-Christians around me. They are in for a rude awakening.

Trying to stay afloat in an increasingly hostile world

There are little signs that things are starting to look up. Yet it is hard. The pressure I'm feeling now from all sides is enough for me to want to completely shut down. The world isn't what it was when I was young. Back then there wasn't as much stress. At least it didn't seem that way. I didn't worry about whether or not I'd be able to keep my house or have enough to eat. I didn't worry that my personal information would be assimilated all over the Internet for everyone to see and steal. I didn't worry about being alone with increasingly fragile people that need my support now.

I am trying to stay afloat. That isn't easy. Everyone wants to take you down to their level. They tell you that things will only get worse, and that you can't depend on anyone else. They don't know God. In their eyes, he doesn't exist. You can't tell them that he's there, because they can't see him. They are increasingly hostile to those who try to bring light into the darkness. They love the darkness, even when they are complaining about things that don't matter.

I do trust the Lord. I know that he is working through me. I know that he is leading me through some dark passages now. My eyes are open, but it is hard. My heart hurts when I see all the stuff that is happening to those around me. I feel helpless. Yet I do know he sees and hears everything.

He knows my daily struggle to lean on him, and not on my own understanding. I know that I must be strong and courageous, but I would love someone to come along side me...and tell me that I'm on the right path.

Does anyone care about history?

Low attendance at the last four meetings has me a bit concerned. It's nice when all you want to do is socialize. It's not so nice when you want to do more. I don't know what to do. I know my concerns are legitimate. Unfortunately I can't seem to get enough people interested. Some say that it's the steadily deteriorating enviromment that we now live in. My hometown now has a bad reputation. Some would even say that it has become part of the the big city 3 miles away....just as urban and as dangerous. Others point to the fact that the citizens that used to live here are now either dead or have "flown" to greener pastures.

What does history tell us about these small towns? History tells us that they were once viable and growing. It also tells us that people once took pride in their towns. There are those of us who heard the stories and want to see that growth again. How do we get past the indifference that most exhibit towards these small towns? I don't know that either.

Only the Lord knows whether or not we'll last the year or not. First years are often the hardest. You hit rough waters with people unwilling or unable to participate. There is only so much you can do on your own. If God isn't in it, you will definitely fail....and that's a fact.

Why can't people learn that lesson? Why does every generation end up making the same mistakes over and over? How is it possible that history is doomed to repeat itself?

I know people refuse to listen to God...They would rather listen to their fears.