1 Samuel 16:7 – “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
January 23, 2011
Christian Ways to Reduce Stress
Rediscovered an old blog post that I had put up based on a nice email I received. The advice is on “Christian Ways to Reduce Stress” and the tagline is a quote and a reminder about the stresses of daily life:
An angel says, “Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it does not happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.”
Here’s the top list of ideas, re-blogged for you to read:
- Pray
- Go to bed on time.
- Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
- Say NO to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
- Delegate tasks to capable others.
- Simplify and unclutter your life.
- Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
- Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
- Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.
- Take one day at a time.
- Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.
- Live within your budget; don’t user credit cards for ordinary purchases.
- Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
- K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
- Do something for the kid in you everyday.
- Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
- Get enough rest.
- Eat right.
- Get organized so everything has its place.
- Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
- Write down thoughts and inspirations.
- Every day, find time to be alone.
- Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.
- Make friends with Godly people.
- Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
- Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good “Thank you Jesus”.
- Laugh.
- Laugh some more!
- Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
- Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can!)
- Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
- Sit on your ego.
- Talk less; listen more.
- Slow down.
- Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
- Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before. God has a way of turning things around for you.
The one I need to follow the most is #33: Talk less; listen more. My favorite is #35 because I have many people in my life who take on quite more responsibility than they need to (God bless their intentions) – it’s just that accepting more burden than a single person can possibly carry isn’t a Christian thing to do. It is up to us to put the stuff we can’t handle or manage in God’s able hands. All the others are great advice at any rate. I encourage you to take a moment and find something in this list that has personal meaning for you.
January 22, 2011
Getting What You Need
Like the Rolling Stones song that goes: “You can’t always get what you want…” We have to remember daily through our disappointments and shortcomings that
Faith in God will not get for you everything you want, but it will get for you what God wants you to have. The unbeliever does not need what he wants; the Christian should want only what he needs. – Vance Havner
This rings some truth in many ways. We don’t always have what we want, which contrary to common wisdom, is a good thing. The trick is in paying close enough attention to the things we do have. These are our blessings. This is what the saying “count your blessings” is all about. All our needs are laid out before us for the asking. All the needs for the moment have already been provided for us. It is up to us to be thankful and to recognize this throughout our moments of disappointment and want.
Perhaps you may want a better job, or a bigger pay raise. Maybe you want more recognition for your labors at the office. Maybe you want to win big money in the lottery or in a casino. The important question is however, what will become of your life if these moments or events never come into your life? Chances are very good that you will still go on living and breathing. The important thing is that you don’t imprison yourself in the cycle of “wants”.
There is a parable I recall from Max Lucado’s book: “Traveling Light”, about a man who in a bad turn of the stock market lost overnight his entire fortune and savings. When asked of his situation, he replied: “I lost everything“. A colleague and close friend of his then asked “Have you lost your faith?”; “No,” he replied. “Have you lost your character?”; “No,” he replied again. “Have you lost your salvation?” his colleague quizzed once more. “Why, no.” To which his friend replied: “Then it appears to me that you have lost none of the things that matter.”
The friend is a wise one. Indeed, when you think about it, what really matters in this life? God doesn’t look at the number of cars you own, the brand name labels on the clothing on your back, the money in your wallet or bank accounts and assets or even the fanciness of the home you live in. God looks at your heart.
That is where all of us should begin to look… at the inside and all of the needs that originate from that place within. When we look there, we circumvent the slavery of “wants” and materialism that takes us places, but eventually takes us nowhere. Having better things, more things or any things doesn’t increase the value or the worth of our inner being. Take some time to focus on the needs that we have to make our inner beauty shine and pray for them.
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” – 1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)
In the long run, if you focus on putting these anxieties on the Lord, you’ll find that “You can’t always get what you want… but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.” (Rolling Stones) Search through your countless blessings and look for the needs that have been answered… most evidently at the right time, place and situation. You may surprise yourself when you do.
January 21, 2011
In This Place
Dear Lord,
In this place where I am, this situation I am living, I find peace. I know you have led me here, through time and troubles; through good times and bad. There is much work to be done, but I have faith that you will stick by me and see it all through. I have no fear because I don’t have to do this all alone. I have my family. I have my friends. Most of all, I have you.
Let those who sling their arrows, or spit in my face find peace in their own lives. It is not out of intentional hatred or angst that they seek to harm me; they have simply mistaken that something I do or something I have done stands in their way. With you nothing stands in the way. With the faith of a mustard seed, as you once inspired the gospel writers to pen, one can move mountains.
Let others who find their way to this place find peace and contentment in their lives. The Lord is my shepherd. there is nothing I shall want. There is nothing I shall want. I must focus on that because until I do, I am enslaved to something that has no meaning outside of this world. I will remember the Lord.
For those of you reading this, give thanks. Give a thought. Give a prayer. Remember that you have all this… and Jesus too. Greater victories have been won in the name of the Lord… and salvation is here now and forever because of that one single victory on a cross, on a hill, in a distant land that may as well be the soil under your feet. Meditate and bring yourself to this place – this place where I am – and find peace.
God Bless and have a wonderful, blessed day.
January 19, 2011
Move Those Mountains
Many of us have read the Bible passage in Matthew 17:20 which reads: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Indeed, moving mountains is not an easy task. They’re tall. They’re massive. Even all the earth’s forces at work together can only carve out mere inches from a mountainside let alone move it from “here” to “there”. The metaphor is there for a reason. Faith allows us to achieve what may seem to us as “impossible”.
I read this reflection this morning in the book: “Purpose for Everyday Living” and I think it’s a great one:
God did not create you for a life of mediocrity; He created you for far greater things. Reaching for greater things usually requires work and lots of it, which is perfectly fine with God. After all, He knows that you’re up to the task, and He has big plans for you if you possess a loving heart and willing hands.
We are meant to be up to the challenge: moving mountains and conquering insurmountable challenges… if we have faith. To have faith is to believe that through every problem you face in life, God is with you every step of the way, ready and willing to strengthen you.
The passage also encouraged readers as Christians to “Live Courageously”… and to put fears and disappointments in God’s hands for able handling. When we feel fear or doubt approach us, turn to God.
I am a firm believer that these fears and disappointments in life are meant for us to develop our character and our inner being. How we handle ourselves in times of turmoil is a reflection of that character. Through it all we are not alone. Acknowledging this more in our lives enables us and increases our ability to take on life’s big challenges. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). As Christians and followers of the Lord, our ability to move mountains attribute to His glory, inspiration and might.
Be patient. When you feel lonely, stay with your loneliness. Avoid the temptation to let your fearful self run off. Let it teach you its wisdom; let it tell you that you can live instead of just surviving. Gradually you will become one, and you will find that Jesus is living in your heart and offering you all that you need – Henri Nouwen
The lessons of life build our character and with faith they inevitably lead us to Christ: both for comfort from our fears and for steady endurance and strength to take on the tasks at hand. Author Max Lucado wrote this on fear: “Earthly fears are no fears at all. Answer the big question of eternity, and the little questions of life fall into perspective.” Eternity is your destiny and your salvation. Faith in God leads you there.
I pray that this reflection leaves you feeling encouraged and emboldened to tackling bigger problems and tasks in your life, knowing that through Christ you are strengthened and meant to accomplish many great, amazing things. Now leave your fears at the door and go out and start moving those mountains!
January 18, 2011
The Butterfly Effect
The “Butterfly Effect” is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. The popular story illustrating this is of a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the planet triggers a chain of events that eventually contributes to a major weather event elsewhere like a hurricane or a tsunami.
The closest example I can think of that relates to the “Butterfly Effect” is the concept of “Random Acts of Kindness” or “Pay it Forward”.
In Random Acts of Kindness, one chooses to live their life with accents of acts of kindness towards complete strangers both small and large: paying someone’s parking meter that has run out or when visiting a hospital, spend a few moments with someone who doesn’t have visitors. The acts are usually encouraged to be anonymous or secretively done.
Some additional inspirational examples of acts of kindness can be found at bukisa.com or daretobeanangel.com. A google search for “random acts of kindess ideas” also yields some great results.
The point of this is that things like the “butterfly effect” or “random acts of kindness” are not an example of chaos or randomness in this world at all. Christian faith teaches us that nothing in this world is left to chance or to randomness. All are designed and integrated into a “master plan” managed by God himself.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)
The inspiration to do good works and random acts of kindness comes from the Holy Spirit – and from it the machinery of the universe and the wonderful “positive energy generator” continues to move forward in our lives.
There are times where we are privy to witness even a small glimpse of what becomes of random kindnesses when it snowballs forward in the world around us. The concept of “pay if forward” is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.
Television and media mogul Oprah Winfrey has on occasion talked about “pay it forward” and has even tracked on her show instances where a second and third generation act of kindness has exploded into something both inspiring and wonderful at the same time. All involved have no idea how they can be related to the initial act of kindness but many will agree and attribute that the unpredictable effects is a wonder and mystery of God’s work in this world.
The movie of the same title, while fictional, also illustrates the concept of how a simple act of kindness can snowball and grow into something more… both positive and of great impact to society at large.
Arguably, the butterfly effect is not chaos at all. It is the product of a higher, divine “order” of the universe that is dictated by an infinite number of complex, tiny and large interactions at work. As humans, we may pretend to understand the wisdom and the machinery of such interactions, but we cannot – it is beyond the scope of our understanding. Faith shows us that by contributing to the energy of acts of kindness and good deeds something positive will eventually become of it whether or not we will be able to observe its outcome. So get busy and pray for your own revelations – so that you will be more observant of God’s plan for your day and your butterfly role in the world around you.
January 13, 2011
Groggy at 5 AM
So here I am, up since 4 AM because I must have mistakenly set my clock an hour ahead. As my family sleeps, I am quietly contemplating what to write about in my 10 minutes this morning. For me, this 10 minutes is more than a prayer, it’s a commitment to God that I will share something meaningful to me with respect to faith and inspiration.
For me, hunger is the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning. Finding something to eat drives me to wake up and to start my day. Before I settle down to eat, I usually also mutter a quick prayer of thanks. That’s how my day begins… a modest meal and a word of thanks.
How does your day begin? What are the first things that enter your mind as you stir through the morning grogginess? Where does God fit into the picture of your most deliberate actions? What I love about the early morning hours is a feeling of strength and resolve. Here I am, up before the rest of the world, preparing for the day ahead. I am ahead of schedule and it makes me feel like I can afford to take some time out and reflect on the Lord and his daily plan for me.
I read an archived blog post from passionatespirituality.com, which had a quick prayer that I think is appropriate for my start today: “God, show me what you are doing today, and how I can be a part of it.” I think it’s a perfect sentiment to ask for a moment of clarity and inspiration… and to be guided by it into the context of God’s plan for us and the world around us. God bless and have a wonderful day!
January 12, 2011
It’s Good to Ask God
Verse for the Day: 1 Samuel 15:22
What Items would you like to pray about each day? How might you create a time to pray regularly?
Daily prayer, is all about preparing our needs and routinely asking for our intentions and guidance. When fitted into a daily schedule it may seem like just a routine, like brushing teeth, preparing breakfast or shaving, but programmed into this practice is a sense of duty. It is that sense of duty that brings us closer to God because within it is obedience… as in today’s verse, “to obey is better than sacrifice” when it comes to our choice in how to serve the Lord.
A Million Prayers Online
Did a query for blog posts on the topic of PRAYER:
1,103,344 results for prayer (0.44 seconds)
Hallelujah! Praise be to God. Over one million (recent) reflections on prayer can be found from within WordPress alone. Undoubtedly this is some wonderful feedback on this respect. Take care and have a great evening!
Taking the Time
Ten minutes in a hectic schedule can even be very difficult to muster. Still I must be a good steward with the time God has afforded me in this life.
In the early life of the Hebrews, it was a common practice that after every harvest or immediately after an animal was slaughtered, a portion of that “gift” from God was set aside and burned or sacrificed in offering of thanks to the Lord, our provider. The important thing to note from this anecdote is that the offering of thanks was made BEFORE anyone dug in and helped themselves to eat or partake of the food.
And so it is with our time.
We live meaningful, busy lives and yet we still wonder why at the end of every exhausting day we are left spent and unable to muster the time or the strength to pray, read scripture, write inspirational/religious blog entries or to meditate over everything that God has provided for us. When we slaughter our time-clock each day, we should set aside our piece of time for God FIRST.
This suggestion isn’t intended out of guilt. On the contrary, it is intended to be a source of inspiration and change in your life. The moment that you put God FIRST in your life is the moment you say YES to something more meaningful, fulfilling and also God centered. Even after four years of trying to do this, I can’t put to words how wonderful a feeling it is when I started doing that.
In an attempt to resurrect this blog, which has exemplified this quest for a God centered and focused life, I want it to be an inspiration to all readers to know that it begins with 10 minutes. Where it goes from there can only shine even brighter in this world for all to see. God has provided many ways for us to shine. Let’s make that happen in 2011.
Peace, Love and Prosperity.
