Friday, February 25, 2005

Choices

There are times when I'd like to come here and pour my heart out and share how I'm feeling, but then I wonder just how much information is is good to disclose. How much should we really share of our lives, and will it hurt others if we do. That's a choice & decision I have to make.
Somedays life just seems so full of blessings & joy. Then there are other times when I sit back and wonder WHY ~ How come? When all I want to do is cry out or runaway from it all.... Why is life so hard? Why is it so difficult to do anything? Why are there so many problems to overcome? Why is there so much pain~ physically, emotionally & spiritually? Why is there so much suffering in people's lives?
I know we are supposed to turn to God in EVERY circumstance, be it blessings or needs. He wants to hear from us thro' the good times and the bad. He is a Father who loves us unconditionally and just wants us to come to Him and share our lives with Him. Often when things are going well, we just continue on our way and forget to turn to Him. We should be reaching out in praise & thanksgiving for "ALL" the blessings He gives us in our lives. When problems mount up and bring us down, then often the question that people ask is Why or where are you God or why did you let this happen? He's there, but we have to reach out to Him and call upon His name. It's hard to understand, but God is not responsible for our problems. He only wants to help us. We need to learn patience in waiting for His answers....and even greater to "LISTEN" when He does reach out and talk to us thro' His word or another peson or event.
I'm afraid I'm not very patient these days. I used to have a lot of patience, but lately I find so many things seem to push me to the edge and feeling so overwhelmed.
I thought as I got older & got thro' those difficult teenage years that things would get better. Did they? They changed, but I once again found I faced some things that took every bit of my strength to endure & get thro'. With God's help I did get thro'. Life got better for a time. But the mountains & valleys were constantly changing and life took a lot of ups & downs for me. For another time things were so difficult & so hard to get thro'. I couldn't have done it had it not been for my faith and a God who loves me and helped me thro' it all and provided some good friends to help.
Our lives are affected by the choices we choose to make when we are growing up, and during those different seasons in our lives. Those choices often affect others and ripple out just like the ripple effects in a wave. It would be nice to know the outcome of things when we make a choice in our lives, but we don't. We can look ahead and think about the effects of our actions, but ultimately we should be seeking God's guidance in all we do and thro' all of the choices we make. If we don't choose wisely, then adversities & trials can often come our way and make life so difficult and almost unbearable. When we choose wisely and make God #1 in our lives, then we will discover His loving presense in our lives.
Today I am living with the results of some of my past choices.
Some of those things are good & some are bad, but whatever happens I know God is with me.
Despite the difficulties of raising children, they are a joy beyond all joys. They are a wonderful & beautiful miracle in my life and I am so blessed that God gave me such precious gifts to take care of. I love them with all my heart, and I've known the heartbreak they can be, but that bond of love between a parent & a child is so special. Perhaps one day I'll share how much of a miracle my daughters truly are.
Once you become a parent I think it's a wonderful & amazing lesson in helping us to make us realine that the love we have for our children is nothing compared to the love our FATHER in Heaven loves us. He loved us so much that He gave us His son, and He died for our sins. He suffered beyond measure from people who were cruel & horrible to Him. They beat Him, tortured him, despised Him, made fun of him, and hurt Him in ways that we could never fathom. Even knowing all of these things would happen to Him, He was still there willing to die for our sins. So why can't we accept that love? Why, when He comes knocking at our door not turn to Him and invite Him into our lives? He's knocking and wants an invitation in. Are you going to let Him in?

Friday, February 11, 2005

Thinking

The sun is shining and it seems like a beautiful day out. I haven't yet been outside. I've been sitting in the warmth of my home. As sunny as it is, it is still quite cold out. It's -5 C or 20F out there. So it's not very warm at all. There's a light breeze out there, and the world still goes on no matter what it's doing out there. Most of the trees are bare, except for a few odd leaves that have clung to them over the winter months. The ground is covered in a light covering of snow, and you can see the dead grass popping thro' by the fence posts. From where I sit, I can see a couple of squirrels playing and dashing across the hydro wires. Occasionally a bird flys thro' the trees, or lands on the hydro wires. It's amazing how the birds & the squirrels can cross these dangerous wires and sit on them without being fried from the high powers of electricity. Now that's something that I don't understand or know much about. What a truly amazing invention. They carry electricity from house to house and from one place to another and because of that we are provided with so many new and wonderful conveniences, and sources of power. It's something we often tend to take for granted. Many years ago before my time, people didn't have hydro in their homes. They didn't have electric stoves & fridges. They sure didn't have tv's & radios and computers weren't even thought about. The early settlers relied upon fires, oil lamps, wood stoves. These things were something they needed in order to stay warm, to cook with and to see. There weren't any flashlights either. They used their oil lamps to see in the dark and went to bed early. They worked hard to make ends meet and to survive despite many difficulties and problems they had to face. They worked the ground, raised animals, and tried to live off of the land. If they wanted to go anywhere they walked or they went by horse or horse & buggy. We walk out to our motor vehicles and drive all over the place. It our car doesn't get us where we want to go we rely upon buses, trains, planes..and so many other things that never existed back in the times of the pioneers.
When I was growing up I often wondered what it would have been like to have lived in the days of the pioneers. I was fascinated with shows and books about them and still enjoy them. When I was younger I sometimes wished I could go back to experience some of the things these people did. I'd sit & think about how things might have been if I'd lived back in a past time. They certainly had less distractions in their lives and less conveniences, and they worked from morning to night to make a living and to take care of their families. Times were difficult and people didn't always have very long lives. They struggled against various diseases, they suffered from severe weather conditions, and watched on as many tragedies & things destroyed their crops, their homes and even their families. Their lives were very hard, and yet family committments & values were important to them and something they worked at and tried to protect. They lived close to nature, and around them they saw all of God's creation, and sought to learn more about Him and to teach their family and draw them in thro' family times.
Nowadays people struggle in so many different ways. We've been given so many conveniences & things that are supposed to make out lives easier. We just go to the store and pickup whatever we want, be it food, clothes, electronics, etc. People are so busy running in different directions. Regular family time is almost non-existant. People are forced to work shift schedules, days, afternoons, nights and weekends, and often both parents are working outside of the home relying upon daycare for their children, or leaving them home to get by on their own. Many kids are travelling to school and coming home to an empty house. There is often no discipline, care, concern or help when they are upset or troubled or have something great to share. I'm not saying this sort of life isn't working. Nor is this the way in every home, but some people it is. Some people are thriving on it, and a lot of the kids are turning out fine. Unfortunately there's also a lot of them out there who aren't thriving, who aren't doing ok, who are going thro' hard times. Can you imagine what it must have been like in the days of the pioneers?
Nowadays you don't even have to go out to the store, People get on their computers and order things online. If we don't have the money, then we borrow it, or we run up debts and use charge cards without even thinking of how we are going to pay the bills...well in some cases. I don't want to put everyone in the same category as I know people are different. They all view life differently and they are are living at different levels according to their jobs, finances, health, circumstances in life. Charge cards seem to be away of life and people look at you strangely when you go to get something and they want your charge card as security and you tell them you don't have one. The other day I was checking out some prices on something in an attempt to reduce some bills. I was told I needed a charge card as security to get something that might help . When I said we didn't have one, the person suggested we borrow someone else's card...a family member or friends. What is this world coming to? He didn't want to take a chance on someone backing out of a deal and insisted on security via a charge card and nothing else would work out except to sign something saying you would instead pay their monthly fee's over a certain period. It was a minor thing and something I wasn't even sure I was interested in, but people are so pushy and figure their products are the only things that work and insist that you need to do something about it immediately. I didn't...I told them I needed to think about things and the person acted like I was losing out on a great deal and shouldn't waste time thinking.
I think perhaps he knew if I actually thought about it and compared prices & services, I would find something that worked just as well.
I'm tired of being rushed and told that I need to do things immediately, or I might lose out. If I lose out now, there will always be something else out there. Often something better! I can't go back to the days of the pioneers but I can certainly try to make things simpler.
If I think about things and pray about what I really need, then I'm not going to lose out for God is in control, and He is the one who supplies our needs.
The sun has gone, and the air has stilled, and thro' the cold, another day is drawing to an end. There will always be another day, and another tomorrow...and when the time comes for me when that new day does not dawn, then I'm trusting my God will bring me to my future and His promised land, and all the tomorrow's of eternity. A time when I will no longer have to wonder about anything, when true love will be found, and when I will find contentment & beauty beyond all I can imagine.

Monday, February 07, 2005

How do we view others?

I read someone's blog recently and they were talking about how people judge others by their looks, esp. the young people. I can certainly understand why some people might be judged because of others that have gone before them and spoiled things, but not everyone is the same. Not every group of young people is the same nor is every group of 'old' people. I have to admit that people do tend to look at a group of young people who are dressed differently and judge them wrongly. Often without reason....but I have to say there are many reason's why they are judged. Unfortunately all it takes is a small minority to dress differently, in ways we don't think are proper or understand or like, and have a group of these kids causing trouble, and doing things that are wrong. Immediately when we see someone else dressed in the same way or the same age, we begin to stereotype that age group. It may not be right, but it happens, and I can see why some people do this, but it doesn't make it right. All it takes is a small group of trouble makers to spoil it for others who fit their stereotypes. Does it stop here? NO... Unfortunately many people out there tend to put all people into categories, & groups & stereotype them into the way they see them, and view things. Age is not a barrier in this area, nor is the way you dress. There are so many things that people are critical of: Oh she doesn't dress up or she wears the wrong clothes, he has tatoo's or too many piercings, his clothes don't fit the standards... This barrier goes even further to the point where you are criticized because of your colour, your lifestyle or lack of it, your size, the fact that you wear glasses, or that you don't fit into a certain group.
The old saying you can't judge a book by it's cover is so true!! We are the books...and are covers should not matter or affect who we really are...even though they sometimes do.
Kids are often the most critical of all in that they make fun of one another, and call each other names. "Fatty, four eyes, beanpole, stinky, teacher's pet"....are just a few of the names I remember hearing in school. Back then the teachers really didn't put a stop to those things, or like always, didn't hear most of it anyway. Kids were cruel in their name calling. If you didn't fit into a certain group, or you were too shy, or daring to do the things they thought you should do you were shunned, and made fun of. Those names hurt, and even more it hurts to be made fun of & cut down and ignored, and not included in what others are doing. Why do children do this to those around them? Is it something they've learned from one another or from their peers or parents?
Some youth are great for ganging up on someone who doesn't quite fit into their way of how they think they should look or act. They look at older people & parents as someone from the dark ages, and think they are too old to understand what they are dealing with and going thro'. We all experienced different things...and I know I have not, nor will I ever forget my childhood or teenage years...nor would I ever want to relive or go back to many of those times because of the things I experienced at the fun of others.
Unfortunately being critical is not just limited to the kids, or the youth, nor is it limited to any age, sex, colour, group or area. People from every walk of life are out there being critical of one another, and putting others into the categories they feel each should be in and stereotyping all those around them.
So many people are made fun of and judged because of their colour, their size, their religion, their way of life, their age, their forms of dress & appearance, where they live, what their parents do, how the teacher treats them, the kind of marks they get in school, how socialized they are..............and the list goes on.
This is a problem that has been around since the beginning of time, and during the time that Jesus walked the earth He too was judged, stereotyped and criticized. More than that, He was beaten, made fun of and nailed to a cross where He gave His life in His love for mankind and His Father. Can you imagine the utter despair & pain that He must have gone thro'?
Christ died on that cross for us because of His great love for us. He asks that we love one another as He loved us. That is the greatest gift God provides for us and asks of us....to love one another. If we love someone we will accept them as they are. If we accept Christ into our lives, and His love, He will bless us with His Holy Spirit and with the gift of His Spirit. From there we will be blessed and know the fruits of the spirit where we should live & walk in love. Galations 5 talks about walking in the Spirit and the gifts & fruit of the Spirit which God supplies. If we accept others for who & what they are then we are following what God asks of us.
"The fruit of the Spirit is the direct result of the life of Christ ministered to the believer by the Spirit."Donald Gee
Can we look around us and try to see deep within others and perhaps try to see what Christ sees? Can we honestly say we don't judge others by their appearances, or the way they act & dress, who they hang out with, or how old they are...or any of those many other factors. What do we see when we look at someone new? Do we try to get to know them and to understand them or do we stereotype them upon our first view?
Perhaps we need to look deep within ourselves and see what God is seeing and before we seek to judge, find acceptance & reach out in love...and then we might see others doing the same.