Don’t Mistake Kindness For Weakness

My Father was the kindest person I’ve ever known.

I find myself modeling after his ability to love every single person he ever came in contact with. He was and is still my inspiration even though he has passed on. I ask myself “what would Dad do?”

Unwavering Love. I feel like it’s a very rare quality these days.

I live in a small rural area but it’s still easy to find people that are not kind. They are constantly fending for themselves, it’s me, me, me, all the time. People will shut doors in your face and not think anything about it. At the grocery store it hurry and get what you want never mind the other person. I’m sure there are people everywhere that act like this.

People have no regard for others everywhere you go. People can easily be rude to even the elderly or disabled.

I always try to think how my Father would act in these situations where people are being so terrible.

Being kind can often be misinterpreted and people can take advantage of that.

Growing up my Father kindness was taken advantage of, because people deemed it as weakness. But I knew one thing- to never make my Father angry. Once my Father knew someone couldn’t be trusted or tried to take advantage of him. That was the end. People respected him for that. As long as you was kind to my Father, everything as good.

I was thinking one day if people weren’t going to be kind to me then why do they deserve my kindness.

I thought where’s the logic in that. But there is logic in that. Realizing life is not a race.

Who are we to judge who is in last place or not?

I don’t care about how much money you make, or how big your house is, or what kind of car you drive. I don’t care about your job title or how many awards you’ve won.

I care about the way you treat me and other. I care about the way you treat those who are less fortunate than you are. I care about how to act when you think no one is looking.

I few weekends ago there was a older man with I think it was his grandson coming out of a store. The boy was probably 5 or 6 years old, he was trying his hardest to open the door for his grandfather but the door being to heavy for him. A lady walked right on by nearly knocking the old man down. I thought to myself WoW, I can’t believe she just did that. Then I man after her held the door so the older man and his grandson could get out. I instantly knew what kind of people they were just by what had happened.

Do you shove a stranger just because you need to get into a store? Do you treat someone unkindly just because they treated you unkindly?

At the end of the day, what matters most is how you treated the people around you and the amount of love you’ve shown to others.

“And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”

The Beatles

The Connection Between Easter And Passover

It’s not just the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. Both holidays are about the dead rising to new life.

Easter stalks Passover. They arrive together every spring, like the daffodils and magnolia blossoms. It hard not to see Christianity’s Most important day recapitulates Passover. Both holidays face head on the daunting power of death-and both announce God’s greater power of life.

People who follow Passover get ready to have a festive meal with a traditional liturgy that retells the familiar story of Exodus. Emails and texts along with phone calls begin to sort out who would bring what.

The night before Passover they sing and recite ago old prayers and set out a cup for Elijah, the harbinger of the messianic era. Always ended with the declaration: Next year in Jerusalem.

Just a few days later, the holiest days of the year for Christians are under way. I’m headed to church on Saturday night to celebrate Passover once again.

In Romance languages, the connection between the Jewish and Christian holidays is explicit. The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach. In French Easter is Paques. In Italian it’s Pasquale. In many other languages, the word for Easter is simply a transliteration of the Greek word for Easter, Pascha. English among the exceptions. Our word Easter is German in origin, meaning new life, with is to say

The Word Easter is from the story of Esther in the Bible.

In the New Testament, Passover and Easter are tied together. Jesus enters Jerusalem and gathers his disciples to celebrate the Passover meal, memorized by Christians as the Last Supper. Soon, Jesus is arrested, tried and executed on the cross, dying just before the Jewish Sabbath. Then on Sunday morning, His followers are astounded to find Jesus appearing to them as one alive, not dead.

Some early Christians repeated the sequence exactly, marking Easter on the same day as Passover, regardless of the day of the week. Others adopted a different kind of rigor, insisting that Easter dawn on a Sunday, as it had for Jesus’s disciples. They celebrated Easter on the First Sunday after Passover, as we do as well. The Lunar cycle that sets the date for Passover also determines Easter.

The relation between Passover and Easter run deeper still. Because it keeps repeating the biblical pattern for 1000’s of years. Easter doesn’t just share the same week with Passover. They are about the same thing: In bother, the dead rise to new life.

So many individuals see Easter/Passover just as a week or weekend to go party and have fun, with little reference to why this holiday is here in the first place. Jesus was arrested, tried and executed on the cross, and died for us, to be forgiven and have life abundantly, yet few recognize He is the Passover Lamb.

How To Win The War In Your Mind

The Bible tells us in Romans 12;2 that we are not to be conformed to this world.

In a world gone wild, and surrounded by the enemies of our soul seeking to distract and destroy us, we desperately need the truths of the gospel applied to our minds daily.

We need to Challenge our thoughts daily.

Have you ever slowed down to pay attention to what is going on in your mind?

What are you hearing? What are you thinking? What are you believing?

Last week was a bad week for me, I was very busy with work and organizing the making of the Veterans St. Patrick’s day float. It was difficult to keep my mind on God. I came home Saturday night feeling drained of energy and very distracted from my mind. I had a argument with my thoughts. I struggled to concentrate on the things of God. My thoughts were, I was a horrible person because I didn’t do Gods work the entire week, even thought I prayed and ministered to hurting people. Satan can be very tricky.

We are constantly being informed by words and ideas, world views and philosophies. Our personal stories are filled with disappointment, brokenness, and pain. And our hearts and heads have been informed by lies, deceit, and accusations from the world, the flesh, and satan.

We need to take captive of our thoughts and examine them. To take something captive is to take control of it and put it in a controlled environment like putting a ferocious animal in a cage. (That’s how I was feeling last night. I knew whatever was in my mind had to get out). Then, we need to take a closer look at our thoughts and consider what we are thinking or believing and why.

We need to consider if our thoughts line up with what is true of Jesus and our life in him. Do our thoughts conform to the truths of the gospel. Ask yourself; Am I thinking or believing the good news about God, others or myself?

The enemies of our mind tells lies about God to tempt us, to breed distrust in relationship to divide us, and to rehearse accusing words in our ears to destroys.

What kinds of words are you hearing in your mind?

If your thinking bad thoughts about anyone, or planning on doing something that it wrong. This is Satan getting to think Ill of others. God loves, you, nothing bad or evil can come from God. It can only come from Satan.

Regularly invite the Holy Spirit to witness to you regarding who Jesus is, what he has done, and who you are because of his work. If you’re thoughts or beliefs you are having do not line up, the Spirit will make it known as He brings to remembrance what is true of God and of you because of the gospel.

Here are some questions we can ask the Holy Spirit to address in me.

  • Is that really true, or is it a lie?
  • Does this sound like Satan’s accusation or the Spirit’s conviction?
  • What am I putting my hope in now-God’s word or work, or someone else’s?
  • How do the truths of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection address this thought or belief?
  • What about Jesus do I need to remember right now?

Praying brings our requests to God. Prayer also submits our thoughts and beliefs to God’s Spirit, so that our mind can be renewed by the truths of God’s word as we submit and listen for God’s Word.

The war of our mind is not a passive activity, but an active, vigorous fight, fought with the power of God and spiritual weapons made available to us through the gospel. As the Spirit makes the truth of Jesus known to us, we must hold fast to them.

This is where putting the whole armor of God comes in. With this we have a readiness to run from evil and chase after God’s obedience Because we know we are free and unhindered by guilt, shame, and fear. Because of Jesus, our guilt is removed, our shame is covered, and our fear is demolished, for He is victorious over our enemies.

Signs You Care Too Much

This world could benefit greatly from more kindness and compassion, because we live in egocentric times. Nice people bring so much light into the dark places of this world, helping to elevate the vibration of the earth. However sometimes kindness and care can be taken to the opposite end of the spectrum, where it becomes almost self-destructive rather than helpful.

You should care about others, of course but, not when it comes at the expense of your own well-being and happiness.

Here are some signs you care just a little to much.

#1 People take advantage of your compassion and kindness too often. The moment you start putting other’s needs above your own, people will start to notice, and expect the royal treatment from you at all costs. Having a backbone doesn’t mean you don’t have sympathy for others; it means you have struck a perfect balance between looking out for people while also taking care of your own needs. It’s okay to say no sometimes if you feel overwhelmed or simply don’t agree with others- you have every right to stand up for yourself without being labeled as cruel and unfeeling.

If you don’t think your opinion or well-being matters, people will start to treat you like a doormat. If you don’t believe in your worth, people will walk all over you.

#2 You put everyone else’s needed above your own. Perhaps this is the most draining and saddening aspect of being a truly kind-hearted person. Some people will only see you as a means to an end, or a tool in order to fulfill a goal in their storybook if you continually give them the idea that you’ll do anting for them at any cost. Being nice sometimes feels more like a curse than a blessing, but remember that people cannot take advantage of you unless you allow it to happen.

Make sure you set clear boundaries with people and let them know when they have crossed the line. You can learn how to say no without coming across as rude and uncaring, after all, if you don’t look our for yourself, who will?

#3 You don’t give yourself enough self-love. When you devote all of your time to caring for others, you might pass yourself up for a good dose of TLC. Make sure to let others know when you just can’t pencil something into your schedule; only commit to obligations the you feel certain you can follow through with. You deserve just as much love and attention as you give others; in fact without enough self-care, you can easily fall into a state of disarray and depression.

Spend time helping others, but don’t forget to take care of yourself too. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and attention.

#4 You Attract needy, desperate people into your life. Remember that in the universe, like attract like, so not surprising, being overly nice will attract those who seek attention from others. In a way, becoming a doormat for others is selfish, because deep within, you look to others to fill a void that you have not filled yourself. You have not discovered your own self-worth, so others can’t possibly recognize it, either.

Be sure to spend time developing yourself and practicing assertiveness when you need to; this way, you can’t start attracting people who are also kind-hearted, but don’t demand your love and attention.

Nothing Ever Goes Away Until It Teaches Us It’s Lesson

Life is a great teacher. As long as we live, we will keep on learning, whether from experience, from the people we meet, or from our mistakes.

There are lessons that we will encounter over and over again, without realizing that they will not go away until we learn from them. Have you ever stumbled upon a certain situation that just seems to come back to haunt you? Well, that is the proof that you need to overcome this situation.

The same thing goes with challenges. We often stumble upon certain challenges over and over until finally we learn how to overcome it and learn from it.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

Pema Chodron

The next time you encounter difficulties don’t run away from them. Face them head on and find out what you need to learn. Don’t be afraid of the challenges and lessons. They are part of life. Be brave in all these situations. They will help improve your life.

The Truth Of The Human Spirit

Each of us struggles with limitation in a very personal way. Without limitation, we would have no individuation. Humanity would be a canvas of brushstrokes.

I’ve lately been thinking, “What is going in this world?” I wanted to under how it is that something common to every person is so difficult to grasp.

What does it mean to be human? Though this search didn’t yield the definition I was hoping for, it left me with a powerful thought. The human spirit offers us the capacity to persevere in pursuit of truth.

Our most rewarding endeavor is to build confidence in our beliefs and cultivate and actualiize them. We are born to contribute by creating. From the intangible space between our mind and our heart emerges a palette of creativity. Our thoughts are manifested through our action, each stoke of a soul’s paint brush. Life is the canvas upon which our spirit renders its masterpiece. It’s a nice way to think about life. What kind of masterpiece are you painting?

Humanity is like a canvas with our perceived limitation ps offer a kaleidoscope of human experience. The apex of out potential is where we find the full expression of our being.

Striving to realize our full potential we encounter the source of our fulfillment and frustration. The is which is true to us. The deepest desire of our heart, is rarely a straight and easy path. In my own life, I’ve endured a lot of pain and failure. Where I didn’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was stuck in limbo for years, not knowing how to move forward. It was the most painful experience I’ve ever had to endure. Then I realized later I was the strongest person who ever wanted to quit.

Not being true to ones self is to diminish the human experience, settling for a easier life at the expense of our hearts. We let ourselves down and sell others short the full benefit of Grace. Each of us is an example of what is possible and, by virtue of that, inspires greatness in others. Our greatest contribution to those around us is our own excellence.

When there’s a truth that we are aching for, when a person yearns to know the color of their own soul, the human spirit gives us the capacity to see it through. No matter how many times we fake the human spirit Geiger us strength to get back up again. Until one day despite all odds, we accomplish what we set out to create.