Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

It ain't over yet!

 

I have been blessed with a healthy eventful life full of reading, writing, books, music, movies, museums, travel, culture, arts, entertainment, and most of all, getting to know and developing an intimate personal relationship with God and Christ Jesus with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It’s been great. Getting to know Him and getting to know the world and everything in it. It’s been enjoyable for the most part (lots of love, laughter, good times more than bad for sure and yet there are times when looking back on it all, it just makes me sad. It shouldn’t, though, right? A good life is a good life be thankful be joyous and be quiet. It could have been a lot different of course.

 

But still, I feel sad. It comes and goes all the time. Suicide, like sexual assault/rape…I definitely obviously don’t condone it, but I get it. I get “why” people do what they do. I don’t like it. I hate it like God does. But I get it. I get why people check out early. Maybe you live long enough to outlive all or most of friends and family or loved ones and you’re all that’s left or you devoted your life to fulfillment and betterment and it was plentiful and joyous and rewarding in God’s eyes as well as your own. Or you go back to feeling meh, if I left now would I ‘really’ be missing out on anything. It’s funny but if you have to think about it that much or that hard you don’t want to do it. You’re just going thru an emotional moment and this too shall pass. You literally dodged a bullet or whatever it was you were going to use and lived to embrace another day. And yes, there are those times where you might think, wait, I don’t “really” want to “die” that’s a little overdramatic for the “moment” that comes and goes. Permanent solution for a temporary sometimes bloated or inflated perceived problem.

 

And yeah, I get it; you don’t want to die and you don’t want to stay. The fence straddle can be quite uncomfortable surely. It’s a gray space. That line between too far gone and too close to the sun. I could understand if you wouldn’t be missed; but you will. I could even understand if you were not loved; but you are. It could even sort of understand if you were not important of didn’t matter to someone who depends on you in some way or another. But they do. And lastly, I could even try to swallow the hard pill if you were a hardened criminal who has turned his back on God and man and deserved to die for your crimes in sin! But you’re not.

 

You, see? Because you matter. Your life matters. And to have one foot in this life and one foot edging the door to “exit” this world, it’s clearly unhealthy and puts unnecessary pressure and stress on yourself that you don’t need. Most of all of these things mentioned. You “should” matter to “you” – you “should” love “you” – you would miss “you”! Trust and believe there is “something” in life you would miss if you were not here anymore. I don’t care if it was your favorite hobby, food or drink or place to go or person to visit – something or someone – you would miss. And believe or not – there is a moment of regret for most between that moment of initiating the execution upon yourself and that moment of no return; like a person who jumps or shoots themselves or whatever they tried – pills etcetera whatever and … ding ding wake up! Guess what?! You didn’t die! You survived the attempt or attempts. Whether it be by witness, medic, hospital, pastor, priest, family or friend; God saw it fit to STOP you.

 

Not yet. It is not your appointed time. The Bible is repeatedly clear on this.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/days_of_life

 

I look back on my life and think, wow, that may have been me. Was I the one living spiritually emotionally feeling like I had one foot in and one foot out? My songs, poems, short stories, all had a touch or pinch of darkness that reflect a deep to be more than I am; larger than life persona; a man’s man; the guy that all the ladies want to be with and all the men want to be; a distinguished gentleman; accomplished. Interesting; intriguing. I had an undertone of ‘god’ complex; I often wished I were an angel with powers; like a superhero out of a metaphysical comic book. Oh wait. That was already taken. By Jesus in the Bible; even scarier; that’s real!

 

Let’s change that desire. Let’s desire to matter. To more than others and God but to ourselves. If you get stuck in the “gray” – find yourself rambling on a broken tape of stinkin’ thinkin’ telling yourself all the wrong things when they should be positive uplifting and encouraging. The mind can be renewed! Romans 12:2.



You were fearfully and wonderfully made… Psalm 139:14





Brilliance. Color. Brilliance. Life. Brilliance. Light.

When the noise of life dampens the quiet of the spirit. Go back and read this again. It’s not over. Until it’s over. It ends when God says it ends. Until then, get to work! Get to living! Stop living to die and live to live! “Don’t give up…until you drink from the silver cup” – America/Lonely People. Just sayin’.

 

Say goodbye to yesterday and hello to tomorrow. Dare to dream? How about dare to live 😊 



Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Live A Life That Matters

Live A Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.  There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.  All the things you collected whether treasures or baubles, will pass to someone else.  Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.  It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.  Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.  So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.  It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.  It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant, even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. 

So what will matter?  How will the value of your days be measured?  What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.   What will matter is not your success, but your significance.  What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.  What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.  What will matter is not your competence, but your character.  What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many people will feel a lasting loss, when you’re gone. 

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.  What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.  Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.  It’s not a matter of circumstances but of choice.   When you receive something so beautiful as this, you must not hesitate to share it with your friends.
                                                                                             Author Unknown

Monday, April 9, 2012

A Message from God to You

ABOUT THIS VIDEO:
This original version of the Father's Love Letter narration was first created in 2001. Special thanks to narrator Roy Lamont and Robert Critchley for producing the music. We now have two other extended versions (10 minutes) of this video available as well. (Click on the title for more information)