I had the opportunity to attend a fellowship service in Naperville to listen and support my friend as she shared her journey with her fellow church members. The spiritual experience was quite different from my way of praising the Lord, but I am always open to finding new ways of praise. I was enamored at the comfortable surroundings, candles lit on the stage, big screen with inspirational quotes, the live band offering emotional triggers and mostly the connection between those speaking and the audience. My friend has undergone huge hurdles in her life, more than one can imagine, yet she found the courage to divulge her pain with friends, family and many strangers, in the hope that her healing process will inspire others to keep the faith. I already knew what happened in her life and was with her during many hardships, but she said something that stuck with me. The theme was about Trust. She trusted in the fact that if she was a good person, led a clean, healthy lifestyle, helped others in need and followed the way of Christ, she would be blessed with happiness and shielded from extreme pain and suffering. This did not pan out the way she thought. Instead of whining about being a victim after falling down, she dusted herself off, got back up and is taking one step, one day at a time, to continue her journey, trusting that Christ has her back.
We all bring up the karma card when life treats us unkindly, or unjustly. Perhaps we think that we should not be hurt this way without someone else paying a price. We search for reasons why our world has shattered. After all, we think: I am good and giving, why am I being punished? Everything is not a consequence of us. Ego makes us feel victimized. I have learned that whenever a person makes another feel less than their best, either by bullying them, using harsh and judgmental words or even through violence, we have to be strong and stand back, ask ourselves, why would this person want to make me feel so badly? We should discover the only reason is that they are hurting deep inside and all basic bad behavior is due to insecurity. Bottom line. People resort to conflict and arguments, and actually, conflict can be a good thing, when we know how to resolve it. A healthy disagreement can lead to moving forward. We are so unique and hold different thoughts and should be allowed to express ourselves without being judged or ridiculed.
Parents should not have to endure the pain of watching their children be bullied without protecting them, but we also must remember that children are learning and sadly, they learn through their mistakes. We cannot be the one to fight every battle, they have to learn how to do that. We can support and guide them, but when children argue amongst themselves, they are learning to get along socially. This has to be the hardest part of being a parent, but we do our children a disservice when we go overboard.
Getting back to crossroads. This is an accurate word for how we must live our lives. We all have choices to make and sometimes make the wrong decision and take the harder, more difficult road, or the easier path. Many times the easier path today leads to a much more difficult path later. I believe we are on earth today to experience life as best we can and make a little impact by following the example Christ offered us. He never said it would be easy, but if we have love in our hearts, compassion in our actions and strive for a peaceful existence, we can find life is truly beautiful. So many people are in suffering mode due to financial difficulties, illness and loss of loved ones. We are not being punished, but merely living through hardships. The best we can do is trust that our Lord will give us strength to endure these unwanted issues in our life. We must not become too attached to lifestyles, people or things. They are fleeting. Live for the moment, today, the now. Tomorrow may bring wondrous blessings. The past has taught us how fragile we are, and how strong we can be.
We can live by example. If we want others to treat us with respect, treat them accordingly. If we choose to be a victim, so be it. We are only human and we make mistakes. That is ok, but try to learn how to improve. We must accept everyone for who they are. We don't have to always agree, but try to get along. It is harder to live with hate and grudges than with forgiveness and caring. After a while, people will gravitate to the enlightened energy and want to be illuminated by your grace. We want to be around people that make us feel good. We have a choice, a crossroads, to continually be around those who we know will make us feel badly, or stay away. We cannot change the behavior of others, or sway them to love us, but we can change ourselves and how we perceive. We have the control and power to do this. Let go of our egos that want to protect us from any harm and cause us to offend. Let your shield be one of light and love. Hold everyone, especially those you fear, in the light with love. Bless them to their highest good. Everyone has goodness in them. We are all connected and Christ is always around to show us the road. Let go and let God.
When my son, Steven, played DJ at his high school every Saturday, I always requested this mantra song by Five for Fighting. Build your masterpiece. Start now. xo
World
Got a package full of wishes
A time machine, a magic wand
A globe made out of gold
No instructions or Commandments
Laws of gravity or
Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
Acme's Build-a-world-to-be
Take a chance, grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now
Should there be people or peoples
Money, funny pedestals for fools who never pay
Raise your army, build your steeple
Don't be shy, the satellites can look the other way
Lose the earthquakes, keep the faults
Fill the oceans without the salt
Let every man own his own hand
What kind of world do you want?
Think anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now
Sunlight's on the bridge
Sunlight's on the way
Tomorrow's calling
There's more to this life than Love
What kind of world do you want
What kind of world do you want
What kind of world do you want
Think anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
History starts now
Be careful what you wish for
Start now
