Monday's Blessing

Mark 9"24

“I do believe, but help me no to doubt!"

The words today were taken from Mark's scripture depicting a man who had been crippled for 38 years.  He spent every day of his life lying on a mat by the pool of Bethesda, hoping for a miracle. One day that miracle came.  Jesus saw the man lying there in need.  It was obvious that he was crippled and asking for help, but Jesus still prompted, "Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:6)

You would think he would have resonated with a deep "YES!" But instead he began listing all of his excuses. "I'm all alone.  I don't have anyone to help me.  Other people have let me down.  Other people always seem to get ahead of me.  I don't have a chance in life." Isn't that so like us?  When we are desperate and in need, rather than readily accept the help someone is giving us, we need to ensure they understand what put us here in the first place.  It is as though we must alleviate our guilt of being blessed!

Jesus didn't patronage the man asking him to elaborate.  Instead he looked deeply into his eyes and said, " If you are serious about getting well, if you are serious about getting your life in order, if you really want to get out of this mess, here's what you must do: Get up off the ground, take up your bed, and be on your way." When the man did what Jesus told him to do, he was miraculously healed!

There is a powerful message in that for all of us today.  If your serious about getting well, if you really want to be made physically and emotionally whole again, you must get up and get moving with your life.  No more lying around feeling sorry for yourself.  Stop making excuses. Stop blaming the people who may have contributed to your illness.  Instead, start forgiving the people who have hurt you and move on.  Trust God, get up, and step into a future that is waiting for you.

Today can be a turning point in your life.  Stop playing the victim mentality.  You may not understand why you are in the position you are in right now.  Actually, that answer may never come. Yet, we spend so much mental energy trying to figure out how it happened, how it may have gotten its tentacles in you.  The truth is you may never know that answer.  Those "why" questions may never be revealed, but trust in God, and just accept the fact there may be some unanswered questions.  

Must enough faith at this present moment and say, "God I don't understand it, but I trust you.  I'm not going to spend my time trying to figure out how these things have happened.  I'm going to make something good out of this and trust that you will heal me.  

That type of faith is the attitude God honors.

Look around you.  Is there anyone else who is combating such illness?  You will be surprised at how many people function each day despite their grievances.  There is immense power in the mind to strive higher despite setbacks.  

​Did you know that Montel William has MS?  Or that Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy? And Tom Hanks has Type II Diabetes?  Each of these individuals has come to the spiritual acceptance to live and move despite their hindrances, and so can you.  Accept that healing will come. 

​This Week's Meditation:

God's love created me like himself. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow your thoughts to come into your mind.  Each time a negative thought comes slowly bring your thought process back to realizing you are made from love, and you are supposed to be where you are right now. Remind yourself of healing each moment. 

Monday's Blessing

Hebrews 12:1

“Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Every wonder why you're not so happy?  Often it's because we are dragging around all sorts of baggage from our past.  Somebody offended us last week, so we have packed that pain in our bags. A month ago, we lost our temper, said some things we shouldn't have, and we have stuffed that in, too.  Maybe a loved one died years ago, and we just don't understand why we were left alone. We've got anger and doubt stashed in another bag.  What about growing up?  Maybe that wasn't the best case scenario.  That can be a whole suitcase full of junk.  We've been carrying these heavy bags around for years without even realizing it.  They are loaded down with our collections of burdens, heartaches, and such.  It's no wonder we're not happy most of the time!

Sadly, we drag this baggage wherever we go.  Not only do we hold onto this bulk, but we like to unpack it from time to time.  We want to make sure its still there ensuring we haven't lost anything. Usually this is on unsuspecting victims we've come to trust.  There is nothing wrong with sharing a few tidbits, but when you use it as a catharsis, dragging someone into your dark abyss, it takes on a whole new meaning.   Then we pack it all up again to drag it to another haven.  

Karen went through a terrible relationship. She lasted 10 years then packed her bags leaving this tumultuous relationship behind. Several years later, she began praying to God to send her another man who would shed light into her bleak life.  Sure enough, she met a fine gentleman, a very godly, successful man.  She was excited about this new found friendship.  She began to trust him more and more.  Shortly afterwards, she began to unpack her emotional baggage.  When they were together she talked constantly about all she had bee through, how she was emotionally drained, and how mistreated she had been.

I met that man a few years later.  He told me Karen was so focused on her past that she just couldn't let go.  She was so caught up with what she had been through that she never really healed. He stated he just couldn't deal with it anymore.  He finally stopped calling her and moved on.

These types of things can happen to the best of us.  If you hold on to the  hurts and pains of the past, they will poison you wherever you go and who ever you share them with.  You may think that the "other" people are the problem, but I encourage you to examine your own heart.  Look inside, because you may find that you are the problem. 

God did not create us to carry around all that baggage from our past.  In fact he says, "Lay aside every encumbrance and sin that enables us." In other words, let it go.  If someone hurt you, give that to God, and He'll pay you back.  He will make it up to you.  Quit dwelling on disappointments and despair. God is bigger than your past.  He's bigger than your disappointments. He bigger than your problems.  God only has one function asked of us - to be happy.  He sets this at our feet each morning.  He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest by being happy.  Leave those bags at His doorstep and step out. 

This Week's Meditation:

My happiness is my only function.  God gives me only happiness.  Happiness is my only function. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow your thoughts to come into your mind.  Each time a negative thought comes slowly bring your thought process back to the meditation and happiness. Blessing will come this week!
​

Monday's Blessing
John 8:32

“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Most of us are blessed with a wonderful memory.  This can be a two-edged sword at times.  On one hand, we receive great joy on past memories that are positive.  On the other hand, we can be plagued with negative images that have invaded our past.  It is like having two ready to grab files at our fingertips.  

The first file is a file filled with all the good things that have happened to us.  It's full of our victories and accomplishments, all the things that have brought us joy and happiness through the years.  

The second file is just he opposite.  It's filled with the hurts and pains of the past , all the negative things that have happened to us.  It's full of our defeats and failures, things that brought us sadness and sorrow.  

Throughout life, we can choose which file we will access.  Some people repeatedly return to file number two and relieve the painful things that have happened to them. These people are always thinking about the times somebody did them wrong.  The times they were hurt or suffered awful pain.  They practically wear out file number two.  In fact, the hinges are broken and files are scattered routinely about. They're so preoccupied with the negative things, they never get around to exploring file number one.  They hardly think about the good things that have happened to them.

And in reality we all get stuck in file two some days.   We may be having a down moment, not feeling well, or just wanting a bit more out of life.  Sometimes we just can't help reliving some of those painful memories of the past. But during this process, we negate God's desire to bring healing.  Just as we are about to heal, we start talking about our painful experience again.  We bring it up to friends.  We start reliving it, seeing it in our imagination.  All of a sudden we are washed with those feeling of emotions all over again.  t is though we are tearing open the old wound.  It will never properly heal until we learn to leave it alone.  When you dwell on painful experiences in your past, your emotions go right back there with you.  You feel the pain the the present.  You can relive something in your mind and feel it today just as vividly as it happened several years ago.   

​Spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle believes in the practice of staying present. The author of A New Earth and The Power of Now acknowledges the challenge of this effort in the fast-paced culture of today, but also offers two shockingly simple exercises that anyone can do to truly live in the now — anywhere, at any time.

 Tolle explains how people can condition themselves to slow down and appreciate the present. It all begins with one question.

“Ask yourself, ‘Am I still breathing?’” Tolle says. “You suddenly feel the air flowing into your body and out of your body... At that moment, you’ve entered the state of presence. Even if it’s only five seconds.”

Another exercise Tolle suggests involves using all your senses when going through habitual, everyday motions, such as washing your hands.

“Do it consciously,” Tolle instructs. “For example, [when] you wash your hands, feel the water. Smell the soap. Becoming acutely conscious of sense perception means looking, hearing, touching. It brings you into the present moment.”

These exercises may take a little effort at first, but Tolle says that they do end up becoming second nature. “The more you bring those moments of presence into your life, the more your old conditioning becomes eroded, gradually,” he says.

If you want to be truly free, stay in the present.  Throw away the key to file number two.  Don't go back there anymore.  Keep your mind focused on the good things God has done in your life.

This Week's Meditation:

Let me not forget to stay in the present.  Let me not try to substitute God's blessings for my wants.  Let me forgive and be happy.  

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow your thoughts to come into your mind.  Each time a negative thought comes slowly bring your thought process back to the meditation and forgiveness.  Great things will begin to happen.

Monday's Blessing
Lamentations 3:22-23

“Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

What's your take on the New Year?  Keep in mind life is going to follow your present thoughts.  If your dwelling on a frustrating 2016 drumming up all the negative things that have happened, focusing on the mistakes you've made, and what you've done wrong, then your perpetuating a problem to take root in 2017.  Take this year to let go, seek forgiveness from anyone you've hurt, and forgive the people who have hurt you.  This is the only way you can release any bitterness you have been harboring.  Take a moment right now, close your eyes, and begin by forgiving yourself. You are human, God knows this.  Get rid of any bitterness you've been harboring on yourself.  If you're going to go forward this 2017 let's start right here.  Quit looking back.  

The scripture says that God's mercies are new every morning.  You may have made a lot of mistakes, but God has not run out of mercy.  He makes a fresh new batch every single morning.  Do you know why? Because he knew we were going to use up all the he made yesterday.

You may have done several things this year you're not proud of, but you don't have to carry that around with you any longer.  You simply need to receive God's mercy and forgiveness. Today can be that new beginning.  

Don't be a prisoner of the past.  Some people are always dwelling on their disappointments.  They just can’t understand why their prayers aren’t being answered, why their loved one wasn’t healed, why they are mistreated. They don't realize it, but they're allowing their past to poison their future. God has a new beginning in store for you.  He wants to restore what's been stolen, but you may not be letting go of the past. 

How can we forgive others when we are unable to forgive ourselves?  This is the first step in complete redemption that fosters a new beginning. Once you forgive yourself you can begin to forgive others easily. Having our hearts in perfect harmony opens the door to blessings for the New Year.  Hate and disdain can only hold us back.  After all, that takes negative thoughts to keep festering and dislike someone. You can forgive others easily.  It is as simple as the following four steps:

1. Recognize no one is perfect.When we hate somebody, we tend to lose our perspective about that person. When we’re filled with resentment and bitterness and hurt, we tend to dehumanize the offender. We treat them like an animal.

But we’re all in the same boat. The Bible says, “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT, second edition). We’re all imperfect.

2. Relinquish your right to get even. This is the heart of forgiveness. The Bible says, “Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it” (Romans 12:19a TLB). You deserve to retaliate, but you must commit not to do so. It’s not fair, but it’s healthy. This isn’t a one-time decision but a daily one that may even require moment-by-moment decisions.

3. Respond to the evil with good. This is how you know you’ve fully released someone from the wrong that has been committed against you. Humanly speaking, it’s nearly impossible to respond to evil with good. You’ll need God’s help. You’ll need the love of Jesus to fill you up. Why? God’s love doesn’t keep track of wrongs (see 1 Corinthians 13).

4. Refocus on God’s plan for your life. You stop focusing on the hurt and the person who hurt you. Instead, you refocus on God’s purpose for your life, which is greater than any problem or pain you might be currently facing.

Take this week to continue forgiving yourself from anything you feel you have done or not done. Then move forward forgiving anyone who has hurt you this past year with this week's meditation.
 
This Week's Meditation:

I am the light of the world. Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow your thoughts to come into your mind.  Each time a negative thought comes slowly bring your thought process back to the meditation and forgiveness.  Great things will begin to happen.

Monday's Blessing
Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

The New Year stands before us like a fresh chapter in a book. What will you write for the next chapter of your life? It’s entirely up to you. Take the first step to make sure that it’s a great chapter by setting New Year’s resolutions. Here's 29 ideas for your New Year’s resolutions. Today's a great day to chose at least three. 

1. Start a Meditation Practice.
There are scientific studies that show the many benefits of meditating. To name just a few, meditating helps to improve your mood, it reduces stress, it lessens anxiety, and it even increases your brain’s grey matter — which is involved in muscle control, sensory perception, decision making, and self-control. In addition, once you get the hang of it, meditating is easy to do.

2. Learn Something New Each Day.
Set the resolution to learn something new every day in order to have a better understanding of the world and how it works. Fortunately, the internet makes it incredibly easy to learn new things. Here are three sites you can try:

• Subscribe to Wikipedia’s Featured Article mailing list – you’ll receive an email each morning containing Wikipedia’s featured article for that day.
• Watch a CrashCourse video on YouTube. CrashCourse is an educational YouTube channel started by the Green brothers, Hank Green and John Green. Each video is about 15 minutes long and they cover subjects such as literature, biology, history, economics, and so on.  The cherry on top is that the videos are fun to watch.
• Watch a TED Talk every morning while you eat breakfast. Here are the 20 Best Ted Talks to get you started.

3. Pick Up a Hobby.
Did you know that having a hobby is good for you? Hobbies can lower your stress levels, boost your brain power, improve your ability to focus, and more. Therefore, in 2017, start a new hobby. If you’re looking for ideas for hobbies to try, here are 16 Hobbies That Will Improve Your Quality of Life.

4. Play More.
Play is an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults. In addition, it can make you more creative and productive. Bring more play into your life by making it a New Year’s resolution.
In case it’s been so long since you allowed yourself to play that you’ve forgotten how, here are 10 Ways to Play More and Have More Fun As an Adult.

5. Eat Fewer Calories.
There are many reasons why most of us should set a resolution of eating fewer calories. The most obvious reason is to lose weight. After all, carrying excess weight puts us at a greater risk of a whole range of serious health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
With all of the contradictory information out there on what to eat, sometimes it’s hard to decide what to do when you want to lose weight. I try to keep things simple. When I want to lose weight, I just eat less. I recommend you do the same. If you gained weight in 2016, resolve to eat smaller portions in 2017.

6. Write a Business Plan.
Make 2017 the year you stop thinking about starting a business and you start taking action –it’s OK if it’s a small business on the side. The first step to take is to write a business plan. Once you get your ideas down on paper, you’ll be that much more motivated to turn those ideas into reality.

7. Move More.
It doesn’t matter what you choose to do: join a sports team; get a pedometer and take at least 10,000 steps a day; get up every 20 minutes and stretch; or join a dance class. Just move! Living a sedentary life dumbs you down, it makes it more likely that you’ll be overweight, and it puts you at a higher risk of depression.
Think of the following quote from the movie “Madagascar“: “Move it nice and sweet and sassy, alright!”

8. Read More Books.
I read several books in 2016, and I’m glad I did. The time I spent reading was enjoyable, and I feel a sense of accomplishment since all of the books I chose to read are recognized as “literature”.
I’ll definitely be reading lots of books in 2017, and I encourage you to do the same. If you need some convincing on this one, here are 13 Ways Reading Will Improve Your Life. This year, I’m reading the 12 most important books of Russian literature.

9. Be  More Grateful.
If you haven’t climbed aboard the gratitude bandwagon yet, this is the year to do it. There are studies that show that gratitude can make you 25% happier. Think about that for a second: 25% happier!

Being grateful will also help you to overcome adversity, improve the quality of your sleep, and allow you to get along better with others. For next year, resolve to be more grateful. Here are some gratitude exercises to get you started.

10. Stop Procrastinating.
If you didn’t achieve your goals this year, procrastination was the likely culprit. Make 2017 the year you stop procrastinating and start getting things done. This will help you to ensure that you won’t be sitting there at the end of next year wondering why you never got around to working on your goals.

11. Set Aside On-Hour-A-Day to Achieve Your Dreams.
Stop telling yourself that you simply don’t have the time to work on your dreams. Whatever your dreams are–whether it’s to make more money so you can redecorate your home, learn to play an instrument, have a positive impact on the world, and so on–you can accomplish those dreams in just one-hour-a-day.

If you devote one-hour-a-day to achieving your most important dream in 2017, by the end of the year you’ll have devoted 365 hours to that dream. Not bad!

12. Spend More Time In Nature.
Humans were not made to be cooped up inside all day. Spending time in nature makes you happier, it boosts your immune system, and it even makes you more creative. Resolve that next year you’ll be spending more time outside (and just opening the windows more often doesn’t count).

13. Start Doing Planks Every Day.
Doing plank exercises every day is a great way to strengthen your core. This article on Lifehack will show you how to do a plank, and it also includes an easy five-minute plank routine you can try.

14. Enjoy the Little Things.
Living life to the fullest doesn’t just mean setting big goals like going bungee jumping or learning to scuba dive. It also includes learning to enjoy the little things. That is, learning to appreciate life’s simple pleasures, such as the following:

• Going outside at night to look at the stars.
• Going to a pet shop to “ooh” and “aah” at the puppies and kittens.
• Walking barefoot in the grass.

If you want more ideas, here are 50 Simple Ways to Celebrate and Enjoy Life. Include as many of these as you can in your 2017 to-do list.

15. Become More Confident.
Confidence can be defined as your belief in your own abilities and in your capacity to get what you want.  In turn, the importance of confidence cannot be overstated. Confident people are happier, more relaxed, more likely to take chances, and more likely to succeed.
Fortunately, there are ways to become more confident. These include giving yourself credit for what you do, cultivating your inner advocate, and taking consistent action toward the achievement of your goals. Make 2017 the year your confidence soars (but don’t get too cocky, because nobody likes that).

16. Be More Conscientious.
In addition to being confident, you need to be conscientious. In fact, research shows that conscientiousness is the personality trait that is most often linked to success. You can start by being more punctual, becoming more organized, and being more thoughtful of others. Become more conscientious in the year that is to come.

17. Increase Your Charisma.
Charisma isn’t just important in the political arena, but in all aspects of life. After all, let’s face it: charismatic people are more likely to get what they want. This includes everything from dates, to job promotions. Because charisma is a skill, and not a character trait, it can be learned. Make 2017 the year your charisma skyrockets.

18. Increase Your IQ.
Read, How to Make Yourself Smarter In One-Hour-A-Day, new studies show that, contrary to popular belief, you can make yourself smarter. So, for 2017, why not set the resolution to raise your IQ? Enhancing your brain’s capacity is always a good thing.

19. Increase Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ).
Daniel Goleman coined the term emotional intelligence in his 1996 bestselling book ,”Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ”. In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is a set of skills, including control of one’s impulses, self-motivation, empathy and social competence in interpersonal relationships.

Set the resolution to increase your EQ, along with your IQ, and in 2017 you’ll be unstoppable.

20. Learn a New Skill.
What have you always wanted to learn to do? Do you want to learn to play an instrument, code, knit, whittle? The possibilities are endless. Take advantage of all of the information that exists out there on how to learn new skills quickly and reach the end of 2017 with a new skill under your belt.

21. Bring More Peace Into Your Life.
I think I can safely say that we all want more peace in our lives. And by this I mean more inner peace, contentment, or serenity. Resolve to bring more peace into your life in the year that’s about to begin by accepting what is, practicing non-judgement, and teaching your mind to become still.

22. Be Kinder to Yourself.
You may not be able to control how kind other people are to you, but you can always control how kind you are to yourself.  This upcoming year, set the resolution to believe in yourself, respect yourself, and treat yourself well.  As I wrote in my post 17 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself, be a good companion to yourself.

23. Create a Positive Attitude.
Having a positive attitude opens your mind to new possibilities, it makes you more resilient, and it can even help you to live longer. Greet the New Year with a smile and resolve to stay positive, no matter what happens. Here are some tips and techniques that will help you.

24. Strengthen Your Personal Relationship.
Don’t make all of your resolutions career or fitness oriented. Include that special someone in your life in your resolutions. In addition, let them know what you’ll be doing: “Hey, honey, guess what? We’re strengthening our relationship this year!” Here are 18 ideas on what to do.

25. Tame Your Monkey Mind
Life isn’t easy when there’s a monkey in your head. Specially if that monkey won’t stop screeching and jumping uncontrollably from one branch to another.
Make this the year you finally lasso that monkey and get it to sit still. How? Here are 10 Ways to Tame Your Monkey Mind and Stop Mental Chatter.

26. Keep a Journal
Journaling is a powerful life tool. It can help you to organize your thoughts, plan how to achieve your goals, and get in touch with your true feelings and wants. If you choose to add “Keep a Journal” to your New Year’s resolutions, here are two journaling techniques you can try.

27. Get Your Documents In Order.
There are certain documents that every adult should have. This includes things such as a will, a durable power of attorney, and a letter of instruction. If your documents aren’t in order, make it a New Year’s Resolution to get them ready in the coming year.

28. Travel.
Plan a vacation. Next year, visit a country you’ve always wanted to see. If you’re not sure how you would achieve a goal to travel in 2017, here’s what to do.

29. Volunteer.
Set the resolution to do good for others in the upcoming year. After all, you won’t just be benefiting those you help; you’ll also be benefiting yourself. Volunteering can give you a sense of purpose, increase your self-esteem, and make you happier. In 2017, get a helper’s high by volunteering.

30. Start a Blog.
A great way to start the New Year is by launching a blog. Register a domain name (it can be your name and last name, e.g. mattsmith.com) and pay for a year of hosting. This will allow you to do things like the following:

• Create a portfolio of your work which you can show to prospective employers or clients.
• Blog as a hobby (you can blog about anything that interests you, such as cooking, traveling, or video games).
• As a way to document a journey — a weight loss journey, a home renovation project, a journey to financial independence, and so on.
• You can monetize your blog and create additional sources of income.

With Weebly you can start for free!