ENGINEERED FOR ONE PURPOSE -- OUR BEST SELF

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-- You know what, our life journey serves just one purpose.... and that is to work us towards our better self. Every bit of joy, sadness, success, failure, trials and difficulties are all engineered for that end purpose of shaping us into the best person, individual, creation we were meant to be by design. The self is engaged not for any selfish agenda (although many mistakenly read it as such) but to materialize the hopes and intent of the Great Designer himself. Not even our human frailties or imperfections can keep us from it.
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Until we learn to think out of the small negative box of our mundane lives we will always see ourselves as small.. helpless.. powerless.. inadequate.. ordinary.. trivial.. mediocre.. useless.. worthless.. failures... devoid of talent... and everything else which we negatively call ourselves as we drag our feet down the dusty road of life and living.
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Now do you still wonder why some people make a living and even get rich by telling us to get up and be somebody!? They know what ails us.
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Because we forget, easily forget that we are somebody. But we ARE somebody. We just keep forgetting that we are children of GOD! God's children ----- and that, in any language, is SPECIAL!! That is where our self-worth and self-confidence lie. Let no one tell you otherwise.
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God bless you.

WAIT FOR THINGS TO TRULY UNFOLD

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THE FOUR SEASONS --- THE MEASURE OF LIFE
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Here's another one coming from the same pile; I found it closer to the bottom and was dated June 01, 2004 - Word Ministry. Unfortunately, the first two paragraphs on the sheet were torn off and the rest had turned brown with time. But as far as I can recall the article is about a man who sent off his four sons into the woods and to this particular tree and to report back to him their observations about it.
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The succeeding paragraphs unfold like this...... and to quote
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--- "When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The FIRST SON said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The SECOND SON said no --- it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The THIRD SON disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen,. The LAST SON disagreed with all of them; he said that it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
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After listening to their feedback, the man explained to his sons that they were all right, because they each seen but ONLY one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. And that the essence of who they are -- and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life -- can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
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He further said...... If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come at some time or later."
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Unquote.
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And that is so true, isn't it? We each go through the seasons of life. Each season comes to touch our lives in ways authentic to its own purpose. Maybe what the father is trying to tell his sons is that life should be viewed not from the constricting point of one season or one event or one experience. Not to think that the end of the world has come because of one failure or mistake. Not to pack up our bags outright defeated just because things are not happening the way we want them to. Not to consider others as less than ourselves just because they don't think, speak, or act the way we do. Not to be too quick to push that 'react' button.
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Instead to wait for things to truly unfold. Wait for explanations. Wait for the story to finish. Wait for the dust of aggravation and strife to settle down. Wait for the time when truth reveals itself in all of its splendor.... or its opposite. Well, sometimes truth can be quite unpleasant to see or hear. But then truth is truth and off it we can better make honest judgement or measure and its corresponding course of action, be it pleasant or otherwise.
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Life is beautiful. But we must also understand that life too has its rough patches. There is both good and bad in it. Yet we shouldn't allow negativity in any form, ours or that of others, to spoil what we have in terms of joy, fulfillment, and happiness.... or quench our hope of having more of those we treasure and value most. God planned us for happiness. Happiness is indeed our worthy portion. That is truly by divine design.
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Blessings, everyone!