ONLY LIGHT CAN PUSH AWAY THE DARKNESS

I woke up to the darkness in my room. Didn't get out of bed quite yet. Just lay there being quiet and still but with eyes opened. Not that I could see anything but it just stayed open. Going back to sleep was out of the question because I definitely was awake.

Instinctively without conscious effort my head turned towards the window. It stayed in that position as if waiting for something. After a few seconds a faint fuzzy light glimmered through the curtains. With eyes and attention now riveted to it I watched with bated breath what would happen next. Steadily as the clock ticked away the minutes the light steadily grew, widened, became bigger and stronger. As it did the darkness which just a few minutes ago hugged the room now steadily too transformed from blackness to gray and from gray definitively to greater light until finally faded away... disappeared.

Daylight. Good morning, world.

Only light can push away the darkness.

That works too in our ordinary mundane lives. The light of good occurring in our day and in people i.e. kindness, compassion, sympathy, tolerance, understanding, responsibility, accountability, justice and fairness, respect, honesty, diligence, enlightenment, courage, trust, hope, belief, faith, positivity...  all these and more can push away the  bad dark evil of bias and prejudice, ignorance, poverty of mind heart and soul, doubt and fear, meanness, anger and hate, selfish greed, racism, dictatorship, bullying and whatever else creates misery and suffering to an individual, groups, communities, and to the bigger world we all share.

Whether the process be swift or as slow as a rising dawn it doesn't matter. In its destined or ordained time or timing the light of good will prevail. Good always prevails over evil. Good people always win.

Light can always push away the darkness... and this light should always shine brightly. That is by God's design as you can read in.........

Luke 11:33 ----- New International Version
"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

If I may add to that.... and be blessed by it. No matter who you are --- regardless of race, color or creed, rich or poor, young or old  --- Shine with your light. Keep shining. Let's you and me and everybody be the light in the world and ..... make God smile!

May the blessings of the Lenten season bring peace, joy, and love upon you and your loved ones. God bless you.

REFUSE ENTRY TO THE NEGATIVES OF LIFE

 

Thank you Mr. Quote Man for this morning's nudge .....

"The entire sea of water cannot sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world cannot put you down unless you allow it to get inside you."  -- Unknown

Unquote.

Oh but it's a battlefield, always a battlefield, the positive vs. the negative not only in our mundane daily lives but also in the bigger arena of the world. Undoubtedly it's the irritating inconvenient worrisome negatives of our day to day lives which pull us down from our perch. Like pesky termites gnawing at our peace, confidence, balance, comfort bit by bit finally boring a huge hole in our sanity.

But you know what, it's not the negatives that are to blame. Negatives are what it is and cannot be anything else but itself. It too has its reason for being. Deal with it as it deserves to be dealt with.

Understanding that, we can see that if we do NOT want it in our lives then we should REFUSE its entry into our lives. It's as simple as pizza pie, as a friend once said to me.

So there lies our challenge --- how to purposefully determinedly and effectively say to the negatives 'DO NOT ENTER' ......  and mean it! Good luck!

DWELL MUCH UPON THE POSITIVES

 

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I love Pamela Steinke's book -- 'Good Morning... God'.  Grow in the faith - We don't only learn this in living life with all of its struggles but we also must seek to learn it from good people and good books. After all God uses a diversity of tools to make us learn about Him or know Him better.

Here's a snippet from that book.....

THE POSITIVES

God:   "Yes, dwell much upon the positives! Let the good things of life saturate your mind; think much about them and do not give thought to the negative. Always think upon the positive. Concentrate upon each blessing until you are filled with joy! Always you have concentrated most upon the negatives of life. Now it is time to learn to fill your thoughts with the good. You are learning to wear the armor of God."

Unquote.

This, I believe, is the formula to how life can be better lived. I have learned that much through the ups and down of my speckled life. Speckled.. is an understatement. If life were a face it would have been one with tons of pimples, acne, freckles, psoriasis, allergies... name anything ugly you wouldn't want on a perceived pretty face... and it's there on THAT face! That was life for me... a bundle of 'I don't need you-I don't want you-I don't like you-but you're here' ugly stuff. It's like some horrendous mean ogre (with his ugly face of course!)  is so obsessed in making my life miserable. I guessed that he too must have read what we have read about 'misery loving company'... and was hell-bent literally on pursuing it with me!

But amazingly it were those same things which gave me my lessons in faith, courage, hope, and positivity. Somebody up there makes a mighty good teacher! You see I had to grow up fast, learn fast but He made sure that I did it the right way. He gently steered me into learning to see with my eyes, mind, and heart the wonderful positive things in the world ... and that it exists even in a speckled freckled life.

But if you're looking for or expecting positivity wrapped in wondrous drama with cymbals and drums making a heavenly noise, nope it's not always that way. Sometimes it's that silent courage you feel in the face of strife which pushes you forward a brave step at a time. Sometimes it's simply a warm sun and a gentle breeze which in some marvelous way lifts the worrisome lines off your weary face. Sometimes it's the chirping of a bird outside your window atop tree branches which opens up your eyes to a lovely glorious day. And sometimes it's the raindrops falling from gray skies which in a precious fleeting moment reminds you that the sun will come out later but it surely will.

Because you know in your heart that you can make it yet and that Somebody up there is keeping watch making sure that you'll be okay. And the joy coming out of that is way beyond measure! Try it to believe it.

Here's the bible reference found in that same book. (By the say, thanks Pamela Steinke. I love your book.)

Philippians 4:8
New International Version (NIV)

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

May the blessings of the Lenten season pour out upon you and your homes.

YOU AND NOT OTHERS DEFINE YOU

 

But also be careful.........

 

So many, I have observed, are struggling with self-esteem (confidence in one's own worth or abilities)... the lack of it in both the young and old alike. Nope, it's not the monopoly of the young alone as some perceive it to be. Adults have it too but have learned how to mask it with bravado, seeming flamboyance, even worked up their ego to high gear to make up for the lack. 'Normal', as my teacher would say long ago, 'but that doesn't have to be'.

Through the course of my growing-up years I have struggled with that, too. Made so much more intense by the presence of meanness which some people are amazingly quite capable of. They have this knack of making you feel so flawed, imperfect, meaningless, obscure. Directly or indirectly or as some do without even saying a word.

But thanks to a wonderful mother who never failed to remind me and made sure I understood it that ......

'A person's bad behavior towards you does not reflect on who you are but on him or her where the badness is coming from'.

She added.....  'You define yourself with what you do with yourself with your God-given talents and abilities ... Not with what others do to you. So unleash your light and shine it out to the world and the universe. God will bless you with even so much more.'

Mom was right, you know. God does not make junk. When HE created us HE made sure that we be equipped with everything we would be needing to live our earthly lives with peace and joy. We are His MASTERPIECE.

To enjoy that, we must KNOW that. Look within and see who you truly are, by God's design.

Wishing you a blessed Lenten season.

FOR A BETTER SELF

It's a fine sunny morning and I'm getting more of what I love....  blue skies, green trees, warm sun, and a cool refreshing wind. Thank you!

'Thank you' to WHO or WHOM? Whichever rides well for our Grammar Nazis. But do please carry on; we all got our jobs to do, respectively.

Well, apparently you know who I'm thanking for my lovely day. Not only for the lovely day but for waking me up, feeling good, being in my own home and with my precious family, for food on my table, for clothes on my back, shoes for my feet, and a smiling wallet.... not much in there but enough to make me smile.

There's one other thing I'm also grateful for. 'Life isn't a bed of roses' as an old cliche goes but as I look back now I can honestly say that I'm thankful for the thorns too.

Oh I know that isn't easy. Not easy when you one day find yourself in the midst of a failed relationship, a broken bone, losing someone you love, a misfortune, a broken dream, or just very bad bad people who made life even much more miserable for you.

Now don't use science or intellectualize that pain or suffering. It's not all about  'why me?'  or  'why this?'  because nothing of those will explain it as it was not meant for that in the first place. It's for something bigger... much bigger. By some Supreme Design.

To cut a long story short, as gold is refined through great heat or fire.... so are we. And the point of it all? --- To make us become our better selves. In human history, to get to a point of glory one goes through some conflict, struggle, or strife. That is the same in our ordinary small mundane lives here in our respective tiny little corners of the world. 

Who has not become a --- wiser, more mature, broadminded and understanding, better able to be kind and compassionate towards others, better able to comprehend the complexities of life and people --- after going through an experience of suffering, affliction, misery, conflict, or adversity? Admit it, it opens doors to the mind, heart, and soul. Things you haven't fully understood before is now somehow better understood. Suffering helps us build our character. And that, I believe, is the Supreme Design.

And if perchance that some understanding isn't there yet, well... I hate to say this but God isn't finished with you or me or him or her or them or us... yet.

Still, thank God even through your pain. There's a bigger plan to it. Pray for faith, trust, discernment and understanding.

May the blessings of God be upon you and your families in this Lenten observance and season. God bless you!

 

WHAT YOU THINK, YOU ARE

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It's a fine sunny morning today. And a nice occasional breeze to boot! A lovely day to think.......

There is something which we must try to learn --- that we cannot separate our thoughts from self. That thoughts spur our speech and action. What people hear us say or see us do would always point to the thoughts we hold in our minds. We are our thoughts.

Philippians 4:8
New International Version

'Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.'

God bless you, friends and all! :-)

PRAYER - THE MOST POTENT INSTRUMENT OF ACTION

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NUDGE NOTE #8,  2014

As we are now in the season of Lent, each in our individual ways we engage in prayer (along with other traditional observances of the Holy Week) as each day is ticked off by the Lenten Clock. Mr. Quote Man sent to my inbox this tiny lovely quote by Mahatma Gandhi,

to quote:

'The sky may be overcast today with clouds, but a fervent prayer to God  is enough to dispel them.  Prayer is not idle amusement. Properly understood and applied,  it is the most potent instrument of action.'

Unquote.

Allow me my thoughts this fine morning.....

We all stand connected and nothing describes that connection so well as in friendship. But sadly we can't be there up close every time it's needed that we be there for someone. Life with all its drama puts down reasons sometimes we can't avoid nor understand.

Mom, bless her soul, made sure that I understood that line very well since the day I began to learn my ABC's .... that prayer is 'the most potent instrument of action'.

Believe me, when God sees you as inclined to prayer He sends the reason for a prayer. One need not look far but right where you are can be found a person, a stranger or a friend, who might be needing a tiny prayer or two to get through the day or life.

Basically, we're all the same. We eat problems for breakfast. It may differ in size, shape, color, intensity, flavor, degree, difference or reason but all the same in its job of challenging the heart, mind, body, and soul. We deal with it in many various and diverse ways too ... bare and open to the world or quietly behind the four walls of our homes or in the silent corners of our hearts. And the one lingering thought is too the same.... a wish for help. But no matter our perceived strength sometimes God dishes the ego with one clean sweep. For a very wise purpose.

Let us be generous with prayer. There is always a reason for prayer. Because at some point in our crazy lives we will be sent that reason for a prayer or to pray. But God teaches us this singular potent instrument as our pillar of strength ... A powerful tool to use generously, freely, compassionately. Prayer.

Let us twixt a familiar cliche a bit this way....... Life is tough BUT prayerful people are tougher.

God bless you with faith, strength, peace, joy and everything good for you to enjoy this wonderful God-sent gift of TODAY.

(Thanks, Mr. Quote Man, for the quote and the internet for the lovely images.)

BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF YOUR DREAMS

 

 

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Here's something Milton Berle said which is so charmingly positive in every way you look at it. It's the spirit of hope, faith, courage, potential, possibility, and the attitude of --- 'Yes I can..  but if perchance I don't make it, at least I tried!'

Here's to quote.....

"I'd rather be a ‘COULD-BE’  if I cannot be an ‘ARE’;  because a ‘COULD BE’  is a MAYBE who is reaching for a star.  I'd rather be a ‘HAS-BEEN‘  than a ‘MIGHT-HAVE-BEEN’, by far;
for a ‘MIGHT-HAVE-BEEN’  has never ‘BEEN’,  but a ‘HAS’  was once an ‘ARE’. "

Unquote.

So this is addressed to all young striving people out there -- don't give up on your dreams. Time is not an essential to those who do not set limits to growth and dreams. Whittle at your dreams as an artist would carve wood into an object day by day. Small effort perhaps but these incremental steps will eventually take you to where you want to go. Keep your dream alive.

Have a good week, folks! May God bless the dreams in your hearts.


 

LIFE IS TOUGH BUT POSITIVE PEOPLE TOUGHER

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Saw this in last Sunday's paper and I think it's worthy to note.......

To quote:

"It's easy to interpret the comments of others as discouragement but that would only be one interpretation. Listen with an optimistic ear. Challenge yourself to find a positive take-away from everything you here."

Unquote.

Mom would always remind me long ago to be aware that "life is not perfect no matter how you try or want it to be. So to help you get through it in one piece, learn to steer your thoughts and attitude down the road of positivity."

Not always an easy task and I found that out as I began my own journey through life. The impressionable innocent gullible years are the hardest to pass through. Because everything thought, said, or done would and does matter... particularly when you think that it's you who is the object of deserved or undeserved attention. You react by being hurt, miserable, angry, embarrassed, shamed, bullied. But you never do anything about it, really. You simply become so busy feeling sorry for yourself or hating them.

And mom's words would ring through my head like a hard kick in the butt. Mothers have their ways, indeed. And so I got me my positivity. How? Learning and even so much more learning. Reading and even so much more reading. Thinking, feeling, observing, understanding, writing. Each being part of the other to create that which I aimed for.

Still not an easy task because life and people are as diverse as the books on my shelf and yet still interestingly so. And to get the most out of it is to see it with a serious and honest intent to enrich your life with it.

To enrich in the dictionary means ----- 'to improve or enhance the quality or value of'.  Don't you think that as quite a good step towards positivity?

'Life is tough but people tougher' .... a cliche but let's twixt it a bit with this -------- 'Life is tough but positive people tougher'.

Have a great day, people! God pours out blessings upon you all, your families, and your homes. Enjoy it!

GRATITUDE - THE KEY TO JOY

"A joyful life is an individual creation 

that cannot be copied from a recipe."  

--- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi  Hungarian psychology professor)

That's a tongue-twister of a name but never mind because what he said about joy speaks with such beautiful clarity.

There's no one formula which works for everybody in experiencing joy. It's as diverse as the colors of the rainbow. Someone's joy may not be my idea of one ... or I may be looking at the same thing but not seeing what he may be seeing or am miles away from sharing the same thoughts. That too works the other way around as he may perhaps not understand my own sweet  joy over a simple thing as sitting on the floor with my dog Maxie on a nothing-to-do day.

Joy, as I have learned, is not as elusive as we most often mistakenly think it is. It does not have to depend on the external triggers or manifestations emitted by things events and people. Oh it may to some degree but it doesn't have to be that all the time.

We have to learn to find joy. We can create that experience. Joy, in fact, is already there in our day just waiting to be released.... discovered.... enjoyed and savored. It's put there by an All-Knowing God as a soothing balm to ease our muddled and bewildered lives.

BUT we must learn how to bring it out .... to breathe life into it. How?

It's simple. GRATITUDE, as I have learned through the years, is the key which unlocks the door or doors to joy.

Blessings, everyone. May your day and your weekend be filled to the rafters and out and beyond with boundless joy. Boundless joy, by God's design just for you.

(Thanks to Mr. Quote Man for the quote.)