Advent - Time of Hope

Almost Christmas...but not yet!  Oh yeah it's called Advent.  

This year has been tough, and is actually an understatement.  Not that the ones before were easy - Covid, the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia.   Remember? Who can forget, my head is spinning.  But we are not here to talk about Covid, or the beginning of those horrible conflicts that are going on around the world.  We are here to talk about 2024, and how to feel joy regardless of what is going on in your city, your country, the world.  

There is uncertainty and fear for many.  There are horrible situations that you might be going through.  How in the world can we be expected to feel joy?

Well God tells us, in Phillipians 4:8,  that: "in every situation...whatever is:

• True
• Good
• Holy
• Honorable
• Just
• Lovely
• Commendable
• If there is any excellence
• Anything worthy of praise

Think about these things !"

So yes there are terrible things some people are going through - that is a fact.  But if we have to go through something, and there is nothing we can do about it, at least we can mitigate the hardships and the evil we encounter, and we can draw some good and get enough strength and healing to go through it.  

We can always receive grace, we can always receive healing, God always wants to comfort us and draw us close to His Heart.  All we need to do is our part.  So go ahead and think about that list, don't let anyone or anything steal your free will.  There must be something you can think of, something you can hold on to, something you can chose to think about - other than whatever evil is surrounding you. 

 God is ready!  Ready to hold us in His arms, we just have to let Him!  

All we need to do is to use the power of our will.  Control our minds and  not let ourselves sink into the depths of depression. self pity and despair - that will not help.  That will make things worse, it will change us, consume us, finish us!  

Do not let your circumstances take the best of you! 

Rise above, by asking Jesus Christ to come to your aid.  

Even if all you have is a tiny bit of strength use it for the prayer :  Jesus Help me!

He will come right away. 

God promises that when we do our part "and the God of peace will guard our hearts and minds"  He will come to our aid.  He alone knows what we need most.  He will surround us with protection, strength and peace.  

This Advent there is a lot we can do, no matter what our circumstances.  Why?  Because we have the power to pray and God is on our side.  We have the power to offer up our hardships for a greater good to come out of them.  And we have the power to hope in Him who is our Saviour.  He will come, He will help, He will heal.  This Advent chose Hope!

All we have to do is ask, and trust.  

May the God of peace that surpasses all understanding be with you!

Wars and Rumors !

We can't gaslight Jesus.  Right now there are wars, rumours of wars and weird viruses.  We have unidentified flying objects appearing, governments that have betrayed us and in general an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness.  

It is exactly at this time, more than ever, that we hold on to what we know to be true.

Hold on to your faith, hold on to Holy Scripture, hold on to Jesus Christ.  He warned us that these things were coming, now is the time to truly TRUST:  His plan, His love, His protection, His word.  

Do not despair, do not give up.  Remember that governments can lie, corporations can lie and steal, schools can manipulate and betray families and students, but through it all - Jesus Christ has already conquered death and sin. 

He has the victory!  He alone has the power, and He has got you!  Place yourself in His care, pray, trust and shine His light as best as you can.

Politicians and sometimes even some church leaders can try to gaslight us - but they will be exposed.  Justice is mine says the Lord!  As long as we can keep hatred away from our hearts, and as long as we can continue to do everything no matter how small, for the glory of God... everything will be ok.

Hold on to the truth as you know it.  Hold on to the "Holy Scriptures".  The "Holy Word of God" is spirit and life, it cuts through the darkness like a two edged sword.  You have been called by name.  You belong to Him, who has won over all evil.  

Do not let them steal your joy, your faith, your hope.  Press on, pray and trust.  

Jesus is King!

Hurricane - When all hell breaks loose

Hurricane - When all hell breaks lose

What do we do when all hell breaks lose?  Like a hurricane that comes and destroys everything on its way, hard situations can sometimes come one after the other.  Like waves that have reached our necks, just when we think the worse has passed one more thing happens.  And we struggle, we struggle and we fight; but at the same time we feel exhausted and we want to give up - we look around and it seems like nobody cares. We feel alone, rejected, abandoned.

 I know a few people in these kind of situations right now.  Actually some of the best people I know, are currently struggling with many many hardships.  What can we do?  

Well the best thing we can do is pray.  Pray and know that, truly, God holds us in the palm of His hand.  And yes it is true that sometimes the more we pray the more things go wrong.  But you know what, keep on praying.  Our Lord is faithful.  You truly can count on Him.  If we are patient and we put our trust in Him- eventually things will get better.  the key to this is - Eventually :)

I tell you something, lets be there for each other!  You can send me an email if you ever want me to pray for you, and I promise you I will pray for sure.  Sometimes we can feel disconnected from people that are similar to us, but we can change that.  We can connect - we can take care of each other!  Know that I am here for you and that every time you send me an email or leave a comment!

 I will pray for you!  💝

Being Kind to Beautiful

Sometimes we meet someone whose life seems perfect.  They are beautiful.  They are loved.  They seem to have everything.  Everything we don't have.  

It is hard.  It is hard to know someone who has everything we ever wanted.  A person who seems to have it all.  And the worse part is - they don't even seem to understand just how lucky they are.  But we do.  We realize it, and it stings.  Yes, it makes us upset, even angry.  But why?

 One word: envy.  

Sometimes we don't grasp just how envious we can become.  We are unkind, sometimes even downright mean; and still we justify the way we act, and how we reject others.  We justify our lack of kindness.  And the worse part is, the more this person we so deeply envy is kind to us, the more our unkindness is made evident, and the more we hate them.  

Sounds familiar?  Maybe, the answer is yes.  Then you really need to read my post about envy.  

But maybe the answer is no.   Maybe you are that person, the one that gets tired of being the object of envy.   Tired of jealousy directed at you.  Tired of someone that seems determined to hate you no matter how kind you are to them.  You love people, but it doesn't seem to matter.  Sometimes one or more of those people you so deeply care about,  seem determined to shun you.  With no real reason, they mistreat you, with no explanation they reject you.  

My advise is: don't fret.  If you are not being appreciated, it's not your fault.  If others are jealous of you , it's on them.  Why long for those who don't give you the value you deserve?  You need to be strong.  For your own good, be strong.  Times change, people change too.  Get busy, give some time and most importantly, pray.  Whatever you do, don't make too much of it.  Because it's not you that is broken, it's them,  It's not you that needs to change, it's them.  It's not you that is sinning, it's them.  If you know someone that is bitter and envious of you, pray for them.  

Some people are incapable of feeling happy for people who shine, but is that a reason to stop shining?  If they themselves are doing badly, if their life is miserable then please try to understand them.  Pray for them.  Pray, because, for those who choose to justify jealousy and envy life does not improve.  Life just becomes more miserable with every bad action they take.  Every time they gossip, every time they snob you, every time they weave their little schemes and intrigues, every time they lie about you, every single time: they bring more misery unto themselves.

God always blesses us with at least one person who is special, one who can truly appreciate us.  Someone who loves us from the heart.  Let that be enough.  Because with relationships, truly, it is not quantity but quality that matters.  Open your eyes and find the people in your life who truly love you.  And be grateful.

 Remember, part of being grateful for something/someone, is to realize that you have enough.  Enough love.  Enough support.  Enough comfort.  Enough admiration.  Enough encouragement.  Don't be greedy, embrace the freedom of understanding that you do in fact have enough.  

God gives us enough, He always gives us more than enough.  He who is kindness and love itself, blesses us beyond our understanding, with enough of everything we need, to be happy and holy.

As for that person/people who does not appreciate you? Maybe they can change one day.

... but  maybe you too could change today!

Believe: The power of prayer

Yes…the answer to a prayer sometimes comes in disguise, but it always comes. And when it comes, we must learn to acknowledge it and be grateful. It is easy to remember God when we are going through a hardship; then we approach Him and intensely ask for help. But when things are good, we tend to forget to thank Him. Oftentimes we forget that gratefulness is important, and we end up not giving the glory and praise that is due to God. To remember to say thank you is important, because in doing so, we make ourselves aware of the gifts that are constantly given to us, we feel blessed, and we truly understand God’s awesome love for us.

Let’s pray, so that:

Ø  We can be less selfish, desiring to be givers instead of receivers: We must get rid of “I want! I expect! I deserve!” and think “What can I give both to others and to God?” After all Scripture says that it is more blessed to give than to receive! Now many times when we think about giving, we think in terms of giving money. But sometimes the most precious thing that we can give or share is not material. Oftentimes what is most valuable for us is in fact what is most precious for us to give.   For example, we can share a friend. Let’s have a desire to share those special people who have come into our lives, so that they may go and touch others in the same way that they have come into our lives and touched us!

Ø  We can find joy in every situation: “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).  Mother Teresa used to say, “The best way to show our gratitude is to accept everything with joy”. And that “a joyful heart is the result of a heart burning with love”. We may not always be able to give much, but we can all always give the joy that springs from a heart that is in love with God. Let’s give thanks for all that we have, and have had! Let’s give our best to God a heart full of joy!

Ø  We are not proud and we can surrender totally to the will of God: “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). We pray this constantly, but when it is time to apply it to real life events, we have a hard time accepting it. Many times, we want our way, we want what we want, we get upset if we don’t get it, and we cannot even find a reason to be grateful. The fact is that we deserve nothing. We cannot allow ourselves to be disheartened by anything, not even when at first sight it seems that our prayers have not been answered. Mother Teresa also used to say, “If we are discouraged, it is a sign of pride. We must not let anything disturb us so much and fill us with so much sorrow or discouragement that it makes us forfeit the joy of serving God and thanking God in all that happens in our lives!”  In Holy Scripture God reminds us to “Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). As we turn to Him and to His love, we can face everything with an attitude of loving trust. A song I love says: “Jesus knows the heartache that you are feeling deep inside…and He will heal your heart!” So even when it seems impossible to remain cheerful and we barely have the strength to smile, we can draw our strength from Him who is always there for us.  Him, who is our rock and our salvation.

If we do not make prayer and thanksgiving a habit, inadvertently we will have a tendency to become unaware of our blessings. On the other hand, when we are grateful, we feel closer to Him and we become happy as we ponder how blessed we are. Being happy is easy when we understand how much love is constantly being poured our way. The ability to understand this is a grace given by God, and God always gives good things to those who ask.

If we just have a little faith, if we trust a little more, if we are just a bit more grateful, we will be aware of all the miracles that happen in our lives. And we will take pleasure in the fact that we have come to know and understand that God is a reality and not a myth. We will feel God, alive in our heart, not just as words in a book we hardly ever read. He will bless us with the desire to get to know Him more through the power of His holy Word. We will marvel at the fact that He is living inside us, guiding us and providing strength to us in every situation, so that we may reflect His love to others. We will be able to console because He has given us consolation; we will be able to love because He has given us love. Then we will be examples and living proof of the miracles that He performs in our lives.

Wisdom to contemplate:

“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” (Mark 9:23)

“Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.  In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“O LORD of hosts, happy are those who trust in you!” (Psalm 84:13)



If We Want Help: We Must Do Our Part!

In life, when we go through trials, often we pray. But often we pray with doubt and fear in our heart. These things are the opposite of faith. How can a prayer without faith be effective? When we pray, we must pray with confidence and know that prayers are always heard.

If the answer that comes back is different from what we expected, it does not mean it is not the right one; it only means that there was a better solution to our problem. It is important for us to give the benefit of the doubt, to recognize the fact that we might not always know what the best outcome for a situation is. After all, there is a chance that there can be moments in our life when we might not know the best road to follow. We should not be stubborn, obstinate or inflexible, stuck to a specific idea. We need to trust and be aware of the fact that everything is perfect because God is in charge of our lives.

We must let things flow, with the certainty that in the process we are learning and growing. We must be confident that our prayers are being heard by a loving Father who would never ignore us and who has promised to give good things to those who ask. He reminds us in Holy Scripture: Would we ever ignore the request of one of our children? Now, if we, who have so many faults and defects, are not able to deny our kids anything, then what are the chances that He will ignore our requests? Think about how God is perfect; He is love Himself. Now think about how He has made us, His children. Think about all His promises and about His amazing love. It is simply impossible that He would ignore our prayers.

Therefore, we need to make sure that we understand and know in our hearts that even though at times it might take longer than expected, and even though from time to time our need might be met in a way less than hoped for or anticipated, our prayers are always answered. When we ask for help, we must do it with the absolute certainty that help will come, and we must know that invariably all things will come to us, with our welfare as a first priority.

Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) If we pay attention to this scripture verse, we will realize that it requires action on our part. We cannot just pray for something to happen. We cannot just wish things were different. We cannot just sit and hope for something to happen. We need to contribute to the miracles in our lives by asking, seeking and knocking. We need to try our best to make things happen. We must take an active role in our lives and be participants in the miracles that we will experience.

We cannot just passively sit and wait and complain about how we pray and pray and hope and hope and nothing changes. We need to be more involved and take responsibility for the direction our life is going. And we must know that through prayer that direction can always change. It is up to us; it is up to God. Let’s learn how to pray and work on improving our relationship with God. Let’s strengthen our faith and work hard at doing our part. And, as St. Paul advises in Romans 8, let’s hope and eagerly wait with perseverance for the best to happen. I guarantee you that then we can never be disappointed, because hope in God does not disappoint. 



Wisdom to contemplate:

“Learn to savor how good the LORD is; happy are those who take refuge in him.” 

(Psalm 34:9)

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.…We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:24-25,28)

“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

 “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

So how do you know who is the one?

                                     

Is this Love that I’m Feeling?

I have been asked the question, “How do you know who is the one your soul mate, your other half, the person who completes you, the one you are meant to be together with for the rest of your life?” 

         Well, although it is very hard to know who is “the one,” it is easier to know who is “not the one.” We must have a clear idea in our heads of what traits we just cannot accept in that person whom we could potentially fall in love with. We must know the “absolute nos.” We must have criteria for what characteristics are just not acceptable to us, but we need to be realistic and honest with ourselves. For example, for some, it might be a person who:

Ø  Is aggressive or shows any kind of harsh behavior toward us or toward other people

Ø  Drinks too much, does drugs and/or frequently gets into trouble

Ø  Cheats or refers to the opposite sex in a disrespectful manner

Ø  Is too much of a flirt with other people

Ø  Treats us badly in front of others or humiliates us

Ø   Only tells us our defects, frequently trying to put us down

Ø  Lies

Ø  Has major psychological problems

Ø  Has no values: steals, breaks the law, deals drugs, engages in extramarital sex, etc.

Ø  Is not physically attractive to us

Ø  Is very different in cultural background, social background, economic status, etc.

Ø  Practices a different religion or has no belief in God

Ø  Has priorities very different from ours

Ø  Makes his job his main priority

Ø  Wants attention at any cost

Ø  Humiliates and disrespects others

Ø  Annoys us often

This is not discriminating against anyone or being prejudiced against someone. We can have someone as a friend, we can be there if that person needs us, but we can decide not to date that person. If we find things about a person that we feel we cannot live with, and we do not want to deal with such things in a long-term relationship or even for the rest of our lives then we must try to avoid a situation that could bring us to the point of no return.

It is not a good idea to get into a relationship, especially a marriage, thinking that we are going to change the other person. Before a relationship starts, before we make a decision that might affect the rest of our lives and the lives of those people around us, we need to discern if this is a person we want to date or not.

 There is nothing wrong with knowing what we can tolerate and what we cannot tolerate in someone who could become our spouse, nothing wrong with knowing what we can live with and what we cannot. We need to determine how much we can compromise in a particular area and in what areas we just cannot compromise. From the beginning, we need truthfulness, with ourselves and with others. If we are not honest, we are setting ourselves up for failure and unhappiness. No honesty no success.

         

At the same time though, we need to be open and have faith.  We have to be careful and make sure we are not trying to limit God. A humble heart goes a long way! We need to understand that we do not know everything and that God by His love and grace can change anyone.  So we need to leave room to the possibility that maybe we do not know what is best for us, or who is best for us.  We need to trust God completely and know that He can change anyone including us, and that He has a perfect plan and purpose for our lives although we might not completely see it or understand it at different points in our lives.  If we limit ourselves by a set list of qualities, especially when that list includes physical attributes or certain personality traits like:  funny, outgoing, cool, upbeat or so many other things. Then we need to ask ourselves - am I really trusting that God knows better?  Do I trust that nothing is impossible for God? Everything is possible for those who hope in the Lord!

Wisdom to contemplate:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)