Love Always... Even Your Enemies

God calls us to Love Him and one another, (including ourselves), at all times. It's easy to Love those whom we feel Love from and are kind to us, however, it's more challenging to continue Loving those who are unkind to us and even seem to have that, "kick em while they are down mentality," whom when they see us suffering or going through a trial of sorts, seem to take that as an opportunity to throw stones at us and try to hurt us and provoke us into fighting back in the same way as they are fighting us.

Though, we can rest assured that in times like this where we feel betrayed and abandoned by those even closest to us.... The One, Whom is most close to us, Jesus, Our Lord and Savor truly understands, because He has experience first hand what it's like to be betrayed, talked badly about, hurt and abandoned by those even most close to Him. And yet, still, God tells us to, "Love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us." Talk about a bold and radical statement and call to follow.

That is what we must do at ALL times, is LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... always and everywhere!!!

It doesn't make the offensive and abusive actions of others OK, and in fact, never, ever should we put up with and tolerate abuse of any kind, nor does Jesus expect us to when He tells us to Love our enemies... but it does allow much room for the much needed healing balm of forgiveness and empathy that we can show, even if from a distance.

In order to really Love as Jesus calls us to we must have a greater and bigger and wiser understanding that ultimately those who seem to deliberately go out of their way to hurt and insult and provoke others are mostly, ultimately doing that because it's already been done to them and still that doesn't mean that because of that we should tolerate their abusive behavior.

Though, by acting in a way that is retaliating is only going to carry on the cycle of what is ultimately, "abuse," no matter how minor it might seem. Where there is injury, we must pray for God's pardon, like St. Francis of Assisi so beautifully said... and with God's Love, Mercy, Pardon and Forgiveness... a multitude of miracles can take place, though, our hearts must be open and willing to allowing God's Grace to make it all happen.

Perhaps, the miracle might be to forgive the other who has abused us in some way, and to find true reconciliation which in turn deepens and strengthens the existing relationship, or perhaps it might be that one finds that it's time to move on to find new friends and such who will truly treat you in the way you deserve to be treated, with mutual Love, respect and kindness.

Many people have never known that kind of treatment from others, and often times it is people who have been abused who don't feel worthy of finding Loving relationships based on genuine Love and respect and kindness, though, it is possible and that's the kind of relationship that God desires for us to have with others. If you already have these kinds of relationships with others in your life... praise and thank God for them, for this is a great Blessing from Heaven.

If you haven't yet found these kinds of relationships with others, you will, seek them and you will find them. Pray for God to send into your life people who will genuinely Love and respect you and treat you with the same kindness that you will treat them with in return! Of course, God still calls us to Love our enemies and yet, still, He doesn't mean for us to be abused. We can Love our eminies and friends alike with our prayers and Loving and kind thoughts... and we can even contribute greatly to helping to heal our world in so doing!

Beauty is Truth, Truth is Beauty

                                                                    

I heard a beautiful quote once, very long ago, that really stayed with me all these years because I was struck by the beauty and truth of it. The quote, by John Keats is this...

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty." When I think of these words today... and contemplate all the Beauty I see, created by our Beautiful Creator, our Beautiful God... the Divine Author of Beauty... I can't help but remember this special quote and be touched again, by the breath of God, really, that is so obviously present in the Beauty I see!

Our Beautiful Savior, Jesus, is very Beautiful... in every single way!  He is The Way, The  Truth and the Life and He leads us on towards the eternal Beauty of Heaven. His words are Beautiful... they are Spirit and Life... and even give new Life to all who hear them and allow them to take root and bloom within their hearts!

You are Beautiful too... because God created you in His very own image and likeness, which is so very Beautiful... Love! May you always remember that, because it's really true! :)

 

Find A Friend In Hope!

In times of great Joy... have Hope in the Lord.  In times of great sorrow... all the more, Hope in the Lord. In times of difficulty and pain... Hope in the Lord. In times of trouble and uncertainty... still Hope in the Lord. In times of betrayal and unjustice... have Hope in the Lord... in times of disbelief... still Hope in the Lord. In times of deep happiness and celebration, remember to Hope in the Lord. In times of newness and new life... Hope in the Lord. In times of weakness... Hope in the Lord.  In times of transition... Hope in the Lord. Everyday, always, no matter what... no matter where... remember always to Hope in the Lord!

Hope is an anchor for our soul, we are told in Sacred Scripture! It grounds our hearts and souls in it's two best friends... Faith & Love.  All three are very important to our spiritual life and with Love being the greatest of all three... Hope encourages us to Love even more... and gives us wings to fly... it sets us free from the momentary expeirence we are in to dream bigger and have more Faith in God to create beautiful miracles in our lives.

Hope is a true gift from God, one of which if I didn't have, I just can't even imagine how I would ever survive in this world that will test our Faith, bring trails and tribulations our way, challenge our courage and at times, bring us to our knees in sorrow... (just to name a few).

And the wonderful thing about Hope is, it seems to me that the more we have of it...the more it grows and grows and grows... filling our hearts and souls with more of it, until we become people that are transformed so much so by the gift of Hope... that nothing or no one can ever take it from us, and like a dear best friend, Hope will always be there to bring us closer to God whenever we need it!  Just have Hope in the Lord... it's easy, and yet quite profound at the same time!

May God's Blessings and Gift of Hope well up from within you... and enliven your Faith & Love and bring you closer and closer to God!  :)

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil."  ~Hebrews 6:19

You Are Loved

Just a little reminder today to let you know how much God Loves you... with an everlasting Love.  God has called you by name, and you belong to Him! He is with you and believes in you! He has wonderful plans of Hope, Love and Peace for your day today and every day after that! Believe it... and believe in Him!  For you  are blessed by God in every way! 

We Walk By Faith And Not By Sight

"We "We walk by Faith and not by sight!" (2 Corinthians 5:7). This is one of my favorite verses from Sacred Scripture and it's a timeless message that God has given us that has guided me throughout my entire life, and I know always will!

What does it mean to walk by Faith and not by sight?  I believe it means that we cannot live our lives depending on the sight that our earthly eyes give us alone, but the even greater sight that God gives to the eyes of our hearts, "Our eyes of Faith." It means to walk by what we believe, by all God has taught us and all the divine Truth and Love that dwells in our hearts.  It means to live our lives from the deepest place within us, where God dwells, and allow Him to be our true Guide in life... even when it is most difficult to do so, because caution and fear may tell us otherwise.

To truly walk and live by Faith we must have courage of the greatest kind imaginable! Faith goes beyond all reason and rhyme.  And the amazing things that Faith can do just may not even seem possible to the human mind, yet, Faith creates everyday miracles, both big and small in the lives of those who embrace it and practice it regularly. It can literally move mountains, make the blind regain their sight, and even raise the dead. 

When Jesus walked this Earth, He performed all kinds of miracles for people, (for people who had Faith, that is!). He said that He was not able to perform miracles at times because the people lacked Faith in Him to make them happen.  This must of made Jesus very sad, because He came that we might have Life and have it abundantly! He wanted to heal so many people... yet, He could only do so if they bravely exhibited their Faith... walking and living by Faith and not by sight!

I truly believe that Jesus continues to walk this very Earth, here among us, in Spirit... and He still longs to perform miracles of all kinds, (both big and small in people's lives), though, He is looking for Faith in the hearts of God's people... for He cannot do anything, unless we first have Faith in Him and in God!

May we always walk by Faith and not by sight... and may Jesus find in us, such strong Faith that He will be able to perform the true miracles we need and pray for! Amen.

Got Plans For The New Year? Got Hope?

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans?"  I have, and it reminds me of one of my most favorite Sacred Scripture verses of all time, taken from Jeremiah 29:11 seen here above.

As much as we might try to plan out our lives perfectly... what schools we will attend, what kind of profession we will have, when we will get married, how many children we will have and when, (and so on), I don't believe I have yet to ever meet a single person whose life happened exactly according to the plans they made for themselves.

Why is that?  I believe it is because, our lives truly are not our own, (even if we may think that they are), but belong ultimately to God.  Our lives are a sacred and precious Gift from God. Each day that we are given is a beautiful Gift from God... yet, another chance to Love Him more and His people, to praise Him, to serve Him, to draw closer to  Him, and to hopefully come to find and live out the very, special "plans of Hope" that He has planned and prepared for our lives, long before the world ever began!

It might be hard for some people to believe... that we could really have a God Who Loves us so very much, and cares for us so deeply, and that He is such an infinitely, intricate part of our lives. He lives within our very hearts, soul, and beings, and whether we choice to make notice of His ever-present Love and Guidance in our lives... He is so much a part of us, that nothing we could ever say or do could ever change that or separate us from Him Who is Pure Love! He truly wants us to live happy, healthy, meaningful, purposeful lives... and He wants us to dedicate our lives to Him.  He truly has the most beautiful plans of Hope for our lives... though, we must truly seek Him to find Him with us and find out just what they are!

Are you someone that finds that too hard to believe?  That we could, (and most certainly do), have a God so Loving, so Caring, so Faithful, that He truly wants the very best for you in life and has even taken great time and care to plan and prepare a beautiful future full of Hope and endless Blessings for you? If you are... I most certainly hope and pray, that today will be the day you make the brave decision to give God a try... to seek Him with all your heart and soul... and to find Him with you and discover at last, the most beautiful, bright, and blessed future full of Hope that you could ever imagine!

I believe that God places within each of our hearts, very special, "Dreams of Hope," that He has given us as Gifts to help lead us closer to Him in our lives and closer to discovering and living the most beautiful and bright, "Future full of Hope" that He has planned and prepared for us! May you, (if you haven't already), search deep in your heart for those beautiful and precious dreams that God placed there when He created you... and may they lead you closer to Him and the most beautiful and blessed, "Future full of hope" He has especially waiting for you!  :)

Rejoice In The Lord Always!

As we continue on in our Advent Journey, we have much to rejoice about.  We are drawing nearer to the most glorious day when we will gather together, family and friends, in God's Presence of Love to celebrate and remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  And there are countless blessings to behold and receive during this special, sacred time.  

There are lots of things to do to prepare for Christmas... though, the greatest and most important thing that we can do of all to truly get ready to appreciate and celebrate this wonderful feast and gift of Christmas is to prepare our hearts and souls for the sweet Baby Jesus to be born within us, once again this year, or perhaps, maybe even for the very first time!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

We are told in Sacred Scripture to, "Rejoice in the Lord always!"  And in deed, do we ever have a reason to rejoice in Him!  We most certainly do!  For we have a God that Loves us so very much, and wants so much to be the most important part of our lives that He chose to come into our very broken, hurting world, darkened and damaged by sin. He came to bring us Light... and be our Light.  He came to bring us Love eternal and be our eternal Love.  

He came to heal us and forgive us, redeem us and give us the gift of new and everlasting Life in Him.  He came to give us Hope... and the promise of Heaven!  He came to bring us Joy and fill our hearts with so much Joy and so many blessings of Goodness that our hearts will overflow with abundance. 

He came to bring us Peace and be our Peace.  Peace that the world cannot give.  A Peace so deep and so everlasting... that it can literally transform hatred and cruelty into Love that can transform our world into a bit of Heaven on Earth!

Just imagine the deep humility and generosity of God... that on His very own birthday, when we are so busy rushing around trying to find the perfect gift for others... God Himself, gives each of us His Himself, the most amazing Gift of all!

As we continue to prepare to receive the very special miracles and Gifts God longs to give each of us this Christmas... let us rejoice about all the Joy to come... and all the Joy we will too receive in sharing the gift of Jesus with others!