The Words I Hear Can Connect America – If We Are Willing

In the morning when I awake, I am urged to listen, then to write.  This does not happen every morning, but many mornings.  When I listen, words come from a still small voice inside.  This morning, I heard the following:

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You are my people.  I will not harm you.  If I love the lilies of the field then why would I not love you?

I carry you wherever you go. I treasure my moments with you. Your life is important to the sanctity of the church.  Give back, bring peace, encounter love.  Persevere in strength, in knowing I am with you even unto the end of all ages. Where my treasure is there my heart will also be.

Be fortified in your youth but come to me when you are burdened – do not wait.  For when you are troubled I will restore your faith in me.

Blessed are those who seek me, they shall inherit the earth.  Envision all that I have in store for you.  Worry not about others and what they think.  Capture MY heart, and I will strengthen you.

Many times humans want to do it ‘their’ way and not heed my instruction.  If only they would listen – they would not falter.

Grant me your time and your energy – think not of yourselves but of those who are in need. Take care to bring glory to the very nature of God – the great I AM.

Why are you so proud America?  Is this where you want to be?  Fall on your face before me so I will restore your people.  I can take hold of the bitter root and remove it permanently but you must be willing to uproot it yourself.  Restore my people.

Give grace to others who have offended you.  It is not your journey, but theirs who’s needs to change.  Mark my words, their journey will not end but only begin if you set before them the grace they need to journey onward.

You are on the cusp of ruin today.

Open your eyes America or you shall be lost.  Define what you will in whatever way you choose to blame your government, your neighbor, your children, your parents, your school systems.  The need is great to bury the old way of bitter hearts and open the new way of forgiveness.

If you do not heed these words you will be defeated.  Destruction will come to your path and every good and right thing will pass away.

Your lives are my journey.  To take up any less of a story is incomprehensible.  You are my story and nothing should prevent you from caring about that story.  Journey with me.  Trust me  – forgive -  make peace – find love in your hearts – not hate and discontent.  It is the only journey that will prevent this world from self destructing.  Do not wait! Do it now so you can powerfully influence others.

Take up my yoke and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you’ll find rest for your souls.  My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

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7 Keys To Happiness

What if I told you that you hold the key to making this world a better place?

I have a child who is still young enough to be influenced by you.  How are you going to influence her?  Every single one of us can change the world, can change how the universe is affected by the actions we take.

What actions are you taking to make a difference to the world?

The following information is so valuable, and so key to living, that I needed to recount the principles I’ve heard great speakers talk about.

1.  Being Responsible – No one really understands what it means.  One side is blaming, the other is saying its not their fault.  I’ve had some tragic things happen in my younger years but I see where I made choices that led me to those very things that I didn’t want or like.  Being responsible means making better choices.

2.  Seek Wisdom – I’m not talking about education. Real wisdom is rare and comes to us by the associations we have and how closely we let it sink in. If you invest in yourself, your time with God, your moments of creative ideas, you’ll see that the one investment you can control is yourself. Seek wisdom with all your heart.

3.  Be a Person of Action – If you think this is easy you are not a person of action. A butterfly can move their wings at a vibrational rate of one million flaps per second. One man can make one move and it can make a difference in the entire world. Every single action makes a difference to everyone you know and every one around you.

4.  Have a Decided Heart – Talking to your friends and family about your decisions before you make it, then after you make a decision is you analyze it and go back to ask if it was the right decision! Decide what you want and go after it.

5.  Choose to Be Happy – you have so much to be grateful for. If you’ve ever traveled to different countries than you know how much you have to be grateful for. I’ve seen children pulling food out of dumpsters to eat and then being beaten by authority for begging to eat. If you’ve washed your hands with clear, clean water today than you have something to be grateful for.

If there is a huge relationship killer that is simple to do it’s this one.  Smile while you talk.  People can’t help but smile back at you when you are smiling at them while you talk.  Practice it!  See what you look like.  This is one of the biggest secrets to success if you’re willing to choose to be happy when you talk.

6.  End Each Night With a Forgiving Spirit – You are not required to trust someone who has hurt you. You can choose to hold on to an unforgiving heart and have your entire body, mind and spirit in collapse. Your relationships will suffer, your business will suffer, everything suffers. Forgiveness brings perspective, a new perspective can bring calm, calm brings ideas and ideas bring success. All from the choice to forgive.

7.  Persist Without Exception – If it were easy everyone would be doing it. When coins drop you’ll dive to get them because anything worth going after is worth hitting a wall over. You will never lack in money, time, leadership. It is only ideas that you are lacking. Stay strong and persist.

These simple tips are well worth incorporating in your life.

It will bring back new life to you, not keep you dwelling on the old.  It’s not about what your parents did or did not do, whether you were poor or wealthy, or whether you are educated or not.  How you think will drastically change how you feel. Take steps today to improve your life by deciding to live your best!

Chances are I don’t know you, but even so, I want you to have enough faith in what you are capable of doing to get you through today with confidence and joy.   If I want that for you, as a total stranger, imagine how much more your creator must want for you?

Defensiveness – Its Really About Protecting Yourself – But From What?

Lets see if we can tackle defensiveness from the context of a conversation. Someone is usually trying to protect themselves from feeling a certain uncomfortable way, or from allowing others to view them as a failure or being seen in a negative light. It’s like holding a ‘NO TRESPASSING’ sign in front of you and saying violators will be prosecuted if you cross that line.

When defensiveness is present, what someone is essentially saying is, “Yes, I did that, but let me tell you why or how it’s not my fault”. When the focus of attention is not on them, they don’t feel the guilt or shame that would normally accompany their struggle with personal failure, which at the time, feels like is being pointed out.

Defensive behavior instead gives a person permission to feel angry and self-righteous because someone had the nerve to question their actions or motives. Its quite possible that no one was deliberately pointing out a personal failure, but that is the filter the hearer uses based on personal experiences when they were younger. This could cause great damage in any relationship.

First, the chronically defensive person typically lives in a non-peaceful state and will have emotional ups and downs that accompany the feeling of being a failure. These thoughts and feelings could lead to severe depression.

Our thoughts determine how we feel.  This is a well known fact, but most people aren’t aware of this fact.  Here are a few questions a person could ask themselves when they want to respond out of defense.

1. “what is my head telling me that is causing me to feel like I failed?” You are not a failure, and chances are you haven’t failed from the other person’s perspective, but the idea is in your head and you feel you have to prove it over and over.   This comes from a place of deep unrest that needs healing.

2. “Can I find forgiveness toward that person?”  Finding forgiveness in your heart toward the person who made you feel that way takes courage and strength.  Remembering that they didn’t set out to hurt you, or that they did the best they could with what they were given might help. You aren’t releasing that person for their sake, but for your own peace and freedom.

3.  It is important that you try to remember not to react to what you think you are hearing.   Repeat back to the person what you think they are saying to you.  Example:  “I hear you say that it is my fault that the washing machine broke.” Get clarity before you jump to any conclusions. If someone is blaming you, it would be difficult not to react to them, but it is possible as long as you keep practicing.

Do you have any other ideas or comments on feeling defensive?  What strategies do you use to keep yourself from becoming defensive?  To leave a comment click the word “comment” just under this post next to the teal colored box.