Just then the next wave washed in, and there he was, safe and sound.

There was once a lady at the beach who had a little child with her. She was too close to the water, and a big wave came in. By the time the water went back into the sea, she realized her son was missing.

She looked all around for her little boy and cried out: “Melvin…Melvin…where are you, Melvin?” She realized he had been swept out to sea. So she prayed, “Oh, dear and merciful Father, please… please… take pity on me and return my beautiful child. I will promise eternal gratitude to you…I’ll never cheat on my income tax again. I’ll be kind to my mother-in-law. I’ll give up smoking.. .Anything.. .Anything…  only please grant me this one favor and return my son.”
Just then the next wave washed in, and there he was, safe and sound. Then she looks up to God and said, “But he had a hat!” (Auma na gakobia. Haia. Kai utanacokia gakobia karia auma nako?)

Ingratitude comes easily to most of us: “As a rule, a man’s a fool; / When it’s hot, he wants it cool. / When it’s cool, he wants it hot— / Always wanting what is not.”
“Give a man everything he wants,” declared Immanuel Kant, “and at that moment, everything will not be everything.”

“Greed grabs, Gratitude receives.”

First give thanks for all you have been given. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough”. Oprah Winfrey”

“In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.”  ~ Isaiah 12:4

“I discovered that my insecurities and my flaws were things that I actually need to embrace, and I let them become my superpowers”. ~ Skylar Grey

There was a king who owned a very valuable diamond, one of the rarest and most perfect in the world. One day he dropped the diamond and a deep scratch marred its face.

The king summoned for the best jewel experts in the land to remove this blemish, but all agreed that the best way to remove the scratch was to cut away the part of the surface, reducing its weight and value.

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. ~ Martha Washington

In attempting to answer the question, what is happiness, pastor and author, Clarence McCartney, wrote, “Happiness is not found in pleasure. Lord Byron lived such a life if anyone did. But he wrote, ‘The worm, the canker, and the grief are mine alone.’

Happiness is not found in money either. Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. But when he was dying, he said, ‘I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.’

Happiness is also not found in social position or fame. Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. But he wrote, ‘Youth is a mistake, manhood a struggle, and old age a regret.’

Neither is it found in military glory. Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. But after having done so, he wept in his tent and said, ‘There are no more worlds to conquer.'”

So what is happiness? I believe happiness is a “state” not a “strive”. In other words, I believe happiness is not something we should strive for but rather it is a state of mind that we automatically gain as a result of our choices.  Indeed, money can’t make you happy; many friends can’t make you happy; fame or status can’t make you happy and a life of pleasure can’t make you happy.

I have discovered that there is only one place in this world to find true happiness – irrespective of circumstances – and that is by walking in the prefect will of God.
Your Father knows your “then”, your “now” and your “yet to be”; a knowledge too wonderful, too lofty for anyone to attain. Though it may indeed seem at times that it’s the end of the world as you know it but deep within you, if you remain on track with God’s will in Christ, you will always have a true inner sense of peace, contentedness and happiness; a happiness that surpasses circumstance.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want”. ~ Philippians 4:12

  “God is not a power or principle or law, but he is a living, creating, communicating person — a mind who thinks, a heart who feels, a will who acts, whose best name is Father.” ~ Robert Hamill

"Now the apple that you have in hand is to date the best apple in the farm. Enjoy."

Once there was a small kid living on earth. She loved apples but rarely got them. One fine day, she came to know that God in person was distributing apples to humans in his place in heaven. She was eager to get one of the promised apples so she traveled and joined the long queue in heaven waiting to get apples from God.

When her turn came, God gave her a big apple. Unfortunately, her tiny hands could not hold it well. It fell down as she walked and got wasted in mud. She was very disappointed but decided to wait in line for another precious apple. The line was now much longer but she patiently waited for that satisfaction of eating an apple given straight from God’s own hands. She knew the sweetness of such an apple would be sublime.

When her next turn came, God said,”My dear child, last time I noticed that the apple I had given you was rotten. That’s why I made it fall from your hands.To make up for it, I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm. At that time it was growing and that’s why I made you wait such a long time in the queue. Here it is.

“Sometimes things go wrong, but God has something great reserved for us, so let us give thanks as we patiently wait for his right timing.

“If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people” Charles Spurgeon

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD”.(Psalms 27:14 K.J.V)

“My cell phone is my best friend. It's my lifeline to the outside world”. Carrie Underwood

These days we find it hard to operate without a cell phone. We talk, text, e-mail, and get all sorts of information and entertainment from these computers in our pockets. We look forward to getting a phone that is smarter; with even more applications. Phones come handy in case of any emergency. We panic when we forget it somewhere and have to go back and get it.

There are many ways a cell phone can be compared to the word of God.

When we have a cell phone, we feel connected to others. The Word keeps us connected to God.

A cell phone needs to be charged with electric power. The word needs to be charged through daily reading, reflection, and by prayer that it works in our lives.

Cell phone reception is dependent on the nearest base stations. The further we are from the base station the poorer the reception. Buildings and mountains can interrupt the phone signal. Similarly,

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 N.L.T)

the further we are in obedience to God’s will, the harder it is to receive his wisdom. Our worldly pursuits and fixations can hinder our reception of the Word.

And just as the Global Positioning System in some phones can pinpoint our location and guide us to our destination, we need to consult the Word of God to help in gauging our position and be guided along the right path.The Bible is our spiritual navigation system. Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Let us always carry with us this tool; the Word. Let us always keep it charged and ensure there are no blockages to the signal. We need to consult it often to buoy our faith. Then we will be truly “Connected”.

“Connect whatever you do to God. All endeavors, even the best, will come to naught; unless there is God. Even the simplest endeavors, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever”.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7K.J.V

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 N.I.V)

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 -1962) served Americans as a first lady for the four political terms her husband was president. She is admired as a champion in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, housing, women’s rights, human rights, and the United Nations. She wrote twenty-seven books, more than 8,000 columns, and over 555 articles. Her nationally syndicated newspaper column “My day” (1935 -1962 at its height received a readership of 4,034,552.

These accomplishments resulted from her determination to gain confidence and independence as she struggled with various adverse situations. She overcame an unhappy childhood where she felt ugly and unappreciated to a position where she could say, “No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful”.  Later in life she had to endure a hostile mother in law. When she learned about her husband’s betrayal, she found strength in pursuing an independent public life. And when her husband contracted polio; she successfully took charge of his reelection campaign. She said later, “Every time you meet a situation you think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before.”

Do not allow your adverse situation to ground you. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude”, and “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do”. Eleanor Roosevelt

The Ten Commandments have never been replaced as the moral basis upon which society rests.
Edwin Louis Cole

We all live according to false beliefs. Bringing such beliefs to light is an important step in our reconditioning process. A few random false beliefs:

False Belief:Because my father abandoned me when I was a child, I must go through life abandoning the people close to me ” or “Because my mother withheld intimacy from me when I was small, I cannot offer intimacy for the rest of my life.”

Life Wisdom:“I have seen children successfully surmounting the effects of an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul”. Mahatma Gandhi

Bible“Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself”. Ezekiel 18:19-20

False Belief: If I make a mistake, I will die.”

Life Wisdom:“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”  – Kevyn Aucoin

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

False Belief: “I don’t have time to feel what I am feeling, because I have to figure it all out.”

 Life Wisdom:Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”Martin Luther King Jr.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. Proverbs 3:5

False Belief: “When I start to feel good, I must remember to feel bad, because I didn’t feel good before.”

Life Wisdom:“Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.” Norman Vincent Peale

Bible: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

False Belief:  “If he(she) leaves me, I’ll die.”

Life Wisdom:The strongest man(or woman) in the world is he (she) who stands most alone. HENRIK IBSEN,

An Enemy of the People.When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us”  Helen Keller

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”  Anne Frank

Bible “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. Isaiah 41:10

False Belief: “I have to get where I go by suffering.

“Must you continue to be your own cross? No matter which way God leads you, you change everything into bitterness by constantly brooding over everything. For the love of God, replace all this self-scrutiny with a pure and simple glance at God’s goodness. –Saint Jeanne Chantal

Bible: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9

False Belief: “I can’t be happy, because if I allow myself to be happy, I might be humiliated.”

Life Wisdom: “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.”  ~Thornton Wilder

Bible: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

 False Belief:  “I must earn and deserve every good thing I get.”

Life Wisdom: Grace, then, is grace,–that is to say, it is sovereign, it is free, it is sure, it is unconditional, and it is everlasting.~ Alexander Whyte

Bible: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”. James 1:17

Celebrate the wonder that is YOU!

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” 

Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica
7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”

The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are:

1. to see
2. to hear
3. to touch
4. to taste
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. and to love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

A gentle reminder — that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

. Celebrate all that you are.

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“There’s lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it.”  ~Josh Billings

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The Lord Refines You

  “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.” Malachi 3:3(N.L.T)

 While studying this verse, a woman wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. She decided to research the silver refining process.  She made an appointment with a silversmith to watch him at work. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot purifying our sins. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire; for if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s the easy part–when I see my image reflected in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you. He will keep His hand on you and watch over you as He purifies you so that His image is reflected in you.

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“Fine metals and human words have in common that they are tested and their value demonstrated as the final result of the refining process. Just as metals are exposed for what they are at the end of the smelting process, so also are evil hearts made known by evil words.” – Jim West

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