What is Going on in Your World?

Housekeeping is not exactly the first activity we think of when wanting to do something fun. But it has to be done if we want to live in something cleaner than the dirt in our yards, right? 

To start with, changing sheets on a bed should be one of the easier weekly tasks. Yet, it can become a major struggle to get behind a bed surrounded by three walls in a small bedroom, which actually creates a silly anger issue to develop. A scene like this can easily allow us to just “blow up” and overreact at even the littlest things that invade our lives. 

Soak Up the Sunshine in Your Life 

Sometimes, it is our frustration or fear that turns a good day into an anxiety-filled boiling pot. Or maybe we did not get enough sleep the previous night. All of what we have to go through alone is sometimes overwhelming. We have no one to lean on, no one to talk to, and no one who can help us to overcome all of our sticky problems. 

Yet, deep down inside, we know what we need the most. We need love. We need someone to say, "It's okay, let me do it." Wouldn't that be nice? We could take a break and a breath and call a friend for a short chat.  

Maybe we just have to face the fact, the sheets can wait until tomorrow. The dusting can wait until we are calmer. Maybe now is the time to step outside, soak up the sunshine (defeats depression by the way), and find a rainbow God prepared just for us today because He loves us! He created many things like that for our enjoyment. Aren’t Aspen trees just so unique and beautiful?        

Simple Formulas Are Best

Although we may not have a physical touch in our private lives, we can seek appropriate love from others by being involved and helping someone else meet a need. We grow into love like that. Just this weekend, two friends said they are church greeters because they need [post-pandemic] hugs. Love that! 

Getting involved regularly with our church ministries, kids’ schools, hospitals, or the many community organizations that seek volunteers will fill us with more love than we could ever imagine. Simple formula: give love, get love. It really does work! 

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14 NLT).

 

 

How Can We Create a Better World for Ourselves and Others?

We all know toddlers say the funniest things. “My one wish is: for it to rain tacos” (author unknown/Huff Post). Now that would be a great surprise even for adults!

Or maybe this one: “C’mon, Elsa! Get it together!” My almost-three-year-old said this to her doll who kept falling over” (Masey Cossey/Huff Post). We can relate.

It is a lifelong problem that starts way back when we were toddlers. What is that problem? Trying to learn how to control our impulses, especially when we get angry at someone and suddenly want revenge. These urges seem to have taken over our world recently with more and more protests, violence, and uncontrolled anger. Wanting our own way all the time with no compromise. Sadly, we are witnessing adults acting more like toddlers.

This type of “eye for an eye” behavior can even spill over into our everyday lives and may have affected the former situation that got us to where we are today. But that was the past and there is no more condemnation here to address for any of us. We have successfully made it this far and we cheer on each strong woman in our midst.  

“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” (Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer and anti-colonial nationalist who employed non-violence).

How Do We See More Clearly?

What great insight! We have never heard it put that way, but we could adopt this motto to create a better world for ourselves and those around us. Wouldn’t it be something wonderful if we could help ourselves and others to see more clearly? To look at solutions with an attitude of inclusion instead of excluding people from our little world.

How do we do this? Great question but the answer(s) may not be easy. In fact, it is difficult to even begin to think of how to change things as they are right now. It is going to take a while, but we must begin somewhere if we want to see change. We believe remedies could be different for each of us depending on where we live and who we come in touch with on a daily basis.

There are no quick fixes. Maybe open a notebook or journal and start just jotting down problems we see in our own neighborhoods. How do we see it could be better? List questions that come up to solve as we go along. It does not have to be anything massively complicated. If we are looking for something a little easier to start this process, that can be done.

• Keep our eyes open at the grocery store for anyone who needs help.  
• Go out of our way to say Hello! to someone we have never met.
• Be friendly and smile at the drug store clerk.
• Offer to find boxes for someone moving and include a roll of tape.
• Do something good for someone we dislike.

We get the idea. There are a million little things we can do. Each week make a list that is a tiny bit more challenging and before we know it, we will forget about ourselves and be more open to and for others. Just ask, how many people in my own neighborhood do I actually know or talk to?

For All of Eternity

One more important thing to think about: if we already know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can be assured we are going to heaven one day. And all those people we have avoided in our everyday lives, who also know Jesus, will be in heaven with us for all of eternity! It would be best if we begin now and start loving others no matter their race, color, or which side of town they live on. True?

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? . . .No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously” (Matthew 5:38, 42 The Message).

 

How to Change Our Little Corner of the World

It is easy to get worn out by so many things in life today. Stress can certainly weigh a person down. There is a story about a college professor who brought a glass of water into the classroom and asked his students how much it weighed. Most of the answers ranged from eight to sixteen ounces.

Then the professor asked what would happen if he held the glass for a few minutes, or an hour, or even a whole day without setting it down. The answer, of course, would be that it would cause aching and increasing pain in his arm causing him physical stress.

The story is much longer with details than we are not stating here [click here to read Short Story ] but the conclusion is thought-provoking. “You should not carry the stress long enough that it begins to ache and paralyze your life. It is important to let go of your stresses. Don’t carry your stress all day and always remember to put the glass down before you go to bed!”

Five “We Can” Challenges

Good advice. Stress gets to all of us at one time or another and we agree there has been more than enough over the past year whether it is the pandemic, the riots, or our pocketbooks. The tension from stress causes a change in the way we think about ourselves either for better or worse. For instance, we want to be that person who strives for peace or calm, but what do we actually produce in our personal lives? How do we act toward others?

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." -- Chinese proverb

It is easy to think all we have to do is run away from the world and hide our heads under a pillow. Just ignore what is going on around us and everything will be fine. But we admit burying our heads does not work well for long as we would, of course, suffocate!

We are looking here for some answers. What can we do? Naturally, there is no one right solution for every one of us. We are all unique individuals, but we can try to come up with a few ideas that will work overall to change our little corner of the world for the better. Perhaps we can pick out just one or two of the following suggestions to start and then add to them.

1. We can open a journal or a calendar (there are apps for both of these) and start listing where our time goes. How can we change anything if we supposedly have no time?

2. We can make a list of how we would enjoy helping someone:

• Helping a handicapped neighbor take out her garbage.
• Dog sitting for someone for a couple hours.
• Volunteering on a regular basis at a women’s shelter or pregnancy center.  
• Paying for a stranger’s groceries in line behind us.
• Offering a ride to a person’s doctor appt

3. We can start (or continue) to look for a job that is satisfying. Try in the service industry to be a real help to someone in need.

4. We can spend regular and consistent time either in the morning or evening reading one page in the Bible and reading one page in a devotional book.

5. We can challenge ourselves to be a good example to our family and friends by choosing kind words, being helpful, listening rather than talking, and watching good and wholesome TV, movies, and music videos.

The Choice is Ours

Now we see that “We can” if we really want to be the one who promotes peace, joy, and love to those around us. Do we want to see a change in the world? We ARE that change!

In case we have not thought about it in a while, remember that God will never, ever force us to do anything. We can sit back and just complain about what is going on in the world. Or we can please the Lord by taking care of each other here on earth. By the way, we need to take care of ourselves too so we will have the energy to be of help to others.

Be the change the world needs!

“Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!” (Psalm 55:6 NLT).

“Get me out of here on dove wings; I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, I want a cabin in the woods. I’m desperate for a change from rage and stormy weather.” (Psalm 55:7-8 MSG).

 

 

How Will Things All Work Out?

“Jeannie worked as a neonatal nurse at a hospital in Rockford, Illinois, for ten years when she met the shoebox baby. She was in the special care nursery when she noticed a young boy in a hooded sweatshirt holding a shoebox and crying…inside the shoebox was a three-pound infant. Wrapped in a dish towel, the tiny newborn wore a doll’s onesie. The baby boy had been born six-weeks premature.

 

“The medical staff treated him for hypothermia, dehydration and an infection from the household scissors used to cut his umbilical cord. Despite the harrowing conditions, God used Jeannie to help work all things out for good!

 

“As hospital staff did everything to save the newborn, his teenage father waited outside, sobbing uncontrollably. Jeannie kept him posted on his baby’s progress. And once the infant’s condition stabilized, she explained to the young, terrified dad that if he gave up his baby that day, he’d no longer be able to receive updates on his health. She reminded him he could take his time in exploring options rather than make an impulsive decision. The boy took the parental bracelets Jeannie offered him so that he and the baby’s mother could come back to visit him. The young couple returned the next day, and every day after for several weeks.”

 

“This is one of the cases I won’t forget,” said the doctor who treated the shoebox baby. There was someone looking down on him.”

 

[Click on the following Shoebox link to read the rest of this true story and others like it from godupdates.com]

 

Shoebox

 

The World is Still Spinning

It’s been nearly five months since many of us have had any chance to venture outside our homes. Maybe to keep a doctor’s appointment or to stock up on whatever groceries we can find on the shelves. But other than that, if we are responsibly following medical guidelines, we are basically hibernating.

It isn’t surprising then when feelings of aloneness (different than loneliness) invade our minds. But no matter what is going on in our own lives, we can find many, many stories of hope out there like the one above if we try. And we desperately need that right now. Even in this tumultuous world, it will lift our spirits when we hear about how hope and inspiration remind us the world is still spinning!

We have all had many ups and downs in our lives including divorce, widowhood, and maybe even our own story of a premature infant. Sadness does not escape anyone. It is what we do with those agonizing moments in our lives that will make a difference. How will God “work all things out for good” in our individual lives?

The plain truth is that God will never force us to do what we don’t want to do. Don’t misunderstand. He created us and has a great plan for our lives because he loves us. Have we ever given a gift to someone just because we loved them? God does that too. He delights in showing us how satisfying and fulfilling our life can be if we only choose to listen to Him. But He won’t pressure, coerce, or threaten us. He’s not that kind of God. He would rather love us.

A Love Gift

It’s all about our choices. Teen parents chose to bring their premature infant to a hospital for care rather than abandoning the baby. They didn’t have to be that responsible or loving.

Jeannie, the neonatal nurse chose to jump right in and help save a three-pound infant. She could have wasted her time by judging the teen parents and refusing to allow them a chance to change their minds. Jeannie’s job was to tend to the baby. But she also chose to love those teen parents.

We also have many, many choices day in and day out to make. Especially now that we are on our own for however long. Like we mentioned, God never forces us to do anything. But He certainly will guide and lead us to do the right thing. To love when we can choose to turn the other cheek. Love—it’s his trademark and design for our lives because he created us, and we belong to him.

“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 NLT).

Your Surroundings Matter: How Can You Care for Them?

No winter on this beach!

It's not uncommon in today's world for families to frequently move from one city to another. Mainly it's for a new job, retirement, a change in marital status, military requirements, or the urge for a better climate, especially after experiencing a severe winter! And, did you know there are new cities cropping up every year? The U.S. Census in 2013 alone reported 17 new cities anywhere from Sandy Point, Texas, with a population of 200 to Jurupa Valley, California, with almost 100,000 residents. It seems you have endless choices!

No matter where you live, you probably have one common desire and that is to live among the beauty of the land/area you possess. That can mean different things to different people. Some will purchase a dream home in the mountains, valleys, or plains or on a beach, some are more than happy to live in a city condo close to work, or an apartment where yard work is non-existent. There are as many places to live as there are people! 

And wherever you might lay your head at night, when you awake you will see natural beauty all around you. It could be your yard with fragrant pink and yellow rose bushes, swaying palm trees that line your street, tall pine trees with that distinctive smell, or a lush neighborhood park. You are truly blessed with your surroundings if you spend time each day to look for them. 

Become a Good Neighbor
Of course, with all these blessings come responsibilities to care for whatever you possibly can. In your neighborhood, no one wants to see a yard that is never attended and left in shambles with weeds and trash. When you take pleasure in caring for your own property, you make a good neighbor. Plants can give food, trees give shade, and both can give you pleasure, but only if you cultivate them. 

In today's world, too many trees are destroyed needlessly both locally and including acres of them in the rain forests. Doesn't have anything to do with you? Why should you care? Answer this first: do you use any of these rain forest products:

Rain-forest Ginger

Bananas, citrus, avocados, nuts, or spices like vanilla and ginger
Coffee, tea, or cocoa
Cosmetics, cleaning products, or detergents
Medicine for rheumatism, diabetes, or heart conditions

Many of these consumables, if not most, come from rain forests and are among hundreds of everyday products! In addition, they stabilize world climate (including the oxygen we breathe), provide a home to plants and animals, and protect against floods, droughts, and erosion among many other uses. Information about this subject can fill hundreds of books. If you are interested in more, visit www.rain-forest-alliance.org

Today, April 22nd is Earth Day 2019. A day set aside to think about the world and how you can help keep it beautiful. It started way back in 1970 with this statement:

"At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news." [www.earthday.org]

Where Did the World Begin?
Thankfully, the world has greatly improved because of efforts made by many, many people who care about it. It is, however, an ongoing struggle, so don't give up! Start in your own little part of the world especially now that you have a new beginning. For now, just think about where did this beautiful world begin in the first place? The answer will help you understand your part in maintaining it. 

One of the biggest lies in history is that this universe began with some kind of "big bang" episode. Don't worry, we are not debating this inexhaustible subject right now. Just keep this little experiment in mind as food for thought: start at any point in the cosmos and step by step, keep moving backward in your mind asking/answering at each point, And where did ____(living creatures, sun, moon, stars, land, seas, sky, water, darkness, and light) come from? Eventually, you'll have your answer.

In the Beginning

Start with the five most important words on today's subject: 
"In the beginning God created..." (Genesis 1:1 NLT). 

There is the answer. Simple. Of course, if you don't believe this five-word statement, then you can open the Bible on the first page and keep reading in the first chapter. It's pretty amazing!

Moving on to the second chapter, there are a few more true statements covering the subject question, Where did the world begin? "And the Lord God planted all sorts of trees in the garden--beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit" (Genesis 2:9a NLT).        

"The Lord placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it" (Genesis 2:15 NLT). And in our world, yes, women are also expected to take care of their "garden" wherever that may be!

If we keep reading in Genesis Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9, we read about Noah and the Great Flood. Afterward, God spoke to him about taking care of all the earth and its creatures. It is a good lesson that God still expects us to continue today.  

So there it is in a nutshell. God created the world and He expects us to take very good care of it. Period.   

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths" (Psalm 24:1-2 NLT).