November 2008 - Posts
And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
--Psalm 39:7
How can you be confident in your future?
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have a hope that is grounded in God. And there is nothing stronger, truer, surer, more reliable, more just, or more powerful than Him!
So how is this confident hope made real in your own life?
Hope is made real through the Scriptures. If you want to increase your hope, study the Scriptures. "In his word I hope" (Psalm 130:5). God, who cannot lie, has given us a guarantee, a sure promise in His Word. The revelation of His word is that you and I have a future and a hope.
Hope is also made real by the resurrection. Because Jesus Christ lives, we shall live also. Because He conquered sin, the grave, death, and hell, we are conquerors through Him (Romans 8:37).
And hope is made real by faith. Faith and hope are inseparably linked. Faith is the root, hope is the fruit. Faith produces hope! "For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness" (Galatians 5:5).
MAKE YOUR HOPE REAL BY BUILDING YOUR LIFE UPON THE WORD OF GOD.
ONLY YOU CAN PLANT HAPPINESS IN YOUR GARDEN.
Contributing to your mental health
When someone suffers from a mental illness, things that effect the brain can seem much more intense than say a person who does not have a mental illness. Things are much, much more challenging at times. It might take extra effort to deal with things if you have anxiety, depression, Bi-Polar depression, or even more severe mental illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, psytzophrenia (spelling), just to name a few.
As being someone who suffers from a mental illness myself, I do find it very difficult to deal with certain tasks that may seem like nothing to other people. Probably something that a normal person wouldn’t even have a second thought about.
I am writing to provide encouragement to those of you who also suffer from a mental illness and that you are not alone in your struggle. And to remind myself that I am not alone in my struggle. But to contribute to your mental health it’s so important to find things that you enjoy doing. Only you can make you happy. I remember getting a card saying that
ONLY YOU CAN PLANT HAPPINESS IN YOUR GARDEN.
That’s true. Try to find things to “plant”. Find things you enjoy, make a list of thing you know that you have found enjoyment from before. Maybe you want to discover something new, try something different. Join a new support group, join a new church.
When someone suffers from anxiety, this can be a very challenging task in itself especially if you have social anxiety. I would highly encourage those who have this type of anxiety or even if they have depression – to get help.
All I can say is that if you get help – things will improve and get better. Therapy is a great benefit in contributing to your mental health. And there is nothing wrong with being on medication for a mental condition. Some people object to that but I have learned that no matter what someone else might think…..you have to do what is best for you because you have to live that life.
Don’t let anyone else influence your decision whether or not to go on medications.
You have to decide that for yourself.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
--Romans 8:20-21
What has happened to this world? God created a perfect paradise and man was placed to rule over it all. Now the earth is cursed with plagues, pollution, greed, destruction, and more.
Again, what happened? Sin. The world was cursed and plunged into corruption by sin and rebellion. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in rebellion, they placed all of creation into "the bondage of corruption." And now man lives in fear, failure, and frustration.
But did you know that pain can actually be a good thing? How can pain and suffering be good? It's a warning signal to tell us that something is wrong.
How do you know to pull your hand out of the fire unless you feel the searing pain of the heat?
All the groaning, crying, and moaning of this age is God's effort to get our attention. Yes, He cares about you and me. And, yes, He is all-powerful. God has a plan beyond our human understanding. And as Paul wrote, He is preparing His family for a future glory that cannot even be compared to the sufferings and hurt of today.
How do you overcome despite the suffering? Look with expectation for what God has prepared for those who belong to Jesus Christ.
HOW DO YOU KNOW TO PULL YOUR HAND OUT OF THE FIRE UNLESS YOU FEEL THE SEARING PAIN OF THE HEAT?
What is love? It is one of the most difficult questions for the mankind. Centuries have passed by, relationships have bloomed and so has love. But no one can give the proper definition of love. To some ?Love is friendship set on fire? for others ?Maybe love is like luck. You have to go all the way to find it?. No matter how you define it or feel it, love is the eternal truth in the history of mankind.
Love is patient, love is kind. It has no envy, nor it boasts itself and it is never proud. It rejoices over the evil and is the truth seeker. Love protects; preserves and hopes for the positive aspect of life. Always stand steadfast in love, not fall into it. It is like the dream of your matter of affection coming true. 
Love can occur between two or more individuals. It bonds them and connects them in a unified link of trust, intimacy and interdependence. It enhances the relationship and comforts the soul. Love should be experienced and not just felt. The depth of love can not be measured. Look at the relationship between a mother and a child. The mother loves the child unconditionally and it can not be measured at all. A different dimension can be attained between any relationships with the magic of love. Love can be created. You just need to focus on the goodness of the other person. If this can be done easily, then you can also love easily. And remember we all have some positive aspect in us, no matter how bad our deeds maybe. And as God said ?Love all?
Depending on context, love can be of different varieties. Romantic love is a deep, intense and unending. It shared on a very intimate and interpersonal and sexual relationship. The term Platonic love, familial love and religious love are also matter of great affection. It is more of desire, preference and feelings. The meaning of love will change with each different relationship and depends more on its concept of depth, versatility, and complexity. But at times the very existence of love is questioned. Some say it is false and meaningless. It says that it never exist, because there has been many instances of hatred and brutality in relationships. The history of our world has witnessed many such events. There has been hatred between brothers, parents and children, sibling rivalry and spouses have failed each other. Friends have betrayed each other; the son has killed his parents for the throne, the count is endless. Even the modern generation is also facing with such dilemmas everyday. But ?love? is not responsible for that. It is us, the people, who have forgotten the meaning of love and have undertaken such gruesome apathy.
In the past the study of philosophy and religion has done many speculations on the phenomenon of love. But love has always ruled, in music, poetry, paintings, sculptor and literature. Psychology has also done lot of dissection to the essence of love, just like what biology, anthropology and neuroscience has also done to it.
Psychology portrays love as a cognitive phenomenon with a social cause. It is said to have three components in the book of psychology: Intimacy, Commitment, and Passion. Also, in an ancient proverb love is defined as a high form of tolerance. And this view has been accepted and advocated by both philosophers and scholars. Love also includes compatibility. But it is more of journey to the unknown when the concept of compatibility comes into picture. Maybe the person whom we see in front of us, may be least compatible than the person who is miles away. We might talk to each other and portray that we love each other, but practically we do not end up into any relationship. Also in compatibility, the key is to think about the long term successful relationship, not a short journey. We need to understand each other and must always remember that no body is perfect.
Be together, share your joy and sorrow, understand each other, provide space to each other, but always be there for each others need. And surely love will blossom to strengthen your relationship with your matter of affection.