"May We Live"

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." ~Nelson Mandela

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

It's difficult for us to face problems. We don't like to admit we have them, and we have an even harder time of making a decision regarding them. Easier for us to run away, ignore them, hope someone else will deal with them for us, or point the finger at something other than ourselves in order to justify our actions (or lack thereof). The problem isn't that we will have problems (because face it, we will!); it's how we deal with them. When we spend more time focusing directly on the problem/decision itself, we run the risk of falling into an abyss of self-pity and despair (to which we will occasionally fall). And this we know is not a healthy attitude, nor will it get us anywhere. All this advice we already know; it's almost always easier said than done, and we all know how much we love what is easier.

Encountering problems and/or making decisions often catches us comparing our lives to others--we look at how we could've done so many things if we only had the chance (or the chance again). We see others around us and wish we could be them; we are hard to please and harder to satisfy. In the last daily bread we discussed how people and various lifestyles can look so appealing to us. It seems that we want to be happy, but as soon as we achieve whatever it is we believe will make us happy, then we are not happy, all over again. "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~Frederick Keonig

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." ~Nelson Mandela This does NOT mean the life you might be living is not a notable life. It does not mean that someone else's life might be BETTER or more IMPORTANT than your own. Because stop right there. Our lives, our individual lives are individual for a reason. No one else can possibly fully understand us (except God) because no one else is YOU. You can tell me your problem for example, and while I may have had a similar experience, I can only empathize so far with you--even if I feel the same emotions as you, your EXPERIENCE is unique to you and to you alone.
 

Only YOU can ask yourself the question: what are YOU capable of? Don't be surprised if you can't answer it though. We can go our whole lives and still not be able to answer such a question. People can change throughout their life, and to say you know or want to know yourself so fully in every way would in reality take many lifetimes to study--not to mention the dedication it would also require. "Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also." ~Carl Jung I for one couldn't tell you who I am, because this is something I will be studying on for the rest of my life.

   

No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. Ecclesiastes 8:17 So why should we bother asking at all? Well, we will discuss more on that later, but think of it this way; we can still learn and grow...

 

 

This leads us to the topic at hand; I have heard many ask the infamous question, "what is God's plan for my life"? If you are one of those that struggles with the problems that often collaborate with such a question, keep reading. You might be someone who look at other people who have said that God called them to such and such, and wonder why God hasn't called you to a similar more noteworthy life. "Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own." ~Aslan, The Horse and His Boy Therefore, you are the author of your own story, and no one's is better than another. Keep in mind this thought; someone who seems to have accomplished much in the public eye may have accomplished little mentally or spiritually. So don't fall so quickly for the belief that a seemingly "noble and fantastical" life is not what you already have. Everyone's view of these things are different. But, on the other hand, if you don't like your life, then work on changing it yourself. God will present to us opportunities; we can choose to take them or not, but ultimately focusing on whether God orchestrates everything for us and we have no say at all seems rather childish. I believe that God's "plan" for all our lives deals with the mental/spiritual sides of life--what makes us a better person for example. Or does what I do strengthen my relationship with God? With others?"As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility." ~Nelson Mandela

So then, just WHO is this sort of God? I'm afraid I have no clear answer for this one. I can however, look around at the world, and see all that He has created, and I feel Him a part of it all. I can say that's who God is. I can say He is a part of the woman who gives a homeless man a hot meal. I can say He is a part of the family who loves and hurts together. I can say he is a part of the wind that whispers through the trees, the sun that helps the plants grow, a baby's laugh, or even in a young friend killed in a car crash. He is a part of everything, even that which we may view as sad or unfair or something we do not understand. I don't see how anyone can really explain Him outside of that; but just as we can see and understand to an extent the results of the work of an experiment, so also can we at least see what He has in this world--what makes up you and me. A reflection of Him if you will.

We are made in His image; Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27

This means we are NOT God, but rather a REFLECTION of Him. This means that our reflection should be a beautiful representation of who God is; ultimately this paints the picture of WHO WE ARE. (We've discussed this topic in past daily breads). God is so many things, and so much more that we will never comprehend, so our reflection of Him is rather complicated. I am sure that God is greatly interested in all that we do in our lives; but when we make decisions and stress whether God will be pleased or not with them, I believe we then begin to lose sight of the essence of God and what He's ultimately all about (love...). We are all different, so I believe we all then will show different reflections of God. The bottom line here I think, is that it is more about HOW we reflect God than the actual essence of what we do; what is your attitude like for example. I believe we should be humbly glorifying Him in all that we are. If we are His reflection, we should honor it and strive to be holy...

Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. John 8:54

"People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then their deeds are radiant. If you are righteous, then what you do will also be righteous. We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works." ~Meister Eckhart

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5

Why should we honor God? We honor Him because He is a part of us and gave us life; the least we could do is show our humble and appreciative respect. And as far as what He longs for our lives, well, I think that's just it. He longs for us to love Him, and to glorify Him in whatever we may do. Sometimes we may look at other peoples' lives and wonder why we didn't have a life like theirs; we might wonder why we seem so, well, incomplete. Is this showing God love, or selfish ambition? Is it fair for us to blame God for what our lives may be like? We will say we search for happiness, but I wonder if and when we might find it, will that truly make us happy? And will we be satisfied even then?"If our condition were truly happy, we would not seek diversion from it in order to make ourselves happy". ~Blaise Pascal

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility. Zephaniah 2:3a

God can and will use us in whatever we do in this life. So if you make a decision you aren't sure is the "right" one in line with God's "plans", take a moment to breathe. It's extremely hard to say if any one thing is "right"; most decisions are based off of what might seem like the "better" or more "beneficial" way to go. If your decision turns out not as well as you thought, reevaluate it. Don't settle yourself in your fabricated despair. Rather instead create new opportunities. Learn from mistakes. Learn for future ideas. Make new mistakes. Life will never be cut and dried simple. But we can still work with it. It's just going to take effort on our parts. "To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." ~Igor Stravinsky We need to be willing to try my friends.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything..Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:4, 12

I think He is very interested in what we do, but isn't the kind of being idly spinning our lives on some perfect string as though we were a puppet. Life is too unpredictable; even though He may have a hand in our lives, what we make of it is ultimately up to us. I believe He has given us the freedom to decide; He is here to give us His strength, love, and guidance--the question is, are we willing to let Him in to help us? The Lord will guide you always;  He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy for you to believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose that you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief". ~C.S. Lewis

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 25-34

So, don't spend so much time worrying over the problems and decisions you will face in this life. Instead, let God in to help guide you and lend you strength. He does love us after all. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". Isaiah 41:10

Whose life are you really choosing to live? Strive to make yours holy to God's rather than mans'.*

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." ~Oscar Wilde

Seeking to live,

Whitney 

"Lighting the Beacon"

"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart". ~Helen Keller

Did you know that we use our eyes more than any of the other five senses? This is probably why billions of dollars are continually spent on 'image' advertising. Between movies, TV, the Internet, billboards, commercials, etc., we are constantly being saturated with a social media view of what showcases the ideal life image-wise. (If you have ten minutes, I suggest you view the trailer for the new documentary film, Miss Representation. View it through this link here: http://vimeo.com/28066212)

I see photos and ads of people having a great time, and they definitely look appealing. The people for example are usually sexy and beautiful, and they look happy. The images are designed to appeal to all the senses; their enchanting, enticing... The media (as you will see in the Miss Representation trailer) is a huge influence on what we know in this world. Sex sells for example—we see it in the movies we watch, the stories we read about, even in the news. Image is everything it seems. Image is who you want to be—image, has become who you are. Who wouldn't want to look like a supermodel, or acquire tons of money to do whatever we wanted with? We humans are usually willing to do just about anything as long as we are socially accepted. Yet sadly few of us will stop to consider the implications and responsibilities that will accompany every decision…

Course, if you're a devoted Christian you would tell me you wouldn't want that life because you have God who fulfills all your needs. And maybe you truly mean that. But, even I will humbly admit the tempting offers of those portrayed lifestyles. Most of us know what such lifestyles lead to and/or entail; often times being cool for the wrong reasons can still leave you feeling alone and empty inside. Yet such projected images are what most of us will still go for anyway. Is it because the risk is worth even fifteen minutes of fame? Do we so long for attention that this exploited picture of our society is truly what we are painting for ourselves?

This demeaning nature we are employing on our livelihoods is creating suspicions that we humans are becoming less and less interested in truth, value, knowledge, and the like, and more interested in the external image, and the fluff that accompanies it. Are these lifestyles rapidly becoming our only realities, our only truths? "The media portrays a world of surface shine with nothing but emptiness beneath," wrote Chicago resident, 57, in our survey. "Unfortunately, this is how people are becoming, maybe without being aware of it: beautifully painted and clothed with an empty mind". ~The Narcissism Epidemic, by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell

We all know that someday, when we leave this place, all that we know will not last nor accompany us. So why do we spend so much time investing in it? I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 Some of it of course helps to show who we are while we are here. Stuff, image, doesn't have to be bad. But if our motives behind it are not to ultimately pursue God, then we need to reevaluate. One could argue we are becoming less interested in pursuing Him and more interested in everything else. "People say they love truth, but in reality they want to believe that which they love is true." ~Robert J. Ringer

It seems we are devaluing ourselves every day no matter who we are. If we say to love others for example, why does our 'Godly love' seem more of a 'tolerable love' only? Is it because we are showcasing a Christian image only (void of depth and meaning), and part of that image means showing love as we were commanded? Have we become Christ-followers in order to be accepted by the Christian community, or are we because we want to know the truth and long to have God first in our lives?

As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Corinthians 8:23-24

I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Philemon 1:6

Most of those who attend church are good and wonderful people to be sure. But, at the same time I wonder if they only go because that is what they have always done—tradition for the sake of tradition. The images of tradition and routine aren't necessarily bad. But they can become an obstacle in our growth if they lose their meaning. This is when I say it is a really good idea to question our motives—why do we do these things? What do these things mean to us? Are they beneficial, and if so why?

Most of us probably don't take the time to do our own research. Instead we often will develop biases, or dogma beliefs based on certain kinds of authority (like Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jillian Michaels, etc). Jillian Michaels looks physically great, and even though she doesn't have a degree, we feel we can trust her. Her name connects us to image results—with advertising products, would you buy a treadmill with no known endorser, or a Jillian Michaels treadmill? Not all of what we see and hear should be taken so literally at its word, even when it seems legitimate, and yet it's so enticingly easy to do so…

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-9

It always seems easier to go with what we see at face value; and I know how that is, because I like what's easy too. But easy doesn't always mean "better". That doesn't mean Jillian Michaels is necessarily wrong--either way it is still a good idea to determine the meaning in your own life (we are all different after all). This is when we should ask our "why" questions. Why doesn't have to be seen as negative—if it means it will help our growth in a positive way, then asking such questions is a very good idea. Always assess your motives in all that you do.

Questioning can also help us from becoming too insensitive about the world we live in and who we are. (Caring makes up a large part of what it means to be human). I'm afraid we are becoming too addicted to what is considered easy—technology has helped with that—so we need to realize and understand what all is occurring in our society.

I don't always take the time to consider others and their accomplishments due to my often being caught up in my own world and attentions. Yet I become frustrated when few take interest in mine. Are you like that? When we become so caught up in what we want ourselves to be like (i.e. want attention), we often forget about more important things (i.e. like building relationships). We must be careful we do not become too selfish in such ambitions. Ask yourself: who are you becoming and why? Why do you do the things that you do? Or as philosopher Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living".

Hard questions I know, but necessary ones. I do not want to see us lose what little of our originality we have left. Who are we placing first in our lives? God created us in His image—are we honoring that by seeking out these 'images' over meanings?

"You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…" Exodus 20:3-6

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. 3 John 1:5-8

What if there's a bigger picture
What if I'm missing out
What if there's a greater purpose
I could be living right now

Outside my own little world

~Matthew West, Song "My Own Little World"

Stop. Think. God gave us brains so that we might have the ability to reason. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11: 17-19

Who are you becoming in God's presence?*

It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:3-4

"Be not simply good; be good for something." ~Henry David Thoreau

Lighting the Beacon,

Whitney