Whenever we hear the word 'darkness,' usually we relate it to something negative or sinister. And indeed there are abominations that lurk in the dark, but we are not speaking of that now.
“When Christ said that man does not live by bread alone, he spoke of a hunger. This hunger was not the hunger of the body. It was not the hunger for bread. He spoke of a hunger that begins deep down in the very depths of our being. He spoke of a need as vital as breath. He spoke of our hunger for love.
Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we become weak and faint. Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world…
But with love, we are creative. With it, we march tirelessly. With it, and with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.”
Chief Dan George
You would not know this if I did not say it, but I just erased an hour worth of writing and editing of my thoughts and feelings about this quote. But, I realize that my words only muddled the experience, and really nothing more needs to be said by me. Today, I will contemplate on his love, and give thanks for who he is and who I am in him. I will thank him for filling me with the love I so desperately need everyday of my life. I will thank him for every opportunity to to have a breath to experience this wonderful world, to know the peace and the joy that comes simply by knowing him, holding him close to my heart. He is the greatest lover, brother, father, and friend, and I owe my life and all I am to him. He has literally saved my life from certain death, more than once. Not just spiritually, but physically too. By my own hand to take my own life, and from others who would wish to harm me……I am in a delicate and vulnerable place today, but I will use it as an opportunity to strengthen my roots and grow closer still to the source of my life, my Lord, my hero. I do not need to be afraid….though right now I am fragile, I will not break….and if I break he is able to piece me together….and if I break, let it be for his glory. Today, I will rejoice and be glad in this new day, another day to be alive and know love. I hope everyone has a blessed day filled with comfort and love as you go about your daily activities. Some time today, stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and send up a thank you, a grateful heart, as an offering for such a beautiful, phenomenal life……..
The legendary expression 'fall from grace' has been used for centuries. The term depicts someone who has chosen to forsake someone or something that is universally accepted and even cherished. It gives us the impression that the person has stepped beyond the borders of redemption and lost their standing in the eyes of God and man.But I don't believe that falling from grace necessarily means a demotion.
This poem is based on a true story, one in which I was blessed to see and so proud to behold…..I have been so inspired and lifted up by this joyous occasion, that I had to write a tribute , and mark it in remembrance, sealing the time with words that will be read and felt, carrying on the memory into eternity and to the threshold of the city of our God and creator…….
Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean. Maya Angelou
When I first read this quote, it impacted me. But still, I could not quite put my finger on why. So, I have chewed on it for a while and have come to appreciate the wise words of this statement. Anger is a self preserving emotion. It’s function is to protect, defend, and to behold righteousness in truth. Anger is the most base of all human emotions, and in it’s purest form is an effective instrument that drives us to passion, motivation, and even success. Anger is a purging agent that comes in and does it’s job swiftly, and then it is up to us how we will direct the leftover and excess energies of such a potent emotion. Anger is not meant to linger. In fact, even Jesus said not to let the sun go down on your anger. Anger that is left to stew will continue to burn, the embers slowly transforming into a disease, a sickness, if you will. I think most of us are intelligent enough to know when we have crossed the line, been angry over something for too long. When it affects the quality of our lives and interferes with our happiness and peace, we know we have some soul searching and contemplating to do.
I have spent a lot of time being angry in my life, and to this day I still have to pull in on the reins of a fiery disposition. But coupled with love and forgiveness, it is possible to allow our anger to serve a greater purpose for our lives. Anyone who speaks with wisdom and conviction, I assure you, had put a great deal of time in subduing this emotion. They would not settle for a second rate existence of bitterness and resentment. They have creatively found ways to use the life force of anger in different aspects of their lives. We all have this capacity. We are able to be the masters of our anger, monarchs of our indignation. Believe it or not, you can still be angry in a respectful way and not lose your dignity in the process.
I encourage anyone feeling anxiety or depression to look for the root source of these symptoms, and reflect on how it got to be there. I promise you that anger will always be the initial source, coupled with the pain we felt when the emotions were born. Let’s give ourselves a gift, something of lasting value that has the potential to change our lives and impact our world. Seek out forgiveness when you have discovered the triggers. Putting in just a little time to search, discover, reflect and apply in this way will truly bear the sweetest of fruits. We hold the keys to our own happiness and the power to be victorious. To me, that is the most amazing gift of all.
I have previously written a couple of posts that will compliment this message, and aid in advancing to the next steps. For more insight, here are the links:
Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one. Marianne Williamson
I cannot express the brevity that this statement resounds through my soul, or how excited I get when my spirit believes and bears witness to such a simple yet profound truth. What you do really does matter. It is like a ripple effect. It effects you personally, it effects those close to you in your circle of family and friends, and that extends out to their extended families and friends, and it keeps going and traveling around the world. For those of you who have a hard time believing this, I challenge you to test the waters, and increase your faith and broaden your vision enough to be open to all the small signs and wonders around you…..to every good piece of news and information you receive through close acquaintences, your place of work, the radio, local newspaper, and TV, like the news. I know the news is full of bad news, but there are morsels of good things in between, if you pay attention. There are even websites and magazines and television shows filled with good stories and testimonies. These things have a direct correlation to what we have sown, what we have dared to believe possible. We can use these good news stories as evidence and feedback, that the good you are personally doing does matter.
Now, some of you may think I am a little ‘out there’ with this belief, and far reaching at best, but I know, I am convinced, that each one of our thoughts, words and actions create our reality…..so everything that I see and hear is processed through this personal belief….all good deeds and acts of love begin somewhere, inspired by someone, and was given a life of its own, beginning with a single thought and choice to act on that thought. Who is to say that a good deed you did for someone, an act of kindness, an encouraging word, a hug even, didn’t get passed along through others, and grew in love, and began to create an atmosphere of love and inspiration in which people began to act on your positivity? An example would be…..a young boy deciding to raise money for other sick children…..a wealthy man who donated thousands to a good cause….a group of people who got together to open a food bank for the hungry….a young mother who received the seed of kindness, broke the abuse cycle, and passed it on to her growing child, who did, or will, grow up to be a motivational speaker, or the next president….. the list goes on. Who’s to say your initial act of kindness didn’t create the spark and settled like a flame in someone who received it down the line? It is very possible, and in fact this is how it happens. Of course we could never see it in action and know for sure its exact origins, but are not all things entwined somehow, and work together on a larger scale? It is feasible to say that you certainly had a hand in contributing to the betterment of humanity….all of us working together planting the seeds whenever we can, wherever we go.
To some, this message is insanity….to others, great vision or great faith. To me, it is simply the way things work as I go along trying my best to do my small part in the scheme of things….but I am not naive enough to think that these things do not matter, or that they go unnoticed, or lost somewhere in the universe….no….on the contrary, we all matter and have a hand in our own fates, and impact the lives of many through a single act of kindness. I believe….and now I dare you to believe too. It wont be long before your heart warms with satisfaction at all the small beautiful wonders and acts of love throughout the world, knowing you did your part, giving yourself a little credit for these things, and being able to participate in the jubilant celebration of life. To me, this makes it all worthwhile, and carries me through times of darkness, pushing me into ever greater heights of faith and love.
May your day be blessed, as you give a blessing to another.
Here are some secrets that I have learned when it comes to the issues of pain, the heart, and forgiveness…..
**Forgiveness is for you, not the other person. Holding resentment and unforgiveness hurts only you. The offender will never feel what we are going through, from the deep remorse to the murderous rage. And stubbornly hanging on to hate will not bring them to conviction or judgement, nor bring us to peace and contentment. To hold someone in unforgiveness for something, no matter how much wrong they have done, makes us the prisoner, and a partaker of that same wrong. Forgiveness is a gift to ourselves for what we have been through…it is the only way to have real peace and lasting contentment.
**Often when we think about forgiveness, we expect the results to be instantaneous. We prematurely believe that if we are ‘good’ and do the ‘right’ thing, that we will be rewarded with all the gifts, wisdom and freedoms that go along with the act of forgiving someone, and are automatically released from its burden. But I think we all know that is not how it works out for us, and usually the opposite of this is what feels truest. We have made our own mistakes and offences, suffered at the hands of others, and made the choice to forgive….but still we struggle with the pain and feelings of resentment, of grief and anger.
**This is because forgiveness is a process. It is a choice that we make initially the first time. And then, we have to make it again and again when the painful memories and feelings surface. We may have to make this choice on occasion, from time to time, or in the beginning, we may have to choose forgiveness moment by moment amounting to numerous times in a day. There are even times we feel we just do not want to forgive. This does not mean that we are weak. But on the contrary, it takes strength and shows we are serious and determined to see ourselves free from the chains that bind us.
**Our emotions do not always line themselves up with our will to forgive, and rarely support our choice to forgive. Chances are you will never be able to use your feelings as an indicator of weather you have forgiven or not. Memories are real, and the experiences that made them were just as real, and not easily erased. And they shouldn’t be. For no matter how terrible or traumatic, or maybe even seemingly petty that past event was, those things help make who we are. We can stay in bitterness over it, or we can move ourselves along and live free of the inner turmoil of self infliction.
**Forgiveness is an opportunity for growth. It does not have to be a crippling and gruesome experience. Often we are so hard on ourselves, we cannot see what progress we have made. We may feel guilty or inadequate in God’s eyes for not being able to forgive in the way he does, or in the way we thought we should. We may feel as though we have missed the mark somehow. Relax a little, give yourself room to be many things in the healing process. Sort it out gradually. No one says you have to accomplish total forgiveness in a certain way, or in a certain amount of time. As I said earlier, this healing virtue is for you. And not everyone is the same, and we all experience the process a little differently and in different timing. But one thing is the same for us all….it all begins with a choice. You choose forgiveness, and you keep choosing it daily, no matter what you may feel. The pain may never totally disappear, but in time, it will lessen, and you will see your personal growth, gaining victory one small step at a time.
**The hardest person to forgive will always be yourself. It is so important and life changing to accept in ourselves the things that are hard to accept, the things we have said and done that we deeply regret. Think of it this way. A child or family member we dearly love has made a terrible mistake, one that has hurt not just themselves but others they love. You see their pain and turmoil, and you long to impart to them the forgiveness that you have sought out for them in yourself. You so desire to see them move on and begin living again, learning and maturing from the wrong they have done. The pain you feel from seeing them in their pain, is how our our own spirit grieves over us when we are in a tormented place….the same way the Father feels for our sufferings. He longs to extend that compassion and mercy to us and help us move away from the dark side of the tribulation. But we can only do this for ourselves. So extend to yourselves the same love and mercy that you would someone you dearly love….for chances are someone is still hurting from watching you suffer, and longs to see you live again. Make yourself this friend within yourself. You are every bit worth it, and the fact that you are alive and breathing is proof enough. Now, you just have to walk in it and bear witness to the miracles that will follow………………………
Feel free to ask any questions, or seek friendly assistance or advise from me anytime. You may contact me at celestealluvial26@gmx.com …
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This is one of my favorite authors of paranormal romance, and I highly recommend her 'Guild Hunter' Series. These are a deeply erotic, passionate and spiritual in content....I LOVE THEM! This is book #3 in the series...
Sunlight dancing across my eyelids
