Everyone wants to be happy.  If only I were more successful, had a Jaguar series E, more respected or if my health were better, I know I would be happy!  Or so I think.  We tend to see happiness as a result of our circumstances and not a feeling within us. 

I found the word happiness comes from the Middle English word “hap”. As in happenstance or haphazard, implying random chance or luck.  If you were lucky enough to be born into ideal circumstances, you have everything to make you happy.  Is that really true?

I have come to believe, though, that happiness is a state of mind and not a state of being.  It’s a way of thinking which is something that we can consciously direct, as opposed to a state of being that results from a specific set of circumstances outside our control. 

It isn’t luck or happenstance that ensures our attainment of happiness; rather, it is the way we think about and process the circumstances we encounter.

This simple idea has huge implications.  It means that we achieve the happiness we seek by adjusting the focus of our thoughts.  That all sounds so simple but we know that life isn’t simple.  It’s complicated and bad things do happen to us and those we love.  Now what to do? 

I wish I had a neat/ pat answer for the problems we encounter.  However, just perhaps, we might find something worthy in our experiences.  Perhaps we can still be happy and find something positive for which we can find a bit of happiness. 

Saying this involves thankfulness as well.  However, if we view happiness as a thought, then we must make a conscious effort to think positively when problems arise in our lives. 

True satisfaction in life comes not from having the things we want, but enjoying the things we have!  For in life the only things we truly have are the things that we appreciate!

Perhaps the key component to happiness is our ability to live fully in this moment, erasing, at least temporarily, any painful thoughts about the past or anxious thoughts relating to the future.  Now is where true happiness is found.  If we are fearful of the future, then we are always restless and discontented. 

But how can we possibly react to bad experiences in exactly the same way as we respond to the experiences that are good or bring us joy?   

If we connect to our Creator, then perhaps we might see that He allows things in our life which are part of His grand design for us.  Remember that scripture tells us “He chastens those whom He Loves!”  That’s a difficult concept.

A friend of mine in El Paso. (BJ by name!) sent me this and I feel it fits in nicely with true happiness. 

“It is my prayer that your eagerness to do good works will become very contagious – because through serving, you have come to realize that:

LIFE IS BETTER WHEN YOU ARE HAPPY, BUT LIFE IS BEST WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAPPY BECAUSE OF YOU!!”

                                 May we all say   Amen!!

                                           Have We Got Pure Heart?

As I write this, looking out the window, there are lovely displays of Santas, and angels, and snowmen.  Of course, I’m describing December with Christmas scenes, gift giving, family feasting and most people being kind! 

As I was reading through the Gospels, I came across the story of our Master, telling His followers, “Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they will see God.”  What does that mean?  We all want to see God (not just a baby in the manger) but seeing God.  Is that even possible?  How can that be?  What did Jeshua really mean?  What is being Pure In Heart?

When attending church or wherever you worship, do you feel as though something is missing?  We all want to feel more spiritual.  Sometimes we feel as though God isn’t really interested in us.  Our quality time with Him seems a perfunctory thing.  Our prayers reaching only the ceiling.  It’s almost like a marriage that’s gone cold.  We have drifted apart.

In the days of Jeshua, the Pharisees were obsessed with ritual purity.  It’s into this context that Yeshua spoke saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  This takes purity to a whole new level.  He isn’t talking about the physical state of being clean or unclean.  He is speaking about a pure heart.  Where do we get this pure heart?

Heart in the Hebrew context also means your Thinker, not your Feeler.  What you are thinking about others is as important as what you do.   

With this thought in mind the Lord tells what sins of the heart defile a person.  In Matthew 15:18-20 we read………“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” 

‘Blessed are the Pure in heart, for they will see God. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father“
(John 24:9 )

Again, it’s a heart thing.  We can obtain that pure heart by the spiritual transformation of our hope in who Yeshua really is.  We pray in His name.  Not because we deserve what we pray for but because He is the righteous One and prays on our behalf. 

When Jeshua encountered the leper, He asked him, “What do you want?” The Leper did not say,” I want to be healed” He said, “I want to be clean.” 

So, we must say, “Master, I want to be clean.  Cleanse my heart.”

“Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.”  (Psalm 51:10-12)

                        May you and I receive that blessing of a pure heart!

                                             Your Retirement Plan

This time of year puts a strain on your bank accounts.  We enjoy the gift giving but then comes tax season.  Time to rethink our retirement plans also.

When Joseph was promoted to be an advisor to Pharaoh, the Pharaoh was impressed with the dreams and predictions of this young non-Egyptian. In fact, this Joseph was a former prisoner!  Now with a completely new job in the kingdom, he was the chief financial advisor. 

Joseph explained to Pharaoh that his dreams were warnings from God.  Seven years of abundance followed by seven years of drought.  The solution was to lay up storehouses during the seven years of plenty so that there would be sufficient food in the coming years of famine. 

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s wisdom that he made him minister over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.  Joseph oversaw the building of store houses in which the abundant grain of Egypt… seven years of plenty, was stored.

What about our storehouses?  Do we have a plan? What is our retirement plan?

Life is uncertain, and it is only prudent to lay up savings and provisions.  In Proverbs we read, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has (21:20) Contrary to the advice of Joseph, modern society promotes a lifestyle of squandering all available wealth, overspending, and relying on credit.  Though we live in affluent times, few people have the wisdom to lay up savings for leaner times ahead. 

However, Jeshua (Jesus) told his disciples to lay up treasure in heaven instead of on earth. This does not mean that we are not to be prudent and wise with the money we have been given. Yes, we must be careful with our saving and spending. However………………………………………….!!!

            “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “
  (Matt6:19-21)

Our lives on earth can be compared to the seven years of plenty.  We have an abundance of opportunities to do good to others, to repent and practice righteousness, and to give charity to the needy.  Do what we can to help others.

However, these golden years of opportunity are limited.  Whether in seven days, seven years or seventy years, the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven will vanish.  After we die, our opportunities to do good deeds are gone. 

The world says, “You can’t take it with you.”  The Messiah says that you can!

Jeshua teaches that “you can take it with you” by giving to a worthy charity and investing your time and resources into the things of the kingdom of heaven.  You are storing up your good works in heaven.  When you arrive in the next life, you will be rewarded for your acts of kindness and piety. 

Joseph encouraged all of Egypt to lay up stores and provisions for the lean years to come.  So too we should be storing up our resources in heaven for the years to come!

                                       Now, that’s a good retirement plan!!!

                                                Proudly Humble

Humility is considered a virtue.  Arrogance is an exaggeration of one’s own importance or ability.  Humility therefore is a more desired trait.  However, perhaps we can consider “proud” humility as equally self-centered.

Both arrogance and false humility stem from the ego.  We define ourselves in relation and comparison to other people……either I’m much better than my peers, or I am woefully worse.  Regardless, such a perspective derives from a deep sense of insecurity. 

I didn’t get a degree in psychotherapy.  I am merely an observer of people and how many view themselves…………me included. 

I tend to be somewhat envious of other people’s abilities.  I try not to compare myself with their gifts and talents. However, I must admit fault.

From a spiritual point of view, no human being is in competition with another.  We each have our own unique gifts and potential, as well as a purpose that only we can accomplish.  This gives me hope.

Recognizing that we each have our own inimitable purpose and have been given the gifts to carry it out, makes me more purposeful in what I am to do in my life.  It’s the same for each of you. 

A great teacher once said, “The day you were born is the day God decided that the world could not exist without you, and yet, each of us is just one small piece of an infinitely complex and grand design.” With this thought, we are able to acknowledge and even celebrate ourselves, including our strength and capabilities without compromising the value of humility.

 We need to view ourselves in relationship to our Creator.  A truly humble person is not one who shrinks from a positive self-image but one who is confidently aware of their own value.

Moses was considered to be a most humble man.  Although he was aware of the incredible feats he achieved….standing before the great Pharoah, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, dividing the waters……..he knew that his virtues and achievements were Divine gifts. 

Thus, to see oneself as worthless is not humility.  It is really ingratitude!  God has blessed each one of us with unique qualities so we must utilize and make the most of them.  In fact, it is only when we are aware of our own self-worth that we can be truly humble.  Then we can truthfully ask ourselves, “How am I using the Divine gifts that have been given to me?  Am I reaching my own potential to use these gifts in the best possible way?” 

From this perspective, the awareness of our privileges or proficiencies does not inflate our sense of self-worth and supremacy above others….. rather it fills us with immense sense of gratitude that God has chosen to give each of us these unique gifts! 

Genuine humility means knowing and accepting who we are and who we are not; what we can do and what we cannot do.  With this sense of personal clarity, we are able to see how we fit into the life that we are given.  It is moving beyond ourselves.  We now have the opportunity to recognize, reveal and revel in the gifts of others. 

            “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
                                                 (C.S. Lewis)

                                    An Attitude of Gratitude

How grateful are you? Am I?  I take for granted all the goodies in my life.  It’s easy to just assume that I deserve all these luxuries.  My bed is warm, the frig is full, the stove does its thing, and the water is hot for my next shower.   I don’t give any of these blessings a mindful thought.  I just expect them to be there. 

Unfortunately, it seems that society, like me, has become more and more self-consumed and one of the first things to go is the attitude of gratitude.  This approach is a breeding ground for unhappiness.  Suicide rates are climbing, especially among the young.   Many of these kids are from the most affluent in our society.  They have everything yet they have nothing worth living for.  They see their life as useless.  There is no gratitude for what they do have or what they can do for others. 

We take our daily lifestyle for granted and feel that we are entitled to the good in our life, so why should we be grateful?  After all, it’s “what’s coming to me. “If we feel that we deserve it then nothing becomes a gift.  We can’t see anything in life as a blessing.  We work hard, we save, we give to charity……so we should expect good things from that, right?

Here’s a story I read.  In a book by Kristin Neff, she describes a woman who received a 10% raise from her employer with a note telling her how pleased the boss was with her performance.  She immediately called her boyfriend who said they must celebrate with a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant.  As she was leaving work, she heard her co-worker on the phone telling someone that she had received a 15% raise because of her performance! 

Now, the first woman was depressed and felt rejected.  No longer was she happy with her 10% raise…. she no longer saw it as a blessing and to be grateful.  Thus, a sense of entitlement killed her gratitude.

1. We often find it easy to be grateful when things are going our way and are resentful when they are not.
2. Think about three things you feel entitled to in your life that other people would consider blessings (I deserve a vacation for all the good work I do!)
3. There are so many things in our lives that we don’t even recognize as blessings because they are considered “normal.”

Perhaps it might be good for each of us to jot down everything there is to be grateful for that we often take for granted.  (food in the frig; power is on; hot water for my bath; car has gas!!) You specifically want to focus on the ordinary, and each day make sure you note ordinary things you take for granted as blessings.

When we understand that everyday life, even with its problems, is a gift…..  we can escape the trap of an entitlement mentality.

  When we develop an “Attitude of Gratitude,” then we can see and appreciate all our many blessings!     

                                    Enjoy your blessings!

                                                A Timely Matter!!

                 Hurry, hurry.  Rush rush. We all have so much to do.

 Of course, we know this time of year can be stressful.  Mainly, we simply run out of hours in our day.   Yes, I know there are still 24 hours. We use eight of those for sleeping and rest we must go to work……not just in the office but just keeping busy with chores.  The holiday season is especially stressful.  So much to do and so little time.

We are all so busy that most of us only give fleeting thoughts toward managing our God-given time.   We are masters at wasting time.   But we have excuses!

Excuse #1 “If only I had more time”.  This thinking may indicate that we either are involved in areas God never desired, or wasting the time He has given us.  Too much spent time in activities for God and not enough time in His presence (think prayer)

Excuse #2.  “If I had the time that someone else has…….”  God gave each of us 24 hours.   The use of time is a decision process, not a product of fate.

Excuse #3.  “I will make up the time.”   Time is a nonrenewable resource.  Our time is a gift from God.  Once it is gone, it is gone forever.  We cannot produce time, nor can we control it.  We can only manage our lives within it. 

Excuse #4 “Time is money” Time and money are not synonymous.  Lost wealth can be regained, not so with time.  We can earn money, but all the money in the world cannot buy time…….. even one second of time! 

Excuse #5  “Keeping busy, is working for God.”  Not necessarily.  Scripture strongly rebukes slothfulness, yet busyness is not the road to godliness. Our Lord corrected Martha when she was more concerned with dinner plans than listening to Him.  Only obedience can bring godliness and the balance needed in our busy lives. 

The Apostle Paul wrote that we are to pray without ceasing.  Impossible you say??  Perhaps Paul meant that we should be mindful of our time.  This isn’t easy of course and requires diligence.  But as Believers we are to be ever aware of who really is in charge of our life. 

When I’m tasked with chores, I am reminded of thankfulness:   I am reminded that I have a wonderful home; when cooking dinner, that I have food to eat; when washing clothes, that I have something nice to wear.  The list goes on.  That’s thankfulness and using my time in being thankful.    

 God has entrusted to each of us a certain amount of time here on earth; time to serve Him and bring honor to Him.  Time is precious.  More so as we age.  It’s our job to use it wisely in serving Him.  Our choices make the difference.

Moses said it best. “So, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps 90:12)

Servanthood is our highest privilege.  Using our gift of time wisely will bring honor to him and peace to us.  As we minister to others, we use our time wisely; our families and friends will find that they enjoy being with us. 

The wisest and greatest use of our time……. is to use it for that which will outlast time.

The things of God. 

                                                    The Mirror

What do you see when looking in a mirror?  Of course, you see a reflection of yourself.  Not your true self. You see only the reflection of your outward self. 

We want to appear our best in front of others.

 What do people think of me? That’s a futile question.  It’s like asking what color is a mirror?  The mirror is simply a reflection of what stands in front of it.

So too, when you’re guessing what other people are thinking, you’re really only projecting your own feelings onto them. 

An old teacher said……..”We are all mirrors for one another.  When you see things, you don’t like in another person, most likely its actually something you don’t like about yourself.”

Take the person who is convinced people are thinking bad things about him.  Why does he think that?   He imagines they are thinking bad things about him! This may or may not be true, but in the person’s mind, he is convinced they don’t like him.

 The whole business of “what do they think of me” is nothing more than an exercise…….a whole gymnasium………in futility.    

                                    What should you do instead?

Perhaps you shouldn’t care what others think about you.  Your life is between you and God.  Your relationship with Him is forever!

 But now we live in this world.

Humans all communicate.  We communicate by talking with each other. The most basic word necessary for talking to others is of course, “you”.  To effectively communicate with others, you need to have some concept of what the other person is hearing you say.

However, communication isn’t a one-way street!  It is about hearing them………..really hearing and really listening!  This takes a huge amount of cerebral activity.  Your mind must process the information that they are telling you. 

Now you are seeing a reflection of the other person instead of yourself. You are seeing them as an individual. You become aware of their needs and desires.  It’s your opening to avoid thinking only about yourself but focusing on them.

Okay, so you need to ensure others have a good concept of you, what do you do?

Switch the focus.  Drop the “me” paradigm.  In the place of “what are they thinking about me? “ think, what is special and precious about this person. Respect them.  Care about them. Ask, “How are things going for you?”

Now you have made the first big step. You have gotten out of yourself and into the world of the other guy.  You have become a better person. 

So instead of the image you saw in the mirror, you now have a new reflection.   Your image will be softer, sweeter because you have changed the old reflection “of what do they think of me” into “what can I do for them?” 

                                               Empty Pockets!

You have all heard the old saying…….” You can’t take it with you.”  In other words what we have in this life is only good while we are alive and our “pockets” will not be with us in the next world.
               “Well”, you say.  “If I can’t take it with me then I’m not going!! “

Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.  We are here and this is your life now.  But at some point, (I hate to be gloomy) you and I will die.  People don’t like saying death.   Its more, “passing away”.  Sounds less foreboding. However, death is part of life, and we are aware of death now more than ever.  Having greater access to world events, we are confronted with death every day.

                So, when we die we die and that’s the end of it??

In answering this classic question, we learn a profound life lesson: the life of a righteous person continues even after their physical passing. Life is not the pleasures we encounter; those are transient, passing. What is permanent in life are those things that have made an impact in this world and on the lives of others.

                                                                Transient vs. Eternal

                     There are two contrasting perspectives regarding reality. 

 One approach suggests that if something cannot be perceived with any of the five senses, then it does not exist.  Only if you can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it or touch it, then it is real.

The other perspective is that anything that can be perceived with the senses is temporary. Here, today, gone tomorrow.  Only intangible experiences can represent eternity. 

A six-layer cake is delicious, but it’s not forever.  Its eaten today and nothing is left.
Life is not the pleasures we encounter, those are transient, passing.  What is permanent in life are those things that live after us.

One the other hand, the good and godly aspects of life are lasting.   Good deeds and contributions in this present world…….these are eternal values that will live after we are gone.

The teachings of Jeshua (Jesus) and His Jewish thinking will give us a proper prospective.  The issue of life and death was also on the minds of His followers.

Although the body is interred in the ground, the soul, the true consciousness of the person, the essence of the person, lives on forever.  In the Jewish mind, at some point the soul will be united with the body.  We will be known and will know others.

He told the thief on the cross that he would be given a resting place in Paradise.  We are told about judgements.  We are told to perform acts of kindness to those who need our help or encouragement.  The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, gives us an idea of lasting values.

                                So, what is transient and what is eternal?

  It’s our acts of kindness to those who need help or encouragement; going to the world and making disciples; our study of Scripture. These are to be our guiding light. 

                May we all be blessed to lead lives that engage us in the eternal!

                                     Flight Frustrations!!

I imagine that each one of you has an airport story.  Although I haven’t flown lately, I have had my share of flight frustrations! 

The one that really stands out the most happened many years ago.  It is one of my “divine intervention” stories.  I look back and can see how God was making this work in my favor.

I was taking a flight to New Orleans to visit an old musician friend and had left my purse with my tickets, money etc. at home. No internet or cell phones in those days.  I sent Bob home to bring the purse to the airport while I stayed there.  

 It was just about boarding time, and I was in a stew!  Would I miss my flight?  How would I reach my friend who would be waiting for me at the other end? 

As I was pacing back and forth, a man and his little boy appeared in front of me.  He told me face to face……….”It will be alright!”  What made him say that?  I never had met this man.  When I turned around, he and his child were nowhere in sight.   It was strange to me at the time but thinking back, perhaps angels come in all shapes and sizes!

Bob arrived in time with the  purse and I boarded the flight on time! 

Another story

We were in Denver for Bob’s sister’s 70^th birthday.  It was a big family thing and Denver was central to where we could all gather.  I had made flight reservations for our departure at 8:30 AM (I thought) the next day after we had all celebrated together.   We were living in El Paso at that time. 

We arrived at the airport and began checking our bags.  The man said, “You are a bit early for this flight, aren’t you?”  I had made the reservations for 8:30 PM not 8:30 AM!!

At that time the Denver airport was in the middle of nowhere and what would we do for the next 12 hours?  The man told us there was a flight leaving for El Paso, but  it would be boarding within the next 35 minutes.  That meant we had to go through security and find the gate. This was no small feat.  Our gate was at the other end of the long airport and down two flights of stairs……….then more walking.

We hurriedly got through security and found the gate. People were standing in line waiting to board. I told the hostess our problem.  She said that there was a chance of a “no show” but five people were already on the wait list.  I told her I would take the toilet seat! She laughed and said that it was already taken!

When the flight was ready to board, they called our name!  We were able to get a seat and a safe flight to El Paso. 

While pondering on this, I found myself becoming more relaxed and actually quite serene about the whole frustrating experience. Yes, we must do our part; we must give it our best shot. But beyond that, it’s God’s department.

If we can develop this attitude — and, believe me, I also need to develop it further — we will all be better able to cope with the disappointments we so often face in life.  It’s all in His hands.

So even if nothing amazing occurred, I became far more aware that God, and not I, is the controller of this universe.

                           The famous Serenity Prayer is quite appropriate.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”

May all your journeys be safe and successful and may you get to your destinations on time. And even if you don’t, don’t sweat it.

He is in charge.

                                    A Crisis of Faith

Question:
With all the tragedy and suffering in the world, how am I supposed to have faith?  Look what is happening around us.  I would like to feel faith, but it doesn’t come.  It seems irrational. 

Response: 
Faith……. what a laden word!  I am envious when I encounter someone with faith so strong and simple that nothing can shake it.  For some of us, however, faith is a decision, not just a feeling.    And sometimes that decision is just way too difficult to make at an any given moment.  But if we abandon our faith……. even that feeling……what reason would be left in life?  There would be no meaning if there were nothing in which to believe. 

When we act on that small seed of whatever faith we now have, that faith seems to grow within us.  We may encounter small sometimes meaningless happenings, and we find that little spark of faith sets in motion something deep within us. 

I am blessed with children, and when each one was born, I was overwhelmed with love for that child.   I have a file of articles that I clipped from papers and magazines about children, pets or just humorous.   Ann Landers was one of my favorites.  One article was an interview with a woman who had many children.  The writer asked her if she had a favorite one.  She said, “Of course I do.  “It’s the one who is sick until he or she gets well, and the one who is gone, until they get home.”

That might describe our faith. The mother’s response concerns the faith that we don’t have at the moment we want it.  However, faith isn’t something that we can just conjure up ourselves. We always want more. We want to find meaning in whatever is happening to us and in the world. 

The Lord spoke of having only a mustard seed of faith.  Even that isn’t easy at times, and yet as I write, I realize that even though I feel I may be lacking in faith….. it is there all along.  My heart may be hurting but my brain reminds me faith is real and there is a God and He is good.   When I’m in pain, that faith may be cloudy, but I know it’s there.

                      God is good, He is faithful…….That’s all we need!