|
|
Mother Teresa purportedly had this on her wall….
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God —
It never was between you and them anyway.
© 2009 – 2010, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
Everyone knows what Love is, or do they? People tend to confuse Love with all sorts of other things. That is because Love is not an event, not something you do. It is something you are, it is a state of mind, an attitude, a way you live your life. The meaning and purpose of your being.
Love is hard to define because it is not an event. A group of us guys were sitting around the lunch table. The subject of sex came up, and I explained sex was not love. Just as most of the group were trying to make me eat my words, one of them said: “Hey, do you guys love your parents?” Consensus was yes, that they did love their parents. “Do you guys have sex with your parents?” An immediate outcry of disgust was expressed by all present at this suggestion. “Then Love is not sex, it is something greater than sex,” remarked my rescuer.
One of the best descriptions of Love I have come across is the one given by Paul in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians in the Bible. It is often called the Love chapter.
“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love doesn’t demand its own way. It’s not irritable or touchy. It doesn’t hold grudges and will not notice when others do it wrong. It’s never glad about injustice, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends”. — Paul.
God is Love. Love is unconditional. Love heals all things. Love is the force that creates, and holds everything together. Love is caring, and compassion. These are some more of the many ways to accurately describe Love. Love is so ubiquitous, and so powerful it resists any simple definition put to it.
But, it is not enough for us to define Love, that does not really help us to enjoy life a whit more. We must find ways to gain access to the power of Love, and allow this power into our daily lives in order to grow strong spiritually.
We know we are created in God’s Love, and we are Loved. Why then does Love seem so distant at times? So hard to find when we are alone, troubled, and seeking answers.
The reason is two-fold. First, we agreed to incarnate into the physical world, a world of dualism. Part love, part fear, for the purpose of learning to love, and second, we have not finished learning yet. Fear is a strong motivator. It is easy to become lost in the teachings of fear. Some of our authority figures (parents, teachers, professors, politicians, etc.) teach us fear, while others teach us love. That is as it should be, our task is learn what is fear, and what is love, opting for love each time we recognize it.
Fear is pervasive, it can be seen most everywhere in our society. Wars, violence, murder, and mayhem can be found in our books and magazines, our video games, our television programs, and reported on the daily news. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires, mud slides, avalanches, tsunami and other natural disasters seem to be with us on a daily basis. Then there are plane crashes, train crashes, and car crashes, as well as many other accidents. Don’t forget the recession and the suffering it has brought to so many people. It is no wonder many are depressed, have anxiety attacks, feel suicidal, or are mentally disturbed.
Love is also pervasive, but not as apparent. Love is less spectacular than fear, because it is more common. There is more love in this world than fear. For those that kill, there are more that comfort; for those that harm, there are more that heal; for those that destroy, there are more that build; for those that steal, there are more that give; for those that lie, there are more speaking truth; for those that cheat, there are more that are honest; for those that condemn, there are more that uplift, for those that criticize, there are more that encourage; and for those that hate, there are more that love.
You are in a classroom, what you will learn is your decision, no one can do it for you, will you learn to love? Love has the power to heal, love can bring peace into your life, and compassion into your heart. There is nothing to lose, it is a win, win, decision.
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
“Death” is the most searched word on this blog. A lot of people are very interested in death. Maybe very afraid of death, or at least the uncertainty of it.
Near death experiences show us death doesn’t exist. We don’t die, we go on living in spirit/energy form. We are eternal.
The knowledge of living after death can actually cause us more fear and uncertainty about what happens after death. So the main question is: “What happens after death.”
What happens after death is directly connected to our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations. This is true in the physical also. We create our own reality in the physical as well as the spiritual.
The spiritual world is much like the physical world, yet different. There are libraries, museums, schools, houses, and great buildings made of crystal. There are parks, lakes, forests, and meadows of flowers. Some activities include painting, music, learning, teaching, creating, and building among many others. There are levels based on spiritual growth. Those with little or no spiritual growth inhabit the lower levels, while those with great spiritual growth are on the upper levels.
You achieve growth by learning to love. Love increases your consciousness which will increase your power of creation. Love is the building force of all things. The more you love the more powerful you become. This is true in both the spiritual and physical. Consider the most powerful men in history and note their great love for others. Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, and others moved billions of people to love.
There is no need of the judicial in the spirit world. No policemen, lawyers, politicians, judges, or such. Order is kept by the rule of “whatever you do to others will be returned to you.” Unlike the physical, everyone in the spiritual world understands the truth of this precept.
Since there are no physical bodies, there are no sexes, marriage, or babies. Creation of “spiritual babies” or “sparks” is done on the highest level of the spiritual world with much thought and great care.
In the physical world you have many judges in parents, teachers, peers, the law, and government. The only judgments in the spiritual world are you judging yourself. However this will be a true judgment with no facade, no rationalizations, or justifications. This not punishment, it is for teaching, so you can see your mistakes and correct them. The goal being to love one another.
You can never be anyone but yourself, you can not escape your problems and troubles by suicide or hurting yourself. Only you can solve your problems, and learn to love yourself with or without the help of others.
And what is it like beyond this world?
It is very different.
It is much the same
for you take yourself with you.
Those who find the thought
of traveling through eternity with themselves
distasteful
have important work to do.
It is the work of self-love.
You are your best companion
and you accompany yourself always.
That is the only structure I can give you
for the entire universe
is predicated on love
creating itself.
Emmanuel
What about Heaven and Hell, constructs of thought spawned by the dualism of the physical world. The places do exist, but not as places of eternal punishment or eternal worshiping of God.
Believe it or not, there are some people who feel they are so bad they must go to Hell, and so they shall, but not for an eternity. Hell comes equipped with teachers who work with those so down on themselves they feel they belong in Hell. In time those who go there will be taught how to love themselves, which will remove them from hell. There is no eternal torment, fire, or punishment anywhere in the spiritual world.
Those who wish to go to heaven may do so. They find all that they expected to find. Streets of gold, grand churches beyond beautiful. They worship until they become bored then leave. There is no requirement to worship. God is our father not our Ruler. He is our example of a loving, caring, compassionate Being, the whole of it all. We strive to be like Him.
When one enters the spirit world through a near death experience He enters the light and immediately feels loved, cared for, and accepted. That is the real nature of God.
There is no downside to the spirit world, but there are rules and measurements. The rule is whatever you do to others you will receive back. No exceptions. The measurement is love and you are the measurer. You are the one responsible for your spiritual growth, and the one who judges it.
The greater your spiritual growth the more powerful, and bright, you become. You create with your thoughts, both here and there, so be careful what you ask for and mindful of your thoughts.
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
Hi, my name is Britney and I am going to be 20 in July. I feel like I have learned things so early on, that for some people takes a lifetime. I have gained so much spiritual wisdom from Lekatt and others, now it’s all about practicing and living those principles. It is easier said than done but not impossible. We have all the time in the world and we are eternal. We all get bad thoughts but that doesn’t mean we should give up hope. Nothing is ever too far gone. There is hope for you yet!
I wrote this essay because I needed to hear it myself. I am preaching to myself because I am still in the process of thinking positively. So I need to take my own advice! My writing is my gift to the world, so I am glad to help you!
Positive thinking is like exercising a muscle. Only it gives you a mental workout. The more you use it, the better you will be at it. It’s not possible to think positive all of the time, but you want the majority of your thoughts to reflect good and happy things.
People may not think positive because they might not know the right tools to use for becoming a positive person. Some things that will help you be positive are: coping skills, building up encouragement, changing your thoughts by developing good habits, surrounding yourself with positive people, and being spiritual.
Real positive thinking works by implementing coping skills. Here are some of mine. Pray, think positive thoughts, write poetry and letters, read the Bible, draw or color, listen to music, socialize, sleep, and take walks. Something any of us could try: hold on to the good in life, reflect on what God has done for you, think of funny movie lines, sing a happy song in your head, or go to your happy place.
I would also evaluate, think through, downplay, examine, and analyze your problems. Pick apart your problems and try to see what really matters, and what can be tossed aside over your shoulder. You can see what is important now, and what can wait till later. You can say, “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.” As a result, coping skills will help your problems be more manageable.
My dad said, “you can’t choose if a bird flies over you, but you can choose where it builds its nest.” If a bad thought comes into your head, just let it go right out again. “Put those thoughts in a drawer,” said Uncle Don. Coping skills involves self-talk. Here are some thoughts to think about: you can realize it’s your responsibility to be happy. Think how can I make this a positive?
You can become in love with life by thinking of life as an adventure. Every time you step out of your house is an adventure! Think about how the possibilities are endless. My Grandma Betty said, “The sky is the limit.” If you keep that perspective, nothing in life will seem dull or boring. You won’t even have time to worry or think negatively, because your mind will be so focused on the good in life.
Build up encouragement in your heart that you can store so God can bring it to your mind when you need it most. If the economy goes into a recession and you suffer a loss, you will have things stored up that you can draw on when you need to. Encouragement is like free checks that you can cash in anytime you want. You could either have a journal, scrapbook, binder, or something you can look at and remember when you need that extra boost of encouragement. You never know when catastrophes might strike next. People’s lives are constantly being uprooted by family problems, weather disasters, you name it. The reason why it is important to have encouragement that you can live off of until you fill your love tank again.
Changing your thoughts by developing good habits is important. Some things can become an obsession. Frodo Baggins in the “Lord of the Rings” became obsessed with the ring and the longer he had it the harder it became to resist it. It’s easier to break a habit when you first notice it, instead of waiting years and years to stop. People like my grandma who smoke find it hard to break the habit.
My Dad stopped smoking before he became addicted to it. The Bible talks about strongholds. It is anything that builds itself up and is keeping you from being free. I like the song by “Rush of Fools” that says, “Turn me around, pick me up, and undo what I have become.” This is saying that you can reverse what habits you have now. A conversation I had with a friend, “It takes time and a lot of affirmations to dim the old habits. So be patient with yourself,” said Leroy. “But I get into the old habit of talking to the voice in my head,”
Britney. “You have chosen the habit in the past and now you are struggling with it. To release it takes forming good habits where there were sad ones before. Therefore, having good habits will make you struggle a lot less in your life. You will save yourself a lot of mental pain.”
Have at least one positive person in your life because the people you are around most, are what you’ll become. You want to be a person that others can look up to. I picked up the habits and mannerisms of speaking of my friends, and my parents. I also started to sound like my mentor, with the words I chose and what I believed.
People who travel to different parts of the country that speak different accents will start sounding like they have the accent. I started sounding a little countryish when I went to Missouri after staying there a week. It is important to watch positive shows, listen to positive music, and speak positive things, because it becomes a part of who you are.
I am very sensitive to things, so it is crucial for me to remember this. The saying, “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,” is very true. Whomever you associate with will affect everything else in your life. If you associate with good positive people, you may save yourself from going down the wrong path, and/or dying a premature death.
“Do not imitate what is bad, but what is good,” 3 John 1:11.
“Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.” Ephesians 5:1.
Even if you are friendless, you will always have your Creator with you. He said He will never leave you nor forsake you. That’s something to be positive about! I read an article that it is proven that people who go to church live longer and are more happy. I think the reason why they are happy is because they are connected in a community of people, their time is filled up with a good activity, and because they have people who look after them.
When they see someone suffering they step in to help. I think being spiritual removes the fear of death, and gives you peace about it. If you know that one day you will see your loved ones again and that they are safe with God, it makes the loss easier to bear. Even though the fear of public speaking is the number one fear, I am guessing that the fear of death falls closely behind it. It is not impossible to remove your fear of death. I still worry about it sometimes, but you can learn to accept that death is a part of life, and not the end to existence. Thus, spirituality helps you cope with life’s uncertainties.
Positive thinking changes your life by giving you skills to lessen your problems, gives you the strength to go on, helps you to lower conflict in yourself, because you have formed good habits. Positive thinking helps you be that person others can follow as an example, and spirituality adds a dimension to give you hope.
If you are looking for a makeover why not try positive thinking? If you are on drugs for mental problems you should go to the root, (which is your thoughts), and take that on first. I think medicine (for mental problems) needs to go to the back bench, and let these five steps act as a runner to send you on the road to victory.
Britney
© 2009 – 2021, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
|
