Storms of Life

There are so many lessons about life that I have learned, and continue to learn from the Creator, through Nature.

There was a tremendous storm that blew through one evening.  It broke branches off trees, as well as complete tree trunks, amongst other things.  As I began picking up some of the branches in the yard, some thoughts came to me that I’d like to share.

As a storm is being experienced, we can’t imagine the good that could come out of it; depending on the size of the storm.  Small storms aren’t usually a concern, and don’t cause us to react much, if at all.  The larger the storm, the more reaction we (most people) have.

As we go through life, we are given personal "storms" to go through.  The harder/stronger they are the more "mess" they leave.  Just as a tree has branches, limbs, trunks that may break off (which are the weakest part of each tree) - we also may have to experience a separation from something that seemed a part of us, but it was something that the Creator knows we needed to offload, to continue to grow or change, in a different direction.

"Limbs" and "branches" (the "smaller" stuff), we can usually clear out on our own.  "Trunks" (the "larger" stuff), may seem nearly impossible and it is easy to mentally say, "I can't clear out all that!"  Just as a person needs help, whether with other people, and/or with various tools/machinery, so too, we need help removing the "trunks" in our lives.  This is where the Creator says, "I'm here to help, just ask."  He also provides help through other people, "tools" such as His Word, and/or other sources - depending on the situation.

The question is...will we pick up the "branches" and "limbs", and cut up the "trunks" of the debris that became detached, and discard/destroy (separate ourselves from) them, or leave them where they are, to be a burden of working around & keeping us from totally completing what we are to do, as we go on with our lives?   

The things in our life that we feel we have been detached from through a storm in our life, need to be completely eliminated from our life, as we can begin whatever new growth the Creator has planned for us.  We need to learn from our storms rather than look around and sulk about the mess that has been made through the Creator "pruning" some of our "weak" areas we are not to continue holding on to.

Let the Creator prune you, discard the waste that is no longer to be in your life, and allow yourself to grow!  

Whether we realize it or not, storms are actually for our good; whether personal "storms" or actual weather storms, as either one is a call to get in touch with our Creator.  Look beyond the obvious to find the hidden reality of events, and you'll be amazed.

Do We Really Only Die Once?

"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement..." (NIV)

The teaching of dying only once, is mentioned only once in the NT.

The following NT verses support the idea of reincarnation.  If the people in those days did not believe in reincarnation, then why would they have asked or mentioned these things?

John 1:19-21, 24:
The Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah or the prophet (ie. Moses).
The Pharisees asked John why does he baptize, if he is not the Messiah, Elijah, nor the prophet (Moses).

Matthew 17:12:
Jesus says that Elijah has already come and they didn't recognize him.
(But then, in verse 13, the disciples understood him to mean Elijah WAS John the Baptist.  Here we seem to have a conflict with the verses in John, where John says he is not Elijah)

Mark 8:27-28:
Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is.  They answer that some say he's Elijah, some say the prophet (Moses), some say John the Baptist.

Mark 6:14-15:
People were telling Herod that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, and others said he was Elijah, or one of the prophets from long ago.

There are several other NT verses that mention the same topics; many more supporting the idea of reincarnation versus the teaching of only dying once (only 1 verse in the entire NT!).

Might Christians then consider, after all the evidence above, that MAYBE there is such a reality as reincarnation, and that the verse in Hebrews is misunderstood?

I certainly love entertaining the thought because I see a much more loving God, Who gives people more chances than just one to correct themselves and the wrong they have done in life; it's not just, "believe in Jesus, or you're going to hell", but if a person doesn't follow a spiritual journey in one lifetime, they get another chance.

(By the way, Christianity is the only religion in the entire world that doesn't support the thought of reincarnation.  Possibly the "Founding Fathers" of Christianity-the Catholics, may have had a certain agenda in this "only dying once" teaching?  Something to consider.)

What Can We Learn from Weather?

 Today was an extremely hot, sunny spring day.  I was thankful for the gentle breeze that was helping to cool me down a bit, as I worked outside.  No sign of any other weather coming, other than the sun continuing to shine, and the heat rising as the day progressed.

After completing outdoor chores, I went inside the house to cool off.  Later, I heard thunder!  I was wondering if I was imaging it, because there wasn't any sign in the skies earlier, that there was potential for rain.  I went outside and saw rain clouds in the distance.

I was told when I was younger, that the closer the thunder sounds are to one another, the closer the weather is to arriving.  So, I listened for the sounds of thunder.  Then I made sure everything I had to do outside, to prepare for potential weather, was taken care of.            

Then, I got to thinking...LIFE...

We go about living life, through good times and bad.  All too often we can get distracted in the good times, unaware of the bad that is heading our way.  

Just as our Creator, the One Who controls the weather, warns us of storms coming, with signs (and sounds) of how close they are, He also gives signs (and sounds) to us; warning us of a change in our life that we need to be prepared for.

Just as the storms pass, so the bad times in our life pass.  Some storms last awhile, and some pass quickly.  The same goes for our life.

We can be very grateful for these warnings, in weather and in life.  They help us prepare as best as we can.  But, sometimes storms cause devastation.  Sometimes people going through storms/bad times, don't make it through.  Perhaps loss of life is avoidable, if people pay attention to the warnings and act in a timely manner.  We may lose material possessions, but not life.

All of this makes me grateful for the warnings, and makes me realize that I need to pay attention during the good times.  I need to appreciate everything; from the smallest to the greatest are things to be grateful to our Provider for.  I need to slow down and take notice of things, enjoying life, rather than just plugging along doing the same thing every day - make the most of every moment; not waiting until it's "too late".

One more note:  Paying attention to a weather storm to see what direction it has potential of going, and possibly how long it will last, can also be applied to the trials in our life.  

                    

People Destined to Die Once

I'd like to explore the idea of reincarnation vs the Christian scripture (NT) verse in Hebrews 9:27, which says:

"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment"... (NIV)

The teaching of dying only once, is mentioned only once in the NT.

The following NT verses support the idea of reincarnation.  If the people in those days did not believe in reincarnation, then why would they have asked or mentioned these things?

John 1:19-21, 24:

The Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah or the prophet (ie. Moses).

The Pharisees asked John why does he baptize, if he is not the Messiah, Elijah, nor the prophet (Moses).

Matthew 17:12:

Jesus says that Elijah has already come and they didn't recognize him.

(But then, in verse 13, the disciples understood him to mean Elijah WAS John the Baptist.  Here we seem to have a conflict with the verses in John, where John says he is not Elijah)

Mark 8:27-28:

Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is.  They answer that some say he's Elijah, some say the prophet (Moses), some say John the Baptist.

Mark 6:14-15:

People were telling Herod that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, and others said he was Elijah, or one of the prophets from long ago.

There are several other NT verses that mention the same topics; many more supporting the idea of reincarnation versus the teaching of only dying once (only 1 verse in the entire NT!)

Might Christians then consider, after the evidence above, that maybe there is such a reality as reincarnation, and that the verse in Hebrews is misunderstood?  

I certainly love entertaining the thought because I see a much more loving God, Who gives people more chances than just one to correct themselves and the wrong they have done in life; it's not just a belief in, "believe in Jesus, or you're going to hell", but if a person doesn't follow a spiritual journey in one lifetime, they get another chance. 

Fear only God

What does it mean to fear God?

This is something I really wanted to know; to straighten out any misconceptions and such that I may have had, from teachings of various religious groups in my past.

The following links have answered my search for the answer, and they give me a beautiful new view of what it means to "fear" God.  If you are really wanting to know, click on the links (or copy and paste to your browser) to find out:

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1057346/jewish/Awe-of-G-d.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3216875/jewish/Whats-Up-With-Fear-of-Gd.htm

Something else we need to do, is open up God's Word and see what He says about fear.

Lesson From A Rotten Lemon

Having received a rotten lemon in a grocery order sent to me, my immediate reaction was to complain. But, I was quickly stopped by the following thoughts coming to mind, which apply what I've learned from studying Kabbalah:

Everything I receive is exactly what the Creator wants me to receive, so there is no room for complaining, but only gratitude; for the Creator only gives what He knows is best.  I received everything I was to receive in my grocery order; nothing more, nothing less, and in the condition I was to receive the items.

What about "warning" people with my (negative) opinion/experience about something?

Each person is given their own experience with everything in life, so I have no business leaving negative comments, because others will have their own positive or negative experience, as per the will from Above.  Thus exits being opinionated!

No more giving in to the desire to "warn" people or give my (negative) opinion or comments; unless I feel "forced" to by the Upper Force.  (I believe this "force" would come if a person is in a life threatening situation.)

I find it humorous that the Creator would teach me this lesson through a (rotten) lemon.  Isn't it true that when we get something that doesn't work right, we say, "I got a lemon"? 

Something To Consider:

If everyone started keeping their negative opinions and comments to themselves, thus leaving room for every other person to have their own life experience, not having been influenced by someone else's experience, I believe it would help to change our environment.  Maybe people wouldn't hate so much, because they'd be forming their own thoughts about situations?