It is easy to love someone at a distance, someone you do not know.  It is far harder to love someone closest to you, “your blood and guts.”

It is so easy to delude yourself you are reaching out to someone who is in the distance who you know needs an hand.

First start with people in your own backyard, your mate, your sibling or a friend–others who you know intimately.

And after you have taken care of the needs of those closest to you, branch out and make sure your neighbors do not need you.

Often what is most needed is kindness and free use of your time, which is the most precious commodity you possess.

Yes, after all is said and done reach out to others far away but never neglect those closest to you.  Charity always begins at home.

There are two ways to face your life: either with fear or courage. Yes, there are evil forces out there and if you give in to fear and paranoia, you become paralyzed.

You have so much in your control. Exert what is in your personal sphere. Change what you can and live as if you can make a difference. And you can. And will.

Act as if you can change the world and that tiny mustard seed you possess will grow mighty and conquer armies. Every movement started with one person.

Never give up the power of one. You can move mountains if you believe what you can do is important. Don’t lose yourself in power but believe you make a difference in other people’s lives.

If you view the powers out there, you may get discouraged. Do the small things the Lord is prompting you to do. Kindness and humility can melt icy exteriors.

Always start at home. Love your family and those around you. You may never know how someone you encouraged will move a mountain. Love always starts at home.

The Smallest Social Unit

Author: siggy

The smallest social unit within your family is your partner.  Do you treat him/her with kindness and love.  It matters.  How can you possibly treat others with love and kindness if you can not even treat the person who is closest to you that way?

Of course, kindness starts off with you, your thoughts, your self talk.  If you can treat yourself with tolerance and love, fully aware you are flawed and forgive yourself for blundering and, also, ask others for forgiveness when you have hurt them.

I find it interesting in the Lord’s Prayer it states, ‘And forgive our debts, as well as we forgive our debtors’ (Matthew 6-12).  You have to ask God for the forgiveness of you sins first before can you can forgive others for hurting you.

If you love those who God puts in your life (and it starts off with your mate) you can transform the world.  Never discount the power of one.  Every movement started off with one person so never discount yourself.

I don’t understand hate but what I do know love, forgiveness and kindness would transform this earth if it was practiced by everyone.  I know it is not an easy formula for peace.

Humans (including myself) are very flawed.  It does not matter what you do for a living.  Some may be impressed by that but what most people remember is how you treated them.  If it was with love and kindness, they may remember that for a long time.

Forgiveness is in the equation because humans make mistakes with one another and hurt one another.  It does not matter if it was intentional or not.  It just happens.

And forgiveness give us a “clean slate” and lets us start afresh with one another.  And forgiveness has a price.  It is not easy.

I read in a book all God asks of us is to forgive each other.  Wouldn’t that transform the world if everyone did that?

And this starts in the most basic social unit–the family.  And then make wider circles:  your neighbors, your state, your country.  And it has to start in the family first.

I want to add something positive to the people the Lord puts in my life.  That is how I am driven:  I want to encourage others.  That is my mission.  Sometimes I forget it but I keep returning to that.

If I can only focus on that, I will be doing God’s will.  I can not tell you what your mission is but that is mine.  No matter how much or how little time I have I will focus on that.

If the truth be told no on knows how much time he/she has been given on this earth.  If I can continue to focus on my mission, I will be fine.

Even if I only can only do small things that would be fine.  Isn’t life composed of many small things?  The big things only come along once in awhile, so I will not stop doing whatever I can to encourage and inspire others around me even if they are only small things.

Do little things with much love:  a paraphrase of Mother Teresa.  People never forget the kindnesses bestowed on them.  Others always remember how you made them feel.

Why Love Is Everything

Author: siggy

Love is everything.  Strip away everything from you–all your material wealth, your health.  That is all that remains–love.  And some people are so stingy with it.  You can not run out of love.

It comes from the Source–a bottomless pit known as the Almighty.  He never runs out of love to give.  If you continually tap the source, you will never run out of love.  There is not an finite amount.

Never give up a chance to love another.  This world is full of people who are starving for love, people who never had an ear to listen.

Never walk away when you could have given something valuable to another.  That is all any person remembers–how much they were loved by you.

It really does not matter how much money you made, or how many things you accumulated.  People always respond to genuineness–honesty and kindness.  That is all they remember from you.

You can never have too many friends or ever turn down a chance to make another friend.

That is all that remains when everything is stripped from you–love.  That is all people respond to and remember.  Love.  So be careless.  Scatter your love like Johnny Appleseed did his seeds all over the country.