It is easier to spend less than to make more.  Your money goes further.  There is no end of desiring more and more.  Less not more.  Being satisfied with what you have is the trick.  There is a reason thou shall not covet is one of the ten commandments.  There is no end to coveting.  You want more and more the more you have.  It is just easier to be satisfied with the portion the Lord has given you.  And there is less and more from the beginning of the ages.  And the commercials you see on TV feed on that desire:  you have to have this.  You have to have that.  A bigger car.  A bigger house.  A bigger TV.  The list is endless.  Then you will be happy.  It is all lies.  There is an end to this:  just be happy with what you got.  And thank the Lord for all his provisions.  Give us our daily bread.  That should be your prayer: give us today what I need.  Our essentials.  That is it.

God does not owe you anything.  Everything is by His grace.  All He promises you is food or shelter.  He often gives you gifts beyond that.  It says in the bible that when you pray, you do so with a spirit of thankfulness.  Otherwise you are this person who tells the Person upstairs I want this or that.  When you pray with a spirit of thankfulness, you appreciate the gifts He has given you.  And there is less and more in this world.  That is why when you have the ability to help someone in anyway and you turn your back on that person, you have committed a sin.  You are not able to help everyone, but, nevertheless, The Lord puts people in your immediate circle who need your help.  It does not matter what it is.  Each person has the ability to alleviate someone’s suffering.  It may be a kind word or even just a smile.  You do not live in a vacuum.  It is true God does not owe you anything but never forget you can impact others around you.  And that gift might have a ripple effect in our universe.  Never give up the power you have.  The power of one.

‘The poor man thinks money will buy his happiness, the rich man knows it won’t.’  The first time I heard that said it was my pastor (and friend) who told me that.  I am sure it was not his original words.  It is true when you are struggling to pay your bills it is a common illusion.  And not being able to put food on your table is certainly anxiety provoking.  Money can’t replace your sense of purpose.  It is true sometimes your job is a good fit.

You always wonder how it would be not to worry about money.  King Solomon was the richest man in the world, had it all, lacked for nothing and all he could say in the book he wrote was, ‘Vanity, everything is vanity.’  Riches can not buy peace of mind.  If you read Ecclesiastes, the book he is credited with writing in the Bible, and do not read the ending; you miss the whole point.  In it he said the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.  Every person needs a relationship with the Almighty.  It all come down to that.  Money never satisfies.  Ask the billionaire who can buy anything whether money can buy him happiness.  I think you know the answer.

“Thou Shall Not Covet’ is one of the ten commandments.  There is a reason for that.  It only makes us unhappy to covet.  There is less and more in this world.  No two people have the exact possessions (or talents for that matter).  Coveting what someone has be what it may only gets in the way.

To be satisfied with what one has brings peace of mind.  Each person is a snowflake with an unique set of qualities (and possessions).  It is our gift to enjoy what God brings to us including the most precious of all our gifts–our time.

There is always more and less in this world.  That is the way it always has been.  We are commanded to share what we have with the less fortunate.  And it is a sin when we don’t.  Hoarding is always wrong.  When you see someone in need and you walk away and it was in your power to help that person, you have done something wrong.

Coveting only brings you discontent.  And being satisfied with what the Lord has given you brings you peace of mind.  That is why ‘Though Shall Not Covet’ is one of the ten commandments.

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.

‘Your window to the world might be your own front door.  Your shiniest day might come in the middle of the night.’  Two lines from the Blackhawk song “That’s Just About Right”.  I identify with those two lines.

I am not sure I will ever do any thing earthshaking.  Nor will I ever be the President or some CEO of a corporation.  I realize maybe what I do in my own backyard might be important.

Notoriety or fame is overrated.  I remember reading in Bob Dylan’s autobiography how he wanted fame early on and then got it and wished he didn’t have it.  He wanted his children to have a normal existence and they could not.

Some weirdo was always showing up on his doorsteps.  Anonymity is really a gift.  And the famous lose it.  Dylan bemoaned its loss.  And realized fame was not what it was cut out to be.

I will continue to do what the Lord has called me to do.  Whether or not others recognize it.  The words I write if they impact at least one person they served their purpose.  I will continue to reach out and love the people around me.

The words from this song remind me to continue writing for it still matters to me no matter how many people read it.  So I continue for I know I have to.

I noticed the small pine tree in the pot outside near the driveway.  It was only three inches tall.  I wanted to transplant it on my property–somewhere I would remember and see how big it grew.  And then remember how small it once was.

All trees were once seeds strewn in the wind.  This property bought by my wife almost thirty years ago was barren and now the bushes are gigantic and woods and grass and trees are all over.  The land surrounding the house is no longer bare.

I wanted to see how much time the Lord afforded me.  I wanted to observe this small pine growing up and see if I could remember when it was this small.  At the beginning of the twentieth century the United States was denuded of much of its forests.

And they grew back.  I wanted to see how much time I would have.  I want to watch this small tree grow tall.

It was a sunset I almost did not catch.  Bountifully gloriously streaked red covered a major part of the sky–the view I caught from my office window.  I was awed by the sky’s beauty over the tree tops and my breath was temporarily taken away.

I excitedly called my wife away from her computer to view the sight.  She ran for her camera and sought to capture the beauty of the sunset on the camera she was just learning to use, taking picture after picture.

A mere five minutes later the sky became gray.  I almost missed this display of God’s finest tapestry.  Such beauty!  How many other sunsets have I missed because my attention was elsewhere.

Each sunset, each dawn is different each day as if The Lord splashes his colors using different paints each time never to be seen again.  We should be so careless and free with our talents.

He, of course, is infinite.  And only sometimes do we even get even an inkling of his expanse.  Our world too quickly constricts.  And then we have to wait for His next moment always there.  Let’s consider it serendipity.  He is never far away.

You have the most impact on others by being the person only you can be.  Fulfill the calling only you can have.  I can’t tell you what that is.  Only you know.

Try to be no one else but you.  It is amazing of the billions of people on this earth each one is unique.  Explore that tiny seed the Lord put in you, the tiny voice only you can hear.

Love what you do, who you are, the way you are “wired” and you will have the most impact on those around you.  Yes, you might not live long enough to see that.  It does not matter.

Each person was put on this earth for a reason.  Each person is driven to do something well.

Don’t be overly concerned of your legacy.  That is not your place.  But do what your tiny voice is urging you to do.  That is all you need to do.

I want to thank the people who are in my life.  I know most people will never read this and I will leave out people and I realize Thanksgiving has passed but it is never too late to do this.  All these people take the “extra step” and I do not want to take any of them for granted.

First the medical team

(1) Dr. Hume for your kindness and helpfulness

(2) Dr. Cornelius for your patience

(3) Dr. Blake for her thoroughness

(4) Dr. Mital for your ability to listen

Then,  P & R and Bob and his team who takes care of our cars and keeps them running smoothly, I thank you for your honesty and competence and for standing up to your work even when it costs you and most of all for always giving me the time of day when I have a question about my vehicle

For both of my sisters Fran and Marilyn who are always there when I need them

For Tony for your support:  you know who you are

For Sara, who I have known for over fifteen years and is one of the reasons I still write for her encouragement never abated

For the audience at the local coffeehouse who laughed at my material encouraging me to continue to find the humorous in everyday situations

For Elizabeth Yon wherever you are and the years you spent moderating our writing group

My two kids who years ago I thought I never would have but they came and have blessed me immeasurably

All the many people who God put in my life including those from my small church who have blessed me with their presence

To Sonya who welcomes everyone at the local post office and gives me one more reason why I want to stay in my small town and Perry county

And most of all for my wife who inspires me and still makes me laugh after all these years and came into my life when I was not looking, who thinks she is better than me at Scrabble (she did lose the first ten games she played against me).  As an editor she has no equal.  My website and blog would never have come into being if it was not for her (she is the webmaster).  I “pop” out my bed each morning because of her.  And she bakes a pretty “mean” apple pie.  She gives me a reason to cook.  And that is no small thing.  And after six years she still wants to sleep in our bed.  I call her “serendipity” although she can really be stubborn (for that matter so can I); nevertheless, I thank the Lord every day for her.  I did nothing to deserve her.

Every day is a privilege and why do I act otherwise.  I act as if my days are endless and as King Solomon says, ‘Life is but a vapor.’

I waste (our) days sometimes.  I act as if my time on this earth is infinite.  I know.  I have been there repeatedly.  I have to remind myself each day is a gift.  I know I am a master of rationalization.  I act as if I will be forever here.

It is marvelous what a shower and putting on clean clothes (and dressing nicely) does to your attitude.  I am saying today matters.  I will respect my time here.  It is truly a gift.

It is so easy for me to fall down in the dumps to use a cliche.  I really have to work at it and sometimes from the outside first and my attitude towards the day will change.

Every day I am on this earth is a privilege and I have to treat it as such.  I really matter to the one above so I have to give him the respect due and treat each day that the Lord brings me as a gift.  It really is.

Life Is Hard

Author: siggy

Life is hard.  There is no way to get around that.  In fact, if you resist that fact and rail at the powers to be how hard your life has become, it only gets worse.  ‘Life is difficult!’ in the words of Scott Peck in his book, “The Road Less Traveled.”

Accept what is and at least you are not fighting against yourself.  Gain what control you possess and then rest.

This might make it a little easier.  On a continuum of 1 to ten on how well your life is going 50 per cent of the time it is under 5 and fifty per cent is better than 5.  Most of the time everything evens out.  Maybe that is no consolation when your life feels miserable.

It never does any good to compare your life to others.  Thank the Lord for all the good times as well as your bad times.

Solving problems is what makes every day interesting and gives you a reason to get up every morning.  Life can be hard, so what.  Meet your challenges.