Saturday, March 29, 2025

Check Where You are Looking for Happiness

    Have you ever been hoping for someone to be something or do something for you? Maybe you are going through a hard time, and you are hoping someone will see that and help you out or encourage you. Or maybe you are expecting your significant other to show you affection, but they don't do it in the way you were expecting or wanted them to.

   In these times there is something we must do. We must check ourselves. What I mean is check our expectations, motivations, feelings, and thoughts. What are you expecting out of others? Are you expecting too much out of them or expecting them to be something they shouldn't be? What are your motivates for thinking these things? How are these thoughts making you feel? Are these thoughts true and beneficial or do you need to take them captive.

   You also need to check where you are looking for happiness. You may have heard it said that everyone has a God shaped hole in their heart. The problem is people look everywhere except God for things to fill that hole. We expect riches, people, or other things will fill that hole. We expect good things to happen to us. We expect others to do good things for us. But the problem is when we put these expectations on these things or people, we are creating a burden that that person or thing cannot carry or be.

   Your significant other cannot love you completely because they are imperfect. Your boss will not manage every situation in the correct way, or the way you think they should, because they are imperfect. Money will not satisfy your desires. Pleasures will leave you feeling empty. Nothing can satisfy you except one person. 

   God is the only one who can satisfy you. He is the only person who can fill that hole in your heart. If you don't know that or don't believe me, check out the book of Ecclesiastes. It was written by the wisest person, other than Jesus, King Solomon. He searched the world for what would bring him meaning. He found that money, pleasures, work, power, etc. were all meaningless. It didn't satisfy him. It won't satisfy you either. Only God can satisfy.

   So, are you looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places? How can you remember to seek after God every day?



Saturday, March 22, 2025

Powerless Except For

    Have you ever had a time where you couldn't help someone because you just couldn't. It may have been an instance where they didn't need something physically, you couldn't cheer them up, or you just didn't know what to do for them because maybe they didn't even know what they needed. I've experienced that. It has happened many times but one time it happened within two days there were two instances where I was powerless to help someone I loved.

    The first time was when he didn't feel well. All I could do was give him meds and offer to get him something if he felt he needed it. Then I just sat there and watched as he was in pain. The next day he said he didn't have the greatest day because he was with a childhood friend who was struggling. I didn't know what was said in the conversation, but it was weighing on him. I tried distracting him, but I don't think I was that successful.

  In both situations I was powerless. I wanted to have something I could do, something I could fix. Something I could fight for him. But I couldn't. So, what I did in both situations is I prayed silently. I prayed for healing. I prayed for strength. I prayed for God to move in his life.

   Prayer is powerful. It is always powerful. But it is especially powerful when there's nothing, we can do ourselves. It's the first step we should take instead of the last. It's what we should do in every instance and not just use it as a cop out. You are not powerless because you have the God who created everything on your side. He loves you and created prayer so he could have a relationship with you. Are you conversing with him and asking him to move in your life?

https://youtu.be/DcqWc7QvSs4



Saturday, March 15, 2025

A Dangerous, Good Walk

    One of the things I enjoy doing is watching movies. And, yes, I even enjoy romantic comedies. One day I was watching the movie called Bride Wars and I noticed something I hadn’t heard before. In the beginning of the movie Emma and Liv, the main characters, are going for a run/walk in the park. Liv complains that she wants to run with an I Pod. Emma replies with something along the lines of I Pods are for people who are afraid of their own thoughts.

   Later, Liv and Emma’s friendship takes a turn for the worse. Through a course of events, we can see how these characters change. Then one day Emma is running in the park, and we see that she had an I Pod. It seems that Emma was now afraid of her own thoughts, or at least that was the way she put it.

   One day I decided to do something dangerous. I decided to follow Emma’s first advice. I went on a walk without an I Pod, music, or anyone to talk to. Now this was especially dangerous at that time because I had a lot going on. I was a bit nervous to try it, because as an overthinker, it can be very scary to be alone with your thoughts. 

   I went on this walk and tried to clear my head. As I did that, I felt the spirit lead me. I began to recall words from the podcast I had heard earlier that week. I began to have questions pop in my head that were good questions. Those thoughts led me to peace. Because I chose to let the spirit lead me, I didn’t have any dangerous thoughts. I didn’t spiral. I didn’t overthink. And that happened because I trusted God.

   So, when was the last time you chose to spend some time talking with God? How can you follow God’s leading each day?



Saturday, March 8, 2025

Supposed To's

 What's with all the supposed to's?

It feels like it's nothing new.

We are supposed to have money to live comfortably,

But is that what we always see?

We are supposed to be always perfect and on,

But that wears us down to the point where we sing a sad song.

We are supposed to be happy all the time every day,

But that just makes us unreal I need to say.


What's with all the supposed to's?

It seems like there's so much to do.

We are supposed to obey the law,

But how can we do that for the long hall?

We are supposed to love others,

But what if someone doesn't act like a brother?

We are supposed to serve,

But what if you are overworked and on your last nerve?


What's with all the supposed to's?

God loves us no matter what we do.

We should lower our expectations and just be,

That's what God wants from you and me.

He wants us to grow,

And to reap the fruit we sow.

Faith in our work is what will show,

When we just learn to let God and let go.


So, are you focused too much on the supposed to's in life? How can you learn to lean on God and grow in him?



Saturday, March 1, 2025

Know Your Objective

    One day my brother and I were playing a video game called Star Wars Battlefront 2. In it there is a campaign mode where you have certain objectives you need to complete. We were blazing through the levels till we hit one. And the reason we failed was for a very silly reason.

   We were about midway through the level and doing well. Then we were told to go to the library. We went and when we got there, we didn't know what to do. We just assumed we should destroy the bookcases. That's what we did. No sooner did we do that than we saw the word "defeat" come across the screen. Okay, not wanting to feel any more defeated than we already did, we tried again, and the same thing happened. The third time we actually went into the objective menu and found out we were supposed to defend the bookshelves. We were losing because we didn't know what we were to do.

   It is the same in life. We were all created for a purpose. We all have an objective. We are to reflect God's glory and tell others about him. If we didn't have an objective after being saved, why wouldn't God just take us to heaven after being born again? It's because we are here for a reason. We have a purpose.  Do you know that? Do you know what your objective in this life is?