“I look back on my life like a good day’s work, it was done and I am satisfied with it.” Grandma Moses (1860-1961)
I remember sitting at the bedside of a member of one of the churches I served. He was quite old and he was dying. His wife had called me to ask that I come and be with him. She said that he had some questions for me. I knew this would be a tough encounter for two reasons: 1) this gentleman was so weak that it would take all my concentration just to hear him speak and 2) I knew this was probably my last chance to have the opportunity to answer whatever questions he had. I wouldn’t get the opportunity to clarify any answers I might give him.
“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin.” (Benjamin Mays – 1894-1984)
I wasted a day yesterday and for the first time I can remember, I was, I am aware indeed that it was a wasted day.
“The last of the human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (Viktor Frankl 1905-1997).
One of the greatest freedoms we have is to read without fear. It is the freedom to learn, to grow, to experience the lives of others through the work of authors who offer us insight, inspiration, affirmation, and accountability.
We get to choose what we will read and what we will learn. Even when everything seems to be stripped away from us, it isn’t until we surrender our minds and our attitudes to others that we experience true defeat. Never give up hope and faith in the triumph of goodness. This is one of the messages I took away from reading Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning.
“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today, I still have a dream.” (Martin Luther King – 1929-1968)
I didn’t realize until I was looking up the dates that defined MLK’s life that he was only 39 years old when he died. That got me thinking back to when I was 39. How about you – what were your dreams when you were 39 and do you now have new dreams for your future? And if you are approaching 39, in what do you hope, what is your dream?
“To know oneself is to foresee oneself; to foresee oneself amounts to playing a part.”
Paul Valery – 1871-1945
Faith is the belief in things that we cannot see but in which we hope. So what do we believe and in what do we hope? Here are some simple beliefs that lead to hope. Read at your own peril.
“True religion…is giving and finding one’s happiness by bringing happiness into the lives of others.” – William J.H. Boetcker (1873-1962)
I have an acquaintance who is on a personal journey from his roots in a fairly traditional, orthodox religious denomination to embracing an eclectic view of religion, faith, karma, and purpose. He seems happy and content with the freedom he is finding in examining noble purposes – purposes that uplift, affirm, and broaden his life. Hence I follow him on Facebook because he prompts me to evaluate my worldview statement – “every life should have a noble purpose.”
I don’t know for certain, but I suspect he has found release from seeing things as right/wrong/ yes/no, obeying/questioning. I suspect he has discarded constraints that have previously hindered his ability to sense and serve the needs of people from other faith traditions. He seems to have found broader definitions for words such as happiness, faith, God, purpose and tolerance.
I mention this because my friend/acquaintance appears so happy when I see him on Facebook Live or in photos or various other video presentations online. His online presence is overflowing with happiness and energy. Quite frankly, I want some of that.
Finding happiness in one’s life is a very specific undertaking. While you and I may have teachers, confidantes, family, and friends who suggest ways to find happiness, in the end it is our task alone to find that which offers us happiness.
Happiness begins easily enough. Because today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, I decided to pay for the coffee of the person behind me in the drive thru lane. As I pulled into a vacant parking spot to drink my coffee, I wondered what the person whose coffee I just purchased was thinking. I didn’t have to wonder for long, because suddenly there was a knock on my car’s window. It was the recipient of my free cup of coffee. The person thanked me for the unexpected kindness I had shown them. They asked why I did what I did. I explained the National Day of Random Acts of Kindness concept. The person said my simple act of kindness had been a blessing. They seemed happy which made me happy.
So tomorrow I will try to find some occasion to help someone else find a little happiness. It probably won’t be the coffee thing again. For instance, I know someone who is the sole care provider for a terminally ill relative. She never gets a break from care-giving and never has a moment to herself. Perhaps I can offer her some company or a respite from care-giving. I am sure she hasn’t had a moment to herself in many months. I want to do that – I can do that.
“True religion…is giving and finding one’s happiness by bringing happiness into the lives of others.”
Every life should have a noble purpose. That’s when we will get a glimpse of the power and promise of hope – the theme of this blog site.
Start small, think about your life. What have you learned, what can you share, what happiness or kindness can you offer to someone in need?
“I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in their toil.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
“I lack the moral fiber to make enemies.” – (Murray Kempton, 1917-1997)
When was the last time you had a truthful conversation with a friend or a family member? When was the last time you felt as if you were free enough or safe enough to speak your mind? When was the last time you had to set a context into which your conversation would fit before saying what was on your mind or in your heart? When was the last time you felt as if someone was really listening to you, suspending judgment and being fully present for you?
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” (Voltaire 1694-1778)
There is no guarantee that life will be smooth sailing. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed that life will present us with numerous storms that leave us adrift in the waves and wind. In the midst of the storm, there is hope, there is singing in the lifeboats.
There is little hope in life without self-discipline, purpose, and intentionality/effort. The amount of hope we live into is in direct proportion to how committed we become to discipline, purpose, and effort in our lives. In living into these three conditions, we acknowledge some discomfort will come our way. That discomfort lessens as we become actively involved in living a life that is guided by a noble purpose.
Dec 21, 2016 is the shortest day of this year – the winter solstice.
It is also obviously the longest night. Some traditions mark this day as a day to remember loved ones who have passed away or to mourn or grieve hurts and abuses. Some traditions mark this day as one of the days of Advent, a time of preparation for the coming of Christmas, the birth of the Messiah.
Regardless of your tradition or your observance of the longest night of the year, the sun will rise on December 22 – or at least it has every year so far. It’s a good bet that whatever else may happen on December 22, the sun will indeed rise.
Sometimes that’s all the hope we get – the sun will rise again another day.
It takes very little faith to hope and believe that the sun will rise, doesn’t it? So perhaps we ought to consider other sources or reasons for hope to accompany the fact that the sun will rise.
I wasted a day yesterday and for the first time I can remember, I was, I am aware indeed that it was a wasted day.
“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today, I still have a dream.” (Martin Luther King – 1929-1968)
“To know oneself is to foresee oneself; to foresee oneself amounts to playing a part.”
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” (Voltaire 1694-1778)
There is little hope in life without self-discipline, purpose, and intentionality/effort. The amount of hope we live into is in direct proportion to how committed we become to discipline, purpose, and effort in our lives. In living into these three conditions, we acknowledge some discomfort will come our way. That discomfort lessens as we become actively involved in living a life that is guided by a noble purpose.