“Just the Way I Like It”

How many of you drink coffee or tea?  Have you ever had someone make either of these beverages “just the way you like it?”  They’ve put the right amount of sugar or cream in it.  The coffee grinds or tea leaves were blended and seeped perfectly so that when you took the first sip, your brain agreed that it tasted “just the way you liked it.” You may have nodded your head, closed your eyes, and said to yourself, “hmm-um, this is good! Afterwards, you took a few moments to savor the flavor and aroma as you slowly drank its content.  It was perfect for you and you alone, no one else, just you.  However, that same cup of flawlessness when tasted by someone else may not be met with the same reaction. 

Have you ever allowed someone else to taste your coffee or tea and they exclaimed that it was too sweet, didn’t have enough honey or cream in it or, they hated the taste of coffee or that particular flavor of tea? You may have looked at them in amazement because to you its contents were perfect. So how could they possibly not like what you loved?!

Well, God has made each of us unique with our own brand of likes and dislikes.  He’s also tailored blessings that are “just the way we like them” as individuals.  Therefore, when we go through life and are enriched with good things or challenges that are specific to our growth and learning experiences, our reactions should reflect, “This has been perfectly designed just for me by God.” The question then becomes, “What am I to learn from this?”

As we begin to understand that nothing happens to us by accident and all of life’s experiences are somehow interconnected to help us increase our awareness and knowledge of God, then we will recognize that He has prepared us all for “just the way I like it” moments of learning that can last a lifetime.

Pain Driven

What is PAIN?  Webster’s dictionary describes it as the unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain’s sensory neons that signal potential injury to the body. Although this description denotes the physical attributes of pain, there are many definitions that are more personal for each individual that has lived here on earth.

You see, no matter whom you are, at some point in your existence pain will be experienced by you. It could be through no fault of your own such as in the loss of a loved one or layoff of a job. You could experience a divorce or loss of money and things you’ve accumulated over the years.  It could be because your child is sick with an incurable disease or extreme loneliness and depression, a relationship gone badly or any host of things that touch our lives as humans.

No matter what the cause of pain, one thing is for sure, when it happens, we are all “DRIVEN” to do something to rid ourselves of it as fast as possible. Pain is uncomfortable and we as humans do not necessarily like discomfort or change. We are therefore driven to do something to alleviate ourselves from it by taking medication, both legal and illegal, to seeking God’s help, or talking to our best friend, or even hurting the one that caused us pain in the first place.  We are DRIVEN to do something to change the pain back to comfort. And it is in that ‘driving force’ that we must be careful NOT to destroy whatever is in our path that could be our greatest ally.

The next time PAIN comes knocking on your door of life, (because it will), take a closer look at what is ‘driving’ you.  Instead of running away from pain, ask yourself what is the lesson that God is attempting to teach you. How will you move forward after it is subsided?  How will you be able to teach someone that comes across your path about the value of your painful lesson?  Who will you need to forgive or ask forgiveness of?

Remember, PAIN is a necessary part of life and just like the physical body uses it to alert the brain that there is potential injury to our body; emotional, mental, and spiritual pain also alert us. The question is: What will pain drive you to do? That answer may save your life or destroy it as it is your choice.