“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.

Cut Off All of the Chatter!

Every day we are bombarded with all types of distractions that vie for our attention! The moment we open our eyes from sleep until we close them back up again, there are things that command our consideration.  These are cell phones, television, music, children, spouses, jobs, computer programs, billboards, and people talking a lot about a whole bunch of nothing! Yet, we are often times pulled right into whatever is going on in our environment without so much as a mental thought of saying NO! Our own minds race for space and configuration time to solve the latest issues and challenges that have been placed before it! We keep processing and processing and processing every second without giving our thoughts a rest, and then we wonder why we’re so mentally drained and stressed!

Cut off all the chatter! Make a conscious effort to take some time to meditate (not medicate) each day!  There is a scripture in the bible Philippians 4:8 which provide perfect instructions for doing this effectively.  I’ve included several versions in order to capture the powerful words differently:

New King James Version (NKJV) states:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The Message Bible Version says:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

The Amplified Bible indicates:

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

All three of these versions have a common theme and that is we should set our minds on things which are pure and worthy of praise. Cutting  off all of the chatter is making sure we don’t allow the constant distractions of the world we live in rob us of our spiritual peace and well-being.

Begin to take the time each day to “Cut off all of the chatter”.  Make a conscious decision to change your habit of allowing everything to bombard you at once and spiritually align yourself with God by utilizing meditation. There are many different ways to do this but once you start, you will find less need for distractive chatter and begin enjoying more peace in your spirit, mind, and body!

Cut off all of the chatter today and begin to LIVE!

Refocus Your Energy

Each day we can get caught up in the workings and trappings of the moment through our environment. By the end of the day, we’re wondering what happened and why we are so tired because all of our precious energy has been spent on things that didn’t have much purpose or will not even matter tomorrow.

Refocus your energy on the things that bring you peace, joy, and a true sense of fulfillment. Take the time to pause and assess what is happening. You may find that walking away from the stress that is harming your well being is all that is needed to get you on the right track.

Pray for wisdom and clarity and watch how ‘good’ will begin to manifest in your life. But, in order to experience this, you must REFOCUS your energy from negative to positive and allow it to stay in that place.

Start now!

Meditation vs. Medication

Meditation vs. Medication

In today’s world drugs, both legal and illegal, are bombarding our lives. Evening news advertisements are filled with different types of medications to “ask your doctor” to use. Many of these prescriptions have dangerous side effects associated with taking them. Alcohol used in access can dull the thoughts of its user to help her temporarily get away from whatever internal pain may be too much to bear. Illegal drug pushers dart in and out of streets to grab money and place little bags of herbs and rocks into their desperate client’s hands for that “quick” fix.

Mind altering medications are used by millions to dull the mental pain or help erase the stress that life often brings. But these quick fixes come with expensive prices including the lack of your good health and wellbeing, and the dip in your finances to pay for a few moments of getting mentally away from it all.  

Meditation, on the other hand, is the spiritual awakening that comes from within.  It’s described as “prayer” or “inner reflection”.  It is used throughout the world, in many cultures and religions, as a way to connect to God, our spiritual self, and the world around us. It costs nothing but time, focus, and a willing heart to experience its joy.  The side effects include inner peace, divine connection to God, holistic, healthy love, and a host of other positive attributes.

Think of the benefits of using meditation instead of mind altering medication.  Make a paradigm shift in your life today.