Life is like an obstacle course in which we run like an Olympian athlete and at times getting nowhere. We exert a lot of energy trying to avoid life's ditches, jump over the potholes, leap across stumbling blocks, miss the dangers, and somehow sidestep the troubles. Of course, we could significantly improve our quality of life if we took the time to seriously think through our responses to situations. A load of troubles can be alleviated by a little forethought, a little preparation, and a little contrivance.
Some of the experiences we suffer we bring upon ourselves because we do not take the time to think through what our next move will be. We drift into so many agonizing complexities through our own thoughtlessness, hasty judgments, impulsive reactions, rash decisions, and failure to consider the cost.
We can also diminish some of our suffering if we could understand and accept the fact that most of our conflict is really mental. Our most insistent and insidious enemy is our own reactions to human situations. Our personal pride often prompts us to fear, shrink from, resent, or combat certain conditions, circumstances, or people. We do not want to love them or do not see how we can. Consequently, we draw back into our inner quivering, impotencies, aversions, and rebellions.
If we could only understand that there is no enemy, no conflict, except that which rages within. Our self-concern, self-importance and our almost unconquerable desire for self-justification causes more dissension and stress than any other element in the human makeup. It is the human traitor within ourselves that bars us from yielding to the will of God. It is time the traitor be exposed. God is waiting to take His rightful place in your life.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.
Mercedes Benz s500 rentals Salem ..As communion was being passed this morning, I listened to... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
For some of us, spirituality is considered a religion, and... Read More
Although your creative ability and talent is something that God... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
On one side there is a dark cloud. It is... Read More
The word "psychology" is the combination of two terms -... Read More
Billy Graham once said, "Being a Christian is more than... Read More
As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event? I'm sure the... Read More
On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off... Read More
Fanny J. Crosby's famous hymn, "Tell Me the Story of... Read More
Last week I talked about the need to practice emotional... Read More
Malice is a great enemy to mankind. It is evil... Read More
In my yard are quarter-circles of grass growing taller than... Read More
What does it take to live life holistically?It definitely does... Read More
After 6 years, I left an abusive relationship with an... Read More
Jacob had sent his family on across the river Jabbok.... Read More
The ultimate purpose of dreaming is to provide you with... Read More
Ok, let's start with the amazing story of Robbie and... Read More
My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
To find out how psychic you are, try answering the... Read More
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and... Read More
The magic of the tarot was obvious to me the... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
Dowagiac cheap limo service ..One day Gilligan ventures off as usual into the jungle.... Read More
We have a proclivity to think of individuals and nations... Read More
Celebrities and common people all over the world are known... Read More
One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when... Read More
Eden, the garden of ecstasy is no longer available to... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
Originating in what is now modern India; Tantra is at... Read More
Malice is a great enemy to mankind. It is evil... Read More
In this series I would like to take you through... Read More
It happens to us all from time to time, especially... Read More
Oxford dictionary defines PRAYER as "a request for help or... Read More
The human body is surely a miracle of God's creation.... Read More
How many Christian people do you know who are bearing... Read More
Does God care if I marry a gentile?Even as I... Read More
One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken... Read More
We humans are a funny, funny breed. We spend our... Read More
"Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming with wisdom... Read More
Fanny J. Crosby's famous hymn, "Tell Me the Story of... Read More
Some may ask why in a disaster some people are... Read More
There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my... Read More
"A common jar of clay can never become a noble... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
Spirituality |