Tag Archives: jesus

Why Worry?

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“Peace be still.”
Photo by Wonderlane

Anxiety and worry affect a large portion of the population. We are consumed with the things that “could happen” or “might happen.”  When we are filled with these worry-feelings, it freezes us in place. We are so filled with despair that we are unable to think any good thoughts or take any positive action to undo the present circumstances.

Paramahansa Yogananda states that ”every time you worry, you put on a mental brake, and in struggling against that resistance, you place strain on your heart and mind..”

To be worry free, we must let go of the negative fears we have about the future, and also the hurts and regrets of our past. To do this, we must be fully focused our present day.  Dale Carnegie called this living in “Day-Tight Compartments.” To do this, we have to figure out what we can do TODAY to pave a brighter future. Let go of all the terrible “what ifs” that our mind tricks us into believing.

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Homosexuals: God’s Beloved Children

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Photo by See-ming Lee

There has been a lot of controversy and pain caused by religious movements who have claimed that God does not approve of homosexuality, or that if someone is a practicing homosexual, they are destined for hell. I am very familiar with this issue, because I struggled with it myself several years ago. I’ve come to really believe that, bottom line, God is Love.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the verses from the New Testament of the Bible. This is where most of the confusion arises. 1 Corinthians and Romans both contain statements that are often viewed as God’s final law and rule on homosexuality. I could get into the whole analytical aspect of these verses, by dissecting what the words mean in their original language, or what the author, Paul, means, but I don’t feel this is necessary. These books, most importantly, are originally letters that were written to the churches ofCorinthandRome. The first thing to realize is: everything in these books are simply Paul’s opinion. The Bible is not a book that was dropped out of heaven by a God who lives up in the clouds. The inspiration and loving message of the Bible is filtered through the beliefs, customs, and viewpoints of the men and women who wrote its pages. The best way to sort out what is to be taken is truth, and what is not, is to go back to what Jesus said,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as thyself.”

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Hearing the voice of God

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photo by Oyvind Solstad

Within our own consciousness, we have two distinct voices that we have the choice of listening to. One comes from our Higher Self, the God-within.  This is the voice that speaks love, encouragement, and joy.  When we are living from this state of being we are naturally kind to one another, and to ourselves.  All motivation from this state is simply love.

The other voice that we have the choice of hearing is our Lower Self. This is the voice that some religions have labeled as the devil, or the tempter.  This is the voice that finds its motivation in fear. The lower self tells us that we don’t have enough, that others are against us, and that we must work hard and strive through life. This is the voice of Ego. Continue reading →