There are times when I put things off–actually many times when I put things off–things I know I should do. But I talk my self out of doing it for some reason or another. One of the biggest things I put off is cleaning out drawers and closets. If I can squeeze one more item into a drawer, I see it as still ‘workable.’ Sometimes, I do that with my life, too.
But is ‘workable’ what I want? When is it time to turn ‘workable’ into ‘working like a charm?’ And who can do this, except me? And when is the time to do it, except now?
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:2b
Maybe you’ve put things off, too. And maybe those things have to do with your relationship with God.
Most of us want a loving relationship with God, yet we put a lot of “stuff” ahead of our personal attempt to have one.
But we can change that.
We can clean out the closets and drawers of our lives. Get rid of all that makes them ‘unworkable’ by tossing out our old and over-used excuses for keeping what is not genuinely beneficial to us. Even then, we may not have a perfect house (or self) but we will have a house that is ready.
When do we do this?
Well, since tomorrow is always ‘iffy’ for each one of us, Today must be the acceptable time.
As human beings, we are inherently good, but unfortunately, we sometimes allow ourselves to be misguided when assessing certain happenings in our society. Today, we are misguided by the trappings of a word: Tolerance.
HOW?
Well, do you want to be described as ‘intolerant?’
No, that’s a big negative. It shows us as small and petty.
Do you want to be described as “tolerant?’
Yes, in many circles, that’s a plus. It shows us as large and magnanimous.
Except, through political correctness, and the charade of radical progressivism, tolerance has been taken to the extreme–in education, the news media, in the family, and the entire Christian culture. All this, based on the philosophy of Saul Alinsky, known as the father of community organizing, with his goal of restructuring society and making that tolerable by restructuring the church as well.
Click on the book cover to order on Kindle and read a story of Tolerance taken to the extreme in a near future setting.
Tolerance is one word that has opposite definitions, all according to its relevance in particular situations.
We are tolerant toward our children, even when they are exasperating, because we love them. Yet, we will not tolerate certain kinds of behavior from them—that’s also because we love them, and want to raise them to be good people.
There are some morally ugly, and essentially evil, viewpoints parading around today under the guise of tolerance. For Christians to let these viewpoints go unchallenged, no matter how politically correct they have become, is cowardly. More than that, it lacks real common sense.
Evil must be named, and it must be confronted. Or else it cannot be defeated.
The problem is there is a lot of evil that is presently, and politically, being costumed as ‘good.’
Of course this ‘good’ is a false good. And where is our moral indignation over this?
Well, when we’ve been fooled, we may not even see some things as immoral anymore. They’ve been gussied up to appear as morally acceptable truths that are practically demanded of us. But they are fake truths, and will cause our downfall, both individually and as a nation.
We must remember this….Satan never looks like Satan. He drapes himself in celebrity and humor and humanitarianism, using celebrity to mislead, humor to mock, and humanitarianism to de-humanize.— Father George Rutler
Here are more wise words from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen:
Love is Not Tolerance. Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it. It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broadminded about sin. The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the Truth. It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is unmerciful to the error in his mind. The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body; but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of His Wisdom.
Real love involves real hatred: whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples, he has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth. Charity, then, is not a mild philosophy of “live and let live”; it is not a species of sloppy sentiment. Charity is the infusion of the Spirit of God, which makes us love the beautiful and hate the morally ugly.
We need to wake up, and wake up with COURAGE, to face this misguided tolerance that affects all we once held sacred.
We need to use our common sense—-because a hungry wolf in sheep’s clothing is still a wolf!!
The following is a trailer for a film that is a MUST SEE.
When raising your children, have you ever practiced what is called Tough Love?
This might come about if they want something badly, but you know it isn’t good for them and so refuse their request. Of course, a child may pitch a fit, cry, stomp, scream that you are being unreasonable. He or she might even say you don’t love them–because if you did, you’d give them what they want.
But there are situations when we know what a child does not know. We are experienced enough to see that a certain thing or situation will harm them. And it’s precisely because we Do love them that we refuse–even when we know that our refusal will cause them pain.
As Christians who pray, we adults do not always receive what we pray for. How do we handle it? Do we pitch a fit, cry, stomp, scream that God is being unreasonable. Do we lose faith that He loves us? Sometimes we do.
Maybe we’ve lost someone dear to us, or are fired from a job. or maybe a huge tragedy out of our control comes upon us as a people–hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and war? It would seem, then, that God is forcing us to our knees.
Can we believe that all this comes from a God who loves us as a parent?
The answer is difficult. Just as a child questions her parent’s reasoning, we question God’s reasoning. OR at the very least, we wonder about God’s intent. A wonderful priest I know wouldn’t venture an answer as to why awful things happen to people. “If you want to know why human beings suffer, don’t ask me–ask God,” he said.
So the question goes unanswered because for a human being to know the reasoning of God can be compared to a grasshopper attempting to know the reasoning of a human being. It cannot be done. Yet what we often see happening is that uncontrollable tragedies, like those mentioned above, have an ability to pull people together. People stand together, and pray together, in the face of great disasters.
So, in situations of suffering when it seems God has brought us to our knees, what should we do? I think we trust that God loves us as a parent, and that because of that great love, He will give us what we need to get through, to get up, and even to become better people.
There are times when we’re young that we are also confident. Someone will ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And we can give a quick answer.
But as we grow, things are not so clear as when we were children. Life gets complicated because we have more and more responsibility–for our own lives, and the lives of those in our care.
We may feel lost. We may not be sure where we’re going anymore. We may not even have a direction in mind. We look around and think we see everyone else in a situation we’d like to be in, too; but we’re just not there–and don’t know if we’ll ever be.
We can feel pretty depressed in times like these. We can feel very alone and unimportant.
Then something happens.
No, we don’t win the lottery.
The something that happens may not seem profitable at the time. It may not be fun. In fact, we may want to avoid suffering through it.
But we do suffer through it. And afterwards, it’s possible that we find some good in it. We may find our true self in it, too.
When this something happens, we are changed by it. We may be so changed that we begin to live for someone else. And in the process we find our own self–the person we were meant to be.
When we assess our lives, it’s often from a superficial point of view.
We look at how popular we are, how successful we are, how much money we make, how big our house is, what clubs we belong to, and then we ask ourselves, “Who is noticing my successes? How do I look in their eyes?” Many times, our very self worth is contained in the dubious answers to those questions.
But if we spend our whole lives chasing after people who might notice us, and ‘stuff’ that makes us feel important, then we have seriously missed the boat.
There is only one question we need to ask ourselves–and it is crucially important to us in the ‘here and now’ because the answer to it will determine our eternity. The question is What does God want from Me?
Doesn’t He want us to follow in the way of His son, Jesus Christ? And what does Jesus show us? — He shows us how to love.
It doesn’t matter if we are pretty, handsome, or plain. It doesn’t matter if we have a fan club of thousands reading our Facebook page and clicking “like.” It doesn’t matter if we live in a big house, a trailer, or a shack. And it certainly does not matter how much of a bankroll we have.
What is most important how much we love.
Attempting to understand and be patient with a trying person or child is showing love. Loyalty to a spouse despite the difficulties in marriage is showing love. Self-sacrifice for a greater purpose is showing love. Toning down anger toward someone who’s hurt you is showing love, too. And I’m sure you could list numerous other ways.
The point is, what God wants from you and I has nothing to do with making ourselves large in life, but in making ourselves small enough to consider the needs of others.
I may think I’m smart. And you may have more educational degrees than anybody you know, but we’re still only an ‘educated fools’ —unless we realize that right here, right now, we’re creating our own eternity, based on how much we show the love of Jesus Christ in our actions.
In a nutshell, that ought to be our point of view.
Sometimes we find ourselves in such a hole that we don’t think we can climb out of it.
We are despondent. We’ve hurt others and ourselves. And we don’t like the self that did this.
Our confidence is gone.
Our self-respect is gone.
And worse, the people we love no longer want to be near us.
We crave a new start–but how do we begin?
We begin where we are–with the hurt. When we actually see, hear, feel, smell and even taste, the hurt, we will be slapped in the face by the sickening affect our actions have had on others. And we will have taken the first step toward starting again.
There will be more steps upward, steps that we won’t be able to climb alone. So secondly, we reach out for help. From where will help come?
It may come from someone we don’t know, someone walks out of the shadows of our past.
But amazingly, it may come from the person/people we have actually hurt–and this includes our own self.
And there is a first step here, too–it’s called asking for forgiveness.
People who truly love us, will forgive us because love, itself, is made up of mercy and forgiveness. Mercy and forgiveness are love’s singular response to suffering.
Setbacks will come. We are fallible people, after all. Even Jesus fell three times while carrying His cross to Calvary. Yet, He got up. He started again, and kept going.
And so can we.
We will never be permanently lost, unless we choose to be permanently lost, because we are made in the image and likeness of God and have been given free will.
We are created to be courageous. To love, to forgive and show mercy to our fellow human beings, and to respect ourselves as beloved children of God.
If it is deplorable to want an America that is better and stronger, then I am a deplorable.
If it is deplorable to want an America that is not an open door to terrorists, then I am a deplorable.
If it is deplorable to want to keep our second amendment rights, then I am a deplorable
If it is deplorable to want an economy that produces good-paying jobs and small businesses that thrive, then I am a deplorable.
If it is deplorable to want freedom of religion and not freedom from religion, then I am a deplorable.
If it is deplorable to want our leaders to speak the truth, not lies, then I am a deplorable.
And if it is deplorable to think that an arm of our American government should be allowed to abort human babies for the hideous, inhumane purpose of selling their parts and organs for profit, then you had better believe–I AM A DEPLORABLE.
Now, besides being deplorable, who am I– really?
I am not a racist, a sexist, a homophobic, or any of the other words/labels Hillary Clinton coined to describe the hard-working Americans that she says she is …..wait–running to represent??? (Oh well, we have learned that she doesn’t tell the truth anyway.)
I am the mother of five and the grandmother of ten.
I am a college-educated woman, an author, and a small business owner.
I am an AMERICAN VOTER whose ancestors have been in America since the 1700’s, coming from Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, Poland, and even the West Indies, and whose family members have served their country bravely in the American Revolution, The War of 1812, Mexican-American War, the Civil War, both World Wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
I am a woman who loves her God, her family, her freedoms, and her country. And if that is deplorable to some. So be it.
Are YOU one of the DEPLORABLES, too???
Feel free to comment and tell us why you’re one of us.
They are the merciful–until they are hard-hearted.
They are the tireless–until they are slothful.
They are the protectors–until they are abusing.
They are the generous–until they are greedy.
They are the safe keepers–until they are thieves.
They are the life bearers–until they kill.
The key here, is knowing that to be selfish, haughty, condemning, hard-hearted, slothful, abusing, greedy, a thief, or a killer, is contrary to God’s intention for each of us. And His intention for us is that we become saints.
Don’t forget that even the saints were once sinners, like us. So, becoming a saint, is certainly not out of the question for any of us.
We are all called to be great saints. Don’t miss the opportunity.–Mother Angelica
How do we seize the opportunity? By individually using the free will God gave us, to change what we know has gone awry in our life. And by remembering that the only person who can change you and I for the better–is you and I.
Brothers and sisters, consider this:
whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You are being enriched in every way for all generosity,
which through us produces thanksgiving to God.
One of the first things I was taught about my faith, was that human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. I was a young child and had seen many paintings and pictures of Jesus, and since I was also taught that Jesus is God, I thought, then, that God looked just like us, only a lot more powerful.
Later, when I learned that God is also spirit, I remember being disappointed. I wanted someone I could feel, talk to, cry with. Someone like my father, my mother, my grandparents. They were not spirits. They were real.
And then came lessons about The Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I puzzled over this mystery of our Faith. In my young mind, I reasoned that any father could be a son, and any son could be a father, and the spirit could be the thoughts I had about any one of them. And all that served me for a while, because I was a child. I did not really understand that my Catholic Faith was actually that–faith.
True faith is where one steps out in total trust. Though there may be times in which we don’t feel God near us, we step out regardless because of Faith.
In the realm of faith, we don’t need to understand the specifics of God because no one can truly understand Him. He is the first cause of being itself; the eternal, ultimate entity, as far above us in power and intellect and reasoning as we are above a grasshopper. Yet, what a grasshopper needs is provided for it through the balances in nature. Certainly God provides for us, His children.
Gradually, we use our memory, intellect, and will, to determine our image of God, and then through it, express our Faith, Hope, and Love with those same God-Given human faculties. We put on the ‘mind of Christ.’
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ–1 Cor. 2:16
Then putting on the Mind of Christ:
We are not asked to develop a kind of spiritual amnesia—a blocking—out of everything painful. We are asked however to trust Him so our sins can be swallowed up in the ocean of His mercy. We are asked to develop a spirit of compassion so we can look at any person or incident in our past through His merciful Eyes. We are asked to transform our memory through the power of His grace, to sweep it clean of all cobwebs, dirt and superfluities that keep that faculty so cluttered up there is no room for God. –Mother Angelica
And finally, we come to the purpose of our Faith, and what God is really all about–Love.
There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.–Mother Theresa
All taking us back to our childhood and what we wanted God to be: Someone we can feel, talk to, cry with. Someone real.
There are times when I put things off–actually many times when I put things off–things I know I should do. But I talk my self out of doing it for some reason or another. One of the biggest things I put off is cleaning out drawers and closets. If I can squeeze one more item into a drawer, I see it as still ‘workable.’ Sometimes, I do that with my life, too.
Sometimes we find ourselves in such a hole that we don’t think we can climb out of it.
Well, I am. And I raise my hand high.
Translating a World on the Edge 