Perseverance

Who knows what lurks in the mind of this wayfarer?  Little by little over time thoughts surface and find the portal through which all may have a glimpse.  There are many thoughts left to ruminate behind the curtain that veils the entrance to the wondering intruder.  I like to think it’s much like a crock-pot that simmers away for many hours to meld the rich flavors together in harmonious, delectable sensations that delight the olfactory senses, in anticipation of satisfying the salivating taste buds.  Okay, that may be a little overstated, though one can suppose it depends on the discrimination of those peering in.  And so it is this wayfarer engages discrimination in what segment of inner musings and thoughts to thrust upon the unsuspecting public.

After careful deliberation and assessment the choice has been made to release a sampling of perseverance.  Perseverance is that bull dog that simply will not let go and continues to hang on until the mission is accomplished.  Giving a dash of “stick-to-it-ism” along with a pound of determination, combined with tenacity one can achieve their destiny.  This doesn’t come easy as there are so many distractions along the journey that compels many to let go.  But like the bull dog we must lock onto that purpose and not relax the “jaw muscles”.

It would seem that few have the gumption to press forward to the attainment of their goal.  Perhaps there may be other ingredients missing, such as discipline and fortitude.  However those who do have these qualities are richly rewarded.  They are the ones who have counted the cost and assessed the value of the reward to be achieved.  They have been willing to pay the cost because they know the end results will be worth the investment.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great for you but it simply doesn’t work for me.”  Is there really any merit to such a statement?  We can take two individuals with contrasting dispositions, where one has all the traits to enable them to persevere, and the other person falls short of them.  The person succeeding has the mindset that anyone can accomplish such a feat, where as the person of the opposing viewpoint may claim they don’t have the right DNA or genes that would propel them to like achievements.  This begs the question does DNA, gene pool or pre-dispositions have any bearing in such determination?  Also what does one’s personal environment, upbringing or inter-relations play in this matter, if any?

Ok, there’s a reason why these comments are called “Inner Musings and Thoughts of a Wayfarer…”  One does not require empirical data to “muse” and though yours truly likes to present accurate information the purpose of this little exercise is merely meant to give differing viewpoints for you to ponder upon.  Is there in fact any scientific studies on this (and I suppose there probably is)?  Where is the empirical data to support or disprove these hypotheses?

Of course one could argue that the reason one lacks perseverance is simply his unwillingness to apply the principles that would enable achievement.  That may be totally true.  But on the other hand I’m reminded that Jesus made a statement that you will always have the poor with you.  Okay, that may not hold water in this argument but I believe it merits a little bit of consideration in this internal debate.

There’s no doubt in my mind that anyone can achieve some amount of success with perseverance, but the degree in which this is applied varies from person to person.  What may seem easy for one to achieve another finds extremely difficult.  This is not to imply that perseverance is ever “easy” for anyone to accomplish, but surely it is “easier” for some than others.

The question for consideration is:  are we prone to judge the “under achiever”, or try to understand why they are and offer them assistance?  In respect to that what kind of assistance, if any, should be offered?

Well, the answer has not been forthcoming in this missive, but hopefully there’s some good food for thought.  Which are you, the one who perseveres or one who gives in?  Just a last thought:  is one who “over-achieves” one who perseveres, or is this the result of some other “malady” entirely?  Shalom.

Chaos or Peace?

Do you ever lay awake at night with your mind racing at 100 miles per hour thinking of all the things you need to say or do to those you are in conflict with?  Come on, be honest!  There’s the constant rehearsing within the mind of the conflict which occurred over the previous hours or days and how it should have been dealt with.  Next time I’ll say “…(whatever you think)…” or “I won’t let them get away with it next time”.  You know the scenario I’m talking about.  We have nothing even close to peace going on in us during such a time.  Well, there’s nothing like peace to relieve the stress of life. 

The dove is the symbol for peace and I’ve heard it said that a dove will not rest where there is tension or chaos.  You’ve surely heard the phrase “gentle as a dove” and so it is with peace – it is gentle.  When we are at peace within ourselves all is well with the world.  There’s no tension or stress in our environment and calm settles over us.  This is a wonderful state to be in and one worth striving to achieve daily.  Walking in peace creates positive energy which allows us to accomplish good things.

Many people believe that the absence of war brings peace, which in one sense it does.  However, there’s no guarantee the absence of war will be peaceful.  When there’s conflict there is no peace, whether it is between nations or individuals.  The same can be said of tension.  When there is tension there’s agitation, whether acted out or kept bottled up, for there comes the point where relief must happen, resulting in an eruption or some physical, debilitating malady.

There are times when you come from a peaceful environment and find yourself in the middle of chaos or stress unexpectedly.  Usually when this occurs it is instantaneous rather than a gradual transition, which can prove to be rather jarring to our system.  Then there’s the situation while in a peaceful state we anticipate the pending tension awaiting us, making for a more gradual transition while experiencing oncoming dread.  What can we do about this?

This is not an easy matter to deal with due to the conflicting emotions occurring simultaneously.  Often self-talk is engaged, stating in our mind the things we will say or action to be taken when confronted with the pending conflict.  Such a plight we have to face, as we really do not want the stress, especially when we have been enjoying peace.  Can this truly be overcome?  Yes, it can but it doesn’t come easy.

When we live in an environment where tension resides it becomes quite difficult to relieve the tension when others are involved, aiding in the creation of the tension.  When you become aware of your own contribution to the stress you can take action to help relieve it, but it does require the resolve to do so.  I’m not in a position to advise how you should go about doing that in your situation, as all cases have different dynamics to be dealt with.  For me it’s a matter of recognizing that adjusting my own actions/reactions, along with adjusting attitudes, I experience less tension.  Wow, is that all there is to it?  Well, prayer doesn’t hurt either.

In my case I do pray for help with changing the things I must and then put positive energy to the task at hand.  Also I remember the words of Jesus who said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

I’m beginning to see the doves circling in closer now.  Soon they’ll be coming to rest.  Have you been seeing doves lately?  Shalom

Obstacles

They say when life gives you lemons to make lemonade.  But that requires a lot of sugar or other sweetener and the supply runs low.  There must be a lot of lemonade, and I’m sure a lot of sour to go with it.  So we learn to make the best with what we’re dealt in life – at least that’s what we should do.  Complaining surely does no good, I know, I've tried it countless times and it only brings more sorrow.

The longer we live the more we learn if we are willing to allow life’s obstacles to teach us the lessons of life.  Some lessons come easy, others seem impossible.  For instance, as a child you stub your toe and normally one would learn how to prevent that from happening in the future.  Then there are the struggles of life we can do nothing to change, such as the death of a loved one, illness and disease we can do nothing about.  What can we learn from these situations to make them more bearable?  What about relationships that turn sour and you’re in a situation you cannot walk away from – to the point they seem to delight in making your life miserable?  So we are faced with tough circumstances that require one to maintain sanity against all odds.

The other day I was at a Wendy’s and the server that was helping me was about 17 and all smiles and cheerful, making the ordering process most pleasant.  A while later I happened to ask her why she was so happy?  Her response was, “I’m the opposite of happy.  I’m having a horrible day and nothing’s going right.”    I then asked her how she manages to be so cheerful and she told me she always gives people a smile.  Wow!  How many of us demonstrate that kind of cheer when we are down?

The point here is regardless of the hardships we are faced with we can still put on a happy face.  This is something that can be learned if we are willing to.  We often cannot change our circumstances but we can change our response to them.  When sorrow comes our way it may not be easy to put a smile on our face but we can resolve to be pleasant.  Having to be around people who set out to make life miserable for you is a tough one for me to learn to deal with.  This is one lesson I’m really struggling with, but I know there’s a way through this and I will find the solution.  I probably already know the answer, it’s a matter of applying the correct attitude and action rather than let my emotions get the best of me.

Facing the illness of a close loved one is difficult to deal with.  There’s nothing you can do for them except offer your love and support.  Of course, compassion must be primary in our actions.  But what does that do for the sorrow you feel toward your loved one?  Is there a way around that?  One must always exercise hope as worry has a negative result on life.

Facing difficulties is very challenging.  A couple important questions to ask are, “What am I to learn from this?  What must I do to have a positive outcome to this obstacle?  Then “keep the faith”, continue to hope and always look for the positive, for there’s always a positive to every negative.  If you cannot find it within yourself always ask others, but the most important is to always look to God as He is the ultimate problem solver.  Shalom.

Summertime..

Summertime brings me on a journey down memory lane, though time-wise it would be a long one but the memories make the journey just mere thoughts away.  Those were wonderful, warm days of the Northwest that brought frivolity and pleasure to the lives of youngsters.  Being in the outdoors where one could breathe in the fresh, country air and smell the fragrance of freshly mown hay that still lingers on in the far reaches of my mind.

Living in the country was an experience to be cherished for a lifetime.  Late May brought out the strawberries in the nearby fields, ripe for the picking, providing a few weeks of work for young people to earn money for school clothes the coming fall.  That was a time when it was legal, as well as healthy, for children to work in the fields.  June brought out more sun that turned the freshly mown fields of tall grass into hay for the older guys to bale and buck onto the wagon being pulled behind the baler.  When the wagon was piled high it was taken to the barn for the bales to be stacked as cattle fodder during the winter months.

July brought Independence Day with all the accompanying fireworks, picnics and parades.  There were days leading up to the Fourth called the Happy Days Festival, where carnival rides were put up in the local park and other events going on to celebrate our Independence.  What more could a kid wish for than to take in all these festivities to while away the summer days before being back in the dreaded classroom?  Many nights were spent sleeping under the stars on stacks of loose hay, or maybe just on blankets spread out on the ground.  No worry about criminals or anything bad that could happen to us, for we were living in a safe time and place.

There were two summers where we lived on a small farm of five acres.  Bordering our pasture was the Tualatin River that brought many hours of fun.  We could fish there, and there was time I actually caught one.  But the most fun was the swimming hole.  A home-made diving board had been placed on the deep side of the river, with the shallow side maybe 25 feet across.  I was 11 years old when I learned to swim in that ol’ swimmin’ hole.  In my mind I clearly see the first time I took a dive – I must be truthful, it was a belly flop – off the diving board.

Then August would come.  This was the “best of times and it was the worst of times”.  It was “the best of times” because August was the hottest time of the year and most of the summer work for the kids was over, providing more time for fun in the sun.  It was the “worst of times” because it signaled the end of summer was looming near and we would be back in that dreaded classroom.  There was the time I remember in August when we again were sleeping under the stars.  As we were laying there we looked up at the sky and began to notice falling stars.  One could be spotted every couple of minutes or so.  I don’t remember how long this went on but I do know we were soon asleep, enjoying the summer night air.  Now there is nothing in my memory to let me know that this particular night was in August, but as I look back on it the realization struck me that the meteor showers happen during the month of August so I’m quite certain this particular night was in mid-August.

We’ll end this little journey for now.  Thank you for joining with me in reliving such a great time in my life.  May the remainder of your summer days be filled with joy and fond memories of times gone by, as you look forward to the days ahead.  Shalom.

Compassion

 Lazy, summer days enhance one’s cravings to lull in the shade of a tree, sipping on a cold beverage as the mind wanders off in search of meaning for life.  During this reverie words float by that are descriptive of such meaning.  Many words offer reflective moments for consideration to ponder upon but not one compelling enough to dwell on.  Then through the fog from the corners of my mind comes a word that grabs my attention, lifting me out of my trance to conscientiously muse over.  Compassion!  That’s it!  Compassion does give meaning to life.

Now comes the task of defining the word and determine how it gives us purpose.  At the moment I choose not to provide a definition as its meaning is different for each individual.  The more I ponder the more questions I have about it.  The Scriptures are filled with many passages speaking about compassion which leaves a strong indication, if not an outright requirement, to have compassion.  Here are a couple worthy of consideration:

“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”  I John 3:17 (KJV)

“..And of some have compassion, making a difference…”  Jude 22 (KJV)

Here we see that if we withhold compassion from those in need we do not have the love of God within us.  It also becomes apparent that having compassion makes a positive difference.  Does this not provide meaning to life?  

The more I think on this the more I realize a book can be written about it.  Rather than me giving a lengthy dissertation of my musings on this I would like to toss it to you to provide your thoughts on the matter.  Here are some things for you to muse over and then offer your findings for others to ponder upon.  What does compassion mean to you?  When are we to show compassion?  How is compassion demonstrated?  Should compassion ever be withheld?  Can we be compassionate to those we don’t like or love?  All right, this gives you something to start with.   Now, get ready, get set and GO – it’s your turn to muse.  Shalom.

I Want a Girl...

“I want a girl, just like the girl that married dear old dad…” so goes the song of old.  Those were the days of common sensibilities and biblical values.  It would have been unheard of for anyone to entertain even the thought of Adam wedding Steve, let alone the actuality of it.  How can it be a marriage except for one man and one woman enter into that institution?  This is the way it has been in all societies during the history of man, with very limited and few exceptions.

Now we have a minority of people demanding same gender “marriage” and calling the majority who hold fast to the world-wide, historical tradition of marriage between one woman and one man bigots, homophobes, hateful and a myriad of other derogatory names.  So what is going on here?  How in heavens name can there be such a drastic change within our system of values in such a short span of time?  Though I hold fast to this traditional mores there is something more disturbing that compels me to bring to awareness.

Whether it is about the definition of marriage, or any other arena in which there is diversity of opinion, I find it most troubling that a minority of thinking, intelligent people would demean a majority of the populace to change their moral, spiritual values through intimidation, name calling, boycotting and other forceful tactics to come into alignment with their own.  How is it that one CEO of a corporation, in an interview with a religious organization, makes a statement that he believes in marriage between one woman and one man be verbally assaulted and called hateful names?  “He has no right as a corporate leader to make such statements”.  WHAT?!  You would think this was a new idea that had never been done before and is simply preposterous to even imagine.  I thought we lived in a society of tolerance, but for some reason this simply cannot be tolerated.

I am saddened to see this attitude demonstrated by many people who are considered intelligent and caring.  I guess we should not be caring about a person who is not “politically correct”; after all they are the scum of the earth and undeserving of any decency whatsoever.  “Anyone who disagrees with me is not deserving of the freedom provided by the U.S. Constitution and I will take any means necessary to make certain there business fails.”  Whatever is wrong with taking that stance of marriage to begin with?  Was he really putting anyone down, or simply declaring what he believed is right?  Why shouldn’t he have as much right to believe what he chooses as those who would take an opposing viewpoint?  Sorry, this just doesn’t compute with my logic and reasoning.  Well, so much for the tolerance people who are very intolerant of their opponents.   They live by the “golden rule” of double standards.

Ah, for the simple life of reason and sensibilities.  Live and let live as the saying goes.  Have a good day.  Shalom