Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare
Does life feel more or less precarious as we watch what is going on in the Middle East? Are our conversations a minefield as we take sides and someone else takes a different side?
Do we have faith that we can deal with the challenges ahead? No one knows what is ahead, but we all know it will be different from what it is now. We see the changes coming, and many of them we don’t like, but what if changes weren’t coming? Would life be better? Better for whom?
In the game of life, there are winners and losers, and no one minds being on the winning side, but when we think we might not be on the winning side, we’d like to see no more change.
My parents lived through a lot of change, some good, some not so good, but they rode the rollercoaster of life to the end. They lived through one world war, and my grandparents lived through two. We will live through the changes coming, some we may fear but never face, and some we don’t worry about will blindside us
Is faith what will get us through? Do we have faith in ourselves, our countries, fellow citizens, governments, and faith in a higher power? Is it possible to live in a precarious world with faith to deal with what comes? Hasn’t it always been a precarious world? What can we do in our own lives to make our lives less precarious?
Being part of a strong family is a safe harbor in times of trouble. If we are resilient and able to see what is still possible and make the best of what is, life will be better than if we feel we are a victim of circumstances.
A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart. Johann Wolfgang
Victimhood does not build a good life! What is the difference between facing hard challenges and feeling like a victim? Is it when we face hard challenges that we have to find courage to deal with what is, and when we feel like victims, we don’t take advantage of what we can to make our lives better?
We are told we always have a choice, sometimes the only choice is our attitude, sometimes our choice is between two goods, and sometimes we have to choose the best of the bad. Our choices might be for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Is what we stand up for, rail against, and support, for the greatest good? Do we even know what the greatest good would be? We always come up against the unexpected consequences of our decisions. Sometimes we get good consequences from bad decisions, and we get bad outcomes out of what we thought were good choices. Will there be unexpected consequences for every change we try to make?
Do we pray for those who make the tough decisions affecting all our lives? Do we pray for discernment and wisdom to govern their actions? We know decision-makers have information we don’t have, do we trust them?
We might think we know the obvious direction we or others need to go. But we don’t know, and we can’t know what the unintended consequences of our best intentions are. Leaders are tasked with making hard decisions, even if we don’t like the decisions or think they were the best decision, we will have to live with the results. Can we get peace through strength?
If we are blessed to live in peace and safety, do our thoughts and prayers go to those facing war and strife? Is there more we can do than thoughts and prayers? Is living in peace and plenty possible for everyone?
Never let a bad situation bring out the worst in you. Choose to stay positive and be the strong person that God created you to be! Unknown
No one else can choose your attitude for you. Your perspective and choice of attitude gives you the power to be in control. Irene Dunlap
Choose the positive. You have choices, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success. Bruce Lee
Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.
