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Continuing to live or exist depends on many factors, in my opinion. You see reality shows with the theme of survival, but that is superficial, if you ask me. Excerpts from my first book called “Sticks and Stones” reads as follows, “Abraham Maslow wrote in 1943, “A Theory of Human Motivation” where hierarchy of needs were described. The first immediate needs for human survival are basic food, water, warmth and rest then security and safety. Once these needs are met a sense of belonging and accomplishment comes next. Finally, self-fulfillment needs can be achieved… Basic needs are essential for our very survival. The rule of threes is essential to sustain life. We cannot live without oxygen for more the 3 minutes, water 3 days, food 3 weeks and depending on the temperature in your environment most of us would not survive long.” What is my point here?

In a previous blog post back in February, 2016 called “Water, Word, Action”, I pointed out that we need water to survive, but we also need to be active. In my opinion, ultimate survival, is the combination of the act of baptism and the Word or God made flesh, living among us. In Acts 8:14-17, people were baptized in water. That was just the first step as those same people needed to receive the Holy Spirit. Even Jesus was baptized (Luke 3: 21,22), but until the Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove, there could not have been sanctification. Water without the word is just cleansing the outside body, but with the Word becomes an inner cleansing of our souls. Remember your baptism!

T

A way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination. That is one definition of a route. But, what does that mean to our destination in life? Everything! In my opinion, we can stay in a state of childhood and expect everything to be given to us. If things do not go our way, we throw a temper tantrum. But, we can be in a state of maturity and consider carefully the route we take. As mentioned in my last post, we need to be flexible enough to accept growth inwardly, before we can show maturity, outwardly. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to grow into an emotional mature person. One of the attributes of maturity is to have vision beyond just what we presently know and then consider alternatives. Not everything is as it appears. I believe we need to consider our actions in conjunction with the actions of others, then make informed decisions. Politics, advertising, media sources are all about influencing us to choose a route. The destination at the end of the route may not be what we were led to believe. Who’s fault is it? Those who deliver false messages or us who do not consider all of the facts? I challenge myself this year to become a better listener to understand the facts and with that knowledge, have the vision to choose the correct route. Will you accept that challenge, as well? Matthew 2:12 says, “Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.”

I encourage you to read more for yourself to learn from the magi who experienced an intuitive grasp of realty or epiphany. Happy New Year and Happy Epiphany. T

Each year immediately after Christmas day, there seems to be a moment of reflection as we complete one year and prepare for a new year. Perhaps, it is just my perception, but I suspect many of us consider this period different than any other time in the year. We have been busy preparing for the big Day. Afterwards, it may seem to be a let down. Many of us have to go back to work to pay for what we just spent. We have tax deadlines to meet in order to get all those last minute deductions. We reflect on how much food we ate and set goals to loose all that extra weight. This year has reached its maturity but have we? O well, there is always next year. Right?

You can find a lot of information on the internet regarding maturity. One interesting article list 12 attributes defining emotional maturity. (www.liveyourtruestorey.com) I believe we can choose to live as a child doing childlike actions all of our lives or we can choose to grow. I am guilty of non-growth periods in my life and ashamed to admit perhaps a few times where I went backwards in my emotional maturity efforts. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to humble our self to accept growth. We need to be flexible enough to accept growth inwardly before we can present a state of maturity outwardly. Whatever our New Year’s resolution we claim outwardly this year, we must believe in our selves first before broadcasting to others.

There maybe times when people we know or love dislike us. The reasons may be simple or complex but if we dwell on the dislikes, we will certainly miss the likes. We need to show compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We need to be tolerant and show willingness to forgive. Most important, we need to love which is the perfect bond of unity. (Colossians 3:12-14) If we concentrate on these attributes, the number of people who dislike us will be reduced. I believe we should not be in a contest to achieve likes for the sake of recognition. Instead, we should be in a state of maturing where we like ourselves, believe in ourselves and become more approachable.

Two stories in the old and new testaments have helped me to understand maturity. Samuel was a young boy given to Eli as an apprentice to serve the Lord. The boy kept growing up (maturing) and was more and more liked by both the Lord and the people. (1 Samuel 2:18-26) Jesus was only 12 years old when he went to Jerusalem with his parents for the Passover Festival. He stayed behind to listen and question with an understanding of the answers. His parents were not happy with his 3 day absence. Jesus had the maturity even at that age to be patient and tolerant. He continued to mature in wisdom and years in favor with God and with people. (Luke 2:41-52) We can learn from these stories the state of maturity. I encourage you to learn the attributes of maturity. If we all practice and grow together, in my opinion, we can overcome many obstacles holding us from full maturity. Happy New Year!

T

Every one knows what this notation means, “:)”, right? Well, I would guess that 99% of people who use their smart phones, use notations like this one. For the 1% who do not use or even know what an emoji is, this notation signifies an emoji smile. 😊 “A smile is formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. It is believed it takes about 42 muscles to smile. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a “Duchenne smile”.” Wikipedia  The actual number of muscles needed to smile as opposed to frown noted, “:(” , is subject to debate. Some say it takes 43 muscles to frown, ☹, and only 17 to smile. Our facial expression delivers a non-verbal message. I would like to believe it is better to deliver a welcoming message than one saying stay away from me. A frown may send such a negative message that we repulse instead of attract people. I have heard it said that if you are happy or glad, then we should notify our face. During this most festive of seasons, why are so many people appearing to be frowning? Perhaps, all we need to do is look into the mirror to see what expression we are presenting to the public. Are we thinking about that expensive gift we just bought? Maybe, we can not even afford to buy the gift but buying it anyway because that is what’s expected. Maybe, we are experiencing a loss of a loved one or a job and cannot imagine what the new year will bring. So when we least expect it, our frown reveals our inner feeling. In my opinion, I think it takes a very special effort on our part to smile or be glad. Maybe, it is not the amount of muscles we employ to 😊 or ☹ that we should concern ourselves. Instead, maybe it is the amount of effort we choose to be glad always. In Philippians 4:4-7, we are reminded to be glad in the Lord always. We should be gentle in our treatment to everyone. We should not be anxious about anything as we should bring our requests to God along with giving thanks. “Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.” A smile is an outer expression of our inner efforts to be glad. Whereas, a frown is an outer expression of our inner sadness. T