Never given always earned.

Life is constantly changing. I have left pieces of me on the battlefield for years. I have left pieces of myself with people throughout the years.  I have made bad choices with some of those people. Making bad choices goes both ways. I have had people in my life that I gave those pieces to and they didn’t treat them with care and respect. It’s a simple thing of making a bad choice and not realizing the people that truly care about you and make you a better person. We have a tendency to look past things for the superficial. Some of it is the society we live in. People have become more narcissistic. Social media makes us less connected in a real sense. People posting self pictures all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.. These things are all about the superficial and painting a portrait of who we think we should be or others think we should be rather than who we really are.

 

Give your pieces to those who know the real you and choose to accept that and stay by your side. They are the ones that help you grow and become a better person. Life is about growth and learning. It’s about giving the parts of you to the people who have earned the right to hold those parts. We will make bad choices and they will have consequences. Learn from each choice you make and judge people not by what they say or they post on social media. Judge them by their actions and how they treat you. Life starts every time you wake up. God has blessed me time and time again no matter what stupid choice I have made. It’s all part of growing and becoming the man I was meant to be. Life is short, don’t waste it wondering what you should or could of done. The Marine Corps has a saying “Never given always earned.” It’s a good rule to live by.

 

 

Changing the world? For who?

I laugh when people say "I can change the world." Really? The question I would ask "are you even the best you that you can be?" Improving who you are is a full time and lifelong venture. You will never be the best you if you spend your days dreaming about changing the world. Strive to be a better you and who knows? In the process you may inspire and change one person to do the same. If everyone were to do that then who knows what can happen.
Just remember the problem with changing the world to be "better" is that better is subjective. What is better in your mind is different from what is better in each of your friends minds. One of them might think that changing the world means we all are exactly the same and have exactly the same things. Happiness means different things to different people. If someone believes they can change the world then they have no clue of who they are. Always look inward if you want to make anything better. Oh and for all our sakes, please don't change the world unless it's my version of better!

It's fragile

Life is fragile! It can be taken away at any moment. We should be living it and not wondering "what if?" Don't live your life based on what others think or who you think you should be. Be who you are, it's good enough. Love the people who are important in your life and move on from those who are not. It is OK to be who you are. Do not forget that. It's who God made you to be. It's alright to laugh at what you find funny. It is Ok to cry at what you find sad or inspiring. Better to be true to you than what others want you to be. Do not be conformed of this world. Time is too short..

Today!

The past is irrelevant! Hopefully you have learned something from it. The future is only relevant in that it will happen! Thinking about it will not change it nor do you have any idea what tomorrow will bring let alone a year from now. Why bother worrying about it. The only thing that matters is right now! You are living in a moment that you will never get back so make it count! It’s a choice to enjoy the time you are in and live in moment with joy! It really is that simple. If you are living in the past or worrying about the future then you are not living. Everyone has or will have difficult times in their lives, but that does not mean we worry about them or dwell on them. Embrace the moment no matter what is happening in your life! You can always find things to be grateful for no matter the circumstances. Think about those things! I am not concerned about tomorrow. I know I am being guided to wherever it is I am going. I am going to be happy with the journey because that is what matters! I have made my choice and that is to be happy with the here and now. To be grateful for everything and everyone that is in my life at this moment! It really is that simple! God bless.

What it means to me!

Trying to figure out what it means to be a good Christian can be difficult for many of us. For right now I am going to say forget about Church and close your mind to all things religious. We often look at this process as a change in us. The problem is change happens from the outside in, which is a dangerous and wrong way of looking at it. It is a road to doubt because we still maintain the same fears, anxieties, and self-doubt! To have the change come from the inside this has to be an exchange. We have to allow God into us 100%! We often talk about this personal relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If you want to have the change from the inside then you need this exchange with God.  No one can tell you what your personal relationship with him should or should not be. This is why it is called your personal relationship! This requires your faith to be 100% pure! This comes before Church, the bible, and religion. We can read the words and listen to the sermon, but they will mean nothing and your life with remain unchanged without the relationship. Once you accept that relationship with the father and accept it with full faith the other things will mean so much more. The book and the words will come alive in you! That is where the renewal of your mind takes place.  Let the exchange happen through belief and the strength takes over.  Only through this exchange with our heavenly father does true transformation take place! I can attest that you will never do this on your own. Open up and believe and see what is truly possible!


Romans 10:8-10
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved

To all the mothers!

Happy Mother's Day! You are all appreciated! May your day and days to come be bright and full of happiness! May your children be grateful for all you do! May God bless you for all the sacrifices you make for the sake of your children! You are all loved!

Is hope holding you back?

Hope! It has a really nice sound and conjures up wonderful feelings inside of us. It can also be the one thing holding you back from your true purpose in life. I have caught myself recently hoping for a certain outcome of a situation. The hope turned into emotional turmoil! Every other part of my life was positive and fulfilling, but I still let the hope for that one thing hold me back. I did not realize the extent of that until yesterday. I am not saying here that hope is a negative because it is not. I would just say that maintaining a positive attitude is much more important. If you have positive thoughts and actions there will be very little reason for hope to enter the equation. When it comes to hoping someone else will change their mind about something, feel a certain way, or change as a person you need to stop yourself. If you find yourself feeling that way it means the person is bringing negative energy into your life. If you don’t feel that negative energy you will certainly feel it at some point! Drop the negative before it starts to take over your emotions and actions! You can keep the hope just don’t keep the person. We are each responsible for ourselves and maybe someday that little hope you had will come to pass. Until then we need to worry about who we are as people and what we want to become.  The best way to do this is to positively affirm what will happen in your life while being thankful for what you already have in your life. Positive affirmation has nothing to do with hope as it is a 100% belief that it will happen! Stop hoping and start doing.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever thing are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and there be any praise, think on these things.