I Stepped on my Heart

I was still young when an idea formed in my head...

"I'm never getting married." I would tell everyone this 

and no one understood the reason because most children 

and young girls have this dream but it wasn't my case. 

I think it must have had something to do with the examples 

I had...

But all of that mentality changed when I was born of God 

and having a happy marriage became my dream, my goal 

and objective. 

I was dating Junior but he didn't want to follow the same 

road I was on. I wanted Jesus and he wanted the world. 

My heart yelled, kicked, didn't accept and would say that

after marriage he would change, but my mind and  God's 

word were together and stated the complete opposite. 

I stepped on my heart and it made me cry a lot, but I 

continued steady with my eyes fixed on my goal. 

I sacrificed in the campaigns of Israel but I also needed 

to take action...

I decided to leave Junior and I ended up giving him an 

ultimatum...Jesus or the world. If he chose Jesus we would 

remain together, if he chose the world, It would be time to bid 

farewell. 

That decision was painful, for you never know what the decision 

is going to be. My youngest sister-in-law did something similar 

and the guy chose the world (but don't doubt, our God is faithful 

and she is already being blessed... If she allows me, later I will 

share her story...)

Junior decided to change and today we are here together and 

living my dream come true!

It wasn't easy, it was a sacrifice in every sense and in reality the 

sacrifices today are daily, because getting married is easy, what's 

difficult is maintaining a happy marriage but my eyes remain on my 

goal...

Your Target

Look how interesting...

Lately I've been writing longer blogs, but yesterday I wrote two lines and I received more comments than in the last 10 posts put together!

I hope I'm not being annoying :)

In any case, I would like to thank all of you who gave your opinion; I'm maturing the idea of our next challenge to be initiated here on this blog. 

Now let's get to what really matters and I promise not to extend myself.... :)

I was here thinking about what I should write today and the phrase "Chain of Prayer" wouldn't get out of my head.

Chains of Prayer in the church are extremely important because they motivate us to have goals and fight for them.  

Going to church every Wednesday, Friday or Sunday, or even every day, doesn't necessarily mean we are doing a chain of prayer. The chain is only done when we have a goal, an objective that we wish to accomplish. 

But the biggest problem is when that goal doesn't exist in our lives.

Not knowing which way to go or even where we want to go, leads us to become frustrated people, unhappy and completely lost. 

Dreams are necessary, for they become our objectives, our goals. 

Do you have a dream?

Fight for it! Don't give up!

Make it your goal and go after it until you reach it. 

I had a dream like this... One day it formed in my mind... Then I believed that it was possible... It then became my goal, my own heart went against it, but I overcame. 

Tomorrow I will share a bit more about this dream. 

How about you? Have you dreamt? Have you set goals and objectives? How is your life going? Are you lost or on the right track? 

The next 40 secrets…

What’s your suggestion for our next challenge?

I already have something in mind, which I will talk about soon but first, I would like to hear from you…

The presence that makes you feel uneasy.

A sure way of making yourself feel small or feel envious is to be in the presence of someone who has grater vision than yours. “Who does she think she is?”

But the truth is that you don’t need to feel this way. You can actually choose to feel angry at the person, think she is presumptuous, use something to criticize her or realize that you are actually before someone that has something to share, that is worthy of been followed and learn from her. Who knows?  Your vision in life may grow too?

How do you react when you are in the presence of someone like this?

Consider the opposite: Be in the company of someone who has the same or even smaller vision than yours.  That is, no drive whatsoever to grow.

I read this in Bishop Renato’s blog and in very few words he mentioned an important point which makes me want to add a little here and there but the truth is that it would just spoil it!! J So, let’s just leave it as it is…

Nurture this Flower

It is said that around the year 250 B.C in ancient China, a prince of the northern region of the country was about to be crowned emperor, but according to the law he first had to get married.

In the light of this he decided to open a “challenge” to the women of the palace or whoever was worthy of this marriage.

The following day the prince announced that he would receive in a special celebration all those who wanted to marry him, and that he would then set a challenge to them.

An old lady who had served in that palace for many years, heard about the preparation for such event and felt sad because she knew that her daughter had for some time nurtured feelings of love for the prince.

When she got home she mentioned everything to the daughter, and was surprised when she told her that she intended to go to the party. In complete disbelief she said:

“My daughter, what will you do there? All the most beautiful and rich women in the land will be there…”

“Forget about this foolish idea, I know you must be suffering; but don’t turn this suffering into an act of madness.”

The daughter answered: “My dear mother, I am not suffering neither am I mad. I know I can never be the chosen one, but it is my only opportunity to be at least a few moments close to the prince, and this is enough to make me happy.

In the evening, the young woman arrived at the palace.

And indeed all the most beautiful women, with the most beautiful dresses, with the finest jewels, and the strongest of determinations, were attending this event.

Finally the prince set them the challenge:

“I will give to each one of you a seed. The one who will bring me in six months the most beautiful flower, will be chosen as my wife and empress of China.”

The proposal of the prince was rooted in the culture of that people, who valued highly the ability to “nurture” anything; be it traditions, friendships, relationships, etc…

As time went by that sweet young woman who didn’t have a lot of gardening know how, would care for that seed with a lot of tenderness and love, because she knew that if that flower would be like an extension of her love, she would have nothing more to worry about.

After three months nothing had grown.

The young woman tried everything and used all the gardening methods she knew about, but nothing had sprung up.

Day after day her dream seemed more distant from her, but her love for the prince more intense than ever.

In the end, six months had passed and there was no sign of a flower.

Knowing that she had done her best the girl told her mom that regardless of the circumstances she would still return to the palace at the agreed time, as all she wanted was the opportunity to spend some more moments with the prince.

At the agreed time there she was with her flowerpot completely empty, although all the other women were holding vases with the most beautiful flowers of different colours.

She was surprised, as she had never seen anything that beautiful.

Moments later came the time everyone was expecting. The prince examined each candidate with careful attention.

After walking past each candidate he announced that simple young lady as his future wife.

Those present were in complete shock.

Nobody could understand how he could have chosen the one who had the empty flowerpot.

And so the prince began to explain calmly:

“This young woman was the only one who nurtured the flower and is worthy of becoming an empress. The flower of honesty, because all the seeds I gave out were sterile.”

“Honesty is like a flower grown with rays of light, that lightens those who nurture it and spreads light all around.”

The Killer

If you really want to make a difference, be it at work, school, with your family, at church, etc…

Then prepare yourself!

If you really have dreams and you chase them so they will not be just dreams, but come true… A dream of getting married, opening your business, getting an education, etc…

Then prepare yourself!

The killer of dreams will come after you to kill this desire inside you. That is why, only the strong and courageous kill this deadly enemy.

You will be dealing with eyes that really appreciate the fact that you are making a difference, but you will also deal with envious eyes that will criticize every single thing you do.

If your dreams are great, know that your enemies will also be many because the killer of dreams will be firing all cylinders and using everything at his disposal to eliminate your boldness and desire to overcome.

If you become afraid, it is all over! Your dreams will never be more than just dreams.

But the strong and courageous overcome, and make all their dreams come true!

They fight and destroy the fiery darts of negative thoughts with their powerful shield of positive thoughts.

But in order to deal with those who are jealous, it is necessary to build a protective shield which of course is invisible to the eyes of the jealous ones, and when the evil comments and destructive criticism come against this shield, they are reduce to nothing…

They should be completely ignored.

Now the question that remains is:

Who have you been in this battle?

Spilt Milk

I was answering an email today, and I think it would be useful to talk about this particular subject…

You made a decision…

·      To end a relationship because you thought it was going nowhere

·      Leave a job where you worked like a slave

·      Cut ties with someone who was a bad influence to you

·      Choose a career based on the financial aspect rather than the prospects it offered

Whatever your decision was, maybe it still haunts you until today. You question yourself everyday if the choice you made was the right one or not, because you still haven’t seen the fruits of that decision.

But my question to you is: what is the point of looking to your past and thinking of what might have been? Will it change anything in your life today?

Do you know what will bring good fruits to your decision, whether it was right or wrong?

Your faith of today!

Leave all your uncertainties behind and move forward with all assurance. And even if you didn’t make all the best decisions in life, with the direction of our God, you will be able to ”move all the pawns” in your favor.

Just like the saying goes: What is the point of crying over spilt milk? It is spilt already; right?

Now just clean the cooker and drink the milk…:)

Your rose...

A man one day planted a rose and watered it constantly. Before the rose bloomed he examined its growth and saw that it would soon blossom. But he also noticed the thorns on the stem and he thought to himself: “How can a beautiful flower like this come from a plant surrounded by thorns?”

Saddened by this thought, he refused to water the rose from that day onwards. And before the rose could blossom; it died.

This example shows what has happened to many people.

It’s as if inside of us there is also this beautiful rose: the qualities given by God and planted in us amid our mistakes and flaws. Many of us look to our inner self and can only see the thorns and mistakes.

If we despair, thinking that no good can come from within us and refuse to water the good that is within us, it will die.

Many people cannot see the rose within themselves.

One of the most beautiful and wonderful things that exist within those that love God, is the capacity to love in spite of all the thorns, and still be able to see the rose that exists in everyone…

Next time you look at your mom, sister, friend… Look at the rose that exists inside them. Help them to see this as well and ignore the thorns, because all of us have them as also.  

Spilt Milk and Food on the Floor

A weak and frail man moved in with his son, daughter in law, and grandson who was four years old.

This old man’s hands were shaky due to old age, his sight was blurry, and he walked with an uneasy step.

The family would eat at the table, but this granddad’s trembling hands and blurry eyesight made the task of eating extremely difficult. At dinner peas fell off his spoon onto the floor. When he took his glass of milk, he spilt the contents on the tablecloth and his son became extremely irritated by all this.

“We have to do something about granddad.” The son said.

“We have had enough of him spilling milk everywhere, making too much noise while he eats, and his food going all over the floor.”

So the husband and wife prepared a small table in one corner of the dining room. The granddad ate there alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dining table together.

Since the granddad had broken a couple of plates, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family would glance at the old man, they would sometimes notice his teary eyes because he was alone in that corner.

Even so, the only words the couple would tell him were ones of stern disapproval every time he would drop a fork or spill food onto the floor.

One evening, the four-year-old grandson was playing on the floor with some surplus pieces of wood he had found in the house.

His dad noticed he was playing on his own and so he asked:

“What are you doing?”

The boy answered:

“I am making a wooden bowl for you and mom to eat from when I grow up.”

Very powerful message, isn’t it?

The Cactus and the Caterpillar. “That’s not what I Asked for!”

Once upon a time, a certain man asked God to give him a flower… and a butterfly.

But God gave him a cactus… and a caterpillar.

The man became very sad because he didn’t understand why God answered his request incorrectly.

He thought to himself: “Maybe it is because there are so many people asking him things all the time…” He then decided not to give it anymore thought.

After some time, the man went to check on the forgotten result of what he had asked from God.

To his surprise the once prickly cactus now had the most amazing flowers.

And the unsightly caterpillar had become a beautiful butterfly.

God never makes mistakes. His ways are always right, even if to our eyes everything seems to be going wrong.

If you asked God for something but received something else, trust in Him.

Believe that He will always give you what you need; at the right time. 

What you want is not always what you need… Since He is never wrong when He answers your prayers, look ahead without complaining or doubting.

The thorn of today… is the beautiful flower of tomorrow 

Still thinking about butterflies

One day a child was observing a small opening in butterfly cocoon.

After observing for a while, she noticed the butterfly struggling and flapping her wings so that the whole would get bigger and she could then exit through that opening.

Hours later, not much had happened, she was still battling with her wings but there was still not enough space for it to push through.

Then the boy decided to give the butterfly a helping hand. He got a pair of scissors and opened it very carefully and the butterfly came out easily. Its body was small and its wings did not have enough strength to hold itself.

He continued observing the butterfly waiting to see her wings opening and stretching, ready to fly. But nothing happened…In fact the butterfly spent the rest of her life incapacitated / disabled, crawling with her body withered and shriveled wings. It was never going to be able to fly.

What the child could not understand, in his willingness to help, was that the tight cocoon and the effort needed from the butterfly to come out of it, was a way of strengthening its wings so it could fly.

Difficulties, mistakes and challenges (even though we may not like it) mold us, strengthen us and make us become better and better….There is no use in trying to find shortcuts or avoid sacrifices. 

How chic!

The term chic has never been used to describe people as much as in these last times.

The truth is that no one is chic by default. And some good things in life are just not for sale.

Elegance is one of them.

Thus to be chic, you need much more than a closet full of famous labels.

What makes a person chic?

I believe that it’s not what the person possesses but the way she deals with life and people around her.

Just look at these examples…

Being chic is keeping the tone of your voice down.

Those who don’t look to call people’s attention with their loud laughter, or with their deep cleavages, or by bragging about their achievements even when these are true.

Chic is to attract friends even without trying, because you gleam from within.

Chic is being discrete, not asking insinuating questions or making assumptions, or trying to find out what is none of your business.

It is refusing to follow the national trend of throwing litter on the street.

Being chic is greeting the concierge of the building where you live and saying good morning to people travelling with you in a lift.

It is remembering your friend’s birthday.

Being truly chic, it’s never overdoing anything!

Not in drinking, eating or in the way you dress.

Chic, it is to look in the person’s eyes when talking to them.

It is to “switch of the radar”,” the telephone”, when at the restaurant, to pay real attention to whoever is with you.

Chic is honoring your word, being grateful to whoever helps you, correct with whoever you deal with and honest in your business.

Chic is not drawing attention to yourself even when you are the guest of honor for the evening.

Chic is not being deceived by plastic surgery…when one tries to correct his character: there is no plastic surgery that can correct rudeness, incompetence, lies, fraud, aggressiveness, intolerance, atheism…being false.

But to be chic, really chic, you must, before anything; remember how life is short and that at the end of the day; we will all end up the same, dead and unable to take any material possessions along with us.

Therefore, do not waste your energy with what has no value, do not despise the important people around you and do not accept doing anything that will not do you any good or that it is not correct.

Remember: the devil seems to be chic but hell has no glamour! Because at the end of the day, to be truly chic is to believe in God!

PS. I received this message from a friend and decided to share it.