Wealth

Happiness cannot be confined to the bounds of material possessions. Losing everything is often attributed to bankruptcy and financial constraints. However, one only grasps the importance of an intimate relationship with God after one's own health has been put to the sword. My own panic attacks were so crippling that material possessions became a void in my life. I felt so foolish for placing such importance in the things I owned when in fact, it was my own mental and physical health that constituted my greatest blessing.

The possibility of never being healthy again makes you reassess your own principles. It radically redefines the way you view the world. It is a very chilling wake up call and in my case, a very necessary one. Illness will hand you a very brutal ultimatum. Remedy or death. That is your choice. There is no room for petty worries about material gain. In many cases, the remedy is a tremendous battle. It constitutes the complete attention of your entire being. The battle is won in the body, mind and spirit. Losing your footing in either of these three frontiers will most certainly lead to defeat.

I want to redefine wealth. Take a bold step and reassign wealth's measure of value. Our wealth is a reflection of our investment into our bodies, our minds and our spirits.The Dalai Lama once said: We can spend a lifetime ascertaining material things at the expense of our health and upon achieving this, we lose it all in the attempt to regain our health. The blessing of a stable mind, healthy body  and an intimate relationship with God, is your wealth.   

Psalm 37:7,16  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way... Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.

Gratitude

Gratitude beckons in the aftermath of troubled times. As individuals, we only truly realize the value in something when we lose that thing. In particular, the thing that characterizes the entire human race's ingratitude is our lack of appreciation for our own health. 

I find it  humbling when I encounter people with disabilities. Especially, those individuals whom have taken it upon their own to accept the challenge of life with a positive attitude. These people may start the race at a disadvantage but they finish stronger than the rest. It is my own concrete belief that we were all blessed from birth without fear and upon accepting Jesus into our lives we gain an extremely powerful ally. The bounty of this alliance remains fruitful throughout our lives and graciously allows us to become consciously aware of all our blessings. 

For a very long time, I felt utterly invincible. There was nothing that could go wrong. The world seemed like my kingdom. The day life side-swiped me and shook me loose from my arrogance was the day that the Lord gave me a vivid appreciation of my existence. I found new meaning in  previously "mundane" activities. My Lord Jesus gave me the gift of gratitude and in that blessing came new life. 

Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Accountability

Recently, I have become aware of a very cumbersome reality in my life. This reality is a manifestation of responsibility and a coherent awareness of my own accountability. In truth, we all fall short of perfection. Often our lives are plagued with deceitful or sinful action. However, we do not have to succumb to the shame of our actions if we are willing to take accountability for them. Essentially, it is in our brave onus of our actions that brings about change in ourselves. I refuse to pamper my past nor do I encourage myself to rationalize my present misdemeanors. I am accountable to God. 

It is foolish to delegate blame and attribute failure to external factors. I am a product of my own action and belief. The beauty of believing is your own blessing. Through your beliefs you gain credence over your actions and the peace of an honest lifestyle.


Colossians 2:1-23
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ...

Grace

I envisage a world whereby the actions of man are not governed by his own eagerness to impress himself, others or even the Almighty. This would be a world of giving. An endearing environment unspoiled by the bitter actions of egotistical individuals. More importantly, it will be a world where we are loved for our imperfections and applauded for our resolve in the honest reconciliation of these flaws. Indeed, this worlds very perfection is the acknowledgement of our imperfections. I once read that we only truly receive God's grace when we are humbled by our shortcomings. Within my perfect world, our imperfections are made known and we embrace each other in this common bond. The act of giving something that means everything to you and little to the receiver results in grace. Thus making your weaknesses known may be meaningless to another but it is the most gracious and powerful act you can do as an individual. We cannot make God love us more but we can live graciously in his love and not burden ourselves with trivial condemnation. I accept God's grace by denouncing my sins to the world and expecting little applaud but the knowledge that I am living righteously. Righteous living does not require legalism or dogma. It is simply the acceptance of God's love and acting graciously in accordance with the will of Jesus Christ. You do not need shun a secular lifestyle nor separate yourself from individuals with alternate beliefs. You will become much like a lighthouse is to a harbor and through gracious action, you will liberate those whom are lost and provide a safe haven for those whom choose to follow. 

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1: 2


Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) be to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1: 3

Trust

An expression of tender confidence in another. Living and operating by trust is sometimes a very elusive lifestyle. As a Christian, I understand the two reciprocals of life: Faith and fear. To live by faith and ignore your fears is easier said than done and the same goes for trust. To have an unhindered trust in a positive outcome means to place your confidence in Christ. I have come to realize that, when my own self-confidence is questioned, I do not place the heavy burden of indecisiveness upon my own shoulders. Instead, I choose to hand it over to God and accept the outcome as a reflection of his will. I choose to govern myself by honesty and should my honest action be detrimental to my task then I should reconsider the value of my endeavor. I place trust in this virtue because when all else is lost, my integrity will remain intact. It is through this lifestyle that a draw peace. There is no greater serenity, than the comfort of a clean conscious.

I place my devout trust in Christ, that through my honest action there shall be an honest reward. That indeed, no matter how fruitless or flavorless a life of principal may seem; it is the seeds I sow now that yield the festivities of the future. May the good Lord place his loving hand on the foundations of my life, that with time my integrity shall support and solidify an unshaken palace of paradise.

For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. Psalm 71: 5

O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.Psalm 34: 8

     

He who deals wisely and heeds [God's] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord--happy, blessed, and fortunate is he.
Proverbs 16: 20

Determination

Our courage is not defined by what we view as possible, instead it is a reflection of our desire to face impossibilities. The courage to step up from failure, to harness the reigns of your weary horse and ride into the battle of life. Not out of stupidity or madness but out of honor. It is that blessed desire that the lord gives us when we are born. That desire to make an imprint in this world, no matter the cost. We all have it. 

Walking down the street, I am overcome by the remarkable will of human beings. I notice a man burdened with the inability to walk but he chooses not to be bed ridden. I observe a blind lady eloquently attempting to find the handle of the passenger side door of her husbands vehicle. She chose to take on the world and never took a step backwards, regardless of her disability. Her courage cannot be equated to logic nor the confines of scientific reasoning. Her courage was bestowed upon her at birth by God. It is her innate desire to press forward that makes her remarkable. This is our blessing, our truth and our light. For the lord wishes us not to waste away our blessings in life. He intends for us to step forward, into the light, irrespective of the darkness that surrounds us. 

2 Timothy 4:7 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Laughter

I made tremendous progress today. I experienced the joy of laughter, unperturbed by a back drop of depressive thought. It was tremendously satisfying to acknowledge this simple achievement. To me, laughing symbolized progression and renewal. In particular, the things I found amusing were not crude or immoral. I found serenity in that moment and a profound appreciation for the healing process. My Lord Jesus has blessed me with so much to be thankful for and in the splendor of my gratitude, he allowed me to indulge in the amazing gift of laughter. Life is a blessing. Your health is a blessing and there is so much joy in living. 

Psalm 126:2 

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”