To Find That Loving Feeling


A man walked among the living wondering why he wasn’t living, where life got lost for him. He looked into the faces of the people he passed on the streets he walked in his life. He thought to himself that surely in one of these faces he would find the look that he seemed to have lost so long ago. His life seemed to be about making it through the day of his existence so that he could sleep at its end and begin the same day again yet on a different day. In his hopelessness, he didn’t realize that what he was looking for was just that, hope.

The man looked for the why of his lack of joy and hope and never realized that in the search of the why he remained entrenched in the mire of the problems that continue to rob him and strip him naked in the pits of despair. Somewhere on the streets of his life he bought the lie that life is a problem and his goal is to continue to suffer in the birthing pains of life that it brings forth in our journey. He has forgotten that hope, love, and joy are the medicine that heals the pains of life.

When I was young, I adapted the saying, “Life’s a struggle and then you die”. I bought into that lie so many years ago and at times, that lie creeps into my brain and slowly takes the power of joy, hope, and love. If we are not careful, the scripts of negativity and helplessness will invade our self talk and tear from our souls what God has sewn into the fibers of our identity; the reality of His greatness that He has planned for us before we were even a thought in the minds of our parents.

We can so easily become the wondering “man” who has given up hope and who searches for something in the eyes of others. We can buy into false prophets who sell their false potions and fake ideas in an attempt to only promote their own wealth and agendas.  The media, our churches, our schools, our politics, are full of false self fulfilling prophets ever so eager to take what you are eager to give, in the sake of a cause.

We all have our cross to carry, and in that cross, lies the truth, the real messge, the authentic Savior in a life that hasn't really changed much, except for appearance, throughout the centries of time.   As he watched his fellow prisoners fall from starvation and disease, or beated down at the end of whips and rifle butts, or marched into the gas chambers, Victor Frankle discovered the meaning of mans existence, to love, to hold onto the hope of love, and that man must dwell in the spiritual realm of God, what the SS guard could not destroy. 

Today, as you walk the streeets of this planet, hold firmly to the loves of your life, to the love of Christ, to the love of your Creator, standing firm in what no man nor machine nor monster on this earth can touch.  Allow Love to heal what life has damaged and embrace what God has provided.  Let the survival of the past fade as the storms fade into peace and sunlight of yesterday, letting life embrace your here and now in the Love of God, which is eternal.

(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You Saw What?

Image
That old saying about opinions surely applies to perceptions. You and I can visually see the same thing and have different perceptions. And this applies to what we hear, experience, and belief. I perceive the cold and beauty of winter as that of a child, with excitement and joy, whereas my friend might experience this as misery and confinement. And then, the cost of heating and the fear of freezing could be a completely different and drastic impression to others. In my opinion, I only know of one absolute. Most everything else is perception. It seems to me that we quickly, and oh so easily, fall into the belief that our perceptions are fact and in many cases, especially for those of us with higher degrees of control needs and rigidity, fail or refuse to see past what we feel. As I listen to people around me, in my interactions, I am aware of how perceptions interfere with the ability to truly hear and understand others. I heard a person once state, “They’re my feelings and so their
Read more

Worthy and Wanted

Image
Many of us attempt to start our days each day in a positive manner, with a direction that will guide us in a meaningful and healthy manner throughout the remainder of the day. Some begin with exercise, others coffee (yes, coffee is very meaningful), others some form of relaxation, others meditation, and others prayer, or a combination of more than one. Beginning our days in a purposeful manner helps us to manage and resist the coming anxiety and stress that life in the real world brings. In beginning a day, I came along a prayer from another person, penned anonymously, in a daily reading, which was simple and yet so complex. It read, “I pray that I may never make anyone feel repulsed or unwanted”. Sounds good, sounds simple, sounds easy enough. And then, when I contemplate the depth of such a prayer, I realize the true difficulty of such a prayer. A similar prayer echoes through my mind, “Lord, help me to return to this bed causing as little harm as possible throughout my day”. Such
Read more

Life without Coffee - No Way

Image
Life is full of pleasures. I have tasted many of them in my journey. On the top of my list of life pleasures is coffee. Oh, I suppose if I were to be honest, to me, coffee is a true gift from God. To me, coffee is more that just a drink, more than just something that electrifies my day, kicking my brain and body into action. Coffee has evolved for me into a true life pleasure, to share with friends, to selfishly enjoy alone, to sip the hot liquid and enjoy the sweet aroma, sitting on my deck, on my couch, alone and with another one of my life’s pleasures; Solitude. Not all of the pleasures I've tasted in my life have been good for my soul. Many of those past pleasures have turned into haunted memories I do my best to banish into the dark corners of my existence, not forgetting them, just not allowing them much space in by being. The tricks of life’s pleasures are that they don't announce to the taster their potential damages to the body, mind, and spirit. One of my first stud
Read more