John Harrell's Blog, page 18

Don’t Believe the Lies

We lie to ourselves. We convince ourselves that we are better at some things than we are. That’s just bragging. Or maybe some tequila convinces us we can dance really well! We can’t.

The worst lies we believe are the ones that condemn us to an unfulfilled life. We deceive ourselves into thinking we have no talent, no intelligence, no confidence, and we talk ourselves into believing we don’t have the power to change. We have everything we need to change.

Enough. Let this be the dividing line of your life. God created all of us and He doesn’t make junk. God never second-guesses himself, either. We were created for a greater purpose. There is nothing random about your life.

I encourage you to stop believing the lies and start believing in yourself. You are capable of doing whatever God created you to accomplish.

Believe in yourself. When others criticize you or put you down, remember this: they don’t have the final word about your life…

Creation

Everything you see around you, from the building you work in to the chair you are sitting in right now were an idea in someone’s mind. All creations began with a thought.

The greatest honor of my lifetime has been to be a father to two sons. It was a role I never saw coming in the way it turned out. I finally knew what unconditional love was. It’s indescribable. It’s something you can only feel by experience.

This is how God feels about us, His creation. In many ways my relationship with my children resembles my relationship with God. I don’t always listen or obey, but nothing I can do will stop God from loving me. Faults and all.

Creating two unique humans with different personalities is a miracle. The odds of a woman getting pregnant are stacked against her. Yet, through the gift of God it happens. Over 100 billion times it has happened.

Look around. Everything you see is a miracle. Try to see life through the eyes of God…

Passively Aggressive

Are you making things happen in your life, or is your life merely happening while you’re in it? There’s a lot to experience out there.

Some people have made political commentary the focus of their lives. They get so focused criticizing everything that they miss out on life. One guy I know forgot his son’s birthday because he let his hatred of the current administration overwhelm him. Such a loss. Sad, actually.

Get out of your comfort zone. Go to an art museum, a library, a new restaurant, or a traveling exhibit. If you don’t know anything about art, you can learn. And your brain will benefit because you will be opening new, exciting neural pathways.

Remember to take some time to be quiet as well. We need both activity and quiet.

Don’t let life pass you by. One day it will all be over. Make things happen…

Enough

Have you had enough? Enough negativity. Enough self-delusion. Enough unfulfilled expectations. Enough of people who aren’t good for you.

Good! When you are fed up with all the bullshit, you are ready to make a change. Growth is very hard. It becomes easier when you have a reason to grow. Then you are working towards something, a better version of you.

On the opposite side, you can never have enough joy, enough peace, enough contentment and enough love for yourself.

Accept nothing less. And keep people away who refuse to live up to your expectations…

What’s Happening?

Life is busy. Theres work to do, phone calls and emails to return, kids activities, and sleep when you can get it. The treadmill slows down sometimes but never stops.

We have morphed into a society that says your value comes from being the busiest person around. Being busy doesn’t increase or decrease your worth. There is great value in being able to find some peace in your life. You aren’t required to be on the move all the time.

Contentment brings peace. When you take a moment to consider all the good in your life, you will find a different level of fulfillment. Instead of chasing, you are appreciating.

Make a commitment to turn the treadmill off for a period of time regularly. Find contentment in the quiet. The treadmill can always be restarted…

Scammers

It seems like I receive a scam attempt every day. They come from everywhere: text messages, email and phone calls. I sometimes wonder how many people fall for this stuff.

There are some very bright people behind the trickery. They put a lot of thought and energy into cheating others. What a waste. If these people would use their creativity for good rather than evil, there’s no telling how far they could go.

Be aware, and be careful. It only takes one slip up to get scammed…

Who Do You Love?

I have read multiple studies that say over 85% of adults in the United States don’t like themselves. They look in the mirror and want to turn away from their own image. This goes beyond just physical appearance.

Self-acceptance is something you must work on if this is a struggle for you. I’m not suggesting an inflated ego or false confidence. Merely accepting yourself and who you were created to be is a good first step.

The challenges life has thrown your way can become obstacles to a healthy self image. When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to make your mark on the world. Then life threw you some curves and perhaps you allowed them to shake your confidence.

No more. This is the dividing line of your life. There is nothing random about your life. You aren’t here as the result of a whimsical, careless Creator. There is a great purpose attached to your existence. Don’t quit until you find it. Then act on it.

You might have been knocked around in life. Most of us have been. But you are still in the game unless you decide you don’t want to be.

Keep going…

Vanished!

We clean our homes when we want the dust and dirt to be gone. Make it vanish, so to speak.

Magicians and illusionists cause things to disappear before our eyes. We do our best to figure out how they do it, but we aren’t successful in our efforts.

Why can’t we make bad things go away?? Sometimes things happen and we just can’t get our heads around why. Upon occasion, things occur because we made a regretful decision. There are no do overs in life.

Bad things and awful people won’t go away on their own. But we can get the process started…

Targets

Bullseye! This word is like magic when you’re in a shooting contest. You hit the center of the target.

In today’s world, certain groups have had targets placed on them. Most of them are unwarranted and unwarranted. Tesla owners have seen their cars get keyed or painted with swastikas. What good that could come from this is a mystery, but it’s never okay to intentionally damage someone’s property.

During his time, Jesus had a target on his back. In Jesus’ case, he was targeted by the religious leaders not the criminals. In fact, some of the criminals were followers of Jesus (more on that in a future piece). Jesus didn’t care. He was on a mission given to him by the Father.

People seek attention, thereby becoming targets themselves. That’s fine. If fame is what you’re looking for, make sure that when someone hits the bullseye they are spreading goodness into the world…

Clairvoyant

A clairvoyant is someone who claims to be able to predict future events. While there have been some people who have been successful at this, occasionally, their long term track record is suspect.

Charlatans have taken advantage of people ever since the beginning of time as we know it. I’m not talking about the prophets. They never missed the mark. I mean the palm readers and the people who hold seances. These types are using people.

If you want to know your future, here’s some bad news. You won’t. Think back ten years ago. Did your life change in ways you couldn’t have predicted? Of course it did. If our future was revealed to us by a supernatural force, we wouldn’t understand it.

God holds our futures in His hands. Let’s leave it to Him who already has everything figured out. God doesn’t need our help, nor does He share His plans with the clairvoyants…