John Harrell's Blog, page 79

Bold Christianity

We Christians should show we are people of faith by our actions, not just our words. Words without actions are hollow. Set the example for others and don’t make it about yourself.

There is much good that God provides beyond what is visible. I can take things for granted. I don’t have any way of knowing how many things God has protected me from. But I know He has.

Be bold in practicing your faith. In fact, be audacious…

Eternal

Eternal means something with no end but also no beginning. How does that happen?

We know God is eternal. Our home in eternity will have no end to it. This is hard to get my head around, but I don’t have to understand it to believe it. Just like gravity. I cannot explain it, yet I know better than to jump off a building because it wouldn’t end well!

We know there is more than what we see. The spiritual realm is real. Let’s work on focusing on what we can’t see beyond what we can see. It’s got eternal consequences…

Outward Bound

If you ever start feeling sorry for yourself, take a moment to reflect on all the good in your life. It’s there but you might overlook it because you are focused inward.

Think about others and what their needs might be. Place emphasis on meeting those needs if you are able. By doing for others your spirits will be lifted in ways I cannot describe. Soon your pity party will turn into a real party. Your moment of sorrow will be eliminated.

Our time here is limited. Leave your mark and create your legacy…

Life and Death

Yesterday I went to check on a good friend because I hadn’t heard from him. I let myself in to his house and he wasn’t on the sofa. I felt encouraged because that was his normal resting place. I walked into his kitchen and found him dead on the floor.

God knows how many days we have on this planet. We don’t have that luxury. But we are inspired to make the most of the time we are here. I don’t always do that, but I keep trying.

My friend had a history of bad health which he was working to improve on. I’m at peace with his passing away. He did live a good life, and was a blessing to many. He will be missed, and he will be remembered.

Live fully, everyone. Don’t waste the dawn…

Self Righteousness

We all know someone who thinks they know it all. When challenged, they become rude and condescending. These types of people are a real turn off.

Humility is an often underused quality. Our culture rarely honors the humble. But humble men and women are a treasure. They understand that they don’t know everything and are willing to listen and learn.

I encourage you to check your ego. Don’t allow pride to get in the way of opening your mind and heart to new possibilities. There is much to be learned…

Empathy

Nowadays I see a lot of people who label themselves as “empaths.” They believe they feel what others are feeling, no matter the circumstances.

All of us have intuition. It’s a gift from the Creator. Our intuition protects us from bad people and dangerous situations. We feel alerted in the moment.

Empathy is shared experience. Who better understands what it’s like to be married to an alcoholic than another person who is, too? The only people who know how it feels to lose a child are people who have lost a child.

The pain and struggle you have experienced in life can be used to help others. In this way, pain is a gift, too. Don’t waste it…

Mistaken Identity

We all have a past. Some of the details aren’t so pretty. We might gloss over or sugar coat them to clean them up, but they exist in our subconscious mind forever.

We also try to shake off the bad decisions from before and work to improve ourselves. Making different, better decisions can be challenging at first but it gets easier over time. It’s like building muscle. You keep stressing and stretching the muscles until they grow and you get stronger.

Still there are those people who like to remind you of your past. They can’t see you differently. When they remind you of your bad decisions, they are projecting their own insecurities onto you. Let them know that your past is your past, and you don’t live there anymore. Then ditch those people…

Pain and Void

Late yesterday afternoon I received a call from a good friend of mine. He was calling to let me know that his son had taken his own life a few days prior. I knew his son. In fact, a couple times per year “Mike” and I would catch a movie together. He was the sweetest kid you ever met, and he was only 18 years old.

Youth suicide is the #2 killer of our young people. The stressors kids are dealing with, along with the immeasurable damage caused by shutting down schools has exacerbated this malady.

Mike didn’t leave a note. In his final days he seemed happy. He was in college and had a job he enjoyed. Mike wasn’t a druggie or drinker. This one is a puzzle we may never be able to put together.

My friend and his family will forever wake up missing a valuable piece of their lives. Holidays will be different. Their pain will get better as time goes on, but the void will remain.

Be kind to everyone. We don’t know what lies beneath the surface…

Cycles

Families carry generational traditions. Keeping up with family history is part of our identity. We want to know where we are from.

Generational maladies are alive and thriving, too. Abuse, addictions and poverty are cycles that, when repeated, further ingrain the evil into our DNA. These cycles can be broken. If you were abused by your family, you know the pain it inflicted on you. Why anyone would want to carry the abuse into the next generation is beyond my comprehension.

The hard, yet simple truth is, these unhealthy cycles can be stopped. You must be willing to think differently. Seek help if necessary. Be the agent of change…

Demons

We all have our demons. When we say this we are speaking metaphorically, but demons are real beyond metaphors.

There exists a spiritual battle in another realm that is going on all around us. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t make it untrue. God commands His angels to fight for us and protect us from evil spirits. We could not fight this enemy on our own.

When we believe in God, the attacks intensify. It’s not easy being a believer. I call Christianity a blood sport.

If you are experiencing pain and struggle in your life, know the source from which they came. Rely on God to fight for you. When the battle is between God and anything else, there is no fight. He wins every time…