JUDGE NOT!

Met a friend of a friend, the other day, someone I'm not by nature attracted to, therefore it can be a challenge when the person takes on a righteous attitude to something or other.

I know and believe that we are not meant to judge...

'Judge not and you shall not be judged'

... however it can be hard when feeling are roused and one wants to say out exactly how one feels, for better or worse.

Then I am reminded of how it is for each one of us with God, and how we are treated so kindly and compassionately.

After all, who is ready to cast the first stone?

I will not judge!

PERSEVERE

To persevere at anything means commitment.

When we show a willingness to stick at something, whatever it might be, we give 'back-bone' to our lives and become a better person.

One of the challenges of being a Christian is to perserve in following in the footsteps of Christ.

A good person I know would often say, 'What would the Nazarene do?'

When I ask myself that question, I'm often surprised at the answer I get.

For some people, perseverance relates to sacrifice, and it may well do so, yet it's good to bear in mind that God is a loving, compassionate Father who wants us to be happy and to enjoy life.

This could be one of the reasons why perseverance pays off. A person who can commit and continue in their commitments will be unburdened and happy with life.

Perseverance may well be the key to happiness.

WELCOME

To be open to change, it's very important to welcome whatever is new in our lives.

We are presented with new people / new ways of doing things / new opportunities to learn and develop our talents.

A welcome heart will make it easy to accept and even embrace the NEW. After all, God wouldn't like us to grow stale, or be bored with life.

Therefore out of love for us, He will allow challenges to come our way.

Do we / can we welcome them?

The choice is up to us.

LOVABLE!

There is an inherent weakness in the human race, the fact that we have a need for love.

Some find this need fulfilled in a relationship with another person or persons.

Others go directly to what they believe is the Source of Love, God Himself.

Each path we take will lead us on to an invitation to become lovable.

This invitation is dependant on our relationship skills. Just how do we get on with others?

How comfortable are we with ourselves?

How open are we to God, and the call of LOVE?

We are naturally drawn to a lovable person. Becoming this person is the best challenge we can put to ourselves.

Perhaps, in aiming at becoming lovable we will learn to discard the petty things that separate people from one another.

We will become Love.

PAY ATTENTION!

There is such an amount of knowledge available today. All we have to do is pay attention, listen and learn.

Knowledge is at our finger-tips, yet if we don't turn on the computer then how can we access this mine of information offered to us.

To pay attention means focusing on what we want to learn, with patience and trust in the 'teacher' whoever they might be.

In the spiritual life, we have the best Teacher of all, willing and able to guide us along the path of life.

Wisdom is ours, just for the asking.

If we pay attention, all will be given to us. That is a promise.

LIBERTY

All through history we are reminded of the need for Liberty. People were willing to sacrifice their lives in the name of Liberty and Freedom.

I wonder what liberty means to the ordinary person today?

Does it mean having the freedom to do what we like / when we like etc.

True Liberty relates to the soul of a person, to the ability to be true to ourselves / to live a life of high morals, whatever the cost.

Have we that freedom? Do we value liberty, and are we willing to pay the price for the gift of a liberated life?

No one can answer these questions for us. It will take a bit of soul-searching to come up with truthful answers.

DREAMERS

It's easy to put labels on people; some people come across as a worker / another person we see as a dreamer.

It can be easy to measure a person's success according to their achievements, and yet, only God can be the judge of who is the better person.

We see the outside / God sees the inside.

The best way to 'judge' another person ( if we dare to do so) is by how well they love.

Perhaps the dreamer is more able and willing to be guided by their heart and not their head.

Some say, it's the dreamers and poets who 'shake' the world.

We could all do with a bit of creative shaking, so let's dream on and follow our dreams!

COMPOSURE

Being composed is a state of peace; a result of good thoughts and actions.

When life hits us with difficulties and challenges, it's good practise to take time out to relax, even for a moment.

So easy to become disturbed by the world around us. We can be led astray by our own interests and desires.

The person who can reach a state of composure is someone who listens more to their heart than their head.

What does our heart tell us?

Surely it's all about love and being gentle, both with ourselves and others. The person who is composed is like a rock of stability. Others can find support and encouragement with such a person.

Christ says, 'Come to Me... '

Let's do just that, then we can be a light for others.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all who are linked into the Servants of Love Community web,

theservantsoflove.com

may we wish you a very happy and healthy New Year 2011.

Time has such a habit of running away... we tell ourselves that we have plenty of time to follow our dreams, yet have we?

NOW is a good time to get started. Often this is the hardest part to do, simply to begin our new habits and endeavours.

Whatever they might be, all we have to do is lift the 'little foot' / take a step forward and we have begun!