In my experience,,, there is one basic truth that is pretty much universal in this world !!!

Effort = Reward

There are all kinds of rewards,,, mental,,, spiritual,,, financial,,, physical,,, praise,,, accomplishment,,, satisfaction,,, promotion,,, happiness- You name a reward and there is most probably an effort requirement behind it !!!

It also applies that,,, The greater the effort,,, The greater the reward for accomplishment !!!

In the Bible the point is : (2 Corinthians 9:6) whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Growing up on a farm,,, I learned this concept early on- We raised animals and crops,,, if we didn’t feed the animals and care for their well-beings (effort) as they grew, they would not develop and provide for our family- The same with the crops,,, no planting,,,, no harvesting,,, no watering,,, no harvesting,,, no harvesting,,, no food for the animals and family on the farm- Pretty basic ,,, no effort,,, no rewards ,,, food, shelter, clothing, money, happiness !!! Life !!!

So what’s my point ??? In this world, right now, of unrest, political upheaval, lost jobs, separated families, financial hardships and pretty much hopeless outlooks,,, what can we do ???

Well,,, we have to look past what is now and find a reward we want for the future !!! Something we can work toward and cling to, focus on and depend on to give us back our hope and direction !!!

My hope is in Jesus Christ,,, but that, as well, takes effort,,, He just doesn’t happen- I need to study his word,,, believe in what he is (Son of God) and believe he can save me and give me back my hope and peace- I need to talk with him (Pray) and listen for his response and guidance (Conviction) above the noise of this world- I must also take action to follow his guidance and repent and change what he convicts me of !!! Because he is not of this world, he will take us out of this world,, both now spiritually and in the future heavenly ,,, but I have to make the effort to achieve his rewards !!!

If you make the effort and believe and accept him,,, you will reap bountifully and the problems of today will not necessarily go away,,, but you will be able to deal with them with a peaceful happy heart-

I guarantee, that if you turn to him, he will provide you simple answers to the most difficult of your problems and worries !!!

Believe me it works !!!

God Bless Your Day !!!

Friends,,, we all have them ,,, right ??? Some good friends and some not so good friends,,, some not enough friends and some too many friends,,, but we all know something about friendships – In my experience there are a few basic characteristics/actions that are necessary to have best friends,,, the ones that are above and beyond,,, so to speak !!

So what are these qualities that are required,,, (in my mind),,, to have or to be a “Best Friend”.

Well you have to have a desire to be a friend to that person, you have to want to be their friend as well- You have to be willing to give and forgive and to bite your tongue on those occasions when they are having a bad moment or bad day !! You need to just be there when they are silently calling you !! It will take time so you have to be patient as you build a relationship and start to feel what and how they feel,,, not necessarily agreeing to everything they feel or think,,, but to just start to feel it inside !! You have to be able to apologize and except an apology when needed- This is the bases for a good start,,, but there is one thing that I feel is the most important to a best friend relationship ,,,, P-a-r-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n ,,, Participation !!!

You have to actively take part in this friendship,,, spend time with them,,,, listen to them,,, talk with them,,, laugh and cry with them,,,, you have to be there when they need you ,,, even if you are oceans or miles apart !!! I believe that this is the most essential to a lasting friendship !!!

In this day and age it is a lot easier to stay in touch, with all the social media and electronics ,,, but you still have to make the effort,,, constantly !!!

This was one of my main shortcomings ,,, make the effort !!! I was a one-sided friend a lot of the time with people that I really valued as friends- There were times when I could feel their pain,,, but didn’t respond,,, I knew inside I needed to be there,,, but didn’t respond,,, I needed to reach out and touch base,,, but didn’t respond… and over time that valued friendship drifted away- It turned from a flame to a cool ember !!!

It is said that “time cures all” but it can also “destroy a friendship if you let it pass for too long without participation”

But here is the good news,,, if it was a true best friend,,, then there is still,,, most likely, an ember deep down in side of that person for you !!! But if you are the cause,,, as I was,,, you have to make the first move !! Swallow your pride and sincerely apologize and confess your shortcomings to them- It is hard I know, as no one really is comfortable admitting they were wrong- Take the heat, so to speak, and make the effort,,, if they were a true friend ,,, that effort will spark that ember and they will open the door to reconciliation !!!

When that happens,,, humble yourself and make a sincere effort to actively participate going forward !!! It isn’t easy ,,,, I know for sure !!!!

Having said all this,,, there is one true friend that has always been with me,,, through thick and thin,,, through the hard times and the good times,,, through my running away and arrogance and my selfishness, self-reliance lone wolf world dream,,, He was always there when I called !!! It is the Lord Jesus Christ !!!!

He didn’t always give me what I wanted,,, but he supplied what I needed,,, including discipline at times !!!

How do you gain Jesus as a true best friend,,, well the basics are just the same- You have to want to be his friend,,, you have to believe he is who he is,,, you have to be willing to ask forgiveness from him and admit you fall short of the mark- You have to learn about him and talk with him and listen for his response and guidance and actively try and follow his guidance !!

As you accept him and grow in him,,, he will grow in you and always,,, always be there for you and will fill you with a peace inside that is beyond comprehension, to us as human-

The frosting on this great cake and relationship is that you will go to heaven to spend eternity with him in perfect harmony,,, again beyond our comprehension !!!

God Bless Your Day !!!

I was setting in a mall today having a coffee in an area where there is all kinds of things for kids to enjoy,,, remote cars they can ride in with parents controlling them, cotton candy, big plastic floor chess game in the middle they can move around and a little train they can ride around the mall on !!!

As I was watching all this activity I noticed that most all of the people with the kids would turn from a solemn face to a smiling, happy, laughing expression- Almost without exception !!! You could just see the joy in their hearts as they interacted with their children playing and riding with all the other children and people – The atmosphere of the whole area changed into an area of fun and respect for the other people and children !!! It was truly inspiring !!! I set and watched for a long time at the change in people as they got involved with their children !!!!

Just imagine how different the world might be if we all carried that feeling of joy and happiness out into the rest of the world around us each day ???

I am not talking about walking around with a big fake grin on our face or getting into someone’s space with idle conversation or false concern,,, I am just talking about a small smile or quite hello as you pass by without really expecting anything in return- You might be surprised what happens,,, especially over time !!

Along the same line ,,,, each morning, for about a year now, I have been going down stairs to a small coffee vendor in my building- There is a couple of chairs down there beside the elevator setting in front of a big window looking out onto the street and sidewalk,,, I call it my virtual TV into the outside world !!

It opens at about 08:00 and people start coming into work – I started just saying hello to the people as they came to the elevator with their work faces on- As we all know,,, your work face/attitude can change a lot from Monday to Friday !!! I knew basically none of these people- At first I would, for the most part, maybe just get a look like who is this guy,,, or maybe a bit of a smile- But over time most all of the people now say hello and talk about the weather or something out in my virtual TV world – It is pretty amazing actually !!!

So here is my point from these experiences,,, what if we all just made a small effort to add a bit of joy to a strangers day – You can do that with just a sincere smile or quite hello ( in my experience,,, attempt to make eye contact with that smile or hello,,, it allows them to feel that you are associating/conversing with them and not just a cold crowd approach) !!!

Its the ole Golden Rule command from Jesus,,, “Do Unto Others as You would have Others Do Unto You” !!! It really still works, even in is torn up world right now !!!

May God Bless Your Day !!!

How do we stay positive in this world of constant change. This is unlike anything I have experienced in my 71 years on this earth of living/traveling/working around the world ??? Politics in Choas, Pandemics, Wars, Destructive Weather, Jobs lost, Loved Ones passing on or ill, Countries in Chaos !!! How can we even begin to stay positive and hopeful ???

Well I have to use Golden Butterflies to calm and energize myself at times !!! Have you ever watched a butterfly flutter around, Beautiful colors flashing up, down, in the shade, in the sun, here one moment and gone the next- It is hard for me to watch a butterfly and not feel a calming effect !!!

So here is how I cope with all the unknown, unpredictable and unmanageable things that are going on all around me today !!!

Golden Butterflies in my mind !!!

I dwell/concentrate on some of the most comforting, happy and pleasant experiences from my life and turn each one into a Golden Butterfly in my mind- It may be that first kiss, first love, singing songs with my baby daughter on my lap, first daughters step, seasonal spirit, first driving experience, first horseback ride, standing by a waterfall and feeling the calming and yet exhilarating effects of it, first time I accepted Jesus into my life and realized deep in my heart that I would never be alone again !!!

These are some of my Golden Moments that I have turned into Golden Butterflies fluttering around in my Mind’s eye. As I dwell on these Golden Butterflies, my other senses click in and participate as well,,, I smell/remember the scents of that experience, see the surrounding where I was at that moment, hear the sounds that surrounded me at that instant,,, all in my mind- It is exceptionally difficult to not relax and smile inside with all this going on in my heart and mind !!! Turns me from negative to positive every time !!! I believe it is impossible to truly smile inside and be negative and hopeless at the same time !!

Sounds a bit wacky and silly coming from a guy,,,, as well as a guy my age,,, but it works- We all have golden moments we can turn into Golden Butterflies and enjoy at any time in our heart and mind !!!

I can tell you what,,, If you fill your mind with Golden Butterflies you will not have a lot of room for negative thoughts and you can handle whatever is thrown at you with a positive, hopeful attitude !!!

There is always,,,, ALWAYS,,,, a silver lining to that dark cloud !!!

Give it a shot !!!!

Good Luck and Happy Butterfly watching !!!!

God Bless !!!