There is nothing wrong with material wealth. Truth be told, we all have at one time been addicted to a label or two … And there’s nothing wrong with that. But society has fostered a culture of greed and “success” so much so that we are all defined by what we do not have. We are now “who we wear” instead of “who we are”.
There was a man in the bible days named Job. Job was a man that loved God. He was righteous and rich, notably in attributes, but he also had acquired inordinate material wealth. He was stripped down to his skin and lost everything to see whether or not he was who he portrayed he was. Despite the extremity of the situation, Job passed the test. He never cursed God and in the end, his wealth was restored far beyond what he originally had. The entire time of his trials he did not faltered in character, he never changed his story and he proved that he could withstand horrible situations and not sway with the wind. How many of us can say that we have even a tad of what he had?
At some point in life you have to part with material things, whether by choice or by force. Are you so attached to your possessions that you feel you’ll be worthless without them? Will those you’ve surrounded yourself with think less of you without all that you have? Does the ‘respect’ that you have gained sit on the shaky foundation of stuff? Do you possess your possessions or do they possess you?
Let your substance and good character precede you. When others speak of you let it be about who you are at heart. They should be able to smile when thinking about what your spirit brings. Look at it like this; if tomorrow you are no longer with us, what memory will others be left with?
I have found that nature is such an inspiring instrument. We can sit for hours just looking and listening, taking everything in. Not only is there music in everything, there are also many layers of texture. Not texture and music as you know it, but as you speaks to your senses. We can learn very valuable lessons from what we are embedded in each day.Some have a genuine fear of the water. The thought of losing your life and being overtaken by it is very scary, even for those who can swim. Whether in the ocean or a pool, water is a force to be reckoned with especially when we aren’t sure of what it will do. The only way to combat the fear is to respect it because it surely doesn’t respect us. The power that it possesses can kill and will teach but one thing, that we have to work with it.
Life, like the ocean, is very unpredictable. The waters house so many things. Some to harm, some to help, some things are merely to be gazed upon for its beauty. But what happens when our beautiful lives suddenly turn ugly and we are overwhelmed with the waves of despair? If we fight against them we can probably prepare to drown. The more we flap and flail our arms, the more tired we will become and eventually we will sink. At any time the tide can shift and become dangerous especially if we are swimming against it. To allow yourself to be carried by something so unpredictable, can actually deliver you safely to a place you didn’t expect it to. Giving up and not trying to fight against a force greater than you will undoubtedly put you in a more relaxed state than thinking you’re going to die.
What’s relaxing about death!? You will get to where you’re supposed to be anyway so why fight? When you think about it, people don’t drown because they don’t know how to swim, they drown because they panic. When situations present themselves that are not what we expect and throw us for a loop, we have to condition ourselves to pause. Take a minute to think before throwing ourselves into a frenzy. Float upon the waves that should take you out and go with the tide, not against it. Eventually the tumultuous seas will revert back to the once glass-like calm and you’ll wonder if there was ever any storm in the first place.
Excerpt from the poem DON’T QUIT (author unknown)
When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must but don’t you quit
Fighting the waves of life will tire you out! Panic coupled with the wrong kind of fight and quitting will cause you to drown. Fortunately, YOU decide if you want to live or die, and YOU make the decision of whether or not you’re going to allow yourself to be overtaken. Your survival is on YOU! Don’t ever give up, don’t quit, JUST FLOAT!
That’s definitely something to think about.
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