It is NOT That Complicated!

Have you ever noticed that we as humans tend to over-complicate everything? People are struggling with understanding who they are and what their purpose is. So many feel empty, scared, angry and depressed because they do not believe their lives have any meaning. We toil and toil trying to build a life for ourselves and our families. We sometimes miss the mark and put our focus on the wrong things, which only robs us of experiencing the fullness of joy that God wants us to have. Why does this happen? Why do we do this?

It is my personal belief that we just think too darn much. The more we are in our heads, the less we are in the presence of our lives. In other words, when we are thinking about past events that are no longer relevant, or we are worrying about a future that has not come yet, then we are missing what is right in front of us. If we dwell too long in our minds, way too much can go awry. We can control our thought life, but it is way too easy to lose control of where we allow our minds to travel. Once the thoughts go in the wrong direction, our emotions immediately follow. Our depression, anxiety, anger, and fear all come from thoughts gone awry.

Listen people, God made it really easy for us. First in Leviticus, God told us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (19:18). In Matthew 22, when Yeshua (Jesus) was teaching, someone asked him, “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot [commands] in the Torah is the most important?” (22:36). Yeshua’s answer was two-fold and very simple. He said we are to first love Adonai with all of our soul and strength. He then said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. He went on to say that these two mitzvot are basically the foundation of the Torah and the Prophets. In other words, the most important thing in life is to trust and serve God and show you are His by loving one another.

So, how can this be applied to our lives? Again, it is really very simple. With love comes peace, because the positivity that love brings overpowers the negative emotions we carry and allow to overwhelm us. With love comes contentment. We are no longer consumed by what other people have that we do not. We do not need to worry about good things happening to bad people, because we trust in Adonai and trust that He will serve the justice. That frees us to focus on our blessings. With love comes joy. Hate, anger, bitterness, and fear are all emotions that drain the life force from us and rob us of our happiness. They poison our very soul. With love comes acceptance. No matter who a person is or how they treat us, if we act with love we “heap fiery coals of shame” (Proverbs 25:22) on the heads of those who hurt us. Who knows whether your act f love can change that person for the better. Love allows us to feel compassion and empathy for people and that paves the way for open dialogue, greater understanding and the opportunity to resolve conflict.

I can really go on and on about how the simple act of loving one another is the solution for almost everything, but I think you get the gist by now. In today’s world, with so much division, anger and strife, it is clear to me that no world leader seems to have the solution. The solution lies with each of us. If you do not think you have a purpose in this life, please allow me to suggest one. Your purpose, my purpose, and everyone’s purpose is to love and allow yourself to be loved. The love that you share may be the very thing that saves a person. The kindness that you show may be the very thing that gives a person who is suffering hope. If we serve our fellow man in love, we are serving our Creator, because that is exactly what He has commanded us to do. You will never be wrong by showing love.

So I end this discussion with this challenge. I challenge you to commit to loving. Start simply. Say good morning to coworkers as you pass them in the hallway. Hold doors open for people. Be a good friend. Help the needy. Have some extra patience for that annoying friend that you try to avoid. Make an effort to stay in the present, let go of hate, anger, fear, and regret and trust that God allowed you to experience things in your life for a purpose. Allow those things to give you wisdom. I even go as far as to say rejoice in your sadness, because that pain will make you stronger. Lead by example and heap fiery coals of kindness on people’s heads. Basically, with love, be the change we want to see in the world and, one person at a time, we just may yet make this world a better place. It really can be that simple! God bless!

 

Humble Yourselves

I absolutely believe in staying humble. Only when we are humble can we learn and grow. Only when we are humble, can we receive what we need to receive.  Arrogance and ego tend to be stumbling blocks to growth. Pride can keep us from getting what we need to survive. Humility can be difficult because it goes hand in hand with vulnerability, which people tend to be afraid of and use defenses in order to avoid; however, to stay humble is an essential component to gaining wisdom.

The importance of staying humble is an age old principle. Just for the heck of it, I researched and found that, according to answers.com, the concept of humility is addressed at least 92 times throughout the Bible. God must think being humble is pretty important. In Proverbs 15:33 it says, “The discipline of wisdom is fear of Adonai, so before being honored, a person must be humble.” God does not honor someone who is too puffed up in his or her own self-importance. He wants a teachable servant and one that is willing to accept His instruction. Over and over, Adonai says that if His people would just humble themselves and turn to Him, He would remember their sins no more. That message is repeated throughout the Old and New Testament. Again, it must be pretty darn important!

Being too arrogant can not only hurt you, but it can hurt other people. I once worked with a very arrogant doctor. I had received many complaints from both patients and co-workers about his arrogance and haughty attitude. He had a way of making people feel as if they were just dirt under his shoe. He made me feel that way at times, but I could handle it. I never felt the need to confront him about it, because, let’s face it, to him I was just a bug to be squashed. When it came to my patients, however, that was another story. I had a breast cancer patient who was chronically homeless, but not homeless. In other words, she always found a place to land. When I first met her after she had been diagnosed, she was very resistant to getting treatment. She was very scared and she felt a bit intimidated at first, but after sitting with her, talking with her and showing her kindness and patience, she finally agreed to undergo treatment.

 One particular day, someone caught wind of the fact that she may have been homeless again. With that, the doctor went on a rant about how he would not treat her. All he cared about was his own liability and there was no compassion at all from him. I understood the risks of being treated while homeless, because your immune system becomes compromised, but she was an adult who understood the risks. So, I went right up to him, very close to his face, and I firmly said, “Look, it took a lot of time and patience to get this woman to trust us enough to agree to treatment, so if she shows up today, you are treating her!” I think that was the first time I saw a glimpse of humility in the man. I was not about to let his arrogance interfere with my patient’s treatment. I also knew that if he had refused to treat her that day, she never would have come back and I could not allow that to happen. It is my hope that he learned a lesson in humility that day.

I see people battling their pride almost on a daily basis. I see it in the patients at the cancer center and I see it in my practice. People have so many needs, from financial to emotional. Too many times, they allow themselves to suffer rather than simply humbling themselves to ask for help. I remember one particular patient whom I basically had to force to accept financial help after she almost refused treatment because she could not afford her copay costs. Not only did I find her copay assistance, but I was able to pay some of her utility bills. One day, she broke down crying, because she was so grateful for the help. She finally realized that pride very nearly took her life. Only in humbling herself was she able to receive the kindness, love and help she needed so that she could receive her treatment.

Arrogance is a trap that makes a person believe he or she has nothing more to learn. I have a news flash for you; we learn until we die. No one is too accomplished to learn something new. Whatever you think you know, God knows infinitely more. In I Samuel 2:3, it says, “Stop your proud boasting! Don’t let arrogance come from your mouth! For Adonai is a God of knowledge, and He appraises actions.” Take the aforementioned good doctor; as brilliant and accomplished as he was,  his arrogance and self-centered attitude would have been seen by God as wicked and foolish. For all of his degrees and status, he had earned himself a negative reputation, which made people respect him less. I may not be wealthy or of high status, but that is not what I value. I stay humble and I try to be a servant to people. At the end of my life, I want to know that people felt my love, kindness and compassion. If I die knowing that, I know I will die the wealthiest woman on the planet.

I would like to end this discussion with some encouragement. I know how hard it is to battle your pride and humble yourself. I know that, at times, we think we know everything there is to know, so we close our minds to the opportunity to learn and grow. Where does pride actually get you? Will pride pay your bills? Will pride bring you love? Will pride help you to learn a new skill or will it help you gain the wisdom that only experience and the willingness to learn can bring? No, no, no, and no! Only by staying humble can we gain all of the above. By putting our own ego aside, we open up our soul to so much, including love, wisdom, knowledge and human kindness. As C.S. Lewis said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Today, I challenge you to humble yourselves. You will not lose anything, but you will gain so much! God bless.