The Walking Dead

Do you ever feel like you are running as fast as you can on the outside but are dying on the inside?  Life has soo many twists, turns & distractions that keep us chasing after the ever elusive carrot.  But in the stillness of the night when all have fallen asleep and you continue to wrestle with worries and the emptiness you feel - what do you do?

Most of us wake up exhausted looking for our favorite caffeinated/taurine/B12/energy based drink.  Only to jump back on the treadmill of life and repeat the same cycle!  Is this truly living or are we simply following what others say we should be doing?  By doing this, we are working to enlarge someone else's pocket as we consume and pour our lives out to give the impression that we have 'arrived'.  So many give of themselves until they have nothing left to give and then look back and feel nothing but regret.

How many of us are truly fulfilled by what we do and the conversations we have day in and day out?  While there are some who have found their calling/passion and are enjoying that journey, many have assigned themselves to the pursuit of things.  Allowing fear to plot the path with which we take and remaining only slightly connected to those who love, cherish and enrich us.

Is there something wrong with wanting a good living/life - ABSOLUTELY NOT!  It is not a matter of having or making money, it is (in my opinion) a matter of how you fill the time with which God has given you on this amazing planet.  Please don't mistake this post as an accusation of spending your time improperly.  Instead see it as encouragement to re-evaluate how you spend your time and make adjustments as necessary. 

So often I see couples, families and friends in environments where there is supposed to be human interaction(s) (i.e. dinner, parks, walks, etc...).  Instead I see human smartphone/tablet interactions with an eerie stillness floating around.  In many ways technology is making us less connected (on a personal level) to the point we run out of things to say to one another.  Is it because we feel more comfortable typing it on a screen/keyboard versus saying it in person?  Maybe, just maybe we are not trusting each other with our feelings because we do not feel safe but in a twisted way we feel more comfortable saying these things in a forum where it can be electronically broadcasted to millions - go figure...?

I challenge us all to re-evaluate what we spend our time doing and on our human connections.  Strengthen/repair those that need it, lessen those that should take up less time, add healthy barriers to those that require it, create those you have always wanted to.  Will there be some uncomfortable times - absolutely.  This is part of the human experience, just act with integrity, fight the good fight and push on.  Because the memories you create and the alive feeling will be worth it!   

Remember, time is neutral but we choose how we fill it - so choose wisely. 

What will you choose/change?

Blessings,

-d

HELP!

While on a business trip to Philadelphia I was captured by the 125 anniversary issue of National Geographic.  It was a special issue dedicated to the photographs that had been captured/published via the magazine.

While perusing and enjoying the imagery there was a short article on conflicts that were happening throughout the world.  Within one of those articles there was a photo of children waiting with a teaspoon on a bowl of rice and beans.  When the bowl was passed by, the children would take their spoonful and pass it along to the next child.  Another article/image showed a young man carrying a goat, that had been killed by a toxic fire, to be cooked and eaten.  Not only was he placing himself in danger by scavenging (or should I say surviving) in the area.  He was adding to the danger by taking meat to eat.

Then I asked myself, what would I do?  The answer was easy - THE SAME THING HE WAS DOING!  The tipping point for me was when the caption read that an American woman and church friends had contacted the Geographic so they could pay for the young man to go to school.  Then the question for me became - do I have a responsibility to try and make the world a better place by trying to help someone in this type of situation?  As I sat, coasting 35,000 feet above the ground, contemplating my response to what I had just read, I was further moved to take action here in the USA.  While I recognize that there is a great need abroad, there too exists a great need right here in our backyard.

While I am not sure where to begin my search, I imagine once I place energy into it there will be more choices than I know what to do with.  Then I wonder how to prepare myself for all of the need that will most likely be uncovered once I begin to dig.  I have a few ideas of how to make this a sustainable project.  I think our business - His House Productions should take a percentage of sales and donate to a well vetted cause.

Soo many times the help that others need is very simple but we have to open ourselves and hearts to the blessings that are disguised as work.  Sometimes the work needed is an open ear, hug, meal, hand me down, etc...

I will keep you posted on the options/progress.  Maybe you too will be inspired to play the love forward (if you are already not doing so).  We all need help of some sort at various places in our lives - wouldn't you agree?

Quote the verse that says our response is for widows, children, etc...

Blessings,
-d

James 1:27 - "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."