Follow Your Heart

The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
   without painful toil for it. Proverbs 10:22

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 10-12; 2 Corinthians 4

The scripture above hit me like a ton of bricks.

The first thing that I thought was man… I’m going about this all wrong. Upon further reflection “all” is too strong a word. After all I have done some things right in my life. We all have.

But the thing that struck me about the verse above was “without painful toil”. I didn’t understand that. I mean what is life in this world without pain? What is toil without pain? How could this verse be true?

Back when I was in Jr. High this song by Method Man called “Bring the Pain” was super popular. When asked about why he talked about pain he said something to the effect that pain is universal. Everyone knows pain.

And that is true. We all know pain.

So what the heck is this verse talking about? I know that it is not saying we will never experience pain in our lives. But it is saying that the blessings of the Lord bring wealth without painful toil for it. Of course wealth doesn’t just come in the form of material goods but also wisdom, as well as emotional and spiritual well-being just to name a few.

And now it is coming together as I write these words. This is a final piece in the puzzle I have been putting together with all of these blog posts. I have talked a lot about purpose and staying true to the desires that God has put in our hearts. I have talked about staying focused and disciplined, persevering when times seem tough. But now I am seeing the piece that brings it all into focus.

The more obedient we are to the purpose for our lives, the easier life becomes. 

Much of the difficulty that we have in our lives is created by the choices we make. We are so focused on figuring out how to do things our way that we are blind to the fact that the ideal path is right in front of us. We would see it if we freed ourselves from the shackles of the mind, and started to look at our lives through the lenses of our spirit and heart.

You already know what you are supposed to do because it is the thing that you most deeply desire for yourself. It is the thing that you think is impossible, or are too afraid to try because you don’t know what failure would mean. It is the thing that would bring you into greatest harmony with the world and your spirit. It is the thing that will bring you the most life affirming joy.

Say yes to that calling. Obey its demands even if they seem impossible. Take bold steps into the desires of your heart even if you don’t know exactly where those steps will take you.

The path will be paved by grace. Before you know it, you will have achieved the dream that you thought was impossible and hardly broken a sweat along the way.  

Bro Franklin: The MOST Cheerful Giver

My buddy Dez sent this to me today and I just had to post it. Many of us have grown up with the notion that God loves a cheerful giver. This means that we are supposed to give out of the love in our heart and not out of obligation.

If you don't want to give, then don't. It's that simple.

But Brother Franklin takes it to a whole new level. He is THE most cheerful giver of all time!

Dance along with him as he gives his offering to the Lord.

The Psalms

Today’s Reading: Psalms 1-3; Acts 17: 1-15

Psalms has always been one of those books that I have kind of taken for granted. It wasn’t until recently that I started to understand how valuable they are.

Proverbs are my bread and butter. Part of it comes from my background in philosophy and my outside studies of different books of wisdom. But also another part of it is the form that they are written in. The Proverbs are very specific and direct. They provide guidance, advice, and instruction in a way that is undeniable and unambiguous.

The psalms are quite different. I am starting to understand their importance in my life in a very specific way. They provide me with guidance but in an emotional and spiritual sense. This isn’t to say that the proverbs don’t do this, but the Psalms speak directly to my heart. Much like Job, they articulate things that I have felt but couldn’t express. They are filled with joy and sadness, pain and pleasure, fear and courage.

They are a collection of the range of human experiences and emotions. It is impossible for anyone to read them and not see themselves in at least one of them.

That’s pretty powerful for works that are thousands of years old.

It wasn’t until I started really facing my feelings and my fears in an honest way that I was able to feel what the psalms were talking about. The honesty in them requires a certain level of openness and courage within the reader to face all aspects of who they are. That is something that I am still working on.

So hopefully you will enjoy them as I am learning to and feel free to teach me what I don’t know.

Cause oh buddy is there a whole heck of a lot that I don’t know. 

What Do You Really Want?

When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Acts 3:3-6

Today’s Reading: Nehemiah 7-9; Acts 3

I wonder if many of the problems we have in our lives are a result of us not asking for what we really want…

I had an email conversation with my cousin the other day. She shared some of her goals with me and I shared some with her. One of the things that she asked me was something like this: “How do the things that you want work together? Is their any synergy? If they work together then you will be happier.”

I’m summarizing… but what she said was dead on.

Often times I have focused on what I think I need right now instead of what I really need to ensure long term joy. It’s the difference between someone who is unemployed looking for a “job” versus sitting down and thinking about what brings them true joy and seeking out opportunities in that field.

For me the thing that makes me focus on the short term instead of the long term is fear. Sometimes I have a hard time seeing the forest because I am looking at the rocks lining the trees before me.

Thank you cousin for reminding me to ask for what will bring me lasting joy rather than short term relief.

The Great Challenge continues on.

Little Isaiah

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. – Mark 10: 13-16

I train a martial art called Capoeira. It is a Brazilian martial art created by enslaved Afro-Brazilians as a means to resist slavery. And now, it has grown to be a very popular martial art all over the world.

One of the things I love most about it is that it is a family affair. If one were to drop by Capoeira Brasil (where I train) you would not only see adults training, but also children of all ages. You may even see a dog or two. It’s more than a martial art. It is a loving community and a way of life.

Late last year I befriended a special little two and a half year old named Isaiah. His mom brings him to class, and while she trains, some of the community of folks hanging around looks after him along with the other children.

He’s such a great child.

We became friends during our annual festival. We were watching some of the masters fight and he was there just giggling and laughing and having a great time. It was easy to see that his spirit was full of the same joy that you could see in his smile. It was as if everything in life was good and beautiful. He had the eyes of someone who is still amazed by the miracles he witnesses everyday.

I waved to him and he giggled and waved back. Then after playing like this for a while he reached for me to hold him. I was totally surprised, but who could say no to that little guy?

Not me.

Ever since then whenever I see him he always gives me a big hug and a smile and we always play for a bit.

There is something special about the way a child sees the world. It is good and pure and inspiring and so full of love. I think this is what Jesus was talking about in the scripture above.

If we could work on being more like children, to see the miracles of love and joy and laughter and play all around us; then maybe we would understand how to be better people.

Perhaps seeing the miraculous in the everyday will help us to love better, to appreciate more of those things we take for granted.

I’m trying to approach everything like it is brand new; each new day, each new person, place and thing.

I’m going to be more like Isaiah so that I can better see the miracle of life that God gives to all of us every single day.

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 1-2, Mark 10: 1-31