Perspectives

I once heard someone say the hindrance to taking a hold of one’s future is dwelling on the past. Though the statement resonated with me, I wondered where to put my past; the fun and laughter, joys and challenges, people and experiences which continue to educate and enrich my understanding. Well I guess reflection always provides a suitable arena or domicile to securely place them all.

Significant of these is April 8^th 1999, when in the midst of the Y2k trepidation came the loss of my mum rocking my world sideways. Now 20 years in the rear view mirror, I wonder what and how her presence would have made life different. Her love for us was undeniable while her soft spoken, easy going and considerate nature helped me resolve caring for others was my life’s path. O how I miss her!

Now in the present and receiving another career award for “Making a Difference” by Care and Compassion to patients in my care, truly draws a parallel to her seed in me and the result of my past displayed in the present.

This and a nomination for Staff Awards of 2019 have actually made the present (end of Q1) really nice and I am truly thankful to God. And though in the UK the limbo of Brexit lingers making the present seem static, these and much more have made Q1 worthwhile and progressive.

I hope you have your reflectors on and can draw those parallels from the tapestry of your past, enjoy the visions/dreams they present as you take those giant steps in Q2.

 

 

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

Søren Kierkegaard

 

Most beautiful time of the year

The best season of the year for me as we look forward to the holidays, celebrations, family birthdays and most importantly Christmas – a reminder of our Lords coming to the world for us.

Weighing in on the pros or cons of its commercialisation is a matter I leave for various interpretations. For me,  it serves simply as an opportunity to celebrate, show love and take stock on life in all its ramifications.

So while the discussions and arguments rage, please take the time to do all of the above as you ponder on these choices verses

1John 4: 7-12

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

¹² No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Sticks and stones…….

We are progressively evolving to a very “PC” world today and everyday there are numerous examples of persons or groups calling out what they have determined to be inappropriate speech. Social media has heightened this now as we can all broadcast our views and opinions with more or less reckless abandon.

As a young Christian it was instilled to me that your manner, content and delivery of speech gave pointers on your level of Christian and indeed personal maturity – for the tongue is a fire which can build or destroy lives. So I was in grave consternation to hear later that “words don’t harm” which was being peddled and even echoed in very recent artistic endeavours.

In my opinion, words have such powerful and indelible impact on our lives, society and future so for us to simply use them without the sense of responsibility and candour is negligent. Be it in written or spoken form, they convey so much for them to be disregarded as just mere words. Our word should be our bond as well as our persona.

The challenge I see today is that increasingly people are being held to account for the words, conversations and write ups they put into the public domain. Sadly, rather than recognise and address the immaturity, inappropriateness or ludicrous nature of what has been produced, some attempt to hide under the umbrella of the world has gone PC mad and freedom of speech.

No that’s just a poor cop out!

For an improved human race, we need to journey the fine line of free speech, offence, alternative facts and outright fake news better. Call it where the boundaries are crossed, be adequately tolerant and empower the truth to be told. To be more respectful of one another and use our words to build, support and encourage the best of one another.

The travesty that words don’t hurt must be addressed; from the home (whether to the partner, children, or helps) to the workplace, from the playgrounds to the fil studios, from shop floors to boardrooms and from universities to the houses of power.

 

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.”
― C.S. Lewis

Words! What power they hold. Once they have rooted in your psyche, it is difficult to escape them. Words can shape the future of a child and destroy the existence of an adult.
Words are powerful. Be careful how you use them because once you have pronounced them, you cannot remove the scar they leave behind.”
― Vashti Quiroz-Vega

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things”

― Matthew 12:34-35.

 

Featured image – thebalance.com

Priorities vs. Choices

Writing an eulogy for my dad’s funeral this summer, I reflected on the totality of my life with him to distil the one thing I have with me from him forever.

It was a task indeed; 40 plus years into a few lines. I pondered on my days growing up, holidays, schooling, living in different continents, even as I married man and now as a father myself.

Firstly, I thanked God for the privilege of having a father in my life as in today’s world many have neither their biological nor any form of father figure in their lives. I appreciated the time, joys, fun, scolding, advice and instructions he gave in his lifetime.

Distinctly, one thread that ran through my upbringing was his question, reminder, advice or call it the “still small voice” asking if what I was to engage in was the “priority”.

This question was and remains a beacon for my travels in life as the nugget of gold deposited by my dad helping me navigate the decisions I make. Yes I have made colossal deviations and errors from what seemed the obvious priority but to err is human and I continue to learn and fine tune my perspective and my process of evaluating the order and importance which form my priorities.

We often hear about life is about the choices we make but I strongly believe if the compass of priority is disengaged or dysfunctional, the choices are bound to arrive at the wrong destination.

Today’s world of the fast lane, instant gratification and maximum exposure we owe the generations to come tuition on priorities of life. We have so much being spewed out on the immediate, the popular and the self-satisfying but little about sacrifice, contentment and selflessness so a pinch of life’s real priorities will surely help ground the future generations to theirs and our benefit.

Each day I remind my children that priority must have definition in them so they can enjoy life to the fullest in the right perspective with Jesus at the core. I hope and pray just as my dad gave this to me they will receive it wholeheartedly for their travel in life.

 

“We had more in common than I thought we did. You were my priority. You were your priority.”
― Kate McGahan

 

“Life is short. Focus on what really matters most; you should change your priorities over time.”
― Roy T. Bennett

 

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”
― Ezra Taft Benson

Nightmares, shock and horrors!

Damn, I don’t believe it, I can’t imagine this, God how can this be happening to me, oh no!!!!!

These like the other exclamations arrive when the proverbial hits the fan and the feeling of bewilderment overcomes one’s mind. The sense of the most dreaded occurring and one watches it unfold with you at the centre of the unimaginable.

When nightfall appears and daylight seems a mirage, butterflies in the stomach becoming spiders and other creepy crawlies.

Phew!

All journeys of life have them; arguably without them one hasn’t lived for in this life we will have challenges – great and small, short and long, shallow and deep.

Being there can be very daunting but also as the saying goes “when there is life there is hope”. Hope for daylight, for a change, to make amends, to start afresh, to love again, to build and to live.

Indeed irrespective of the dimensions presented, it’s our composition that really matters; our character, level of resilience and support network that determine the impact felt and recovery we achieve.

I often spell out my motto for Wellness as “Build Resilience not Resistance”. This for me puts paid to the Why me questions for starters, determines to make lemonade and top it with a new masterpiece for tomorrow. Rome was not built in a day comes to mind so the crucial word is Build! For it may take a moment, day, months or even years.

As today people go around with their perceptions of the scary, ghostly or morbid, make a point in your life to jettison the Nightmares, shock and horrors and move on without their chains.

Let the past stay firmly in the past, live productively in the present then plan and hope for a better future.