Lent - Day 3

Today I took a vacation day from work. I had awaken early and had a wondrous surprise:

Snowfall!

Considering it was warm enough to wear a sweater or sweatshirt with no jacket outside, this was indeed a pleasant surprise. We've had such a shortage of snowfall this year, that even those that hate shoveling miss it.

I harvested the last of my Farmville crops this morning to go into another hiatus from the addicting (and distracting) game. I then started to poke about the virtual farm, arranging and re-arranging things like a doll-house for grown ups. It wasn't until the fourth time the system crashed that I got a clue. There was something I was missing...

Outside lay a golden opportunity; one that was rare this winter. That was helping my neighbors shovel. How often have I allowed myself to be distracted and missed these golden opportunities?

One of the lessons I've learned earlier this morning points directly to this. I've been asked to stop multi-tasking while I am talking with people or working on something. I must admit, even my prayers would be done via multi-tasking, such as I would say grace while setting up to eat or say my morning prayers as I stumbled through the apartment half-asleep to the bathroom. Not very respectful. 

Not only is this how I miss many opportunities, I AM being disrespectful, to God, to Yeshua (Jesus) and to all others. I need to step away from the distractions and really start give 100% of my attention to what is around me, and who is around me, what they say and what they need. I may regret I can not stand before a full church and preach, nor even afford to go on mission trips. Yet there are countless opportunities to help so many people in my life - everyday.

Today begins with shoveling; I tugged on my snow boots and grabbed the shovel. Our steps and walkway, as well as those of our elderly neighbors, are now clear and liberally sprinkled with salt. My husband went out and cleared off the cars as well.

Who knows what else there may be when we set the computer and cell phone aside, shut off the radio and TV and just observe, just listen. 

It's a beautiful day.

I plan to make the most of it.

Carpe Diem. :D

~ ESA

Lent - Day 2

On Wednesday, I left some stuff to do at work. I promised I would get to work early Thursday and get them done before the boss got there. I left an hour early, but I didn't get there early.

Instead I was given an opportunity to help someone. On the walk to work, another woman walked up to me and asked directions to a place I haven't heard about before. She was on her way to work and had just gotten off the bus. She knew it was off this particular road. Unfortunately the road was a few short blocks down in one direction (which I knew well) and then stretched 16 miles (26 km) in the other direction.

After realizing we would not find the place talking about it and this woman may have to walk several miles to reach her destination. I offered to get my car and drive her. After all, I really didn't need to be at work for another hour.

We walked back to my apartment complex and got into my old Jeep. I joked about the rust spots and radio that doesn't play; she commented that I was fortunate to have a car at all. She takes the bus whenever she needs to get someplace. We drove all the way down the road and back, missing the turn at first pass. On the way, we pointed out the bus stop locations so we would know the closest one to her new workplace.

On the way back, though, she suddenly suggested I turn up another road. To our surprise, while we didn't find the road we needed, we found the public bus waiting between runs. In fact, it was the same bus driver that dropped her off. He scolded the woman for getting into the car with a stranger. She pointed out that until she got onto his bus that morning, he was a stranger too. So he conceded the point.

Upon hearing that we still could not find this place, he looked up directions on his cell phone and walked over to my Jeep to pass them onto me. I recognized the streets and turns and could figure out from there where this place was. Needless to say, she got to work on time, as well as I did.

There were three Good Samaritans that day. Not only did I help the woman, she helped me by giving me an opportunity to help another. Our mutual help also inspired the bus driver who could have simply said "No, I don't know," and closed the door in her face. Instead, he got out his phone to help us find this place.

One good deed does inspire others.

~ ESA

Kingdom Visitor (Story)

Once upon a time, in a not too distant land there was a king that loved all the people. Because he had such love for the people, he wanted them to be happy and to love each other as he loved them. One day, he called before him all the magistrates in the land and commanded of them to design a way that would best enable all the people to love one another.

The magistrates gathered and spent much time in council determining the best methods to govern the people that would make them love each other so the king would be happy. They decided on a long list of rules that the people would have to memorize and adhere. They decided on celebration days that would, by their annual repetition, reinforce the rules they established. Further, they set up a system where there would be rewards for those who obeyed the rules and punishment for those who did not.

This, they surmised, was the best way to make the people love each other.

Over the years, the magistrates instructed the people in the rules, meted out the rewards and punishments, and watched the people carefully so they knew who to reward and who to punish. In response, some of the people would either vie with each other to do the most loving acts to gain the best of the rewards, or they followed the rules minimally when they knew they were being watched, lest they face the dreaded punishments.

Then one day, a stranger arrived and set up a temporary home among the people of this kingdom. Within a few days, one of the magistrates presented to her a thick bound volume of the rules. But the stranger handed the book back unopened and, instead, took out her visa which indicated that because she was not a subject of the king, she had diplomatic immunity and thus was not subject to those rules. The magistrate tried to harass her, but she knew that the magistrate could not force their ways on her.

At that time, the king wondered how well the system his magistrates established was working. Were the people truly loving one another as he loved them? Was the system enabling their love for each other to flourish? Or were the people merely following the established set of rules because they sought individually to gain a reward or avoid a punishment? So the king decided to find out for himself. He disguised himself and went out among the people.

Where the magistrates were to be found, people performed all kinds of loving acts, helping one another and more. But where there were no magistrates watching, the poor were left hungry, the cold were left outside alone to fend for themselves, the sick were shoved apart from the healthy, and the outcasts were friendless. There was very little love here.

Then the king spied a young woman, a stranger in this land, and she was doing what the people were not, when the magistrates were not watching. She shared her supper with someone that had none, she helped carry someone's heavy load, and she welcomed the homeless into the rooms she rented so they would not have to suffer the freezing rain and falling snow. Who was this woman?

The king called court the next day and called this woman before him. "I am king of this realm," he told her, "and I have seen what you have done."

"I know of your rules may be different here, your majesty, but as I am not one of your subjects, so your rules do not apply to me."

"So you do not act as you do fearing punishment?"

"No, sir."

"So you do not act as you do expecting reward?"

"No, sir."

The king's cheeks started to glisten with tears and he stepped down from his throne and faced the woman eye-to-eye. "Then why do you do the things you do?"

The woman shrugged, "It's just the right thing to do. We're all part of this world, we should help each other."

The king stepped forward and embraced the woman fiercely!

When he stepped back he announced, "Let this be known across the land, this woman has acted with Love for her neighbor, not because of reward, not out of fear of punishment - for she clearly does not expect either. She acted simply out of the Love found in her heart. THIS! This is what I sought for my people. All I simply ask is that they love one another."

Love
thy
neighbor

The Woodpecker (Story)

Once upon a time, a woman lived on the outskirts of the village. She was a proud woman, with flowing red hair, beautiful face and attractive body. She was also well-known throughout the area for her culinary skills.

One day, a visitor came to her door. By local custom, she was obligated to invite this person in and offer him some food. But this was not the kind of visitor she wanted in her home. He was rank from being unwashed, his hair and beard were disheveled, plus his patched and worn clothing clearly indicated he did not the means to help better her own life.

She roughly escorted him through the front parlor, down the hall and seated him on a crude stool beside the back door in the kitchen. Then she ransacked her kitchen pantry for the humblest morsel she could feed him.

She spied some old bread and quickly popped the small, dry piece into her warming oven to heat it up. When she took it out a few minutes later, fresh steam rose from a whole loaf providing a mouth-watering aroma of freshly-baked bread. This was too good for her visitor, so she set it aside for her own supper and continued to search.

She spied a pair of rotting apples at the bottom of a bin and smiled. She quickly assembled a small apple tart and placed that in the oven to bake. The scent of cinnamon, baking apples, buttery crust and more filled her kitchen. When she pulled it out of the oven, the flaky crust was a beautiful golden brown. This was also too good for her visitor, so she set it aside for her dessert.

Her quest continued out the back door, and she came upon the manure pile. With a wicked smirk, she shoveled some into a tin and took it back to the kitchen. She added sugar and a few other ingredients hoping to disguise the foul stench of the original produce. The more she added the less foul it seemed. This, too, she popped into the oven, wondering what the result would be. In under an hour, she was staring aghast at the best chocolate mouse ever to grace her kitchen.

That did it! Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a large wooden spoon and chased the stranger from her kitchen. Just beyond the doorway, the stranger stopped and turned around. His stature grew as his appearance changed. With a sinking feeling the woman quickly realized who she had as her visitor...

"You witnessed a piece of stale bread become a whole fresh loaf, yet you failed to share it with me. You saw rotten apples become a beautiful tart, yet you failed to share it with me. And you beheld the most foul creation your mind could produce become one of your finest dishes, yet STILL you failed to share even THAT with me.

"For this, you and all your children shall spend the rest of your days feasting on insects and you will work hard for every morsel you consume."

As he was spoke, the woman began to shrink - smaller and smaller she became. Her fingers became feathers of wings, as her body sprouted feathers everywhere. The nose on her beautiful face became long and hard and her long beautiful hair was gone - leaving only a patch of red on her head as a bitter reminder.

Perhaps you have seen her or her children in this world. She can often be spied on the sides of trees as she hammers out her living, eating only insects for her meals.

- ESA

Hidden Works

Quite a few times I've blogged that when we do some good work in this world that we should do it in such a way that as few people as possible know what we have done. There are some reasons why.

One, it's something Yeshua/Jesus the Christ requested: To do things in secret so that only God sees. OK.... but we may still want to know WHY He requested this.

One reason, as I've mentioned before, is so that we step away from the rewards that result from doing good works publicly. This public recognition becomes the reward and causes us to focus more on ourselves and less on others. We need to take our eyes from ourselves in order to grow inside.

The good works will stand on their own; let THAT light shine, not your own.

Playing the "secret santa" of doing good works in hidden ways can actually be quite fun. :D

And, one I have learned but have yet to mention: if we do good for another and they are aware of it, often they are left with the feeling/belief that they must reciprocate - even if they cannot afford to do so. So instead of doing good and helping another, we leave someone with the debt they cannot easily repay. But if they do not know to whom they have received the kindness, they are less likely to harm themselves - physically or financially - to repay that debt. Instead, they may be moved to pay it forward helping when and as they can.

Recently, I helped a friend who was struggling financially, as I have helped others and been helped by others in the past. I've told this person, as has been told to me and I've mentioned to others, "pay it forward when you can." This person, however, felt very indebted to me, and he insisted on repaying my kindness. I received a VERY expensive Christmas gift when he was still out of work and should not have spent the money. I still feel pretty terrible about this. :(

It IS sometimes best to do things hidden...

How can you do it hidden, you ask?

• If you know of someone who is struggling to pay their bills, call up their local phone or electricity provider and offer to pay a portion of their bill. They will see a payment received and a smaller bill, and most companies will allow a person to pay anonymously - collecting your personal information only to process the payment and not tell the person you help.
  
• Buy some bagels or other food goods from a place who delivers and have them deliver the goods to a local food bank or shelter.
• Purchase gift cards/certificates, phone cards or prepaid visa cards and get them anonymously to someone who needs them (ie. drop in the mailbox), ship them to vets/troops overseas or any who may benefit from your kindness.
  
• If you know someone is feeling down/alone/depressed, make up a small assortment of cookies, flowers or something small and cheerful and leave them hanging on their doorknob at home or on their desk, locker or workspace.
• If there is someone who struggles shoveling snow, get out there early. Granted snow-blowers make noise, but clearing off cars can be pretty quiet on a winter morning. Even shoveling can be done quietly and quickly.
• Purchasing food at a local supermarket and leaving it at someone's home is an idea, but use caution not to lure animals and know which door the person uses daily.
• Pick up trash someone carelessly dropped to the sidewalk, curb or elsewhere and put it in the proper receptacle.
• Stop to help a disabled driver, using caution as there are those who use that as a trap. :(
• Smile at a stranger; say hello, good morning or comment on the weather.
• Show up at a place where there are volunteers working and offer to help. If you must sign in, use your first name only and smile.
• If you see someone having difficulty reaching something on a high shelf, wordlessly reach up and hand it to them with a smile. The same applies if they are struggling with a heavy or cumbersome load; go over and help them with it.
  
• When you pay for your food at the supermarket, there is often a way to add a donation (either goods or monetary) to your local food bank.
• There are countless non-profits that collect anonymous donations, large and small. Often at places like your local place of worship or your supermarket, there are drop-boxes for donated goods or money.
• When you open a door, check and hold it open for the people that are behind you.
  
• If you're going through a drive-thru, pay for the people behind you. You never know who you may help or how they may be touched. I've heard wondrous stories from the DC area of one movement there. :D
  

Many more ideas can be added to the list above. This is just a sampling. There are innumerable ways to share a kindness with others in this world each day. Most cost little to nothing.

I'd like to hear more if any of my readers don't mind sharing their ideas. Hopefully we can inspire one another.

Random acts of kindness
Throughout the world
Hidden though

-ESA

Period of Renewal and Growth

Lent is often a time of preparation, a time of denial or fasting, and a time of prayer. Often we may do some aspect of this and not know why. Part of my own Lenten practices stem from the following understanding; what I refer to as the Tripod of Growth:

There are three things that will help someone grow in Spirit and Soul. These are prayer, fasting and good works. Like three legs of a tripod, they must work together in harmony and balance; too much of one or not enough of another and the whole thing will fail.

Prayer is the direct communication between humanity and God. It's not a one-way monologue, as God does communicate to us even if only our Spirit can understand it. Nor should prayer be a wish list; we need to be open and ready to change and guidance for the help we request.

Fasting does not only mean to refrain from eating or to not eat certain foods. In a broader context, fasting means abstinence (an act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite) or a period of such abstention or self-denial. In essence, we refrain from something in our life as a means of self-discipline. It is often associated with something we enjoy, food being the most common, but also TV, internet, etc. But it can also be abstaining from something we revile about ourselves, such as lying, cheating or procrastination. When we take on the challenge of self-discipline, our strength to resist temptation grows.

Good Works are anything we can do to help another in this world. This is the daily exercise that strengthens a soul, and is the most difficult leg to develop. Often we are tempted to illustrate the good works that we've done, but that only deflates the value or our efforts as they become self-serving. The best way to accomplish personal growth, is to act anonymously or in such a way that as few people as possible know who is doing these works. The good works need to stand on their own merit without our shouting about it or putting a spotlight on it.

If it's a true good work, the act, deed, word or work WILL stand on its own. Others will see it or the results and KNOW "this is a good thing." If we can step away from it and let it shine without others recognizing us for the effort, we grow inside.

This is often best accomplished through humility. When we humbly serve another, seeking nothing for ourselves, something grows within us, opening us up to greater awareness and ways we can perform even greater works. But if we seek this greater awareness and ways first, we will only find self-pride, deception, corruption and lies, and we will be led astray by these.

This is why prayer and fasting are needed, one as a guide to the right path, the other to strengthen the shield of our defense so we are not so easily led astray.

It's a tricky path.
But worth it.
Always.

-ESA

Tripod of Growth

There are three things that will help someone grow in Spirit and Soul. These are prayer, fasting and good works. Like three legs of a tripod, they must work together in harmony and balance; too much of one or not enough of another and the whole thing will fail.

Prayer is the direct communication between humanity and God. It's not a one-way monologue, as God does communicate to us even if only our Spirit can understand it. Nor should prayer be a wish list; we need to be open and ready to change and guidance for the help we request.

Fasting does not only mean to refrain from eating or to not eat certain foods. In a broader context, fasting means abstinence (an act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite) or a period of such abstention or self-denial. In essence, we refrain from something in our life as a means of self-discipline. It is often associated with something we enjoy (food being the most common, but also TV, internet, etc.), but it can also be abstaining from something we revile about ourself, such as lying, cheating or procrastination. When we take on the challenge of self-discipline through fasting, our strength to resist temptation grows.

Good Works are anything we can do to help another in this world. For these good works to count in personal growth, they must be done either in secret or accomplished in such a way that as few people as possible know who is doing these works. This is the most difficult leg to develop. Often we are tempted to illustrate the good works that we do (see prior posts), but that only deflates the values of the good works. The good works need to stand on their own merit without our shouting about it or putting a spotlight on it. If it's a true good work, the act, deed, word or work WILL stand on its own. Others will see it or the results and KNOW "this is a good thing."

Not only does the good works need to be done in secret, they MUST be done for the benefit of another. When we do good works to better ourselves, we only serve ourselves. If a work is done so we can brag about it, add it to our resume, or call attention to ourself, sadly we have already received our reward and it does not serve to support our personal growth.

Only when we truly help another selflessly does the work itself take us to the personal growth we seek. This is often best accomplished through humility. When we humbly serve another, seeking nothing for ourselves, something grows within us, opening us up to greater awareness and ways we can perform even greater works. But if we seek this greater awareness and ways first, we will only find deception, corruption and lies as the enemy will use this to lead us astray.

That is why humility plays a key role here.

It's a tricky path.
But worth it.
Always.

-ESA

Wings (Poem)

This is something I remember from my very early childhood. I don't know if it was something I was told or just made up myself, but I'd like to share it here. I think it's a beautiful allegory.

-------------------------------------

When we are born, we are given a pair of wings. (\/)
These wings cannot be seen or felt. (\/)
But they are with us all our lives. (\/)

At the very moment we are born, (\/)
The wings are just the right size. (\/)
But as we grow and age, (\/)
The wings need to grow with us. (\/)
If not, they will fail. (\/)

As we live our lives, (\/)
The good that we do in this world cause these wings to grow. (\/)
The bad that we do in this world cause the wings to shrink. (\/)
If we do nothing, they will fail. (\/)

At the end of our lives, a trap door opens beneath our feet. (\/)
If our wings aren't strong enough, (\/)
They support the weight of our lives on our souls (\/)
-we fall! (\/)

If they can support us (\/)
But not large enough to let us to soar like an eagle, (\/)
We still have some work to do. (\/)

But if our wings are full and strong, (\/)
They can carry us into the Glories of Heaven above. (\/)
And there, our souls will rejoice! (\/)

-----------------------------------------------------------

How fares your wings? (\/)
Will you fall? (\/)
Or soar! (\/)

-ESA

Sorry Excuses

There have been many times in my life when I've used excuses. Some were legitimate excuses, "I'm late; I was in car accident on my way here." Others were lame excuses I either used to get out of something or to placate someone.

The lame excuses arise because I’m ashamed. The shame stems from the realization that I acted poorly, did something wrong, or didn't do something I should have done. "No, boss, I didn't do the work you assigned me; I was busy with something else," is an excuse I'd often use after I was caught chatting with a friend or playing a game instead of doing real work.

Sadly, this is something that is not only prevalent in society, but it can even be celebrated when one who is very skilled at coming up with creative excuses is praised. Be it so; it's still wrong. The excuse only hides the shame; the shame is still there, buried. One way or another, we will eventually have to face the reality of WHY we did or did not do things, and the shame will spring up in our faces unexpected, raw and even painful.

In addition, lame excuses hide the real reasons we do things. This means we cannot learn or grow from the experience. We continue doing what we should be ashamed of doing. For example, I continued to chat with friends and play computer games instead of getting the work I should be doing done first. It nearly cost me my job, but I continued to lie to myself with these excuses, and that hid the reality that I had a problem. I did not learn until my job was threatened and then reality came crashing in like a ton of bricks.

Even more recently, I've also discovered that good acts can be used as lame excuses. For example, at one point I was taking the time to help one friend through withdrawal, consoling someone else, and working on a project for a third. Then I bit someone's head off. I said, "Sorry, but I'm helping one friend through withdrawal, consoling someone else, and working on this project. That is the reason I bit your head off."

At first, this appears like it's a legitimate excuse, like the car accident above. But let's look at this from a different perspective. I was doing all three things independently and without anyone's awareness save the people directly involved. These were good works I had been doing in secret. But because I now used them as an excuse, only for the sake of alleviating the shame I felt, I had trumpeted those good works (see below) trading all of the value of what I had done for the mere patch to cover that bit of shame I felt.

On Twitter @Jesus_ posted a nugget of wisdom: "Just say sorry, don't complicate the matter by using excuses." I can see now, why that is true. Christ also mentioned that we should simply say "yes" or "no" and everything beyond that is of the evil one (Matthew 5:37) who can use it to advantage. The same can be said of said of apologies; simply say "sorry." What advantage does the evil one have with a few extra words? Evidently from the case described above, those extra words cost me the value of the good works as I have called the spotlight to them.

In our world, we're tempted to add "but" followed by whatever we can think of that will cover our shame or placate the recipient of the words - even if the recipient only ourselves.

Don't complicate the matter by using excuses.
Don't give away good works.
Keep it simple.

-ESA

Sound the Trumpet

Earlier this week, I had an eye-opening experience.

Our office building (with a handful of businesses with one to four employees each) decided to collectively gather donations of clothing, baby items, toiletries, school supplies, etc. to send down to flood-stricken Georgia.

While I was packaging up the boxes to be shipped out on Monday, one of the women who works in the building came down the stairs and watched. She made very certain I knew which of the bags were from her.

Within one bag I found the receipt, which I just handed to her without glancing at it. Then the woman started itemizing each and every item she donated AND THE PRICE of each one. Then she added after summing up her contribution, "I see that some people only brought in used clothing to donate. *I* went out and BOUGHT new stuff. After all I believe one must really SACRIFICE in order for the good deed to count." With that she strutted up the stairs.

I was disgusted by her behavior. I know times are lean and people can only contribute what they can afford. Some donated used clothing, but others had purchased new items as well. For the bulk of the contributions, none but the giver knows who placed them in the box. But this woman made it sound as if her contribution was far greater than any other.

A friend of mine had the right train of thought; he said "She got her reward." Like Christ said of those who clashed the cymbals as they made their way through the street calling everyone's attention to their fasting or prayers, those who make a "big to-do" over what they do call the spotlight to themselves. That one little moment that the spotlight touches them IS their reward. That's it. If that truly is all they seek, then let them have that spotlight.

But for those who seek more than a moment of fleeting fame, let them do things in secret. If not in secret, at least don't call attention to what you do or shout about what you've done for all to hear. The acts, deeds, works and words WILL speak for themselves so others can see the good of those things. And in the life to come, God will know who performed those things and did not call the spotlight to them.

The rest is just stardust that blows off our skin and clothes in the coming storm.

Works that are done in secret
Wonders of the next life
Forever

-ESA

Public Praise - Hidden Gems

One of the things I've discovered about myself recently. If I do some good in this world, something whispers in my head that I should sing about it. There are several acts of kindness I may do throughout the day, some just small little things. Even as I write this, I'm tempted to start listing them. I even had it typed out and deleted them.

I get the impression that I should tweet about it on Twitter; that it will be a good example to others. I get the urge that I should make a video about each of the good works I do and show people how they too can help. I'm led to believe that I should blog about it, illuminating the path others could take and made this world a better place.

I will tell you why I really should NOT and - to the level best that I can achieve in my imperfect life - do not.

When one does a good work and then publically sings, displays, exhibits, demonstrates or otherwise publicizes the good work, they will get public recognition. People will join in singing their praises and mimic their works in the attempt to get a piece of that spotlight. Many will likewise do the same and get some of the star-sparkle glittering on their names as well.

But in my life, it's not the spotlight nor the star-sparkle I seek. Those are things that are not-only short lived, they are only external - of this outside world. The spotlight does not illuminate that which is within the person, just the outside face they show to the world. I seek a greater Light to illuminate my works.

When we do good works in this world, it builds something beautiful beyond words within us. But when we use such good works as a lure of the spotlight, it's like letting the air out of a tire - it deflates us. We are sparkling in the spotlight for a short time and left deflated for a much greater period of time...

Further, I will NOT buy into the belief that if one does not know my works, I will not be a good example to others. In fact, the opposite is true, one's acts shine with their own brilliance. If we seek the public spotlight, we exhibit the wrong desire and are a poor example.

Those that do things "hidden" or in small unrecognized ways, already know that their works shine. It's seen in the sparkle of the tearful eyes of one benefiting from the kindness, in the emotional tremor of a quietly spoken "thank you" or in the inner warmth one receives when they do some good and none but God knows it was by their hand.

These hidden gems are the ones that people see and realize - THIS IS A GOOD THING - without a word being spoken or a camera filming it. These shine on their own and its by their light that the true example is shown. This is a far more beautiful thing than can ever be found in this world. Hidden in the clasp of a loving hand in a lonely one, in the smile of a stranger's face, in the little act that makes someone's life a bit more easier to bear...

Where can you plant hidden gems?
Let their light shine!
Brightly.

-ESA