Today

Today is a wonderful day! I wake up like everyday, late, wake up my kids late, I even went to bed late last night; because my son did not did his homework of one week. I cannot go to the retreat that I was anxious to go this weekend, but something was different, what do I did different today??? This morning, I did not run like crazy around the house, getting everybody ready including the dogs. I did not scream around because my kid will miss their bus if we don’t get out of the house now. My older son give food to the dogs without I even ask him, something that he complains every morning.  I drive normal, not my normal, but the normal speed. As I enter to the subdivision, my son bus was in front of me, uff! He did not miss it.

What this mean? I think mean that God is with me. I ask him for patience with my kids, with my dogs and with myself. I ask Him to help me to be more organized, I ask Him to help me not be so anxious all the time about tomorrow. I had to drive today, thing that I hate very much (traffic!), but as I was driving my dad’s car, he have his old CDS, and I was listening it (Willy Colon) that is salsa music, which I don’t like much, but remained me when I was little and happy days. I was dancing and singing in a bad traffic. I look around the faces of the people, and realize that most of them were faces of distress, madness, and sadness and bored.

Today, is not a holiday, is not special at all, or maybe it is. How we think is how we feel and how we feel is what drives our actions. Our thoughts are more powerful that we thought. We have to stop life and start living. As I was taking my kids to catch the bus, I tell them to appreciate the nature look at the trees how beautiful they are, we did not have that in my country, they are always green. Last night, as I was trying to find a document for work, I found a little pocket prayer book, a really tiny cute one. I read couple of prayers last night before go to sleep. A good friend of mine that I visit yesterday for dinner, gave me a nice book, inspirations for everyday; this is one of the scriptures for today:

Luke 12:29-31

²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Big Hug,
MRM

Planning...

I think it does not matter how hard you try to go where you want to go or do what you want to do, if is not in God’s plan it won’t happened. Even the things that you might think are good things for you or other people, if you are letting God guide your life, He will really change your plans. I planned around three months ago to go to a silence retreat this weekend, cancel! I plan to sign up in a new ministry at church this coming year, cancel! It’s not that I need to work hard for it, it is just that literally God is telling me NO, at least not this time.

I complain a lot with God about how He in times B. C. He talks to people so directly and how He doesn't do it any more with us today, but you know what? He sends people to speak for Him to us. For the ministry that I want to sign up he sends around 3 or 4 people to tell me not now. OK! I get it, not now. He even send a almost stranger for me to tell me quit doing something that I knew I should not do, but still do it.

God have thousand of ways to talk to us, what is more amazing is that he really know what is the way He needs to talks to us for us to understand His message. All we have to do is open our hearts, ears, and minds to His message. It is sound so simple, but by experience I know it is not as simple as its sound, this is the part when I make Him crazy asking Him to be more clear to me when He talks to me. I know is hard to believe in the unseen, I think is easier to believe in feelings, so be open to feel how God works in your life that helps to believe.

Proverbs 16:9

 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps

Big Hug,
MRM

Noah's Ark

Have you read the story of Noah? If not, I am going to give you my Noah’s story version. God was very mad with mankind, “Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth” He wants to wipe out all mankind except for Noah, because Noah was righteous and was faithfully with God. So, God ask Noah to construct an ark. Noah lives far away from any kind of body water (river, lake, ocean), there were a drought at that time, and Noah was around 500 year-old. It took Noah around 100 years to construct the ark and after the food he live 350 years more. You can find the Bible version in Genesis 5:32-10:1.

Now lets analyze this. From my understanding this is not a true story. Sorry for the disappointment. I think this is a metaphor. I definitely was not there to proof that Noah really live almost a thousand years and to say that this is a true story. What is the message behind this story? Why a story that is in the front page in most of the every kid’s bible, is in deed in the bible? Why Noah, an old man constructs a big boat in front of his yard just to please God? What the HOA (home owners associations) will say about this? People in these days probably lock him up in a psychiatry center for the rest of his centenary of years that left him. God just said, Noah construct the ark with the specific measures, with a pair of each of every living animal inside and stay there. To me that sounds a lot of work and not only a lot of work, but also an impossible work!

What God is asking us today? Do not trouble because He will take care of our problems? Love our enemies? Do not judge? Be kind with the poor? Love your spouses? Love and take care of our kids? Help people in need? Take some time to spend with Him? What it is that God is asking us today? Trust? Faith? Love? Follow Him? I think that are things easier to do than construct an ark where all your family fit and a pair of each animal fit, especially if you are not talented with wood!

Romans 8:28

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Big Hug,
MRM

Judging

Have you ever judge somebody? If you are part of the human been, I guess you have done this or you are judging someone right now. I have to confess that I have judge people in the past and hopefully will do it less in the future. I think is human nature judge other people, a human nature that I think we can fix or improve. We have tons of good reasons to judge someone; because we don’t know what is the story of that person, because she or he seems to have better life than we do, because that person hurt us, because have better body, because we think we are better than them, etc, etc, etc.

A week ago, I was taking a class and I meet two people who I did not trust and judge them. One, because his past and the other one, because I could not understand when he talks. I was thinking how people like this two people can be in the mental health field trying to help others? How institutions let people like this kind help others to deal with so delicate things like mental illness? Days pass, and I start meeting them more inside and their past, and I have to recognize that one of them if keep the right track as he is doing right now, he can be helping lots of people that are in the same situation that he was in the past. He is a true healing and hope story for many people out there. He represent that God can make miracles when people surrender to Him.

The other guy, I did not understand him very well yet, but I guess he have his way to help others. At least he keeps trying to find his place in this world that is a good step to start with. I think God have a special purpose for each of us in this world, the adventure is in find that purpose while living here. I realize that most of the time when we judge someone is because we have done or are doing the same thing or because we want what that person have. Next time I judge someone, I will analyze why I am judging that person, what that person is doing or have that make me judge the way I am doing it. Maybe I will find some answer to my many questions about life and God’s purpose for me in this life.

Matthew 7:1-2

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Trees

I really enjoy more and, more going hiking in the afternoons. It gives me some sort of peace, I guess, because there is no one around or because I just can hear birds, crickets and squirrels running around. As I walk, I start thinking about all the things that I want to do, but not sure which one I should start or which way I should go. I keep asking for light to God, but seems that I can’t see it.

As I keep walking, I saw in front of me a really big tree, but was not just a tree, was a straight up more than 15 feet and just straight up without branches. At the top of the tree then you can see some small branches with lot of leaves. I start thinking (but of course!), have you ever put a small plant near to a window, the plant tend to grow toward the window, because there is light. Plants need the light to be able to grow. Plants grow up toward the light. That is what we all need to do look and grow toward the light.

I heard that in hell there is darkness, and is down, like underground. Heaven is pure light and is up like sky. Trees grow up toward the light, and they don’t even have a brain to know this! Pretty smart ahh! Then, why is that we, people with brain to think and eyes to see, it is so hard to follow the light? I have some answer for that question. Could be our thoughts (my thoughts) that are like fog that prevent me from see the light. Could be pride, selfishness, mulishness, and many other adjectives that blind us and keep us out of sight of the light.

Today I am going to try to look more for the light, the sun, moon, friends, family, bible, and God. I hope that you can see the light and follow it; I have heard that there is peace in it.

Isaiah 42:16

¹⁶ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. 

These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Big Hug,

MRM