as i see it...This year, in December, I'm going to be sixty years old. And frankly it comes as a surprise. How did that happen, we were just 18? And where did all these aches come from? (lol) But I have learned some things about life, the first of which is There is a God, and he loves me, and whether you believe it or not, he loves you, as well. In fact, though it would be great to learn that my father was Bill Gates, the creator of the world of computers and software, it's far better to know that my father is the creator of the UNIVERSE.Yep, that's my DAD!! Since I invited God into my life when I was 18, we've walked together through hard times and times of joy, and I've enjoyed long-term friendships (some since middle school and high school), the perfect soul-mate for me, and a thrilling ride through life.(Don't get me wrong, I'm only sixty, and I have a long way to go..but so far, so good.)
Another thing I've learned about life is that the road to personal happiness runs through generosity,through giving. What we get in life is some length of time, our love and affections, and to some degree a level of wealth. The trick is to give it away, to share our love and generosity with others , and the universe as God has created it, conspires to give it back to us, multiplied. It's true, what goes around does come around. And you really do reap what you sow.
Sadly, most churches have corrupted God right out of their programs. When Jesus sent them out into the world, his apostles had only the sandals on their feet and perhaps a staff. Now we have huge beautiful buildings, stained glass windows, and the first thing on the agenda on Sunday, during so called "worship" services, is the amount of money in the building fund, the operation expenses of the church and the reason they need an extra collection this Sunday. What are they worshiping?? In His day, Jesus referred to the religious leaders as evil vipers, more fit for Hell than the sinners. The "Churchifieds" (my term) of today will hold hands and pray loudly around a table in a restaurant, send their children off to build a church in Mexico (after major fanfare and much congratulations about how wonderful and loving they are) and yet refuse to visit a relative in the hospital because that makes them feel "uncomfortable", ("I was sick and you visited me?? didn't I read that??") And don't they love to share how holy they are, how they are of service to their community, and how others fail so often and so badly, "poor dears, tsk, tsk".
When asked by the leaders of His time what all the scriptures boiled down to, Jesus said it was simple. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. What that means could be complicated and written up in the dissertations of biblical scholars, or simplified into this: If you fell in love with another person, that hunky guy, or lovely woman, you'd be interested in them, you'd start by finding out about them. It's not that different with God. You can get a copy of your own Bible, steer clear of organized religion, start with the Four Gospels, and learn about Him. Concentrate on what Jesus himself said. (Though the Churchifieds would howl, I'd avoid the books after the Gospels, cuz by that time Jesus is in Heaven and things begin to get "organized".) The second half "Love your neighbor as yourself" can again be complicated out of all reason, or kept simple. How do you treat yourself? I am very quick to rationalize why what I did was reasonable under the circumstances. "I needed to speed down the freeway because I was late, and my students are waiting, and that's noble, right??" But let someone else go flying past me and he's a "safety hazard, and where's there a cop when you need one?" What if we worked as hard forgiving and looking for the good things in others, as we so quickly do for ourselves? What if we did?
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