Kindness, laughter and love are contagious


O_C_fo03bu The power of a hug, smile, laugh or just a few kind words can make someone’s bad day turn into a great day. You must be willing to be a bringer of goodwill and kindness if you desire to have kindness and goodwill returned. You reap what you sow and you get what you dish out to other people. You must be kind-hearted to yourself and let it grow outwardly towards everyone around you. It’s like a flame, it slowly spreads outward and eventually there is a fire and it keeps spreading. Kindness is just like that it grows and grows spreading everywhere. Yes there are some people who can repel kindness and others that will try to kill it with bitterness but as long as you keep sending it out it will not be extinguished.

Kindness, laughter and love are contagious, once they start to spread its almost impossible to stop them. Even the smallest spark of kindness can overcome the greatest anger just like a candle can rid a whole room of darkness. Plus it is far better to go through life choosing to be happy and spreading kindness than to be bitter and spread the seeds of sadness.

 

To be happy one must choose happiness, to be kind one only hast to try from the heart.
Ray Barbier

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A Letter to my self : Self-Compassion


018 I am writing this to let you know how special you are, I know you have a lot of shortcomings and you’re struggling each day with things you don’t like about yourself along with a few bad habits. I know sometimes you feel sad and lonely and I want you to know that everyone goes through that from time to time. Stop trying so hard to be perfect, for no one is perfect. Just know no matter how bad it gets, how hard life tries to be on you and how bad you think you are everything is going to be ok. You may not be perfect, but you are a pretty good person. Try to forgive yourself for those things in the past you regret and then forget them for they belong to yesterday. Just remember this most of all, no matter how alone and unloved you feel there is always one person here on earth that will love you and be with you. I will always be there and will always love you. Even if I fail you know for certain Jesus and God will never fail you, they shall love you no matter what.

Sincerely you friend

Me, Myself and I

Raymond Barbier

Discipline of the mind will in turn help discipline the heart and soul.


English: Holistic health, body, mind, heart, soul

We can be slaves to our desires as well as the pleasures we seek. We also can be slaves to our emotions. We can be the master or the slave when it comes to desire, pleasure and emotion. If we choose to be the master over them they serve us and we are at peace and can find inner serenity. But if we choose to be a slave then we are at their mercy and have a very unstable life that usually is chaotic and full of woes. Even the so called positive emotions can be problematic if we allow them to be in control. They tend to cloud our judgment and create a illusionary feeling of happiness that eventually leads to disappointment in the end. Take the emotion love for instance, If you allow yourself to fall in love at the drop of a hat it either causes problems in your current relationship if your in one or it leaves you wanting every person you find remotely attractive, which will also create an uncertainty within you that only leads to loneliness in the end.

I have seen so many times where a guy or girl goes from one love to the next and as soon as they find a new one they are looking for or at another. That kind of life may have some appeal to it but in the end you wind up lonely and misjudged by people around you. Sometimes I think people like that come about from the misconception there is a perfect soul mate out there. A perfect soul mate is not something you find its something that is created after years of work between the partners. Sure there are soul mates, they will not be perfect but they will be what you need and want. They will be your best friend, lover, teacher, student and all around buddy. They will have flaws and will even be annoying at times. That is until you and the soul mate fully discover each other emotionally and spiritually. Then they morph into the perfect soul mate and you will be theirs.

But harmony between mates is hard to obtain if one or both of you are slaves to your emotions, desires or pleasures. You have to somewhat master those things in order to obtain a great life and great relationships. The body, mind and soul all crave balance and discipline, they thrive in that kind of environment. One of the obstacles in the way of being the master of your emotions and desires is the ego. If a persons ego is too big it hinders all positive progress of the mind and spirit which in turn will cause stress on the body. Self discipline is a very important key to ones spiritual, mental and physical health. The imbalance and lack of discipline in any of the three will affect the other two.The body, mind and spirit are always talked about like they are three separate things, they may be but they are like one for one always affect the other two They are all interconnected and because those three are like one is why we are the unique species we are.

For those who are in a relationship and still seek your soul mate just know the one your with more than likely is the one. You and your mate must work together and communicate with each other so that you can be the perfect soul mates for each other. Forgiveness, compromise and compassion is required in all relationships and most important is the need for unconditional love. Far as being the master or the slave of your emotions and desires, you know which path is the better of the two and you are the only one who can take control of them. Discipline of the mind will in turn help discipline the heart and soul, which will lead to the mastery of your emotions.

Love unconditionally but do not throw you love away on those who will never return it.
Have compassion for all living things and do not forget to have a little self compassion as well.

Raymond Barbier

God gave each of us the right to believe as we wish


Symbol of the three Abrahamic religions.

The world is in darkness,the world is trying to extinguish the spark of light in all of us. Those that promote hate, prejudice and intolerance are trying to keep us from finding the light we have in this world. In this world of darkness there is a light to be found.  God created a spark of light within us all and most of us are unaware or unable to feel its presence anymore. When we were children that light was bright and made life wondrous and beautiful. We allowed the world around us to cover the candle within us and we need to uncover it. Place that candle on a candle stick for all to see and so it can force the darkness away from us all. We can not allow the distractions and road blocks the darkness throws in our path to get in the way of being the beings of light god wants us to be. He wants us to be peaceful, loving, compassionate and full of hope. Things such as greed, lust and fear stand in the way of most of us and they keep us preoccupied and distracted from happiness and peace.

Three religions that were spawned by the one true God, yet those three religions still are distracted and preoccupied by their differences instead of being tolerant of each other. A house divided against itself surely will fall and that is the case with the three religions if they do not learn to co-operate or at least tolerate each other. We all serve the same God, even though we have differences in beliefs on some subjects that are sensitive we can learn to accept one another. We are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God and we should love one another regardless of our different beliefs.  I am a firm believer in freewill and the fact God gave each of us the right to believe as we wish. Of course if we choose the wrong beliefs there will be a price to pay. This though is the price of freewill and is something each of us should consider when choosing our religious beliefs. I will not state which belief is the right one for only god knows the answer to that question and it isn’t my place as a mere human to answer. I believe as I do and respect the religious beliefs of all others in hopes they will do the same for me.

 We all have to live on this planet together, we can do it as brothers and sisters in peace or continue to go down this road of mistrust, hatred and of war. The choice is there for each one of us to choose and hopefully most of us will choose the path of peace and of love than the one of hate and war. Let us all be adults and civilized, let us live together as a great family and as the unique human species we are together in harmony.

Raymond Barbier

We should just be the best person we can be


bnf0422We make our lives far more complicated than they really are, we seem to put too many conditions on every choice we make and action we take. Things are either black, grey or white there is very little else they can be, either it is for our good or for our dismay. We allow our ego to get in the way of the happiness of others and even our own happiness in the end. Selfishness serves no purpose other than to deceive you into believing that possessions and wealth can make you happy. Yes money makes it easier to live in this world, but money is not a source of true happiness or love. Money is but paper or metal and it usually causes more problems than it solves. We tend to be addicted to temporary and instant gratifications which are good at distracting us from the good things in life like friends, family, love and communal fellowship. We need to be less about self and more about family, friends and community.

bnf0421 We need to learn to put our ego’s back in their place and live life with unconditional love, trust, compassion, hope and most of all faith. We need to put away the fear we have been taught and embrace the spirit of hope so that we can truly live our lives. We can no longer go through each day just trying to survive, we must live each day in the fullest as if there is no tomorrow. We should show our appreciation to those in our lives that we love and hold dear. We should be considerate, kind and compassionate to all those we meet, for none of us are perfect or without fault. We shouldn’t worry about what we don’t have for possessions are only temporary. We shouldn’t worry about who does or don’t like us for that is something we can not control in the end. We should just be the best person we can be and cherish those that we are blessed to have as friends and family.

The first step in changing one’s life is to change the way you look at life itself.
Raymond Barbier

Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.


p10186We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. This verse tells it all, we may make all the plans we wish but in the end God’s will is absolute. God gave us freewill to choose what path of life we want to follow and how we want to live our lives. His will is still present during this time and we have the freedom to choose his will above our own. If we look at God’s will like a straight line coming from the beginning of time to the end, it never wavers or changes course. Then we can see small chaotic lines going every which way around the outside of gods will and those are the will of humans. Some merge into God’s will and others just aimlessly wander until they disappear.

p10182
Commit you actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. When you live your life for God then all the plans you make are in Christ therefore they shall be successful. All things are possible in Christ and nothing is impossible for  God.  Jesus came to help redeem the sinners and heal the sick of body and of spirit as well. He offers salvation as a gift to all who desire to receive it. To be saved is simple for all you have to do is accept Jesus into your heart and embrace the salvation he offers.

 

The choice is yours, to live a life dedicated to your creator and your Lord and savior or a life for your own lusts and selfishness. Let God help you think in a righteous way and may your heart not be hardened by this world and all its cruelties .

God Bless

Raymond Barbier

Embrace that spirit of hope


p10329 We tend to look outwardly for our happiness, love and for acceptance. God gave us all the tools within us to be happy, love and be loved. Pretty much anything we need to be or do is within our own selves, God gave us everything within, it is only the matter of having the faith to utilize what we have been blessed with. We can not find happiness from an outside source if we can not even embrace the happiness god gave us within. It is hard to love anyone or anything if we can not embrace the love God gives us deep inside. Once we learn to have faith in and embrace the gifts god planted within our souls we then will not worry about acceptance because we know we belong to God. As long as we don’t allow the distractions on our modern lives to get in the way and we don’t fall to the spirit of fear we shall live a happy and successful life. We must embrace that spirit of hope and the sound mind God blessed us with. We can not allow those in this world who try to make us believe we are hopeless or condemned without salvation. They wish only to drag you down with them, we shouldn’t have hatred for those people for we should pray for their souls and show them the compassion we are taught by Christ‘s teachings.

Look within yourself for the blessings god blessed you with and do not fall for the traps of our modern world.
Raymond Barbier

The words you speak, the actions you take and how you treat others is what truly defines who you are


003 When our life comes to an end do you want to be remembered as the person who was angry and full of bitterness or as the person who knew no stranger and brought happiness or compassion wherever they went? Will they see you as a great loss to the community or just another poor soul they knew. So many get caught up in greed and self-satisfaction only to find themselves either disliked by many or forgotten by all those around them. No person can be positive all the time but we should strive to be positive and to be an example for others around us.  How we act and how we treat others is what we are judged on by our peers and will be the defining factor of how we are remembered after our time is up.

Though it may be a bit grim if not morbid to think about how others will remember you in the end, but that is part of being a mortal being as we humans are. All of our possessions, wealth and personal triumphs will be forgotten but how we lived our life along how we treated others will remain beyond our lifetime. Some will  wonder why would it matter what others remember you as after you die? Well I guess to some people it makes no difference, for as I am concerned it not that important but if I am remembered it would be better if it was in the positive. All we really have here on earth that no one can take from us is who and what we are and how we decide to interact with the world.

I guess the point I am trying to get across is that the words you speak, the actions you take and how you treat others is what truly defines who you are. The question is how do you want others to perceive you while you are living and how would you like to remembered in life as well as beyond the grave.  Walk through life the way you would like to be known and remembered. For how you walk through life and what path you choose is your own choice to make and so is how you are perceived and remembered.

The law of attraction says that similar things attract one another. Murphy’s law says that if it can go wrong it will. Life does not always go by the rules  and seldom does it follow any of the laws.
Raymond Barbier

To be positive, compassionate and a bringer of good tidings is always the best path


016Sometimes I believe we all focus way too much on the negative side of life and our own faults. We tend to put way to much importance on those negative things and we do so to the point of leaving very little time for the positive things in ourselves and our lives. Negative things and thoughts become a distraction from the good things in life and the goodness within our hearts and minds. We should give less priority to those negative thoughts and things and put more effort in being positive and enjoying life. It seems like it so much harder to help others when you are overwhelmed with worries and negativity, and when you do good for others the weight of the negativity in your life seems a lot lighter. Fear, worry, sadness and hate just wear you down and they weigh down the heart. They consume all of your time as well as your energy, they are the robbers of happiness and life. Being a positive influence and doing good things such as helping others can raise your spirit as well as your energy levels. Plus the more positive thoughts and actions you put into action the more positivity comes into your life.

Why allow the negative things in life to bring you down, doing so does not change the situation and it just adds to the grief as well as your stress. To be positive, compassionate and a bringer of good tidings is always the best path to follow for it brings you happiness and inner peace. Life will always have its ups and downs but how you decide to react to both is what determines how happy you will be.

We are at our best when we let compassion and love be our guides through life.
Raymond Barbier

For the glory of God and not for favor or for self satisfaction.


p10328We are like the moon and God’s love is like the sun, we reflect gods love for all to see. The love, compassion and forgiving nature we possess is but a reflection of God’s. Just like the moon we reflect the light of God into the darkness of this world so those in darkness can see the light. We must remember we too walk in this world of darkness and that we must be careful not to allow the darkness to dim the light we reflect. Just like the real moon we also have a dark side we must deal with, this is the nature of being human and of the flesh. The flesh craves all that stimulates and that can be coveted. Our carnal nature is one of the things we must try to resist for it is the product of our selfish nature not of our loving nature or of the spirit which god gave us. Being humble and full of compassion is the nature of our hearts and is the path to being true to the light we reflect. I believe we only reflect God’s light, love and compassion because it is his glory we do the works we do and his grace that gives us the forgiveness we need. The goodness within us sprung from the seed God planted in us therefore the goodness is God’s and we are just the gardeners.

Good Works may not get you into heaven but they are the result of the goodness God planted within us.
So Good  Works are done for the glory of God and not for favor or for self-satisfaction.

Just some thoughts on a Thursday morning.
Raymond Barbier