Forgiveness – Page 3 – One Lifetime Blog

February 14, 2015

Random thoughts 2-14-2015

I always wonder why that people tend to be so negative in nature when life itself is something of wonder and of beauty. I understand how life tends to throw curve balls at us and how external influences can become roadblocks and pitfalls on our journey through life. Bad and unfortunate events occur, there is little we can do about those kind of things. All we can do is choose to either be someone who reacts to such things or be a person who has learned to act to minimize the negative effects of such. Being reactionary is to let instinct take control and not allow our reasoning skills to figure out the most beneficial action to take in response to the situation.

Being a reactionary type person is basically being someone who leaves most of his or her decisions in life up to chance. Sometimes we only have that choice, but most of the time we do have the choice and ability to reason out a better way to respond to circumstances than just instinctually. Putting it in a nutshell so to speak is to say it is better to think things through than just letting our instincts control our actions and reactions. Step back and look at the whole situation and all the circumstances surrounding it before taking any kind of action. For it is wise to think before you act instead of acting hastily without any thought of both the circumstances and consequences that one could face.

We always must remember that not only our actions can cause us to face consequences but also the words we speak. Responsibility of both our words and actions fall solely on ourselves, the consequences of both are our responsibility as well. In the end we shall face the consequences of our choices, actions and words. Be it through karma, judgement by a supreme being or just plain fate we will face our choices in life. So one would think it would be far wiser to be mindful of what actions and words you choose in life

A few quotes to ponder on…

Think before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. – Napoleon Hill

Think before you act and act on what you believe. – Bo Bennett

Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend,earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. – Ernest Hemingway

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Random thoughts 2-14-2015 was originally published on Mind Exposure

February 14, 2015February 15, 2015

Random thoughts 2-14-2015

A few quotes to ponder on…

Think before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. – Napoleon Hill

Think before you act and act on what you believe. – Bo Bennett

Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend,earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. – Ernest Hemingway

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February 8, 2015February 8, 2015

Random Thoughts 2-8-2015

One of the biggest enemies of success and happiness is doubting ourselves and having the lack of confidence in our ability to choose. Walking through life with fear and without self-confidence makes for a very unhappy life. Without self-confidence we become wandering and unfocused, we have no direction in life.

What creates self-doubt and causes our self-confidence to dissipate? There are internal and external forces that play a part in such, most of the time it is either a period of time that we failed more than we could handle or we were told repeatedly by our peers that we were in some way deficient or inferior to others.

More than likely it was a combination of those two along with other experiences in our lives. I myself had to face my peers being degrading and did not accept me for who I was as a teen and child. As teens humans are quite cruel, though I do not think poorly of any of those whom played a part of such. When you’re a teen there is a lot of pressure to fit in, to be cool and it is when we develop our social skills. It is all part of the process of growing up and finding your place in society.

Regardless of where the self doubting began or how it took root within your mind matters less than how to correct such improper and negative thinking. First off if you have any anger or hold any grudges against anyone who was a part of the problem, you have to forgive them and let them go in order to release yourself from the negative emotions tied to the experience. Those negative emotions will do nothing but block you from moving forward.

I have found many of those whom were mean or those who acted poorly towards me in my youth grew up to become some of the greatest people one could know. Also sometimes those who we thought were being mean really were nice people who were trying to keep from suffering the same fate as we faced. Fear of rejection or the fear of not being accepted is one of the most common fears among youths and some adults as well.

To rebuild ones confidence is not simple nor is it a quick task to complete. If you have friends and family that are supportive, those in your life that frequently give you praise or show gratitude for your efforts you should surround yourself with those kind of people. You should when possible avoid negative people who tend to bring you down emotionally, especially the ones that try to belittle you. In time once you rebuilt your confidence it wont matter much what others say be it complimentary or demeaning.

In life one must learn that to lean on others is not a sign of weakness but that it is a sign of wisdom. Humanity would have been extinct a long time ago if we didn’t learn to lean on one another and to combine our strengths as a group. Rebuilding confidence is different for each one of us, what works for one may not always work for another. But to seek help is wise and to find your own path is the best way.

I wish you well on your Journey Through Life and I leave you with a Quote from John Donne’s Meditation XVII:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

~John Donne: Meditation XVII

January 25, 2015January 25, 2015

Random Thoughts 1/25/2015

The amount of time we all have in a lifetime in microscopic compared to how long the universe has existed. Life is so precious because we have so little time to experience it. With this in mind we should be good to one another, be compassionate and forgiving. We all are only human after all, we all make mistakes, poor choices and get lost on our way through life. Find what makes you happy and go obtain it and do it with a good heart. Think hard and examine what is important in your life, some things you may see as important may not be and some things you may see as worthless may be the most important to you in the end.

Not one individual is greater or more important than another, that illusion has caused injustice and an imbalance in our world. We all are equal in the stream of time and on the path of life, we all must face the fate of being physically mortal. Age, disease and sickness cares little about social or financial statuses, we all are victims of such. So we should cherish one another and be respectful to each other. We need to put aside the foolish beliefs that one human is greater or lesser than another.

This world is in need of great change, a great change of the mindset of both those in power and those whom are not. But change will not come without it having a place to take root. Change always must start within yourself and then be spread outward, Plant a seed of positive change within yourself and be a Johnny Appleseed of a better world and a brighter future.

To end todays Random Thoughts I leave you with a Quote from a song by the late Michael Jackson

If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change ~ Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror”

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015

Random Thoughts 1/4/2015

Forgiveness is important in living a happy life, most of the time forgiving someone else isn’t the problem. The forgiving of your own mistakes is the biggest problem. Most people are harder on their selves than they are on others, this leads to the loss of self-confidence and self-love. we all need to learn to embrace who we are as is and instead of putting so much emphasis on being the perfect person we should put more emphasis on improving and accepting the person we are. No person is perfect, we all have flaws , short comings and make poor choices.

Focus on your good qualities and make them shine while learning to control and curb the qualities that are not so good. Eventually you may rid yourself of the lesser qualities or at least keep them in check to where they do not cause any harm. Either way by focusing on the good qualities and bringing them to the forefront will at least help you grow emotionally, mentally and even spiritually.

Ray Barbier

December 14, 2014December 14, 2014

Random Thoughts:12-14-2014

When we are young we rarely think of death, we lack the fear of death and the we don’t understand the fact life is fleeting and temporary. That innocence we had as children made life so wonderful and free, unfortunately as we grow older we experience the loss of friends, family and others around us. Slowly the reality of our mortality sinks in and bit by bit our innocence disappears. Instead of owning both our life and our eventual end we tend to slowly give in to fear. That fear strips us of our happiness and steals the time we are supposed to enjoy living.

Life is not supposed to be all about fearing its end, its supposed to be about living in the moment and enjoying the precious time we have with those whom we love and enjoy being with. Being our life is so short , we should try to be loving, caring and compassionate beings and learn to love and forgive one another unconditionally.

Unfortunately there is always great injustice in this world as well as inequality. Though a lot of that is beyond our control , but a good part of it is within our own hands to change. If each one of us lived our lives respecting one another and embracing one another as unique individuals and equals then a good part of what ails society would be diminished. There will always be problems to face in this world be it on the street or in the high offices of government. This will not change until the heart of humanity changes within its self.

To end todays Random Thoughts I will leave you with a quote from a popular song that rings true in my heart at least.

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother– The Hollies (1969)

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014

Random Thoughts on 10/22/2014

We face so many trials in life and many pitfalls fill our path in life. The modern world is good at distracting us, it keeps our minds so full of random information and it fills our eyes with intense stimuli. All this to keep us from being focused on the real issues before us and to keep us too busy to notice what is really going on around us. Seems we rather look at the pretty lights sometimes than to see the problems right in front of us. Sometimes we ignore the problems in hopes that they will go away or fix themselves. Well unfortunately they don’t fix themselves or go away they either turn into different problems or they remain a problem.

We must face our problems be they personal, community or global in nature. We need to focus more on life than on the distractions this world throws at us. All life has value, we all are unique and important and we all play a part in this world if we want to accept it or not. No ones voice is less important nor is anyone’s voice more important than another’s. We all have emotions, thought and are a part of the tapestry that is life. The illusion of superiority or inferiority are but stumbling blocks on our path to spiritual growth.

Between distractions of the modern world, fear and our illusive belief in that individuals have different levels of worth in life, we have been blinded to the truth. We fall prey to being judgmental and accepting the judgments of our peers. We do not need to judge one another, we are here to have fellowship, companionship and aid one another through life. We all have shortcomings and we all also have good points as well as blessings. No one is different in that respect, we all face life and its roller coaster of change and unexpected events.

Such old adages as Know thyself and to one’s self be true are concepts that still ring true in the modern world. I say be yourself and love who you are, love others without judgment and be true to yourself and to others. Honesty and compassion are both good qualities found in humanity and are cornerstones to a better society.

Well enough of my totally random thoughts for today, God bless and may you find happiness within who and what you are.

Ray Barbier

October 4, 2014October 4, 2014

Get back on the Track

Sometimes I think we all get too wrapped up in our own lives and the problems we are facing. We get to the point we become self-defeating and we become stuck in a loop. We can not go forward because we are too focused on what is behind us and what might be far ahead of us. Our focus should be on the moment before us and the past needs to be left behind us. Living in the past keeps one from moving forward and/or growing mentally,emotionally and spiritually.

When we get in such a place in our lives we become like a model train that got off the tracks, we get stuck in one place spinning our wheels. So in times like these we need to get back on the track and moving forward. There is so many reasons why we could become derailed in life and only a few ways to get back on the track. Forgiveness of others and yourself is one of the important steps, usually we get stuck in the past due to mistakes by ourselves or others and until we can let go of those mistakes and forgive the one that had committed it that we stay derailed and motionless..Understanding is one of the keys to forgiveness, if you try to see things from the other persons perspective and try to mentally envision yourself in their shoes you may get a glimpse into the reasons why they did what they did.

We all are human, we all make poor choices and most of us go through times in our lives we become bitter and allow hate to control our actions. We all have those moments of weakness and times when we act before we think.. Each and every one of us have problems, burdens and stresses within our life, no one is without stumbling blocks or bad days. Try to remember that when you are faced with either yourself or another that is being angry, hateful or spiteful. Life isn’t easy for most of us so we tend to get lost in our pain and forget that there is so much more to enjoy in life.

The hardest conflicts to resolve are the ones where one or more parties value their pride above all else. Pride is but a stumbling block in the way of diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Ray Barbier .

August 31, 2014August 31, 2014

Like seeds, like a virus- Random Thoughts – 8/31/2014

It seems even though humanity has advanced tremendously in the areas of science and technologies, we still seem as children when it comes to mental , spiritual and emotional growth. We still place blame and fault on external forces for the turmoil and destruction that we created ourselves. Blaming and pointing fingers never solves any issue, only enacting change in oneself and inspiring change in those around us is the only way to change the world we live in. Love, peace, understanding and compassion are like seeds, plant them they grow and then they bear fruit and seeds to spread themselves further. But things such as lust , greed and hate are similar they are like a virus, the quickly spread from person to person. The main difference is fruit nourishes the body, mind and soul when a virus corrupts and eats away at the body, mind and soul. We can choose to embrace which ever one we desire, but we must know the cost, consequence and reward of each. Good works will not get us to heaven alone, but they are a part of the journey. They are the path towards being the people who God created us to be. But just as the Bible tells us even the wicked do good things for their loved ones and family, so we must take it further. We must be compassionate, loving and kind people towards all things that live and breathe. Be they friend, family, enemy or undesirables. No man or woman is greater or lesser than another and therefore we should love one another unconditionally and without any hesitation.

The things most seek such as wealth, social status, physical beauty are all fleeting and in time shall be as the dust we came from. So what worth should we put upon such temporary things? On this earth there are many religions and many whom believe not in a God, the gift of freewill made this possible and it is the will of God that we have the choices to believe as we wish. So Spread the Gospel but respect the right of others not to believe or to believe different. Be at peace with everyone , even those you see as enemies. The compassion you show others will not be forgotten.

It is time for humanity to wake up from its spiritual sleep and become the great family that God intended it to be.

Ray Barbier

August 30, 2014August 31, 2014

Fear, faith and hope–random thoughts 8-30-2014

There are those that seek to control others with fear, they for some reason believe that instilling fear in others gives them power. The thing with fear is one can overcome it, learn to channel it and also learn to let it pass through them. The bible teaches us the only one and or thing we must fear is God. No man nor woman can destroy that which god has given you unless it be his will. So learn to replace the fear that other humans try to instill within you with faith in God and his promises. Whom shall you believe and whom shall you fear is solely your decision, God gave us that power when he gave all of us freewill.

Only God can take away your immortal soul, he is the only one that can give you access to heaven or deny you entrance as well. No man can take away the treasures you stow away in heaven, all a man or woman can do is take away the things of this earth. All things on and in this earth are temporary and no one or thing that is of this earth shall remain past their time allotted by God. So worry little over matters of the world and be as God desires, loving , forgiving and good examples of the children of God we have been created to be.

Fear has no power when confronted with Faith and Hope.

Ray Barbier

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