Prayer, Faith and His Will or Ours

  I used to wonder why that sometimes it seemed GOD sometimes wouldn't answer my prayers. I figured out he was answering them it was that some prayers he answered no to and others he answered in ways I didn't understand at the time.  Then there were many prayers that were unanswered due to my lack of faith in him. God loves all of us regardless if we believe in him or not, Just like a father he loves his children both the good and bad. He helps all of us both by answering our prayers and by brining us experiences in our life to enrich us or teach us.

A friend of mine once stated like many others had done, If god exists and loves us then why would he allow famine, war and disease on earth. It is man who brings war and allows famine to be in this world. Mankind's will is what spawns the majority of our sufferings. The problem is Man chooses his own will over that of God’s which pretty much says Man thinks he is the master instead of God. There are many who put God’s will before their own, yet its a very small amount of people compared to who that don't. We are yet his children and even though we ignore his advice and will, He will still help us in times of need. But due to ignoring his advice and will we will have much more problems to face in our life.

  If a father tells his son, Son do not drink alcohol it will eventually consume you and your life and the son ignores the warning usually that son will have a very high chance of alcoholism and possibly the related health issues related to drinking. If the son heeds the fathers advice he avoids all the pitfalls of drinking. This is similar to what god has done, he has warned us in the bible of the pitfalls of both sin and putting our own will above his and most of us chose to ignore it. Though we will have to face many of the negative aspects of our choice to not follow God’s will he still loves us.

  Have faith in him and pray for his will to be done on earth as in heaven, Repent and ask for strength to resist the temptations of life.

God Bless

Ray Barbier

Guilt, Mistakes and Self Forgiveness

Self forgiveness is something that very few of us ever practice, forgiving one's self seems to be a much harder task than to forgive others. Why does it seem that to forgive some one is much easier than to forgive our own mistakes and transgressions?  For some reason we tend to be much harder on ourselves than we are on other people. We must realize that like everyone else we are not perfect and therefore we will make mistakes and should learn from those mistakes but not allow those mistakes to control our lives.  We can focus on our positive attributes and our achievements instead of on our mistakes and our negative aspects.  Mistakes being a part of the natural learning process that we all go through and they are beneficial in learning what we should not do.  So making mistakes is something that we all must face in this life that we live.

  Guilt which is an aftereffect of making a mistake is suppose to be a short lived emotion to help us remember that we had made that mistake.  Guilt is not supposed to be a lifelong emotion and if it becomes one it changes from a beneficial emotion into a destructive emotion.  Suffering Guilt for a long period of time is devastating to a persons self-esteem and their personal happiness. Accept the mistakes that you have made, then learn from them and try not to repeat them is about all one can do. Everybody makes mistakes and everyone faces guilt from time to time and that my friend is what being human is all about.

Well till next time

Peace R. Barbier

Just Rambling on about emotions.

   Anger serves a purpose but is meant to be a temporary state of emotion not a way of life. Anger is designed for the purpose of self preservation and defense , It is a response to a negative force we encounter and usually turns off after the event. Sometimes anger will linger and cause great physical distress which is not its true design. Instead of anger we are supposed to have a memory of the incident and the mistrust or caution mentality. To hold on to anger for too long of time it creates a negative effect on your social and physical well being. To allow any emotion to be in control of you and your daily life is unhealthy. Emotions should be under your control not the other way around. Taming emotions that have gone wild and has gained control of your life is not an easy task. But like any challenge we face in life it is possible with determination and allot of self control. Though meditation, hypnosis and plain common sense one can regain control over their emotions within time. The first step is to realize that your emotions are in control of you and that you need to regain control of them.

  Some people choose to ignore or try and shut off their emotions and this also creates problems for your body and mind. Learn to experience your emotions when they come and then learn to let go of them once they are no longer necessary. Mankind has always had to deal with their emotions and how they can both be beneficial and devastating to the individual who experiences them. Too much emotions is bad just as too little of emotions is also bad. Find a balance between both extremes and learn to be the master of them and all will be well. When a emotion becomes too strong and uncontrollable find a way to express that emotion and to get it out of you. Writing, exercise, and any form of artistic expression usually are good ways to express and release the emotions you are dealing with. There are many other ways to deal with the overbearing emotions one can experience and each person needs to find the best way for them.

Depression is one of the most devastating emotions one must face and when facing it I would suggest not doing it alone, Talk to your family and friends about your sadness and ask them for help and if it is a very severe case do not feel ashamed to go ask for help from your physician or a therapist. Being depressed may be natural from time to time but it is not normal to be depressed all of the time.

Well enough rambling for today.

Peace.

R. Barbier

Question of the Day 8/21/2010

  If the average salary of an American is between 25k to 50k and the average congresspersons salary is between 170k to 190k,  Do you think that congress should consider a pay cut to help lower the national deficit?

Thought of the day 08/18/2010

“The heart of a humble man is full of compassion and understanding, The heart of a selfish man is full of deceit and envy.”

Thought of the day 08/16/2010

“Selfishness not only robs others of the good you can do but also robs you of the good you can receive”

There is no such thing as a perfect relationship

  There is no such thing as a perfect relationship, parent, child or lover and holding on to that belief only keeps someone from enjoying life and those who are in it. If we would learn to accept the fact the person we love and care about is human and will have many flaws we might be happier in our relationships. We can not expect anyone to adhere to the standards of perfection we have in our mind. Each person has both great qualities and potential as well as a bad side to their personality. We all suffer from a bad side and there is not one person here on earth who is perfect. We all should show respect to others and have self respect as well. Respect for each other is a very important part of any relationship, without respect a relationship will fall apart eventually.

Respect yourself and all others and love without condition along with understanding. Try to see things through the eyes of others and realize that sometimes there is more there than meets the eye. Never expect perfection from yourself or others. This is not to say you cant have high standards for yourself and others but be realistic in the standards you set. If you set the bar too high then you or they will never reach the goal or standard. Also remember relationships are a partnership so you must work together to make the relationship work and to improve its quality.

 

“Love yourself and others for who and what they are”

R. Barbier

Thought of the Day 08/14/2010

“If you fill your heart with compassion and love you will have no room left for anything negative.”

Thought of the day 8/13/10

“You are only as happy as you allow yourself to be.”

First and Foremost Priority

   What if 2010 was the end of mankind's time on earth? What if it becomes the extinction of all life on earth and everything we have achieved is washed away in the blink of an eye? It would be a shame to see all the accomplishments of man to be lost and forgotten. Man as a species has had many wonderful achievements and have done both some very remarkable acts as well as some that were quite horrifying. We have cured and managed many diseases , sent men to the moon along with created the atom bomb.

Though mankind has just begun learning the lessons of life we are coming closer to the end of our time here on earth. The solar cycles of the sun and the natural cycles of the earth compounded with the greenhouse gases mankind has contributed through industry and deforestation the planet we live on is growing hotter and more hostile. If we were able to determine an exact date for the end of mankind or the end of an inhabitable earth, would that change or influence mankind? Would we change our way of life to avoid or to extend our time here on earth?

Eventually earth will become inhabitable for all life, volcanic activity and the shifting of the earths plates will influence the earths weather and atmosphere to the point that mass extinction will take place. Even if we are lucky enough to escape or survive such changes there is both the threat of a mass solar event and  the near earth objects that will one day collide with earth and kill off the majority of life. So what is mankind to do to survive beyond the disasters awaiting us in our future? The only possibility for the survival of mankind is to make our first and foremost priority the colonization of space.

Unfortunately world governments see national security and military dominance more important than the wellbeing and survival of the human race. Seems to me that most government officials are too disconnected from the people they are meant to serve. This is how it has been since the creation of countries and nations. The Ruling class has always enjoyed life at the expense of the working class and it probably will remain this way till the end of time. Who knows, we may have thousands of years left before something happens that kills of the human race. We might even become advanced enough to prevent the  destruction of earth and to colonize the planets in deep space. One can always dream and have hope that mankind will find a way to survive.

Enough Ranting for now
Peace. R. Barbier

Get up and get outside

   Walking, Jogging and Bicycling are not only good for the body but they also contribute to your mental health as well. They help the body get rid of triglycerides and also trigger the production of several key chemicals that help to enhance your mood. Our bodies were designed to move and quite often, we were designed to be both hunters and gatherers which before the modern world appeared helped us to keep healthy. Now with T.V. and computers occupying most of our free time and our jobs becoming less and less of a physical workout we seem to be putting on the pounds which promotes the decline in our health.

Since for most of us the hunting gathering days are behind us we need to take time from our T.V. and other modern conveniences to go out and do something both fun and healthy. You can get exercise from many fun activities such as playing basketball, baseball or even playing tag with your children. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise since its low impact and you can start at the lowest pace. Even slow paced walking is beneficial and now studies show you can walk or jog in small 15 minute intervals two to three times a day and still get the same result as if you did it all in one session.

  I myself find walking very therapeutic and quite calming for my nerves and mind. While walking I tend to dwell on the problems of the day to start with and work them out then I clear my mind and focus on the scenery. By the time my walk is over I don’t feel all the stress I felt before the walk. Some of that is due to the chemicals the body creates during exercise and the rest is due to the fact I am able to let go of my problems during the walk. I believe walking is similar to Tai Chi in the sense it can be a type of moving meditation if one desires. Tai Chi is also a good form of exercise and has proven to be beneficial to your muscle and joint health and calming to the mind.

Try to find a physical activity that is fun to do and you will find a happier and healthier you. Get up and get outside so you can enjoy life.

Until Next Time.

Peace
R.Barbier

Limitations We Hold On To

   It seems we have many limitations that are from our youth, These were limitations that we were programmed with by our parents, siblings and peers, Also there are limitations we hold on to from the failures of our youth. These limitations we have adopted and placed upon ourselves can be removed in time and with allot of effort.  The hardest part is identifying the limits we have set in our subconscious.. Once identified some are easily removed by their discovery and some takes a little reprogramming per se. Like if you were told you will never be happy all the time when your a child more than likely you will be unhappy for the most of your life until you convince yourself you can be. Too many people suffer from verbal abuse and carry the damage with them through out their life. To undo all the years of acceptance and living with the negative self image created by the abuse is hard and somewhat a time consuming yet worthwhile project.

  Your brain is like an organic computer and it functions within the parameters of the data it has been fed through out your life. Though it isn't possible to format and reload your brain, you can replace data with newer and more beneficial data. The process takes allot of time and determination to succeed . Meditation, self hypnosis, Visualization and just leaving yourself notes everywhere that tells you the positive things you need to read/hear are a few of the ways to accomplish the data swap/ reprogramming. Some people respond well to subliminal audio tapes and or video , but some do not respond at all to that technique. Positive thinking is also a part of the process and helps you along to a more positive self appearance and self esteem.

Here are a few links to help you get started .

Meditation

http://www.freemeditations.com/

Subliminal Programming

http://www.deeptrancenow.com/subliminal_messages.htm

http://www.innerpeacemusic.com/prod/soundwave-subliminals.html

http://download.cnet.com/Subliminal-Mind/3000-2129_4-10218673.html

Self Hypnosis

http://ezinearticles.com/?Learn-Self-Hypnosis-Techniques&id=93162

http://www.freehypnosistreatment.com/hypnosistreatment.html

Hope some of  these links are useful on your quest of self improvement.

Until the Next Time

Peace

R. Barbier