Why I believe what I do-

From the time I can first remember as a small child I always felt that I had the choice to be here on earth. That I was somewhere else before I came here. That I was here for a reason or reasons, that I am suppose to grow here and become a better person "spirit". I know weird thoughts for a little kid and then a young adult but it was and is what it is.

I believe, contrary to what many others will tell you, that there is good in all faiths [who believe in a good higher power]. I have had the opportunity to worship and attend a fairly wide number of churches and in only one did I ever feel comfortable. One that my heart told me from the very beginning was where I needed to be. Does this make me believe that all the others are wrong? heck no......just that every person has a place in a faith, any faith, that will make them feel good inside. The right place at the right time for them in their own spiritual growth. I believe just as we all grow on the outside at different rates, such is our spiritual growth. There are good people in all religions, in all countries, in all economic stations of life, that are ready to touch the lives of others who are in need. The Lord uses many people in many ways. I am not catholic but a great example of this is Sister Teresa. How can anyone question her faith, her love of the Lord, or her compassion and love of her fellow man.

I will always believe that we will be measured in the world to come by the love in our hearts. I don't believe that weekly attendance in a pew at the local church guarantees us a free ticket in the world to come. The drunk in the alley can be a far better christian than the man who sits in the front of the church every Sunday. We will be held accountable for the way we treat others. As hard as it is for me, I know I have to let go of the anger, hate, envy, bitterness, the unwillingness to forgive others, and other traits that are not pretty. If you cannot forgive others how can you ever learn to forgive yourself. There is the power of both postive [good] and negative [ bad] all around us and we have the CHOICE to decide which we want to lock onto.

My own personal stumbling block is the guilt and misery cycle. I have to learn to let go of the past and all that went with it. It is tough but if I don't then it is easy to get depressed. Moving forward, ever forward, if only a step at a time is my mantra. The traits I mentioned above do nothing but destroy the soul. An anchor that drags you downward when we really are trying to move upwrads. I am learning to be thankful for each day no matter the challenges that may come with that day. I am here, I am alive, and that is reason enough to give praise to the Lord.

As humans we love to judge others. I am just as guilty as the next person of this ugly trait. But, I have no right to judge another person. In the end I am going to be judged by the same yardstick I used to judge them. In all fairness there is no way to measure so there is no way to judge.

I have seen the results of doing good things for others without thought of what I will get in return. This is the "pay it forward" or "ripple effect" If you do good to me I will do good for others and of course the opposite would hold true too. Bad breeds bad. If God is truly keeping a life book on each of us I think we get alot more extra credit for the good we do for others that nobody else knows we did. The good we bring into someone elses life where we don't advertise to the whole town that we did it.

Prayer- Oh how I struggle with this. My prayers are more like conversations with God. Nothing that is elaborate, wordy, elegant, or worthy to ever be put on paper. But I believe I pray from my heart and I think that is what God wants to hear. He knows my thoughts, concerns, desires, and the forgiveness I seek. I believe all sincere prayer is heard and answered. We may not agree with the timing or the reply but he does hear and answer us.

I do not believe we are puppets on a string. I do not believe our life is foreordained. We have our freedon to choose and the choices we make play a major role in how our life plays out. I believe God knows are needs and wants but if we are selfish enough not to seek him out in prayer then we honestly cannot expect to receive an answer or the blessings.

Why do bad things happen to good people- if I said because that is life even I hate that answer. It absolutely sucks. God does not create the bad or the accidents nor does he necessarily interfere to prevent them. Car accidents, murder, airplane crashes....they just happen. Poor choices, faulty equipment......life.

I will use my nephew Brett as an example of my next belief. I hold steadfast to the belief that some people [ spirits, children, babies} are so far down the spiritual growth path that there time here may be ever so brief, if at all. They may come to us so that each of us may continue to develop spiritually. These are the deaths that tear at your heart the most. We can almost accept the passing of an elderly grandparent because they had a chance to experience all the earth has to offer. But a child or a baby.....trying to learn the why can rip at your very soul. But I believe Angels walk amongst us, we often don't know it.