God’s Great Gift to All of Us

God has given us many great things in this life. It would be impossible to think of all the great things he has done for us. However, as I lay awake in the middle of the night praying and meditating, I was reminded about one of His greatest gifts of all. What could that be? Why of course it’s…the Present!!

Every present is a wonderful gift. OK, please forgive my play on words here, but here are some thoughts I pondered on…

When does God give us all of these great gifts? In the present moment.

When do we have all control of what we think or do in our lives? The present.

When can we stand before God, fully perfect and forgiven? The present.

When in my life are there absolutely no problems and stress in my life? Now, the present.

When can I have anything I desire in life, at least in my imagination? In the present.

When I can I start my clean slate and try again, forgetting what may have happened in the past? In the present.

You may be thinking that you can’t completely forget about the past. After all, some great things have happened too, and even our failures provide some valuable lessons to learn from. I will say that you are totally correct. However, when can we re-live those wonderful memories and reflect on things to learn from? Yes, in the present.

And I haven’t forgotten about the future either. I know we have to plan for the future. But that planning for the future happens….that’s right. In the present. And as I often share here, our future outcomes in life are determined by our predominant thoughts and emotions, when? In the present.

As I often say, it is very refreshing to know that, in this present moment, we have full control of the thoughts and emotions we feel. When we are focused on the present, we don’t have to worry about stressful and difficult situations. Unless they are happening right at that moment, there is no stress in the present moment. Seriously, if something negative is happening now (and unfortunately they sometimes do) you can deal with it…now, in the present. However, if you’re not in the middle of that situation, then it is not happening now! What in this moment is your problem? Most problems we have in our lives are either something lingering from the past or something we are worried about for the future. In almost all cases, there is not a problem now, in this present moment. And if there is, and you deal with it in the present moment awareness, it is much easier to find a solution and resolve it.

I challenge you and myself to maintain this present moment mentality as much as possible today. Let us see this present moment, right now, as the great gift from God that it is. Whenever I live in the present, I feel an unbelievable peace. I want to experience this peace as much as possible, because it is indeed a gift from God. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

Mid-Summer Reflections

Not everything goes as planned. Have you heard or experienced that before? Its on a minor level as far as this blog is concerned, but that’s been the case this summer. Since I am on vacation from the stress and fast pace of teaching, I fully intended to write and share a great deal in the 8 weeks that I have off, both here and with a new book I’m writing. Well, so much for that.

It’s not that I’ve been doing nothing all summer. In fact, at the halfway point of my break, it’s been the perfect mix of peace and relaxation and fun and accomplishment. I should have a lot to write about since I have spent significant time developing my spiritual muscles and feel very close to God. Sometimes I feel like things don’t happen fast enough, but I am continually learning ways to speed up that process. I’ve also been able to travel twice in the past two weeks. One weekend at a reunion with college friends in the Adirondack mountains, and this past weekend on a family trip to New York City. Both expensive, yet priceless experiences. Other rewarding experiences have been the continual development of the golf game I started last summer, and responding to a friend’s challenge to learn German together. So far I’ve learned about 300 words in a month, and definitely feel like I can already use the language in a very minor way. Sehr gut, Joe!!

I can’t say I’ve learned a a whole lot of new ideas, but the great thing about this past month is that I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on and review what I already do know. And that is, that whenever I desire to talk to God and learn more about Him, He is there to help and guide me. Also, life is lived on the inside. I’ve shared it hundreds of times, and I’ve been reminded again in excess that the quality of life (thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs) on the inside are eventually what I experience on the outside in the exact quantity and quality.

I hope that, whether this is a peaceful or extra busy time for you, you can take some time to shape your own thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs to create joyful experiences and manifest excellence in your own life. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

The Key to Maintaining Peace in Your Life

One of the things that every person in this world is seeking is peace. When we have peace in our lives, we feel, well…peaceful. Now that we’ve completed our rocket science lesson, allow me to dig a little deeper into this. The definition of peace is “freedom from disturbance; tranquility.” Another is “mental calm; serenity.”

I wish I could tell you that there is a way to feel peaceful all the time. However, that is not possible. Jesus himself tells us that, at times in our lives, we will have trials and disturbances. However, I can tell you that there is a simple way to increase and maximize the level of peace in your life. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Another version says, “Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.”

So what’s the key to great peace in your life? As the verses say, the key is to keep your thoughts fixed on God. Consume your imagination on God and His presence, love, power. When you know God is with you, you know you are protected and guided. When you focus on His love, your cravings for love and appreciation are automatically satisfied. And when you focus on His power, you know you can do all things in His strength.

I have seen this proven many times in my own life. When things get chaotic, crazy, and seem out of control, I realize that I am not focused on God. I am instead focused on the circumstances and what could go wrong. The opposite is true as well. As I reflect on the greatest moments and times of beautiful peace in my life, I realize that those are the times where I was closest to God, and my thoughts were mostly focused on Him and His presence, love, and power.

The key is to stay in communication with God throughout the day. Take times to deliberately stop and pray. For me, that time is my 25 minute ride to work. The radio is off, and I spend the time speaking my heart and listening for any thoughts and ideas. For many, either the time immediately after waking up or right before going to sleep is a great time to meditate and pray. Then whenever you can throughout the day, in as many circumstances as possible, seek God and focus your thoughts on Him. I can tell you from experience that this brings amazing peace. I share this and more in my book 30 Days to a More Powerful Life.

As you can see, experiencing and maintaining peace in your life does not have to be difficult. Keep your thoughts focused on God, and seek His presence, guidance, and excellence. The Bible promises that when you seek Him you will find Him. And when you find and seek Him first, all else is added unto you, including a peace that surpasses all understanding. Enjoy the blessings 🙂