I Take off the MASK!

Jesus therefore said to them, “Children, have you anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They cast it therefore, and now they weren’t able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. –John 21:5-6

God could have nourished us by merely providing for the needs of our bodies. But He gave us food we could smell and taste, food that is sweet and spicy and delightful!

God could have given us a black and white world and we could have survived. But God gave us color, and He paints the sky anew with the rising of another day.

God could have merely provided sound as a means to communicate or to warn us of danger. But He provided us with the song of birds, the rustling of leaves and the soothing sound of crashing waves. He gifted us with music and made us able to rise unto heaven through blissful melodies.

God is generous. Far more generous than we ever credit Him to be. He gave us His only begotten Son, didn’t He? He gave us His very life so we could live in the fullness of joy forever.

May our eyes be ever opened to see the generosity of His heart through the beautiful gifts He showers upon us each day.

“Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

You may also want to read:
Generosity in Love
How Will God Provide for My Needs?

“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi

Accepting what we cannot do in a situation doesn’t always have to be a defeat. When we accept what we can’t do, we also recognize what we CAN still do. We then stop wasting our time and effort on something that cannot do us any good. Instead, we focus our attention and our energy into doing what is truly possible for us. Let us start from there, and let us entrust everything else upon God who CAN DO ALL THINGS.

“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.” – Job 42:2, WEB

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen. –
Reinhold Niebuhr

“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37, NLT

You may also want to read:
Acceptance is a Key to Happiness
The True Meaning of Acceptance
Mastering Life Transitions

“Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13

It is love that saves us when we’re about to give up. Love for what we do, and love for whom we do it for. Love helps us to try again and again. It propels us to exhaust every possible means we could ever do and think of. It enables us to reach beyond that point where most people would see no hope of ever achieving their dreams.

Love gives us a reason to keep on going even when we think we have done everything we could. We start to see that we have only truly done everything, if we have never given up on love.

Love often knows no measure,
but burns beyond all measure.
Love feels no burden, values no labours,
would like to do more than it can do,
without excusing itself with impossibility,
because it believes that it may and can do all things.
-Thomas Kempis

“Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.” – Proverbs 16:3, GNT

We can only do so much to make our dreams come true. We can make good plans. We can work hard, really hard. But there comes a time when we have to step aside a little and wait for everything we did to bear its own fruits.

We can’t keep on digging the seeds we planted and expect them to soon blossom into plants. We can’t keep on watering them to force them to grow before their time.

When you have done your very best, it is time to trust and allow God to bless your efforts with success.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
and whose confidence is in the LORD.
For he will be as a tree planted by the waters,
who spreads out its roots by the river,
and will not fear when heat comes,
but its leaf will be green;
and will not be concerned in the year of drought.
It won’t cease from yielding fruit.”
-Jeremiah 17:7-8, WEB-BE

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”

“Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.”

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”

“Treasure the friendship you receive above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.”

“Sooner or later all mankind will realize that the greatest cure for all the ills and wrongs, the cares, the sorrow and crimes of humanity rests solely in acts of love. Love is the greatest gift from God. It is the divine spark that everywhere produces and restores life. To each and every one of us, love gives us the power to work miracles with your own life and those we touch. ”

“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to
ask questions, never know too much to learn something new. ”

“No, my son, do not aspire for wealth and labor not only to be rich. Strive instead for happiness, to be loved and to love, and most important to acquire peace of mind and serenity.”

“Only a habit can subdue another habit.”

“Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet each struggle, each defeat, sharpens your skills and strengths, your courage and your endurance, your ability and your confidence and thus each obstacle is a comrade-in-arms forcing you to become better… or quit. Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them, and you throw away your future.”

“Today…..I begin a new life”.”

“I am convinced that the greatest legacy we can leave our children are happy memories: those precious moments so much like pebbles on the beach that are plucked from the white sand and placed in tiny boxes that lay undisturbed on tall shelves until one day they spill out and time repeats itself, with joy and sweet sadness, in the child now an adult.”