CHAPTER 1
Live Like the Flowers
"Master, how do I not worry? Some people talk too much;others are ignorant. Some are indifferent. I hate those whoare liars. I resent those who slander," said the disciple to themaster.
"Live like the flowers!" warned the master.
"How do I live like the flowers?" asked the disciple.
"Look at these flowers," continued the master, pointing to thelilies growing in the garden. "They are born in the manure,but they are pure and fragrant. They extract nutrients fromthe smelly compost to grow. They are useful and healthy butdo not let the bitterness of earth stick to the freshness oftheir petals. It is fair to agonize over one's own sins, but it isnot wise to allow the vices of others to inconvenience you.Their defects are theirs and not yours. If they're not your own,there is no reason to bother with them. Exercise, therefore,the virtue of rejecting all evil that comes from outside. This isto live like the flowers."
Sow Peace, Reap Love
You only reap what you sow.
We're living in a time when it seems that men and women arelooking for inner treasures, contents inside of them, a time inwhich one may be not conceited or proud, a time when we needto be humble and need to use humility in all situations of life.
When changing our lives&mdashI mean our feelings or actions&mdashwemust always have humility. When making any changes in ourcharacter, we must recognize what is wrong in our way of acting.
Humility seems to be the key to all virtues, and in each attempt tochange our lives, humility must be present.
There comes a time when we see things we don't like in ourselvesand want to change or sublimate.
Far too many times, we have defiled ourselves, and now we wantto chop off the ancient moods and transform them into new ones,which we will let pour all over us.
Reflection throughGod's Words
Through reading the Bible and coming to know the Word of God,we may be stripped of the sin with which we are filled.
If we change inside and stop being stubborn, we can even cometo have a steadfast faith, and we will be able to feel a welling up ofwell-being that only the Word of God can give us.
We can change from common people to donors of love andpatience; we can leave the gutter of life, the poor life, and fill ourguts with courage to see the world with renovated eyes. We canuntie the knots of fear and depression that freak us out all daylong, making us faint in faith and depriving us of life.
The Word of the Lord is to give us welfare, make us full of light andhealth. It brings us salvation and leads us to peace.
With the Word of the Lord, we will forget the gutter living andsuffering in order to have a vibrant life and heart.
Reading the Bible does not mean only seeing the letters in it. It isto make a perusal, a deep perusal of it and, above all, recognize adeep reflection in what you read and in life.
Come and Behold
What is peace for you? Is it a feeling? What can we do to havepeace? By this, I mean to make peace surround us. There is nomagic potion. Each person must find his or her own.
What we need to practice and know is that peace is a feeling thatrises inside us, from the bottom of our hearts, and it must beworked out and over in our days. Peace is one daily constructionthat we have to increase by trying. It is not easy to do because theroot of peace goes against the nature of human beings in mostcases.
Man is stubborn and greedy. To make peace, the first thing wehave to do is be stripped of greed.
To get rid of greed, try to understand that humility is the key thatopens the door to any good feelings, and nourishing humility inyour heart makes you feel content each day.
Presence of God
Many in various religions of the present day speak of being inthe presence of God, and many who hear this truth do not reallyunderstand what it means to be truly in the presence of God. Whatwould that be? Have you thought about that?
First, we need to understand that being in the presence of God islike being happy. Are you happy all the time? Can you live withhappiness twenty-four hours a day?
Well, if we're honest, our response will surely be no; we cannotlive in happiness twenty-four hours a day. Sometimes, problemsarise from all sides, and sometimes, there are people who leave usupset. We are flawed and weak as well, and many of us believethat poor men cannot be happy or God does not look at us&mdashas ifwe were not worthy to be happy. What is that?
So we cannot be in the presence of God twenty-four hours a day,but it is fully possible in various moments of the day. Rememberthat we are on earth to learn to be in the presence of God.
There is no magic formula for being in the presence of God, likethere is a recipe for a cake. Being in His presence is an intimateexperience for every individual, so do not try to be in the presenceof God in the way that others do. You have to find your own way.
Was Mahatma Gandhi in God's presence? He was not a Christian ...huh! He did good anyway like many figures of humanity whowere already in the presence of God. They did good by praying,practicing charity, loving family, being available to those who needmore, visiting the sick who are in pain in hospital beds, and lovingchildren.
There are several ways to stay in God's presence, and each hasits specialties in its own practice. What we need to do is act; thatmeans we need to seek God in our regular life. We don't need tobe angels but regular men and women seeking God in whateverwe do.
Many work for years with drug users and their family members,seeking with them and their families a cure for their vices so thatthese, our brothers and sisters, can be in the presence of Godas they struggle to overcome addiction, to reconcile with theirfamilies, and to fight their way back to love.
When Christ summed up the Ten Commandments in two,conventionally, he described what it means to be in the presenceof God but left it in our hands so that everyone could get thesimplicity his or her own way and succeed in doing this. Let's seewhat Jesus said. He said, "Love God above all things and the nextas yourself."
The ways one can be in the presence of God are almost endlessbecause of human capacity. It is also why we have no excuses. Let'sstart today to live in the presence of God.
Look at your hand now. There is someone in your family whoneeds support, a word of comfort, or a gentle call; at work, thereis a colleague who needs support or a shoulder to lean on. Theremay be someone in your school who needs you. Have you goneto church? Have you prayed at home? Have you been concernedabout someone's well-being?
Use a little of your time to think about the meaning of your life.Why are you on earth? What are you doing in family living? Howare you as a friend?
Invest a little time to think about these things in the form of prayer.Ask God to help you get to the light and clarify ideas so that youwill be in the presence of God every day.
Oh, I almost forgot&mdashlive so that in the course of your day, youkeep God's presence in your life as much as possible!
Never Stop Dreaming
High on a mountain, there were three trees. They dreamed of whatit would be like to be large. The first one, looking at the stars, said,"I want to be the world's most precious treasure and be full oftreasures."
The second, watching a stream, sighed and said, "I wanna be a bigship to carry kings and queens."
The third looked at the valley and said, "I want to stay here andgrow on the mountain. I want to grow so that people look at me,raise their eyes, and think of God."
Many years passed, and the trees grew. There were threewoodcutters who, without knowing the dreams of the trees, cutthe three down. The first tree was transformed into a trough foranimals and was covered in hay. The second turned into a fishingboat carrying people and fish every day. The third was cut intobeams and left in storage. Disillusioned, the three trees lamentedtheir fate. But one night, with the sky full of stars, a young womanplaced her newborn baby in that trough. Suddenly, the tree knewthe greatest treasure in the world. One day, the second treetransported a man who ended up sleeping on the boat. When astorm almost sank the boat, the man stood up and said, "Peace!"Immediately, the waters calmed. The tree that had been turnedinto a boat understood the king of heaven and earth. Sometimelater, on a Friday, the third tree was startled when the beams werejoined together to form a cross and a man was nailed to it. Thetree felt horrible seeing the suffering of this man but soon realizedthat the man had saved humanity. The example of the trees is asign that we must dream and have faith. Always! No matter thesize of the dreams you have. Even if your dreams do not come trueexactly as you wished, know that they materialize the way Goddeems best for you.
A cloud does not know why it moves in such a direction and atsuch speed. It just feels an impulse that leads to this or thatdirection. But the sky knows the reasons and the designs behindall clouds, and you also know when you lift yourself high enoughto see beyond horizons.
How to Take GoodCare of Your Life
1. Walk ten to thirty minutes every day and smile whilewalking.
2. Pray in intimacy with God at least ten minutes a day, insecret, if necessary. Some people do not like to pray infront of others.
3. Listen to good music every day. Music is an authentic foodfor the spirit.
4. When you get up in the morning, say, "God, my Father, Ithank You for this new day."
5. Live with the three "E's": Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Attend more leisure games than you did last year.7. Smile more often than you did last year.
8. Look at the sky at least once a day and feel the majesty ofthe world that surrounds you.
9. Dream more, even while awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and fewerprocessed foods. Eat nuts and berries. Drink green tea, lotsof water, and a glass of wine a day. Always make a toast tosome of the many beautiful things that exist in your life,and, if possible, be in the company of those you love.
11. Make people laugh at least three times per day.
12. Eliminate clutter from your house, your car, and your office.Let a new energy flow into your life.
13. Do not spend your precious time on gossip, things of thepast, negative thoughts, or things beyond your control. It'sbetter to invest your energy in the positive present.
14. Take note: Life is a school, and you are here to learn.Problems are lessons; you learn from them.
15. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner likea pauper.
16. Smile more.
17. Do not miss the opportunity to embrace those you love.Give them a hug!
18. Life is too short for you to waste time hating anyone.
19. Do not take yourself so seriously. Nobody else does.
20. Remember, there is no need to win every argument. Acceptthe loss, and learn from each other.
21. Be at peace with your past so as not to spoil your present.
22. Do not compare your life to others'. You do not know whatthey had to tread through in life.
23. Nobody will take care of your happiness except you.
24. Remember that you have no control over events, but youcan control what you make of them.
25. Learn something new every day.
26. Remember that what others think about you is not yourbusiness.
27. Always help others. What you sow today, you reaptomorrow.
28. Whether the situation is good or bad, it will change.
29. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Yourfriends will. Keep in touch with friends.
30. Discard anything that is not useful, beautiful, or fun.
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have what you need.
32. Know that the best is yet to come.
33. No matter how you feel, get up and participate.
34. Always love with your whole being.
35. Call your relatives often and send emails saying, "Hi, I missyou!"
36. Each night before bed, thank God for another day lived.
37. Remember, you are too blessed to be stressed.
38. Enjoy the journey of life. You only have one opportunity todo so. Take full advantage of your life, and believe God is incontrol.
Incorporate these rules into your individual life in the way thatis best for you. Every person's interpretation is different. Just usethem in good health.
Dealing with Anger
To avoid negative consequences and ensure a better quality of lifeand a lower stress level (if you are prone to anger), it is necessaryto learn strategies that will help you feel less angry and permit youto use the anger that cannot be eliminated as a force of positiveenergy.
Strategies for Dealing with Anger
1. Recognize that you are angry.
2. Learn to identify the events that trigger anger in you.
3. Always try to break the process of the angry reaction in itsearly stages&mdashthat is, make sure you assess the situationtriggering anger (what you think the provocation is) inorder to determine what can be changed. To change yourreaction, change your internal dialogue (the way you talkto yourself).
4. When you realize that anger is causing physicalreactions&mdashyour heart has started beating very fast,your body is getting tense, you are developing a senseof suffocation&mdashtry to relax to see if it eliminates thesereactions.
5. To practice self-control, try saying the following phrases toyourself:
• "Ea-sy, easy ..."
• "I must not allow anger to run the whole process."
• "I see that my view of what occurred can be relieved oreven changed. My breathing is slowing."
• "I'll wait to react tomorrow when I have assessed thesituation without anger."
• "I can always react tomorrow if I want."
• "I'm not going to risk getting sick because of myanger."
• "I'm bored, but this is not the end of the world."
• "I must remain calm to maintain control."
• "I can take control of my emotions."
6. Try to do the following: In the very first thirty seconds offeeling angry, we take the most harmful actions. If you letthe first thirty seconds pass without acting, you will seethat everything will be different. When we get angry, wenaturally react to whatever has been done to us, and thesethirty seconds are the worst time to react. If you let a fewmore seconds pass, it will be better and everything can beassessed more calmly.
7. At the same time you're going through the dialogue withyourself, breathe deeply through your nose and exhaleslowly through your mouth.
8. Try to find constructive ways to use your anger, forexample&mdashexercise, walk, dance, sing, laugh, be positive,talk about it, and so on.
9. When you are in control of your anger, try to resolve thesituation that made you so upset by talking to the personat whom you felt the anger or contemplating the situationthat made you angry to see how you can resolve it.
Ten Tips for Facing Challenges
What Is a Challenge?
We grew up hearing that a challenge is the act of provokingsomeone to a duel; a call for any kind of game, competition, etcetera; encouragement of someone to do something, oftenbeyond their means; a situation or major problem to be overcome;a task difficult to perform; or an act or attitude of disrespect anddefiance.
Now, the challenge is easy to understand. The difficulty is inbeating it.
Are you capable of beating it?
In the following section, I describe ten tips that you may followto help you face life's challenges, which can be personal,family-related, or professional.
Patience! Anyway, here are the tips.
1) Do not deny your challenges. The worst mistake you canmake is to know you have a challenge and underestimateits existence. Recognizing the existence of the challenge aswell as its magnitude is the first step to overcoming it.
2) Practice self-reliance. Likewise, it is also wrong tounderestimate yourself. Review all the challenges you haveovercome, especially those that seemed impossible at thetime, and trust that you will also be able to overcome thisnew one, since you're ready, of course.
3) Use discernment. Use your wisdom and the wisdom ofothers to identify the nature of the challenge and itsnuances. Do not try to solve your work problems at homeor vice versa. Ask "What if ...?", "Why?", and "How?"
4) Exercise emotional control. Neither despair nor anxietyleads to precipitation. Do not be overcome by fear.Start thinking of positive things; think of overcomingthe challenge. Balance the mind, and bring it back totranquility.
(Continues...)
