True Perspective (Viewpoint Analysis) ©

In a world of prayer, we are all equal in the sense that each of us is a unique person, with a unique perspective on the world. A class of one.

W.H. Auden

Life has most definitely taught me that people have a varying opinion on what’s right and what's wrong. To some, Right vs. wrong is merely a matter of perspective.


People also have the oddest views on what makes someone the type of person they are and most of the time their opinion is based on someone else’s. That’s why I honestly believe that any time you spend trying to convince someone you are a good person or that you are not a bad person is an absolute waste of time and energy. Someone either recognizes you are a good person or they don’t. If they don’t, then more than likely it’s because they can’t. The likely reason that they can’t is because they have never been exposed to anyone like you before so they don’t have a frame of reference or the slightest clue of what a good person looks like or how one operates. Then there is also the distinct possibility that they want to be the type of person that you are but for whatever reason can’t, and instead of respecting you for your abilities, they hate you for them. That’s why it is truly important to be extremely selective about the people you allow into your space. It is essential that you make sure that they aren't wolves in sheep's clothing. Here is one way you can tell... there are several that I’ll cover later on. If your "friend" is always quick to accept and slow to give... there may be as my grandfather used to say "a fox in the hen house". Nonetheless, one person’s saint is another one’s sinner in the grand scheme of things. We have all been blessed with free  will and have the right to think whatever we want about anyone or anything. The key is making sure that whatever your opinion may be, make sure that it’s an objective one. In order to have objectivity one must have the proper perspective. The Free Dictionary by Farlex defines Perspective as “a mental view or outlook”. Perspective is truly one’s opinion of what they see or experience. Consequently, how we view one another usually comes down to the opinion that we have formed (or have had formed for us) about those around us. Now, I am by no means an expert in Behavioral Science or an expert on human behavior. Nonetheless, I would like to share with you a little of the insight life has afforded over the years.

 I was once told that there are two types of people in this world, givers and takers. Ladies and gentlemen, there are actually three. There are givers, there are takers and then you have takers that pose as givers. Now, don’t be alarmed. I just recently found this out myself. Well honestly I have always known, I have just finally decided to accept it. Now! Allow me to share with you how to properly identify what I call a "Benevolent Imposter".

Have you ever dealt with an individual that always talks about the goodness of God and how he is so faithful? Yet whenever you see them they are asking for a "favor" or taking what they have no right to. Or maybe you have been in the presence of someone that is always accepting people's generosity but is EXTREMELY slow to return the favor. Then there is the individual that tries to shame you for not being there when they "needed you" but is nowhere to be found when you truly need them. Oh oh or how about this one.... the individual that gives with the sole purpose and expectation of receiving something in return and not from the kindness of their heart. If you have had the displeasure of dealing with the type of person described in any of the aforementioned scenarios then you my friend have met a Benevolent Imposter.



Now... please don’t misconstrue what I’m saying. I'm not saying that anyone should just walk around endangering their well being, livelihood or quality of life by giving everyone they meet the shirt off their back. I am not saying that one should walk around with their heart on their sleeve to prove to people that they are indeed a benevolent person. As a matter of fact I HIGHLY recommend putting that joint back in your chest where it belongs to save yourself a lot of anguish and disappointment. I am merely saying that there are people out there whose number one goal in life is self satisfaction, even if it is at someone else's expense. The thing is to get close to someone, they will do and say what needs to be done and said to "get in where they fit in" and sometimes that means they become a Benevolent Imposter. I know. I have been fooled on SEVERAL occasions. I have been fooled into believing someone had a kind heart and virtuous spirit only to later discover they were an emissary straight from the depths of hell. Sometimes it boils down to intentional then other times the person just doesn’t know any better or has had a life so chaotic or full of strife that all they know. However, ignorance is never an excuse for mistreating someone. The thing that allows me to move past people's deception, ignorance and disrespect is a) what I believe b) in Whom I believe and c) the fact that not everyone believes what I believe and that its their God given right not to. That being said though if you fit the characteristics of a Benevolent Imposter (if you do and you are a true BI then you would never openly admit it anyway) understand that you get what you give in this life and that Karma is not a respecter of persons. You do eventually reap what you sow. that’s why it is always essential to sow good seed if you wish to continuously receive the best life has to offer. Sure it looks like the people out here spewing negativity and taking advantage of people are getting ahead...on the surface. But I assure you that if you peel back a few layers you'll see the torment, the agony, the frustration, the regret, the discontent with the type of life they have created for themselves. I recently heard this quote that sums their mindset up best:


"Once you have done what you have to do, they will never let you do what you want to do"

In my opinion that sums up life in a nutshell. We all are face with situations when we have to what's necessary to survive. It is in these moments when what’s right or what’s wrong truly becomes a matter of perspective. Over the years I have learned that the most important thing to remember when faced with the aforementioned situation is to keep your vision clear. Clarity (although not favored by most people because it forces accountability) allows one to have the proper perspective when the survival instinct kicks in. And it will. And when it does and you have made your choice - at least if your  vision is clear when the choice was made -  there should be little to no regret. Simply because you simply did what you felt in your heart you had to do. Now.... the other side of that coin is making rash and emotionally charged decisions when the survival instinct kicks in. We have all done it, myself included. I don’t know about you but the amount damage control and hell I experienced after the fact trying to set things right wasn't even worth it. It is when we make irrational choices and rash decisions - all in the interest of self preservation - is when we generally do or say things we wish we could take back. Well if you have a conscious or any sort concern for the damage or discomfort that may befall others because of your actions anyway. I’m slowly learning that having a conscious in today’s society is more of the exception than the norm. Most people nowadays will pretty much do anything to anybody and frame it as them only doing what was eventually going to be done to them anyway. Today we live in a society full of damaged people with seared consciences. The “get them before they get me” mindset is so prevalent in today’s society that people can’t even poke fun at one another without someone taking offense to what is said or making mountains out of molehills. Now granted, some of these people of whom I make mention have every right to feel this way given their past. However, these people also have to accept responsibility and accept accountability for the decisions they made (some highly questionable in fact) that caused them to end up in somebody’s crosshairs. Now… no one is perfect and not everyone can be “Christ like” every hour of every day. Simply because guess what… You are not Jesus Christ. You are not the Son of God. If you believe as I believe then you know that you were made in the image of the Most High. However, we are a slightly flawed version of the original. Okay…. severely flawed. Nevertheless, mistakes will be made. Consequences will be reaped. Unpleasant experiences will leave its scars (externally as well as internally). Yet in spite of all these things, we should never go into any situation with a preconceived notion of the outcome. Nor should we ever use past experience to determine how we handle people that have not given us a reason to do so. God does not reveal things to us about people, places or things for us to judge them or criticize them. He shows us these things so that we can understand and better appreciate them. Even if we don’t necessarily agree with it or care for what we see. Honestly, how we feel about what is revealed is our personal opinion and in the grand scheme of things means absolutely nothing to anybody but us. That being said, understand the importance of timing and tact. The Word of God explicitly says that there is a time and a place for everything and also that the power of life and death is in the tongue. 

The unfortunate thing is that some people do not understand the power that they wield. Some people have no clue how powerful there words can be. I hear some parents talk to their children like someone they meet on the street. Cursing them without thought to how this ultimately will determine how this child accepts criticism from others and how they will eventually communicate with other people. With no concern with how this will make the child view figures in position of authority. With no idea that when the child becomes old enough to rebel, no amount of discipline or number of threats will make them “mind”. Then there is yet another side of the coin, our interpersonal relationships. Gossiping about people, slandering people’s good name, speaking on situations without obtaining all the facts and swearing it’s gospel… I mean the list of possible misuses of the power of the tongue is literally endless. The absolutely ironic (and sometimes comical) things about this is that when the tables are turned and the one gossiping gets called out, or the slanderer has their dirty laundry on display then all of a sudden the fall into what my homegirl calls a state of “victimdom”. Yeah… I know it’s not a word, but it should be. Mainly because it accurately describes people who stay doing dirt yet always play the victim when they find themselves on the receiving end of that same grimy treatment. Yet to them they are doing nothing wrong and how dare you call them out. As scary a thought as this may be, can’t you just imagine what is going on in the brain of someone like that:


“I mean seriously, we’re not even talking about me…we’re talking about you. What’s the matter with you? I don’t want anyone to know how shady I am.  How jacked up my life is. How I think that some attention (whether it be good or bad) is better than no attention at all. If people knew all this foolishness I was doing on the back end trying to keep all the negative attention focused on you, they would probably not even deal with me anymore! Cut that out and take this tongue lashing.”


The sad thing is that as much as these people try to hide their intentions and try to portray to the world that they have it all together while trying to make the world view others in an unfavorable fashion, people who are not caught up in appearances and worry little about the opinions of others see them for exactly who they are. Now on the other hand if you a messy motherf…. My bad….. if you like mess and thrive in dysfunction then you be will right at home in the state of Victimdom. I get it though. It’s easier to follow the crowd. It’s easier to go along with foolishness to keep the spotlight off of you. It takes work to love and accept someone flaws and all. It’s unnerving to have people see you for who you really are when you don’t even really like what you see in the mirror. However, that gives no one an excuse to take their insecurities out on others simply because you are either to lazy or too scared to do anything about them. In my – the humblest of opinions -the only person that can fix what’s going on with you or what you feel is wrong with you is you (with assistance from the Most High of course). That’s where having the proper perspective of yourself and the world around you proves to be extremely essential.

As for me, I’m a contextualist. My perspective of the world is rooted in the Word of God but is most definitely in tune with the fact that we live in a different world than Christ lived in over 2000 years ago. I believe that everything that occurs to us in this life has its place in it. The good as well as the bad. For from the good we excel and progress while from the bad if we pay close enough attention we learn valuable lessons and eventually move forward being better equipped for what lies ahead. Sadly, a great many us don’t learn from our negative experiences because we allow them to consume us and distort our focus. I count myself amongst that number on occasion. However, I have what I find and fear most don’t have… a moral code. There are just some things I just won’t do to get ahead. I will never intentionally suffer any harm to befall anybody and I seek to please no one but the Most High. I put others before myself (sometimes to my detriment) and I always try to be impeccable with my word. Understanding the power of the tongue I always try to use kind words and tell the truth. And last but certainly not least, I always strive to make anything better than it was when I encountered it by sharing of what I have been blessed with. Now with all that said…. Please understand that I am not perfect by any means. I have made my share of bonehead mistakes and have not always been able to WWJD. However, with maturity I have realized that it is much better to live a life rooted in positivity than to go through life constantly focusing on what’s wrong with it. Sure it’s ok to want better for yourself, but not at the expense of being ungrateful for what you already have. I know all too well of how one can lose sight of how extremely blessed they are based on their current predicament. I have had to endure some pretty disappointing and disheartening things in this life. Things that easily could make one pretty much lose sight of the bigger picture. To me the big picture is living a fruitful and productive life and empowering others to do the same. To me, this is the best perspective one could have of life. For you see, It’s not the tangibles that make this life worth living (although if used in the proper context, they can definitely enhance one’s quality of life) but it’s the intangibles that truly bring us peace and serenity.


So if you don’t take anything else from this entry, please understand that one’s perspective could be the difference between an enjoyable life and a miserable one. Decisions made without the proper forethought and insight can end up doing you more harm than good. Trust me, I know. I’m telling you what I know from what I have experienced, not something I’ve only heard about or only read in some book. Working to get your vision clear in order to have the proper perspective requires a great amount of time and effort. The enemy understands this and undoubtedly will provide you with several opportunities to take the easy way out because this sort of undertaking truly is not for the faint of heart. Yet know this… if you stay the course and free your thinking, there is nothing in this world that you can’t have.

The People’s Champ (Paradigm Shift) ©

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Abraham Lincoln

One of the many things that history has taught us (for those of us that have paid attention) is that it never easy being the virtuous person. The one that understands what it means to do what's right in the face of fierce opposition. To be the one that sees what needs to be done to right a wrong even if it is against the status quo. To be the one that stands firm against oppression in any form armed with nothing but the truth......even if it's an inconvenient one. That's why I respect the leaders of our time (Past and present) that championed the voice of the common people to insure equality and a level playing field for this game of life that we all participate in daily (either willingly or unwillingly).

  I count myself amongst the number of individuals that at one time looked to persons in positions of authority to do what's right by those in their charge. I mean after all every time someone wants to put a particular segment of society in its "place" they cite their rules and regulations and assert their authority right? Well the funny thing about Authority and being made steward over something is there is a tremendous amount of accountability that comes along with it. Being in leadership does not exempt you from the rules, it merely means that you (supposedly) have a better understanding of them and will not abuse the power that you have been granted.

Another lesson that I personally have learned from history (which by the way is an excellent teacher) has been that those that benefit most from chaos and confusion put forth the absolute least amount of effort to change the environment unless it benefits the status quo.. Take Slavery for example... I don’t believe the Emancipation Proclamation made a lot of slave owners happy. Ok... still not convinced? I don’t think the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the thought of equality (at least on some levels) made a lot of die hard bigots all that excited about the future. Oh so you still don't believe me huh....Man you're tough crowd! Ok ...let's see ... AH! How about healthcare for every American, Economic equality and making this country a more energy independent nation which would allow it to be more of an international competitor because right now we just hold the title of strongest Superpower. Anybody can claim to be the Champion until a strong enough contender comes along and knocks you on your ass. Just ask Mike Tyson or Roy Jones, Jr.

Championing the causes that are important to the people has always been a double edge sword though. You will always meet with opposition from the ones against your proposed change, but be assured that you will also always have your critics amongst the people for whom you are fighting to obtain the change. That’s why I personally have so much respect and admiration for those Men and Women who lay their lives and livelihoods on the line every single day trying to make this world a better, safer, and more civil place. Our brave soldiers spread the world over, those on "the hill" trying to do what their constituents elected them to do, our teachers -whose job is truly at times a thankless one - working to prepare and empower our youth, our law enforcement officials who carry the shield and truly lay it on the line "to protect and serve" , the parents that are doing all they can to raise their children to become honorable and responsible men and women, the clergy that are truly invested in the "flock" they have been ordained to "shepherd". The list of contributors to maintaining the balance required in keeping our society civil and stable is utterly endless. Everyone plays a part. Even you and I. How? By doing our part, we insure that we are part of life's solutions and not its problems. By making sure that we are positioning ourselves to help our fellow man/ woman…. not hurt them. I know.... it’s a noble notion. Besides, it's so much easier to inflict harm on people because there are a lot of people in this world whose sole purpose on the planet is to do just that. No sense painting a target on your back trying to be "different". I get it. However it’s also important to remember that Karma is not a respecter of persons. That eventually the hunter becomes the hunted. Just ask Osama Bin Laden. Oh....you can't. Oh well …. look at his example. He led a life of violence...and died violently. Now I’m not a pacifist. You get what you give in this life. But I am a realist and a bonafied contextualist. Not to mention a small student of history and things past (two totally different things I might add) and one thing is clear - at least to me anyway - Nothing is new. All has been done before in some shape, form or fashion. It only comes back around with a different appearance or presentation. With that being said, it is our responsibility as individuals to recognize the trend (albeit a positive or negative one) and act accordingly. 

 The ultimate goal of a champion is victory. However, as it is often said: Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Once victorious the true champion knows that that is the beginning of their journey. There will numerous title defenses. Everybody gunning to take their place and not always using the fairest of tactics. However true victors also know that numbers and strategy wins battles. Those things combined with will, desire, perseverance and sincere devotion to the source of your conviction wins wars.

That’s why the enemy wins a lot of battles because they most definitely have the numbers. It’s no doubt about that. But they lack the conviction to see the war to its final conclusion. They lack the discipline to persevere. They are content with a battle or two whereas God assures his people total victory if they stay committed to the cause. Commitment requires devotion on a level that is lost on most people today. Commitment requires sacrifice at times. That’s uncomfortable for people. Mainly because people at times commit to the wrong ideals. In my humble opinion the “wrong” ideal is the one that does more harm than good. The one if asked to lay down your life for it you would gladly allow the next person to make the ultimate sacrifice and watch without one iota of regret. True champions know that in order to obtain the victory and retain the title that some sort of sacrifice is required. True leaders realize that in order to champion a cause they may be required to - as Honest Abe put it – give their full last measure of devotion. If you as a leader aren’t willing to do this, then maybe you should relinquish the crown. For true leaders understand that in order to obtain total and absolute victory that you got to “leave it all on the field” regardless of the venue. The battlefield, the playing field, the boardroom, the streets, the classroom…. Wherever you find your challenge or the test of your character and resolve…. Understand that you can be victorious if you are willing to put forth your best effort leaving no doubt that even if you fall short of the goal or the prize, you gave it your all! Nobody likes losing, but contrary to popular belief the “moral victory” still exists. Give me a gracious loser over an arrogant victor any day.

 The mark of a true champion is being able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To have the ability to make something out of nothing. To take what the world means as a slight or your demise and turn it into something that not only blesses you but those around you. Now understand that in order to have this ability it requires an extremely large amount of determination and tenacity. The timid need not even step into the ring because the enemy will undoubtedly make short work of you. So save yourself the unnecessary beat down. But warriors…true warriors understand what it takes to be successful when the entire world has written you off. Champions are the ones that use people’s doubt and disbelief as fuel to obtain the victory that everyone dares them to come and get.

In my humble opinion, there is no force on the planet stronger than the heart and mind of a champion. One my heroes said it best:

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something that they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.”

He kind of knew what he was talking about too. He has set a many a contender on their Gluteus Maximus.

 Are you a champion? I’m sure that you are. To someone, you are their reason to fight on. To someone, you are their reason for being alive today. For someone, you are their reason for living. For someone, you are their provider and caretaker. For someone, you are their reason to love again. For someone, you are their inspiration and motivation to face the challenges of this world for which there are many. For someone, you are the best thing that could ever have happened to them. And guess what….

That makes you a champion. Now claim your crown. Claim it understanding that when you do, the enemy is going to do everything they can to take it from you. But also know that once you claim the crown, as long as you give honor and glory to the One that blessed you to obtain it that He blesses you with everything you need to retain the title. Granted some of your title defenses are going to be brutal…… BRUTAL. But understand that within the center of your being you have the answers needed to be victorious! As long as you know Whose you are, who you are and what you want… the victory is yours.

Food for thought ©

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life

Charles Darwin 

Don’t go out of your way to prove you are a good person, that can be exhausting. Just be a good person and let the chips fall where they may. People either recognize your virtuous nature or they don’t. But in the overall scheme of things people’s opinion of you don’t mean a thing. Besides people can be fickle and hypocritical. They like you today and dislike you tomorrow. Especially if you don’t do things "their" way. Only what you do for God and the uplifting of His Kingdom will stand the test of time. His love is unconditional. His love is encouraging, enriching and motivational. God's love is always in spite of. In spite of our flaws and imperfections. In spite of our constant disobedience. In spite of our lack of attention to His needs from us. In spite of our lack of reciprocity of the kind of love He shares with us.

Can any of your so called friends say that? Do your friends love you for who you are.... flaws and all ...without judging you (even silently) or talking behind your back to others? Can your "friends" or associates lay claim to staying down for you even when you don’t do things their way? Can your "friends" or loved ones totally support you even when they don’t quite understand why you do the things you do or the "methods to your madness". Will your "friends" be there for you when the going gets rough to tell you it’s going to be ok and to just hang in there? If you can answer yes to any or all of those questions, count yourself as truly blessed. If you can’t the next part is for you.

I don’t know if the people who you have decided to call your friends will do any of the aforementioned things...but I know God will. God most definitely will....and that totally is who I put my trust in. It took me a while to understand this and the motives of people. It’s not that complex really. People are either selfish or selfless and there is no in between. Selfish in that every single thing that they do in this life is to benefit them with no thought to how their actions effect others. Selfless in that they put others needs before their own with no expectation of payment or reciprocation. The latter comes with maturity, a strong of sense of self and a connection to the Most High. 

Which are you?

Hopefully the latter. 

If not, that's all right. It’s never too late for a new beginning. Old habits die hard…. but in order for you to truly experience God’s best, they have to die.

Clarity ©

I must stress here the point that I appreciate clarity, order, meaning, structure, rationality: they are necessary to whatever provisional stability we have, and they can be the agents of gradual and successful change.
A. R. Ammons

clar·i·ty 

n.

1. Clearness of appearance: the clarity of the mountain air.

2. Clearness of thought or style; lucidity: writes with clarity and perception.

I made myself a promise a long time ago.

We’re cool ….so I feel I can share this with you.

The promise was to only interact and stay in contact with the people that make me smile and keep me happy, encouraged and motivated.  The promise also was to only stay in contact with those individuals that make an effort to stay connected to me. A promise I have had the blessing to revisit and reevaluate recently. My promise is not one of selfishness or malcontent but more in the interest of self preservation. For you see we can sometimes get caught up in trying to hold on to people and relationships for a lifetime that were only supposed to be around for a season. A season that while it was new was wonderful but has since degraded to something that doesn’t even closely resemble what it once was. It is at times like this that I personally take serious inventory on whether or not it is even feasible… hell …healthy for me to remain in the relationship. We sometimes cause ourselves the most pain trying to hold on to what God wants us to let go of. Not because he wants to punish us, but because he has the best in store for us and we can’t hope to even see it much less obtain it if we are holding on to people, places, relationships or ________ (just fill in the blank) that God has decided that is no longer worth your time and effort. Those of you that have checked out some my earlier entries know my creed, my motto; my mantra: God honors effort. HE does NOT however honor misplaced effort or “tail chasing”. If you seem to run into road block after road block, obstacle after obstacle, set back after set back…. You may want to do two things:

1)    Reevaluate if all the time, energy and effort you are putting into what you want so badly is truly worth it and is truly God’s will for your life.

2)    Should you decide or get clarification from the Most High (Preferred) it is, put forth SINCERE effort to obtain it.

If the answer to number one is that you don’t know what in the world has gotten into you or that you have no idea what you were thinking about, you may want to exit stage left. Quickly. But if you are fortunate enough to be currently investing all of your time, energy and resources into something worthwhile and fulfilling then please….by all means …work the hell out of number two. Now what’s important is for you to not let what other people or outside factors cloud your objectivity or blur your vision. Once you have decide on what you believe is the correct course of action, move forward with making it happen knowing that as long as what you want or are trying to obtain is aligned with God’s will for your life you can’t fail. You may not get there exactly when you think you should or it may at times appear that you are not making any progress; just remember that movement (even the slightest bit) in the RIGHT direction is the ultimate litmus test. We often times discourage ourselves by setting unreasonable expectations for ourselves causing us to lose perspective. Please do not be deceived, clarity is truly all about having the proper perspective.

Now please allow me to clarify why I have entitled this piece Clarity. Clarity in this humble author’s opinion brings peace and serenity. Don’t think so? Spend one “Monsoon Season” in Arizona. I have had the unfortunate pleasure of having to drive through a dust storm or “haboob” (I didn’t know I had relocated to the Middle East…but whatever). Now for those of you that have had to experience this I’m sure that you can relate to the unnerving feeling of practically driving blind. Now I love my newly adopted home of Scottsdale, but they are average drivers at best when it’s clear and sunny. Throw a little dust into the equation and well…. I don’t think I have to elaborate any further on that point. But it lends validity to my statement on the importance of clear vision. Regardless of the situation or circumstance. I think clarity is so precious to me because of all the years I spent living blindly. Not literally of course. Fortunately I have been blessed with pretty decent vision. My peripheral vision is even pretty nice (more on that later). No, the blindness to which I refer is of the figurative sense. My blindness was also unfortunately self imposed. You know the kind of blindness where you see only what you want to see. Now that I think about it ….. I had a little bit of partial deafness too, but that’s for the next entry. Yes, blindness…even partial blindness can be frustrating if not placed in the proper perspective. Sometimes the inability to see figuratively, sometimes even literally can be a blessing. There have been times when certain things have happened to or around this writer that I regrettably wish I had never seen. Things that to this day I still recall (sometimes at the most inconvenient of times). Then there are those people that come along that if we had not seen them or met them we would not have placed ourselves in certain precarious situations. The wonderful thing that we learn over time and with maturity albeit spiritual or otherwise is that all things work for good to those that love Him. I just recently finished reading a book entitled The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo which is a phenomenal piece of literature. There are not many fictional pieces of work that I have read that so adequately depicts the human experience. In this amazing book, the book’s protagonist Santiago makes one of a number profound statements spread throughout the pages of the brilliantly written book that speaks to the importance of clarity. But the most profound statement of all made in the book came from the character the book is named for, The Alchemist:

“How do I improve on the present? How do I guess at the future? By paying attention to the omens of the present. The secret is in the present. If you pay attention to the present you can improve upon it. And if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better.”

So blindness, although inconvenient at times, serves a far greater purpose in the grand scheme of things. I embrace it now. I embrace it now because I understand that it is a part of the process. I understand that in order to truly appreciate clear vision one only needs have it obscured. I embrace it now because in order to improve upon the present, one’s vision must be clear. At first it used to unnerve me and I will admit that sometimes it occasionally still does. I mean I am human after all. I believe Karl Von Clausewitz put it best:

“Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.”

We instinctively seem to be drawn to things that perplex us. Things we don’t understand. Things we can’t make sense of. If not for nothing more than the challenge of figuring it out. The unfortunate thing though is that if we are truly honest with ourselves, we at times tend to waste a lot more time than we should trying to figure out things we were never meant to. The regrettable part of wasting time is that once gone, you can’t get it back. Time is probably the only other thing I value more than clarity. Both of which I value more than money simply because they are precious commodities that when wasted or lost can cause momentary disorientation and can leave you more destitute. Heaven forbid if you lose them both simultaneously. Yes, in this humble author’s opinion clarity and truth are synonymous. For you can’t have one without the other. Clarity comes with discernment, albeit spiritual or otherwise. There is nothing in this world more precious to me than discernment. It keeps us from making serious errors in judgment when we heed to it. However, if you are anything like me you tend to be a little hardheaded at times. Although I must say that I’ve gotten a lot better on that front. Lord knows that I am still a work in progress though. However, thankfully with a lot of and I truly, sincerely do mean A LOT of introspection and deep soul searching I have been able to get to what it truly means to know who, whose and what I am and what I was placed on this on the earth to do. I will tell you that once you get that kind of clearness of mental and physical awareness there is no better type of clarity.

Clarity is also synonymous with Transparency. Transparency is such a simplistic ideal but yet so hard to obtain in today’s society. People are just not genuine anymore. I try to get along with everyone. Even if sometimes they don’t care much for me. Does that make me weak? No. That keeps me sane. You will never understand a statement like that if you're selfish or self-absorbed (caring about nothing or anyone but yourself). So if you’re scratching your head wondering what I meant by that last statement... I’ll give it a second or two to let it set in….

*patiently waiting*

*taps foot while looking out the window*

*is that a Quail?!*

Ok...

The shortest possible explanation that I can provide to my previous statement is that I try to get along with everyone regardless of whether or not they care for me is because in the overall scheme of things if I were to be completely honest or to "keep it 100" as my friends and I say .... simply because once upon a time, I was them. I was once the one that held an unfavorable opinion about a person without truly observing a person’s true nature and learning their back story. I was once the one that found it far easier to follow the crowd as opposed to being a free thinking individual. I mean after all, being a crowd pleaser pays big dividends right? Who wants to be the pariah? The outcast. The weird one. The one everyone talks about for being different. Huh?

I do if I'm in the Will of God.

For you see when you are at peace within...it does not really even matter what’s going on around you. People's mindless chatter and heartlessness doesn't even bother you as much. Yes …I said as much.  I say as much because you aren't a machine. You have feelings and emotions. The key is to realize how wonderful it is to have those feelings and emotions and better still not to waste them on unimportant things or unimportant people. I am grateful for the amount of clarity I have received over the last few months. I am happy to say that it is directly as a result of me changing my environment. Now don’t misconstrue what I’m saying. Where I moved from is a wonderful place to live. Nashville, TN will always be home. But every now and then, in order to stay progressive and stave off complacency a leap of faith is required. I love my family and friends back in “da Ville” and those that truly are down with me and want to see me succeed stay in constant contact. You see the absolute beautiful thing about leaps of faith is that they automatically bring clarity to your life. You want to know who your real friends are? Go a minute without talking to them. You want to see people’s true colors? Try to improve your quality of life and watch their response. You want to know who'll be there when the chips are down? Find yourself “helpless” and see who steps up to help you asking for nothing in return. That’s some clarity for that @&!.

But I digress…

“The clearness of thought or style; lucidity”

Clearness of thought. Oh how we tend to take this for granted. You actually don’t realize how true that is until you have had the ability to “unplug” from the everyday hustle and bustle of your daily grind. I call it Societal White Noise. Things around you seem to all collapse into one big blurry frame of reference. The bills, the kids, the job, the relationships, your choices or lack thereof, your dreams deferred or pursued, the nonsense, the selfishness of others, expectations of yourself and others, other’s expectations of you, Reality television (Oh I already said nonsense huh), Social Media, the cat that just cut you off in traffic (oh there I go again, repeating myself .. nonsense). You may even have a few things to add to this list. The point is that there are a lot of things in this life that can cloud our vision, negatively alter our perspective and skew our objectivity. The key is to remain focused. Stay disciplined and true to everything that is within you. Regardless of what the world around you tries to toss in your way. In this humble author’s opinion, agility and mobility are tantamount to success. Your body may be tied to a certain place but your mind never is. Keep your mind clear. Mental clarity is the key to emotional and physical well being. There have been a number of behavioral studies with findings to that effect. I think Steve Jobs – technological pioneer, philanthropist, and just out right genius had the simplest but most profound take on clarity:

“That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

Make your thinking clean. Clear away the toxins that lie within in your mind. That mental attic where you got all that junk stored. What stuff you ask? The memory of letdowns and the disappointments of your past. The countless number of people that hurt you. The failed attempts at anything remembering that failure is only delayed success. The people that told you that you would never amount to anything or the people who went or are going out of their way to impede your progress. All those self imposed “guilt trips”. Those toxic relationships. Make your thinking clean. Get that junk out of there ASAP. There is no time like the present. You’ll be surprised just how clear your vision will become minus the cobwebs.

Distraction Avoidance ©

That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple; but it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains - Steve Jobs

A lack of discipline and focus can be a dangerous thing. Failing to remain focused can result in one ending up exactly where they never intended to be. Paying little to no attention to detail can and most often will result in a very embarrassing situation which can sometimes have irreparable consequences. Funny thing is that we sometimes never pay attention to detail or exercise discipline until we are forced to. The money gets funny and the change gets strange, the excessive drinking results in a DUI, the “jump off” wrecks the happy home, you wake up the next morning wishing the night before had never occurred. The list of scenarios is virtually endless. I myself have had to have occasional “reminders” that I was doing waaaayyyy too much. We sometimes put ourselves in precarious situations unnecessarily by not exercising restraint or just not using plain good ole’ common sense. Now granted, we can’t always control what happens to us. Life unfortunately happens and she doesn’t ask your permission to occasionally allow the bottom to drop out of everything you have worked so hard to obtain or accomplish. She’s just rude like that. However, a lot of times we can avoid a lot of the misfortune that happens to us by insuring that we are focused on what is actually good for us and for our quality of life. Unfortunately, a great many of us (I count myself amongst this group) allow distractions to derail our efforts at leading a peaceful and fruitful life from time to time.


Now I will be the first to admit that I have not always been as attentive as I should have been to detail or have been the most disciplined individual. I have made my share of bonehead decisions and have paid the price for my occasional lack of focus each and every single time. The fortunate thing for me was having a father that was ex-military which did not allow a lot of room for undisciplined behavior. The lessons I learned early in life because of my father’s regimen and daily dose of tough love and instruction kept and to this day keeps me grounded and out of situations that while extremely appealing and enticing on the surface contain hazardous material inside. Don’t believe me? Think about the last time you saw someone who could have at the time been the most beautiful person you have ever seen in your life. If you were able to have a conversation with this person or were allowed to get a peek into what made them tick…what did you discover about the person? Did the contents match the packaging? Were the contents safe to handle or prove to be hazardous to your health? I have been fortunate enough to meet and befriend some very beautiful people whose packaging most definitely properly represented the contents within. Then I have also had the misfortune of meeting some people who while they were beautiful and extremely “easy on the eyes”, the content of their character diminished their beauty. I call that the old “Bait and Switch". The person could be fine as all get out but have a horrible attitude or carry themselves in a manner that just robs them of any true appeal. Now with that being said I need to clarify a few things. I am not an expert on all things beautiful. Nevertheless, life has taught me that beauty is a matter of one’s perspective. So when I say the most beautiful person in the world, what you may or may not think is beautiful depends solely on where you are mentally. Some people are extremely superficial. Some people’s only idea of beauty is what their eyes show them. This lot seems to be the crew that finds themselves so easily distracted by “pretty” things and trust me…. Chasing pretty things can sometimes lead you in a direction you never intended to go. 


Now don’t get it twisted, I love gazing upon beautiful items, people, places and things. There is nothing wrong with a little “Eye Candy” every now and then. Nevertheless, I try not to be superficial. I try to see more than what’s on the surface. I try to not get caught up on appearances and try to understand what’s underneath. I am a total package type of chap.  Depth and substance are more of a factor in what I label as truly beautiful. However, that has come with maturity. I haven’t always cared about your conversation when I was weighing out whether or not to ask for them digits or get you to the crib. Once upon a time my motives were a little less let us say…. complex. BBD didn’t drop “Poison” because dudes were getting hemmed up because of a female’s conversation. I’m just saying. (I’m dating myself … I know. I’ve been around for a second what can I say!)  Nonetheless, as I have gotten older and have had my share of relationships (some good…some not so good) I began to realize that the content of one’s character is where the true beauty of an individual lies. I’ll take a cute, grounded, educated woman over a drop dead gorgeous but shallow and superficial woman any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Simply because the latter would not appreciate the “little things” that life has to offer. She would be too concerned with keeping up appearances and what others thought about her and her life choices. Not to mention that typically shallow and superficial people are extremely self-centered. Most of the time all that they care about is what’s important to them while giving little to no regard to what’s important to their loved ones or those that care about them.

But I digress…

 The world is full of distractions. Some I have already mentioned. Some I have chosen not to mention. Simply because what proves as a distraction for some may not garner any attention or even register a glance from others. The important thing is to remain grounded and focused on exactly what it is you have been placed on this Earth to do. Now if you haven’t figured that out yet, then I suggest you do so. Quickly. Mainly because in order to even lead a fulfilled and fruitful life, one has to have a sense of purpose surrounding it. Those individuals that coast through life without any direction or purpose find life’s distractions extremely disheartening which at times leads them into self destructive behavior. Excessive drinking and drug use, unhealthy sexual encounters, irresponsible financial and fiscal decisions, child neglect, irrational and impulsive decision making, etc, etc. Now I’m not a psychologist or even the best judge of character. But I am extremely observant. I study people. I study people simply because if you look at a person and their actions long enough, they will tell you everything you need to know about them and their intentions. The trick is to believe what they are telling you and showing you albeit verbally or nonverbally. Maya Angelou said it best:

“The first time somebody shows you who they are, believe them.”

When you allow distractions to prevent you from listening to that inner voice telling you that a situation or an individual is not healthy for you or allow distractions to force you to ignore that funny feeling in the pit of your stomach, you may be possibly setting yourself up for some major disappointment. Trust me, I know about that all too well. But it’s my own fault really. I have a tendency to want more for people than they want for themselves. I tend to expect the best from people regularly because I always try to give people the best of me. I tend to care about the welfare of others sometimes to the detriment of my own. I used to give individuals the benefit of the doubt in situations where they should have been given something a little bit more …. Tangible (Like a severe tongue lashing, an overhand right, a stiff backhand or a roundhouse kick to the dome). Nevertheless, when you reach a certain level of maturity you begin to understand that people’s lack of compassion, attentiveness, attention to detail, and contentment with mediocrity and complacency comes from something within them and most of the time it’s related to unresolved personal issues. People who lack discipline and that are easily distracted lack direction and focus. It’s not entirely their fault though. It probably started when they were young. No one took a real interest in the things that they took interest in. No one was there to support them when they finally decided try something that gave them purpose causing them to lose the drive to pursue it. No one affirmed them to let them know that it’s ok to fail. That failing does not make you a bad person but quitting after you have failed without any sort of effort does. People that don’t believe in themselves or their own abilities most of the time never had anybody to believe in them. Some people find it hard to love someone – truly love someone - simply because they just don’t love themselves. This too comes from a lack of affirmation and emotional abandonment at some point in their life.The unfortunate thing is that all of these scenarios contribute to a lot of the ills that plague society today. Had that mother or father just spent a little time teaching their son how to respect and appreciate women, he probably wouldn’t be out there beating the brakes off of his “Boo thang”, his girlfriend or his wife. Had that father or mother just spent a little time talking with their daughter about how a man should treat a lady (notice I said lady), she would not allow men to disrespect her and misuse her because she would have a healthy sense of self and moderate amount of self respect. In my humble opinion, if parents would just spend more time affirming their children and not allowing the distractions of this world (Cars, clothes, jobs, money, Facebook statuses, mistresses or this evening’s TV line up) to interfere with taking care of what’s truly important, the world would be a much better place. See parents really take for granted that they have the ability to change the world. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s kids, and what the next family is doing or not doing to raise a fine and upstanding man or woman. Handle your business at home. Now by all means don’t just stand by and allow your neighbor to mistreat their child (and by mistreat I do not mean an occasional ass whooping). Just simply refocus your energy on what you have been blessed with. Because at the end of all things regardless of how or under what circumstances your child was conceived, they are truly a blessing from God. It’s not their fault that you made some questionable life decisions and decided to sleep with the wrong dude or female…possibly multiple times. They didn’t ask to be here. So it’s not fair to the child to take the guilt for your bogus decision making out on them. So you got distracted….. The body was bangin’. His swag was ridiculous. Her walk was mesmerizing. The convo was like none you ever had before in your life. The sex was amazing. The condom broke or you decided not to make him wear one “just this one time”. She said she was on the pill. However the ish went down….. if what came afterwards resulted in the birth of a child, none of the aforementioned scenarios should even matter. They are here now and they deserve nothing less than your best. So stop letting life's distractions prevent you from being present in your child’s life. Stop making excuses about why and how you can’t be a part of your child’s life. So your father was never there. So your mother was unsupportive. So you never had anyone to love you or support you when you were young. Once your child was born you were afforded the wonderful opportunity to give your child what you never had. So Man up or stop whining about how bad you had it growing up. While it is sad that your childhood was not the best or ideal one, your kids don’t have to suffer for or because of it. Focus all of your energy on your child and making sure that they have everything they could possibly ever need and not just from a financial standpoint. I honestly believe that If I were to take a straw poll of people whose parents were only in their life from a financial standpoint, I’m pretty sure that they valued the time their parents actually physically spent with them over that $25 in child support they were mandated by the state to drop off every two weeks.

I don’t know who that was for … but I promise you that was meant especially for you from the Most High. Annnnd you’re welcome.

As the eternal optimist and consummate contextualist that I am, I implore you to not let life's sometimes overwhelming circumstances control your life. When we allow distractions to dictate our behavior we do ourselves and those around us a great disservice.  I know there are those of you out there that may be saying “what makes you an expert on staying focused and overcoming distractions?” My answer to that is that I’m not one. But I have reaped my share of unpleasant consequences based on a lack of attentiveness and a momentary lack of discipline. I have just been blessed that the damage was minimal and easily correctable. I am not the poster child for disciplined living. I have my vices (and if you think I’m sharing them in this entry you’re nuts…. we’re cool but we’re not THAT cool) and occasionally temptation gets the best of me. Such is life. But the key is that I have a disciplinary breakdown threshold. Simply put, I’m only gonna go so far and no amount of peer pressure or external stimuli is gonna make me cross it.

So I urge you to establish your disciplinary breakdown threshold today. Otherwise, you may actually find yourself sidetracked, always easily distracted and headed down the road to nowhere. You can most definitely trust me on that one. Being the road warrior that I am….. I have made that trip a few times and I am here to tell you that that is one long, exhausting and unpleasant road trip.

God Has My Back © written by Tiffany R. Easley

The following entry was written by Miss Tiffany Renee Easley, a very dear friend of mine.  Ms. Easley is a deeply spiritual and devout servant of the Most High who like me was tasked with leaving her comfort zone and stepping out on faith to position herself to receive God’s best. A most gifted writer, she blessed me with some Rhema word that blessed me tremendously. I pray that it blesses you as well…

God Has My Back©

Philippians 4: 6-13

For the past 101 days I have kept track of the revelations that the Holy Spirit has whispered in my ear.  Many times it was because of the soft still voice that I was able to keep focus on what was ahead of me and not become discouraged at the circumstances around me and the situations that I was facing.  It was those still small voices that kept me from giving up. As I look back at the past three weeks I am able to honestly say that God has allowed the Holy Spirit to constantly whisper to me.  The Holy Spirit has been saying “trust in God’s word, speak God’s word, and use God’s word to move those mountains and valleys that you are facing.”

While I am enjoying this journey there have been days when I wanted to quit because things were not going as I wanted them to.  Each time things were not going as I thought they should I would hear that still small voice (getting an octave louder) say” God has you, just keep moving forward in faith”.  I would remember that faith without works is dead and if I wanted things to change in my favor I would have to work the word.  God knew what I would face on each day of this journey and He prepared a word for each of those days. 

This past week I faced the part of the journey I knew was coming all the while praying that it would not.  I realize that this part of the journey is all about God elevating my faith, enlarging my territory, while raising my expectation to see His Glory be revealed at the end of the battle. God has set me in a position to receive every blessing that He has stored up for me.  With that being said, I am in a full blown battle with the enemy as he tries to keep me from those blessings. The enemy has waged war on my mind and I have fought back with the word. The enemy has waged war on my emotions and I have fought back with the word. The enemy has waged war on my health, and I fought back with the word. One would think that at this point the enemy would be tired, but no, he waged war on my peace, and that is when I began to pull out all my weapons with the intent to take the enemy out.


This morning Pastor Sheryl Brady said it best when she said Just Do It.  By Faith take a step and Just Do It! This resonated in my spirit and I realized that I cannot, I must not, and I will not give up without receiving victory.  I have been divinely positioned and I will not allow the enemy to knock me out of that position. I realized last week; I allowed the enemy to catch me off guard and although I knew he was going to attack with all his might, I failed to be prepared.  My thoughts were not conditioned, my faith was mal-nourished, and my peace was shaky.  Today I went away from the service understanding that there are 3 major things I must do every day of this journey, if I am going to see the Glory of God manifested in my life. 

I must:

1.    Pray with Power: I must pray without ceasing, even when it looks like my prayers are not being answered, I must keep praying and believing that God has already worked it out in my favor.  I must pray with thanksgiving and without being anxious. (Philippians 4: 6)

2.    Participate in Positive Thinking.  I must not let the thoughts of (inability, lack, and doubt) overpower the thoughts of (truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, love, and excellence). God has ordained that I think as He thinks and this must be a moment by moment practice and not a struggle by struggle motivator. (Philippians 4:8)

3.    Practice in/on Purpose:  I must act on the word and walk it out on purpose.  God has given me the answer to every question that I have asked. Every petition I have laid before Him, He has given me the ability to see it manifest as an answered prayer.  God has given me the ability and power to expect the manifestation of His blessings over my life.  (Philippians 4:9)

I realize that God knows where I am and He is right here with me. I realize that God’s plans are greater than my plans. God’s thoughts are not like my thoughts, and His ways are higher than my ways.  (Isaiah 55:8-9).  I realize that God desires to perform a miracle on my behalf.  God desires to be my Super Hero and I need to rest in that He will save me no matter what it looks like.   God has placed me in a position where the enemy thinks he has won, but God has allowed me to rest in that position knowing that He is about to rescue me and His power will be revealed.

Affirmation: Today, I begin to exercise my faith with an expectation for things to change on my behalf.  I will no longer look at the circumstances I face as impossible, but as possible for God to show himself as my Super Hero. Today I declare and decree that greater is He that is within me that he that is in the world.  I declare and decree that I am victorious and can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  Today I take authority over every assignment of the enemy and put it under the blood of Jesus.  The enemy’s assignments against my life are cancelled and made void and stripped of power. Today I declare and decree that I will remain in position to see God’s word work on my behalf.  I declare and decree that everything I touch, speak, and complete will be Kingdom worthy and of excellence.  The enemy will tremble at my name.  I will walk in authority and declare that there is nothing I cannot do through Jesus Christ! Today I will no longer think of defeat, but will walk in victory. Today I will expect GREATNESS to surround me in all that I do.  Today I understand that God has established the works of my hands and everything that I touch is blessed.

Today I understand that God has my back! My only choice is Victory! Today I understand that things have turned around in my favor and the Glory of God is being revealed. 

Abundant Blessings of Peace and Favor!

©Tiffany R. Easley, God Has My Back, June 24, 2012

2012 - Completion

If the Mayans are right, we have about five months and eighteen days before the bottom drops out of everything and all H - E- double hockey sticks breaks loose. I personally (because of my faith) don't subscribe to that but hey.....if you do who am I to say that you're wrong. I do believe that 2012 is going to usher in some unprecedented change the world over. A "changing of the guard" so to speak. This to me would most definitely represent the Optimum Condition. I also study Biblical Numerology. With that being said, I have unearthed some information that I figured I would share. Those of you that know me know that I just love to share whatever I have whenever I can......

The Bible numerology code for the number 12

Bible numerology is concerned with the study of numbers mentioned in the Holy Book of Christianity- the Bible. These numbers are present in a definite pattern and are attributed with different religious incidents taking place in the Bible. In the number of stories of Old testaments and new testaments, numbers play a vital role and thus it is necessary to study their hidden meanings to reveal the secrets of Bible and to understand the scripture properly. Biblical numerology is now taken as a specialized field of biblical studies and there are many people who keep a keen interest in knowing about the Holy Scripture. In the following piece of writing, we will know about the significance of bible number 12 and its numeric representation in the Book.

Bible numerology number 12 signifies what is finished or completed forming a harmonious, perfect entity. It symbolizes completion or plentitude of a thing and expression of the Trinity to the four bends of the Horizon, that is, 3 x 4. Bible number 12 represents the good and the command and also rules the time and space. This is the reason why bible number 12 is also regarded as the cosmic number which also attributes to the cosmos or the administration of the world. It is the symbol of spiritual and material food as there were 12 breads which were last broken by Jesus Christ in His last supper and he himself was the “Bread of Life”. Twelve is the product of two numbers- three and four- that stands for heavenly number and earthly number respectively. Since it is the multiple of these two numbers, it represents multiplication and perfection of the administration.

You will find a number of references attributing to the meaning of bible number 12. According to New testaments, there were 12 apostles of the Christ who are named as Peter, James and John, Thomas, Andrew, Philip, Matthew, Bartholomew, James, son of Alphaeus, Zealot, Judas Iscariot and Jud, son of James. In the Bible, there was a woman who was relieved by Jesus Christ from her 12 years long curse of hemorrhage. In Old testaments, in the celestial city, there were twelve gates and twelve types of precious stones. A woman wore a crown with twelve stars in it and also there was a tree of life that bears twelve crops of fruits, one fruit in one month in a year. There were twelve sons of Ishmael and twelve priests of the Chronicles. There were twelve stones of the altar of Elijah and of the alliance. On the pectoral, you will find twelve names engraved. On the golden table, there were twelve loaves of enduring offerings.

 For confining the choice of Aaron, there was the total of twelve branches. The number of explorers sent to Canaan is also twelve.

In the Holy Scripture, there were twelve animals which were scarified and also there were twelve springs of the Elim. For the dedication of Altar, there were twelve silver bowls that were offered in the series of three. Moses proclaimed twelve curses to all the men of Israel. Also Jacob had twelve sons and in Israel, there were twelve tribes, namely, Judah, Gad, Reuben, Asher, Simeon, Manasseh, Issachar, Levi, Joseph, Benjamin and Zebulun. The cloak of Ahijah was used to make twelve strips and the whole of Israel was governed by twelve administrators of the Solomon. For making a monument, twelve men offered twelve stones in the Jordan. These are some of the instances that are mentioned in the Holy Bible that symbolize the significance of bible number 12 in the religion and how it can help in understanding the scripture in a better way.

(Here's my favorite part right here)

In the last book of Bible, the Revelation, bible number twelve appeared many times. It stated that the kingdom of God had twelve gates that were guarded by the twelve angels. If you are a superstitious person, then you will definitely believe that it is unlucky to wash your hair on day twelve of each month. Also if you saw a dream that contained number 12, then your tough circumstances soon will be resolved. 

There are many other things that are related to number 12 and are believed by the followers of God. By knowing more about the bible numerology number 12 we can have a better understanding about the administration of the universe and how it has brought to perfection by the Almightily. There is lot more to explore in Bible and to have a better understanding of the religion and teachings of Jesus Christ and how this universe came into existence, you should know about the symbolic representation of the numbers and their patterns used in the Holy Bible. Many bible scholars regard this scripture as the treasure of numbers and hidden meanings.

Shake It Off ©

Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, “Shake well before using.” That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are usable – Vance Havner

Life.

You can live it or allow it to live you.

There are times when this life deals a blow so severe that we think that there is no coming back from it. It is in times like these where I have had to employ a tactic my Dad would always tell me to use.... I can hear him say “Shake it off, man! You’ll be all right!” No matter the damage, no matter how long the convo, no matter how pissed I got at him for at what at the time I thought was his lack of concern…. that was always his last piece of advice. To this day no matter how hectic life gets, no matter how large or personal the offense, Dad's words always come to mind.

Now upon first hearing my tale you may be like “Dag, dude’s dad was super cold”. You had to know him though. He had this really cool way of being tough but being compassionate. It was a nice balance once you figured out his approach. It took me years to understand what he was trying to do to me and for me. He was trying to toughen me up but he was also trying to make sure that I understood why. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens/ early twenties that I understood him and his version of “tough love”. I thought dude was super insensitive for the longest time. Until I discovered just how cold and cruel this world can be. At that very moment, every lesson that man tried to teach me became crystal clear. I remember a lot of the arguments and scraps we had all because I was determined that I had all the answers and that he was just being unreasonable. Then life smacked me dead in the grill. Needless to say, I now appreciate every single ounce of tough love my dad gave me.

Now I prefaced my entry this way because in order to bounce back from the blows that this life deals you, you have to be mentally strong and grounded. You have to have the ability look beyond where you are and what has happened because sometimes the only way to move forward and move on after disappointment and discouragement is to focus on the prospect of a better tomorrow. This requires mental toughness and strong core belief in one's self and their ability to overcome whatever this life throws at them.  This was the type of person my dad tried to raise me to be. To be adaptable and mentally flexible enough to embrace and endure change. In order to survive in a world like the one in which we inhabit, one has to have “thick skin” and I’m not as much talking anatomically as I am  your mental and emotional constitution. If this world even senses the slightest bit of weakness in your make up, it will chew you up and spit you out. A fragile mindset in today’s society is the equivalent to shedding blood in shark infested waters and trust me when I say that the world is full of predators out there that feed off of the weakness and mental instability of others. You see it every day. The pimp/ prostitute dynamic, the battered wife, the henpecked husband, the woman that thinks she has to sleep with every brother she meets in order to keep them around, the brother that thinks he has to spend himself into the poor house to make a woman happy and keep her around, the person that lets other’s opinions of them determine how they live their lives, etc. Over the course of my life I have met every one of the aforementioned people and have had my share of disappointments and setbacks as well. Some that barely slowed my momentum and others that I thought I could never and would never come back from. For me the thing that kept me from throwing up my hands and throwing in the towel was my faith in the Most High and my father’s words of encouragement…”Shake it off, man! You’re gonna be all right.” 

Now I have to be one hundred percent open and honest with you. As much as I would like to sit here and say how much I have always known who I am and Whose I am, I truthfully and honestly couldn’t even sit here and lie to you like that. When I tell you I am the ultimate example of what Almighty God can do with a mess of a man. God is the Definitive Potter and if you ask me, I have been one of his most difficult pieces of work to mold and shape into something even remotely resembling what He wants or needs it to resemble. I am most definitely a work in progress. Nevertheless, the wonderful thing about God’s molding and shaping us into what He wants and needs us to be is the process itself. Not always pleasant, but always perfect. His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways (Praise God!). The things I have had to endure as result of God’s molding process have been both restorative and most certainly at times difficult. Most change is …. simply because we as human beings dislike being taken out of our comfort zone. However in my humble opinion, one’s mental mindset is the key component in enduring and overcoming the most difficult of times. You can’t and won’t shake off anything if you can see yourself coming out on top. Some people unfortunately have a very negative mindset and their entire existence is one of unhappiness. They can’t see the good in anyone or anything and try their best to make sure that everyone around them is just as miserable as they are. You will never …. ever… find peace, realize your true potential, or live the life you were destined to live as long as you allow these sorts of people to remain in your life. Misery indeed loves company and with that being said you most definitely have to watch the company you keep.

A friend once told me that in order to have something that you have never had you have to do something that you have never done. What do you want? You sure? What type of life do you want to lead? Are you content with your current quality of life? Do the people around you encourage you to do better or are they constantly telling you what you can’t and/ or shouldn’t do? Are you ready for a change? Well I have great news for you. The only thing and the only person keeping you from having everything you want in this life is .....wait for it......you. There is a lesson that I continue to revisit that I try to share with people whenever I get the opportunity. Learn how to get out of your own way. I promise you I was a major violator of this principle. I was constantly getting in the way of my own happiness. I would let circumstances and other’s opinions influence various areas of my life. Even though I had the “Shake it Off” principle down for the most part, I would still let the little of things discourage me to the point of giving up and giving in. Then one day an older gentleman that I barely even knew laid the simplest but most profound piece of knowledge on me. He told me (what I would later find out was a quote from Dr. Seuss – yeah - the Cat in a Hat dude):

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

These words changed my life. For you see this is exactly the mindset one has to have to shake off every negative thought, word or deed one may encounter over the course of their life. Now I understand living life on nobody’s terms but your own can be a difficult proposition. We encounter people that will go out of their way to break our spirits and try to convince us that we have it all wrong. You will meet people that for no reason whatsoever will hate the ground you walk on simply because you choose to live free of other’s opinion of you and because you simply do not and will not subscribe to the status quo. You will be black balled and ostracized simply because your beliefs aren’t popular or “fashionable”. Nevertheless, I implore you to never settle for anything less than what life has to offer simply because you wish to “fit in”. The trait of a truly mature person is that person’s ability to take what life throws at them and make the best of the situation knowing that in the end if they stay true to their beliefs and to all that’s inside of them, they will be all the better for having experienced it.

So the next time life has you down, the next time you get discouraged because of a setback or because things don’t go exactly according to plan or the next time things get tough and you feel like giving up. Don’t. Instead, remember that God honors effort. Just when things appear to be hopeless I promise you that if you keep the faith not only in the Most High but also in yourself, your situation will turn around. How do I know? Why I’m glad you asked.  Simply because I’ve been there but first and foremost because the Word of God says so:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose – Romans 8:28

Always remember…If God allows it, He will sustain you in it. If God provided it, he will provide you with the resources to keep it. If He takes it away or allows it to be lost, it was never meant for you in the first place and He definitely has something bigger and better in store for you.  You may lose a battle or two ….. but as long as you keep fighting and don’t allow the thought of defeat to paralyze you, victory is yours. So don’t be dismayed or discouraged. Don’t drop your head or throw your hands up in defeat or surrender.

Just shake it off… I promise you everything is going to be all right.