Tag: choices

Shots fired! What’s your next move?

by Souls Full Filled, posted in inspiration


Much too frequently these days we hear news reports about lone shooters firing guns in a public environment, usually a place where people have usually felt safe like a movie theatre, school, shopping center, restaurant, or even an airport where security abounds. This past weekend was another occurrence of a tragic shooting of innocent victims at an airport. In listening to the news reports about this event I reflected on some deeper insights. 

The shooting started suddenly without warning or indication of reasoning or plan of attack. How often do we encounter a potentially harmful situation or encounter suddenly interrupting events in our lives pushing our plans aside or askew for our day? There are natural disasters, weather events, traffic accidents, road rage, shopping frenzies, rude strangers crossing our paths or service providers or organizations failing to meet their commitments necessary for our plans and continuing life activities. How do we react? What emotions do we feel? It is said what we are full of is what comes up in a crisis. What is our response? How can we minimize the impact or injury or maximize our options and results? Do we take time to reflect on these questions and discern the answers? Sometimes there is no time available to reflect because we need to take immediate action to defend or preserve what is invaluable, as in the airport shooting this past weekend. 


It turned out no one interviewed of all the airport staff, security personnel, shooter’s family or friends, witnesses or victims expected or understood what was happening, why it was happening or what was going to happen next. Only someone outside of the event timing (afterwards) would be able to gather information by reviewing evidence, video and investigation, except for the all knowing presence of God. 

There are a multitude of stories of people who survived the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11 who felt spiritually ‘directed’ to safety, even going in directions opposite the crowds or even against instructions from emergency personnel. Being ‘tuned in’ spiritually to God would definitely be an advantage. Like being tuned in to our favorite station or source of information, we need to be tuned in all the time to receive emergency alerts and notifications with instructions. We also need to have a habit of listening, being aware and responding. We can find and keep the information ‘channel’ of God open through a growing relationship with God in one’s life, just like having close connections to any other person, only with God, we do not need a WiFi, phone or video connection to receive communication or directions.

 The Israelites in their journey through the desert to the promised land in Canaan followed God who was physically present to lead them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. We do not have a cloud or pillar of fire visible but today we have God’s presence available to us within us by the Holy Spirit that comes to us in Christ, as he promised while here in physical form. We nurture this relationship through daily constant open channels of communication. My life has totally changed by daily receiving insight and direction in a growing intimate relationship with God developed through daily practicing various methods and activities that open and strengthen the ‘signal’ of these divine channels of communication. Sharing these with others has been a passion I wish to continue through this blog.  

The potential victims in the airport shooting responded in many different ways: hiding, running in different directions, ducking and dropping to the floor, some responding by protecting others. In video footage you can observe some people actually placing themselves in the line of fire by just moving without required wisdom. There was really no way to know what was the best action to take. Only God knew. 

Certainly various emotions besides terror were running high in and following the dangerous experience, including shock, relief, grief and various levels of anger and rage. Several people abandoned all their belongings including valuable communication devices, personal identification and monies they would later need to move on from the experience. What would you hold onto? Obviously self preservation and certainly protection of loved ones, especially children, took priority over possessions or ID. Past experiences show that people who survive catastrophic events are more likely to do so and to help others survive when being more calm without focusing on fear and terror. 

What makes us calm in life threatening circumstances, whether with an armed shooter or with a deadly disease or financial catastrophe? Growing up with frequent life threatening traumas, I developed fear and anxiety as an ongoing underlying emotion. But over the years of developing a closer relationship with God, my anxiety has changed to peaceful trust through many amazing experiences proving God’s presence and provision. With each year, I have found I have more underlying joy and peace, the more I experience God working in my life and I learn to trust in God’s love, goodness, provision and guidance. 

Jesus’ frequent expression was “peace be with you”. The great prophet Isaiah wrote: Isaiah 26:3 “You (God) will keep in perfect and constant peace the (any) One whose mind is steadfast, that is, committed and focused on You, because that One trusts and takes refuge in You with hope and confident expectation.” That hope and confidence will not disappoint! Romans 5:5: “Such hope in God’s promises never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (in Christ).”

Reflecting on this event, I received one other insight after asking myself (and God), “why would anyone abandon their money, phones & ID?” Those that did found themselves stranded, unable to contact help, get transportation, or even prove their identity to leave the airport or secured safety areas provided by civil authorities, which areas became hunger inducing prisons. I immediately thought of what our identity is based on: our beliefs about ourself and the world. By running in terror and anxiety without knowing who I truly am, not just a physical body, but a spiritual being existing in God, I lose my identity and the resources for finding the assistance and direction I need to move to safety and for the best future activities that will produce a fulfilling life. 

Thank you for liking, sharing, for any comments and for following my blog. If you follow, you will get emails whenever I post. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, or, suggestions for resources I will be developing, add a comment for others to like, or send your comments through my contact page with more explanation. Prayers can also be requested confidentially through my contact page. You can also follow or connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or my Facebook page with links at the top of each page of this website. I keep all correspondence confidential that I receive through this website’s contact page, by email on Facebook and direct messaging on Twitter and Instagram. 

New Year, New Beginnings, New Direction

by Souls Full Filled, posted in inspiration


Let me start by wishing you the best year yet in 2017! Next, I am making a new commitment to post to my blog at least once a week. Since I have not posted since mid October, I apologize to any readers who had expectations of more from me. Last year was full of unexpected and mostly intense storms and challenges as often happens when we change direction or take new steps towards fulfilling our purpose. This is a new year with new beginnings. My hope is that what I share here will help others to improve their lives as it has tremendously helped mine.

How do you start your new year? Is it just another day? or, do you have some rituals around this time, like making resolutions and letting go of some things from the past year(s)? I have done a little of both this year with the help of direction I have received the last week through my relationship with God. God seems to be speaking more clearly than ever before. In reality I think God always speaks clearly, but our ability to hear seems clearer and more frequent as we grow in how we listen and, more importantly, how often we listen and how seriously we take what we hear. It also depends on if we follow, however imperfectly, the guidance we receive,, as we move following the direction we receive in our spirit. 

We can always start over again or continue from where we are, which is why the new year mark in time gives us a sense of a new beginning which we can start any day or month of the year. Experiencing the ‘success’ and gifts from following this always available guidance, we become even more encouraged and desirous to do so. We also hear increasingly more clearly and timely the guidance we can have every moment of our lives to help us experience and participate in an extraordinary life, no matter the circumstances.


Do you set goals or resolutions for the coming months and year? 
Having sought direction for my life for many years out of crisis and necessity, it has become an ongoing process of listening and responding more frequently as I discover the increasing success and incredible improvement in my life possible when I do. But sometimes, like the start of a new year, I want to take some extra time to look at my goals in life. 

Following is a process I have learned to develop new goals in life. In business I learned to use what is called Management by Objective (MBO) considering more tangent, financial and intellectual aspects and using mostly the mind to develop specific measurable outcomes. The method below, however, which can also be used in business, relies more heavily on spiritual discernment using all parts of our selves and considering all areas of one’s life. Spiritual discernment is often very specific when practiced more frequently but in this (annual detailed) context is more general in nature which produces easily visualized targets not defined so specifically. Developing more specific goals can often limit the flexibility needed to live a full and prosperous life day by day. 

As an example, Having developed very specific goals over the years, I seldom accomplished them the way I envisioned, or at all. But as I relied more on God, being more flexible and seeking the specific guidance day by day or even moment by moment, I discovered I was accomplishing more of my desired goals and even better ones I had not imagined in ways I could not have planned on my own. I have come to believe only God has all the knowledge needed to make a perfect plan encompassing all aspects of our lives over every moment given the unexpected (to us) events, choices and people we encounter every day. I can attest by my experiences that the guidance and support I need in any situation are more easily discerned and available as I grow in following God every day. It brings strength, comfort, peace and hope whatever storm or crisis is happening, like the ones I just went through,


If you are not living life daily this way, you can start this new year bringing God into your goal setting process and see what happens. Below is a more detailed process for taking more time to develop goals for all aspects of one’s life using discernment in your spirit in the process. You can also do this with each area of your life going through the process in each area. Do whatever seems or feels more appealing to your self, a very important part of achieving success with anything you do. Trying different methods at different times given various situations can be very productive with a coach to guide you. You can always rely on God to be your coach as your relationship with God grows more and more intimate, doing things I like to teach based on my experiences trying various methods and disciplines. 


Discerning Guidance Within

  1. Take a few moments to connect with God asking for wisdom about your future. 
  2. Ask some specific questions of God and your self. Ask for wisdom about a specific problem or area you want or need to look at. Or, ask what is my purpose and how can I better fulfill it? What is lacking in my life? What do I want more of? What changes would help my life improve? Alternatively you can ask how to make specific changes in a specific area you find difficult, disturbing or creating discontent. 
  3. Spend some quality time listening to God in your spirit and to your inner self: your soul, which consists of your mind, heart and will; seeking the inner desires, thoughts and feelings for your future. You can do this with meditation, listening as thoughts and feelings arise, asking yourself what you desire for the future and spend time meditating in silence, or, do meditative journaling (not editing or trying to control what you write) jotting down in phrases or key ideas what you hear and feel within, arising in your mind and heart. 
  4. Journaling after meditation is always helpful to retain what often disappears as we immerse ourselves into activity of daily life. Write down more clearly and add detail to what you ‘received’ during the meditative listening stage.
  5. Repeat 1-4 several times, perhaps over several days, or until your thoughts start to narrow down to a few major ideas, or pick just one that seems to have more weight in your soul.
  6. Again meditatively asking for God’s guidance, write down whatever goals or boundaries you have discerned through the previous steps. You might break these out or organize these goals and boundaries into various areas or aspects of your life, such as relating to body, mind, emotions, health, finances, career, family, hobbies, classes of activities, relationships, etc., whatever seems to fit what you have been journalling. To make this easier as a beginner you could just do this for one life area or goal that seems to ‘want’ your attention. Having a coach to give some input or feedback is helpful, but no coach knows exactly what is best for any of us except God who is really our best Head Coach.
  7. Goals should be clear, often measurable and always achievable (in your mind and heart) or you will get discouraged or lose interest in maintaining these as your overall objectives. Goals are set for achieving certain results in a specific area of your life or in specific activities that you sense through this process are needing your attention for fulfilling your purpose or improving enjoyment of life.
  8. Boundaries are any kind of limitations, quantity or restrictions to help you achieve your goals in any area of your life, such as behaviors, habits, relationships, activities, emotional patterns or specific uses of your time or resources. They can also be guideposts or reference points like a plumb line is to building a wall. These usually surface regarding improving or changing the quality of your life in a certain area that seems troubling or not supporting well your life’s purpose or enjoyment. 
  9. Distill what you have journaled into less than 5 goals with related boundaries. As an alternative you can identify 5 areas of your life and develop a goal and related boundaries for each. You can always add more as the year progresses and you find some goals and boundaries have been achieved and you are ready for more progress towards your best lived life, but do not readdress this in this much detail too often or you will probably get discouraged and build discontent about your life or become too disoriented by changing direction too frequently, not allowing time to absorb or sink into the wisdom of your discernment. As an alternative, list one goal with related boundaries if it seems best for you.
  10. Ask God to help you daily as you move towards your goals listening for refinement as you practice daily living with your goals in mind. I have found if I focus hard and work on my goals in my own strength with my own plans alone they become elusive and more difficult to achieve compared to when I let my Head Coach, God, lead me, providing all the resources necessary in perfect timing along the way for greater enjoyment of my life.
  11. Try to enjoy your improved life as it is developing without constantly trying to improve your self or your life continually. Not enjoying your progress builds a sense of dissatisfaction and discontent. Having a ‘new year’ beginning is really just the start of a new month and a new day but it is a helpful starting place if you have not done anything like this recently.
  12. You can do this at any time of the year, not just January. You may be currently in the middle of a storm or crisis and it might be best to wait until things settle down. This process can also be used to address a storm or crisis by limiting the areas of your discernment to the specific area involved. As you develop a closer relationship with your Head Coach, God, you will find the guidance you need in crisis and storms provided more easily with more joy and peace along the way. I repeat: I can attest by my experiences that the guidance and support I need in any crisis are more easily discerned and available as I grow in following God every day. It brings strength, comfort, peace and hope whatever crisis is happening, like the ones I just went through.


Thank you for liking, sharing, for any comments and for following my blog. If you follow, you will get emails whenever I post. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, or, suggestions for resources I will be developing, add a comment for others to like, or send your comments through my contact page with more explanation. Prayers can also be requested confidentially through my contact page. You can also follow or connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or my Facebook page with links at the top of each page of this website. I keep all correspondence confidential that I receive through this website’s contact page, by email on Facebook and direct messaging on Twitter and Instagram. 

Facing Storms!

by Souls Full Filled, posted in Guidance, inspiration, Life


We all encounter “storms” in our lives. If you see a storm approaching, you might take cover and make preparations for protection and endurance, especially if you have advance warning. I spent most of a week preparing for Hurricane Matthew, and another week catching up with what got put aside for ‘storm duty’. This is why I did not post on my blog. I find life is often like that. We make our plans and a ‘storm’ of one kind or another takes our attention, time and energy, while everything else gets put aside. These storms can be illness, death, relationship problems, physical accidents or threats of many kinds. We sometimes get notice or warning signals that give us time to prepare or take measures to lessen their impact. Often they catch us by surprise. Hurricane Andrew was like that. it turned during the night and most of us awoke in the morning to surprisingly find it was coming right at us instead of heading away as forecasted, and we were not prepared enough in advance. That is why they have added the longer forecasts to help us be more prepared, even if the storm changes its course just enough to pass us by. We spend a lot of time preparing and protecting ourselves from things that never occur, but of which we are afraid. It takes wisdom and some discernment to know how much we need to do in response or preparation.


Fortunately Hurricane Matthew did little damage in my location but we still needed to prepare. And even if no damage, there was still cleanup activities and work undoing some of the storm prep activities in order that life can go on as usual. I had some lessons and ‘tests’ along the way I would like to share. I have learned to trust God when I see storms coming. I turn things over and pray to discern the things I need to do. When the power goes out, gas pumps, credit card machines and ATM’s do not work and often banks are not open. It is wise to have a full tank of gas, non-perishable food, water, battery powered devices and extra cash. The ATM machine ate my Debit Card, probably suffering from over use by many others doing the same thing. I learn to accept what I cannot control. Even so, a wave of dread washed over me as I saw the long lines of people inside the bank doing withdrawals without a debit card. I saw a customer service rep and she had no customers so she was able to help me immediately to get a new debit card and we had a nice time chatting. It was a nice break from all the storm duty activities and in the process I received a new security chip card for my old card devoured by the ATM. 

I went to gas up my car and there were such long lines I needed to go around the back of the station fully prepared to wait. As I drove in there was an empty gas pump with no line in back so I was able to get my gas and leave quickly. The line behind me formed rapidly. I felt blessed again. I believe being in an attitude of gratitude, letting go of fear, anxiety, impatience, anger and frustration, opens the door to receiving more blessings. But this attitude did not come easy for me. It grew over several years of ‘training’ under the leadership of the Holy Spirit given through a life surrendered to Jesus Christ, who enables us with a new spirit to become like he witnessed himself to be while on the earth as a man. My childhood had taught me to be afraid and anxious around crisis and focus on taking care of myself since no one else in my family protected me from life threatening traumas occurring every day. If bad things happened as an adult, I was brought back to victimhood into fear, anxiety, defensiveness and controlling behavior. Now I have come to experience myself victorious through Christ who helps me whenever I am in need. It frees me to let go of always being in control. 

In a few hours I found most of what I needed for the storm at the several stores I visited, but there were no D size batteries anywhere. In several stores, there were lots of other people looking for them also. One thing you need if the power goes out is a lot of D batteries for all the flashlights and battery powered devices. After visiting and calling several more stores, I went home without worry, trusting in God as I have learned to do and a friend texted asking if I found all I needed. I told her about the batteries and since she was in a store I had not visited much further away from my home, she looked and found a few, which she bought for me. The power and WiFi went off a few times but not anything drastic. We were blessed that we were not hit head on.


I was thankful for the storm duty because I have been recovering from several years of being limited physically and this was a test of how much activity my body could stand. My faith, patience and brotherly love was also tested as I found myself being calm, friendly and supportive of others going about the ‘storm duty’ activities, a new experience of myself in such a crisis situation since I have been growing in Christ. I helped people find what they were looking for, warned the people behind me in the ATM line, or lightened the mood of cashiers with humor or buying them a piece of chocolate as a treat. The storm event could have changed my mood, frightened, angered or depressed me, as it has in the past, but in acceptance and trust, I discovered my body, my faith and my character are in better shape than they have been for several years, so I was doubly blessed by the experience. The blessing on top of it all is that seeing myself being so different, being the way I want to be, but could not achieve on my own, builds my faith and growing surrender even more to God in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, who can do for me, in me and through me for others, so much more than we can hope for or imagine. 

Thank you for liking, sharing, for any comments and for following my blog. If you follow, you will get emails whenever I post. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, or, suggestions for resources I will be developing, add a comment for others to like, or send your comments through my contact page with more explanation. Prayers can also be requested confidentially through my contact page. You can also follow or connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or my Facebook page with links here. I keep all correspondence confidential that I receive through this website’s contact page, by email on Facebook and direct messaging on Twitter and Instagram. 

Searching for truth?

by Souls Full Filled, posted in Inspire, spirituality


Are you searching for truth? What is truth? Is truth relative, changing depending on the situation and circumstances? Truth is defined as: “that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality; a fact or belief that is accepted as true.” So how do we find what is true? How do we learn or choose what to believe? How do we define reality with so many different perspectives and viewpoints? 

As a child, I was threatened if I thought outside the box of ‘truth’ I was given by those around me. Some threats came from my family members, all seemingly bigger and stronger than me. Often threats came with bodily harm and abuse. Some threats came from teachers with shame and punishments. Other threats came from my church with eternal damnation. I learned what I believed to be truth by fear. 

As I got older I still tended not to think for myself. I learned to gather a consensus from people I hung around or respected, especially those who had the most confidence in themselves, seemingly successful or who considered themselves infallible and experts in everything. I felt safer connecting and agreeing with these kind of people because I had learned through childhood messages to believe I could never be right or find the truth myself. I lost the capacity of discernment for myself. These messages were repeatedly confirmed into early adulthood by the type of people towards whom I tended to gravitate: people who considered themselves experts in everything, did not like anyone who disagreed with them, and were certain to speak their mind about everything and everybody. I felt the safest with people who firmly believed their own truth no matter what anyone else said. 

As my life fell apart I kept searching for more and more experts. I built a huge library of books and collected almost 20 medical specialists. Today there are a multitude of experts given the internet, cable TV channels, millions of websites, books, blogs, free PDF’s, videos, e-books and social media networks. I gathered these information sources like a squirrel gathering nuts. Often the pieces of truth disagreed which only caused confusion. Some advice worked and others made things worse. I got lost in a web of information I could not wade through. Ultimately my life got much worse than I imagined it could. For most of my life I traveled through a long dark tunnel from a very dark childhood with only glimpses of light along the way. Some of those glimpses of false lights turned into trains coming fast towards me for destruction. 

Then I found the truth of Jesus Christ, the Bible and the Holy Spirit. For the first time I was finding the truth and light for my path, healing for my heart, mind and body, and wisdom for decisions that daily amaze me. As I studied the bible with the help of the Holy Spirit given me through a relationship with Jesus Christ, I found I was learning the truth but not just for head knowledge. It started changing my life and changing me. I invite you on a journey to discover what this might mean for you and your life. I will be sharing my experiences here to help you on your way, including some resources explaining methods and simple practices that can help you become your own discerner of truth that might be offered by the multiple sources that come your way.

Pilate asked Jesus: ‘what is the truth?” when Jesus said he came to testify to the truth (John 18:37-38). Jesus had said that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), that the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:3) and that he is the truth (John 14:6). In that same bible book, John said that truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). He wrote his book so that people would come to know and believe in Jesus and find a better life. The gospel of John is a wonderful book of the bible. It is written not only as a historical record but with spiritual interpretation. You can join a study of John’s gospel starting this week with Bible Study Fellowship, an international organization offering bible study groups around the world. Their link is

    https://www.bsfinternational.org/locate-a-class1  

Thank you for liking, any comments and for following my blog. If you follow, you will get emails whenever I post. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, or, suggestions for resources I will be developing, add a comment for others to like, or send your comments through my contact page with more explanation. You can also request prayers on my contact page. I keep all email correspondence confidential.

How do you choose?

by Souls Full Filled, posted in Guidance, spirituality, Uncategorized

How do you make choices? Do you do a lot of research, consult experts, Google or ask your friends? I mentioned this in my last post on finding truth. Discernment is the ability to judge well about something: truth, choices, solutions, direction. To judge is to form an opinion or conclusion about (something). In a courtroom evidence and opinions are presented from which a judge or jury are to decide what is truth that can be relied on without a reasonable doubt. When there is conflicting testimony it makes it almost impossible to decide. It certainly causes confusion. Confusion is a lack of understanding, uncertainty; the state of being bewildered or unclear in one’s mind about something. Having too much information leads to much confusion.

Con-Fusion. Fusion is the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity. Con is an instance of deception. Deception is an act of making someone believe something that is not true : the act of deceiving someone. When information does not come together to form an answer, they cause a deception of what is truth, even if not intended. Therefore, in evaluating all the many sources of information we have we are likely to be a victim of a ‘con’. 


How do you make decisions with so much information, often conflicting and leading to differing choices? I used to find it very hard to make decisions or I would just plow ahead (Just Do It) without any research following something or somebody who made a recommendation. Sometimes it was a feeling or just the desire to avoid the consequences of waiting, or to avoid the confusion or conflict erupting from finding more information to wade through. These rapid choices without any reflection most often led to mistakes, some with heavy costs.

We have to make everyday choices in context. Context include the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed. I propose that any choice we face has a context including much we can never establish or discern, data outside the realm of our human minds or even the most sophisticated computer. Every moment new pieces of information and events occur. As we move forward that is multiplied beyond comprehension. But I believe there is someone who has the ability and has all information about everything and everyone, past, present and future. That someone is God. 

As I learn to trust God, who promises wisdom and direction, as evidenced through a multitude of witnesses of His actions and words throughout History, I find I am directed along the right path. I often do not see it as I am moving along, but usually I can look back and see the places where I followed and it took me directly to the right choices. The more I trust, the faster I experience the direction. But it is not an easy task for most of us who want to be self motivated and self directed to our self determined destinations. 

Those witnesses of God’s actions and words are found most cohesive for many throughout centuries in the Bible. Taken as a whole, the testimonies are not conflicting in their conclusions and in evidencing the ‘TRUTH”. And there is the direction of a teacher, the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus Christ to lead us in learning and remembering these truths as we need them. This is increasingly my experience as I faithfully study the Bible under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

The Bible contains text. You can take the text and use it to support many things as many different teachers do. But as I heard Creflo Dollar say yesterday, “If you take the text out of context, all that is left is a ‘con’ (a deception)”. Don’t be the victim of a con. Do your own bible study under the right teacher, the Holy Spirit, through a close relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Listening to good teachers is helpful but the Holy Spirit will confirm the truth that you hear from the best teachers for your life, your current circumstances and your everyday life choices. I find good teachers will encourage you to do your own individual study and not just listen to them. As you follow the Holy Spirit, you will find over time that more things than you would wish for or imagine can be yours every day!

Thank you for liking, any comments and for following my blog. If you follow, you will get emails whenever I post. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, or, suggestions for resources I will be developing, add a comment for others to like, or send your comments through my contact page with more explanation. You can also request prayers on my contact page. I keep all email correspondence confidential.    

Which Way Are You Going?

by Souls Full Filled, posted in Faith, Guidance, Inspire, spirituality, Uncategorized


Are you headed in the right direction? How do you know? Especially when faced with obstacles, choices, difficult circumstances and situations, how do you navigate through your life to find the best path? In my life I have had incredible difficulties and challenges seemingly insurmountable or even survivable. You can read my bio on the about page to find a summary. Given my childhood, I learned to survive by being alert, aware, analytical and resourceful, among other less healthy patterns. Around age 5 a near death experience caused me to believe in God who became a constant companion, with no other person in my life I could trust not to hurt me. 

As my difficult circumstances continued into adolescence, I lost that trust and faith. I decided to seek wisdom from the world and whoever I found willing to give advice. We can always find lots of people to give us advice and a lot of it is good. But how do we judge for ourselves which advice is good for us at any particular moment in any particular situation? Do we search for good reviews? Have those reviews always turned out to be best for us? Each of us has an individual unique path with lots of turns that cannot be fathomed by any amount of analysis, especially given the amount of opposing and confusing information now available. There is not enough time to research and decide. But I used to try. Looking back, some turned out good, but many turned out worse for me, or at least wasted time and money until the next solution came along. I spent years and all my money searching and trying anything that seemed ‘helpful’ or had a good recommendation. Ultimately given serious health issues without any available solutions, I turned back to God for help, following various spiritual practices and eventually teaching them to others. I gained some temporary peace but no permanent solutions, and when things worsened the peace disappeared. 

One day a friend gave me a tape of a lecture on a bible passage, Proverbs 3:5-6 (shown below). I listened and my heart lit up. It talked about letting go of our self reliance and analysis and trusting God to lead us and make our path straight, removing obstacles. That started my journey into the bible, a book I owned but never opened or was taught to use through 12 years of Christian school. The next few years were like doors and windows being opened in my mind and eventually in my heart, as I gained wisdom and experienced solutions and direction for impossible and challenging circumstances in ways I could not explain except to credit God. I realized through experience that only God has all the information needed to direct our choices and lead us on a path that connects us with the resources we need along the way. Only God knows everything about us and our past, every possible aspect of our circumstances, the results of every possible choice we could make, and information about the entire world over all moments of time. 

The experiences became more dramatic, undeniable, and, in some cases, miraculous, the more I learned to trust and follow God, as the bible verse says. My life became a journey of experiencing God’s best direction and results for my life’s choices, healing of my body, recovery from financial loss, the permanent transformation of my mind and personality and the deepening of my relationship with God in Christ, all with the help of the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus for those very purposes. Perhaps this verse will speak to you. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart. And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth, removing obstacles that block your way. ”


Thank you for liking and following my blog. If you have any subjects or questions you would like me to consider in my blog, add a comment for others to like or send them through my contact page with more explanation. I keep all email correspondence confidential.