‘What a morose topic you chose today!’

How many of us are doing life, yet for all practical appearances living as in a graveyard? No life, nobody else around, speaking to no one, nothing changing, going nowhere, shrouded and under a heavy weight. All remains the same.

‘You’ve gone too far lady…not reading anymore!!’

Wait! There’s a sunbeam cracking though!! I can see light!!! Yes, even in our darkest times the sun still shines, and the darkest night cannot stop it!

There is hope…always!

You there, in the dark graveyard of your life, feeling helpless, alone, weighed down by many cares…call out to God! He will find you, he will rescue you, he will crack open your dark and shine warmth and light and friendship inside of you!

Do it! I did, and it works!!

I think the real reason so many of us are unhappy, unfulfilled, going nowhere, is we’re afraid to be ourselves!

It’s scary to be different, to be somebody you think no one will like or want, to voice your opinion, to think different thoughts. But you need to be you!

I’m not talking weird, although some may think that. I’m talking normal human wants/desires, likes, needs, hopes, dreams, accomplishments, life-styles – that may go against the picture- grain of mainstream human living. So many want to be different, yet in their differentness they all look the same.

We all have to overcome fear of rejection because of being thought different. Funny thing is, I think most of these thoughts are lies we believe, made up, trying to hold us back.

We are all human, cut out of the same cloth, all wanting to be ourselves, yet fighting fear of what so-and-so will think, not realizing so-and-so is thinking the same thoughts in their mind.

We want to be seen, heard, acknowledged, applauded. We have to bring our craft/skill/ability/thoughts to the forefront of our lives, acknowledge what we’re good at, where we excel and let ourselves move forward.

Let’s win this daily battle and be true to who we really want to be!

Your rights, my rights, their rights. What are my rights???  Big question these days!

Our most important right is internal, inside each of us already. We have the right to change! We’re not talking how we think other people should treat us, or what kind of work we do or don’t have to do, although they are important.

We have the right to change…to change our mind and try a different path, to think new/better thoughts, to examine how we have been and how we would like to be, to look at our shortcomings with an honest-yet hopeful-desire to change and grow stronger.

Our weaknesses do not have to hold us back, we have the right to change our thinking and let them propel us forward. Remember me telling about being horribly shy and introverted? That was my great weakness, yet recognizing it now, I don’t fear being around people and what they think of me anymore. My goal was to turn that weakness into a strength and befriend and talk to anyone that looked like they needed some encouragement.

Change can seem difficult, and it is. We are moving forward, pushing against the gravity of our past, but change is our right. Staying in the ‘safe’ old ruts of unproductive living is no fun!

Let’s look together this week and see how we can exercise our ‘rights’. Our right to change, to think about what we could become, to imagine a different way of doing life. It all starts by claiming our right to change for the better!

Think of one thing you would like to change about you…take your first step.