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The Highest Virtue is Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). heart wings


In essence, Love is willing (or doing) the good of another person. handshake


God's love and blessing to everyone at CS! Serendipityteddybear
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Happy People Have Boundaries

The Bible has some things to say about setting up guards in our lives. "Above all else, guard your hearts, for it is the wellspring of life, it says (Proverbs 4:23). heart wings In another place it says: "In the paths of he wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them (Proverbs 22:5). writing
Healthy boundaries guard your heart, your mind, the soul, and your energy (Deuteronomy 6:4-6). handshake

When you set proper boundaries around your heart, you won't be tempted to do wrong to others and you won't become vulnerable to their wrong doing against you. If you are not guarding yourself, then the predators and the happiness killers will invade your territory and certainly diminish your happiness, if not worse.moping When your heart is right, your sense of well-being, or happiness, will grow. So to increase your happiness, take a look at the ways you are or not guarding your heart.writing hmmm Are you allowing someone to steal your happiness?" Is there a person or persons who are able to manipulate you or "make you feel bad?" Is there someone who is actively hurting you in some way? If so, get back in control by not allowing that person or persons to affect you in hurtful ways. Note the way that David, in the Psalms, listed his boundaries, referring to the kinds of behavior he would not put up with:


I will set before my eyes no vile thing,

The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.

Men of perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will have nothing to do with evil.

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,

him I will put to silence;

whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,

him I will not endure.

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house;

no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.

Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land;

I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord (Psalms 101:3-8).



Consider this question: look back at your life and ask yourself- how would my life have been different if I'd had the same boundaries as David? Here's how your list might look:


. I will not put "vile things" before my eyes.

. I will not trust faithless people.

. I will stay away from anyone who perverts anything good.

. I will avoid slanderers.

. I will not put up with people's arrogance or haughty criticisms.

. I will not trust, or be around anyone who lies.

. I will choose the faithful, good people to "dwell with" and be close to.

. I will make it a daily practice to set my boundaries against the wicked and all evil doers.


But you may be thinking, It's not so simple to keep healthy boundaries in place. There are people in the world who would hurt us or put temptation before us, and we can't always recognize it at first. True enough. But it's also true that people with good boundaries quickly address infractions and do not put up with repeated patterns of hurtful or irresponsible behavior. They nip the relationship or the behavior at the bud and deal with it, giving the person a choice: stop the behavior or face some form of consequences, for example, you can no longer be around him or her.



The Law of Happiness: Dr. Henry Cloud


God bless you all, members of CS! Serendipityteddybear
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Happy People Think Well

Sometimes people will take one bad occurrence and overgeneralize. For instance, if they have had a bad relationship, they can believe things like, "All men (or women) are like that," or "Every company is out to use you and doesn't care." When you do that, it closes you off from all the goodness God has for you. The Bible says that God has a "good and perfect gift" for you, but if you generalize from a few bad experiences or people, then you will not be open to all that He has for you and your life.hmmm

The same holds true about you and your own performance. Just because you had a few failures, do not generalize from there to all future performances. Tony Blair once shared, that when he ran for office, only six people showed up at one of his speeches, and it was a terrible performance.help But he said that getting over failure was one of the most important lessons a leader could learn.comfortIf he had generalized from there, he never would have become prime minister. tip hat

The reality is that every person experiences good and bad. God promises us that. Jesus said that in this world we would have problems (John 16:33), so we shouldn't be surprised by them.wow shock But unhappy people tend to block out the positive of many situations and see only the negative- about themselves, about others, and about experiences.uh oh Happy people do not allow the negative to ruin things for them. They see the cons of situations, but they are able to still love and value the positive aspects.comfort They do not allow the imperfections to ruin things for them. Happy people are not perfectionists who cannot enjoy anything that is less than perfect. Happy people are the ones who are happy even when there are flaws, missteps, and mistakes.smile The party can still be wonderful for their children even if they don't like the teacher or the soccer coach. Do not let little things that will always be there ruin the experience for you.

Remember, God has told us that we live in a world that will always have imperfections. But He is bigger than the negative and wants you to still enjoy all the good that is here. Grasp His hand and do what He does. He stays involved and is able to bring good out of everything, even the negative: writing


We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).yay

Watch your thinking, and don't allow the negative to get you down. If you do that, you will be a much happier person. Arm yourself with this promise: "I will not allow my thinking to conform me to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2-3). idea Take all your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and "think well." applause



The Law of Happiness: Henry Cloud



God's love and blessings be with you all! Happy New Year! Serendipityteddybear
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Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, He spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. peace

-Philip Schaff


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Merry Christmas to everyone at CS! God's love and blessing to you, this joyous season. Serendipityteddybear
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Happy People Don't Compare Themselves

Men's View of Women


So many women feel insecure about their bodies, their clothes, their hair, their homes, and everything else, because they compare themselves to women on television and in magazines, to celebrities, and with other data that our media obsessed culture bombards them with. sigh They are always reading the latest about what is sexy, beautiful, or stylish, and then they feel they are worthless because they do not look like the latest model on the cover of some magazine. uh oh They cannot even enjoy themselves as they are always second-guessing their style or status in relation to others. conversing

Yet men do not look at them that way. A woman's attractiveness to a man has little to do with how much she looks like the magazine models. shimmy It has more to do with her personhood, energy, and personality. hug It has to do with how much she is being "her" and not someone else. Women who are comfortable with themselves are way more attractive to men than the ones who are trying to be like someone in a magazine.teddybear


Women's View of Men


The same thing is true about men. They often think that women care about how much money they make, their status, or other symbols of success. While most women do want a man who actually has a job and provides, the good women do not care much about the external symbols of power. They care much more about the personal and interpersonal strength that a man brings to their relationship. handshake If he is confident, pursues her without fear, takes initiative in taking care of her needs, and is secure in himself, he will be very attractive to a woman. batting And note to men: if she needs the biggest house on the block or the red Ferrari, he should run the other way. Lol.


People are happy and attractive when they are themselves. God created each of us to be only one person, and to judge ourselves in relation to ourselves and ourselves only. Here's what the apostle Paul says:


Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else (Galatians 6:4).


There is nothing wrong with getting inspiration from other people. We should be inspired by the greats in many fields as they show what we can be accomplished when we fully engage in bringing our gifts to our work. But if you play golf and can only enjoy your day if you set a course record or better than Phil Mickelson, then you are not going to have a happy day.


God's advice is simply this: do not compare yourself to others. Take ownership for your own life, your looks, your own talents, and your own genes, and use what God has given you to the fullest. If you do, you will be the best you and the happiest you. yay



The Law of Happiness: Dr. Henry Cloud



God's love and blessing to everyone at CS! Serendipityteddybear
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The Law of Happiness

Humans are wired in such a way that when properly "turned on," they get happier.



Unfortunately, we often don't know where the power buttons are, so we keep pushing the wrong ones, hoping that we are just one click way from happiness. People watch TV and think the experts being interviewed have the answers. We think that if we try this or that particular diet or do what this magazine article says or buy the secret that this infomercial is selling us, we will get to the land of happiness. We are just one click away from having it all come together...or are we?hmmm


We fall prey to thinking things like:


. If I could just make a little more money, then I would be happy.


. If I could just find that special someone and get married, then I would be happy.


. If I could get that promotion, then I would be happy.


. If I could finally own a home, then I would be happy.


. If I could move and live in a different city, then I would be happy.


. If I just could get my _____ degree, then I would be happy.


. If I would lose twenty pounds, then I would be happy.


. If I were beautiful, then I would be happy.


. If I were rich, then I would be happy.


. If I were famous, then I would be happy.



Research and spiritual wisdom both reveal that while many of these items certainly have value, none can bring much sustainable happiness. frustrated moping And that is what is meant by "pushing the wrong button." While most of what we need to feel better is readily available to us, we often don't know where to find the correct buttons, and we continue to look to the wrong buttons and hope they will work.help blues uh oh


If you look at the list above, you'll see that all of these desires- as well as many others- are circumstantial. They are "states" within which we find ourselves, like rich or poor, degreed or not, renting or owning, skinny or fat. These states can change at any given time in our lives. But most of all, they are "outside us." What has the research into happiness shown us about our circumstances? The answer is surprising, especially since we live in a culture that is obsessed with the list above and others like it. Here is the finding: Circumstances account for only about 10 percent of our happiness (Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness 20,21).



But we are often tempted to still believe the "if only." We think that if our outside circumstances would change, we would be happy. Not true, says both the research and the experience of a lot of people who finally found what they were seeking and yet are still searching. So why do we fall prey?conversing


It is human nature, pure and simple. From a biblical point of view, it's best explained in the story of the Garden of Eden. And although it was written thousands of years ago, the basic spiritual dynamics are the ones that we live every day and that also govern our pursuit of happiness. The story of these dynamics could have happened yesterday, and actually does each day, in all of our lives. The events go like this:

God created a good life, a beautiful garden with lots of trees that represent all of the good stuff. And he gave an instruction. His commandment was "to eat of any tree in the garden." In other words, "I have created some great stuff here. Have a good time, eat, and be satisfied with what I have given you." And, God had one warning. Adam and Eve were not to eat of the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil." For when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:16-17).

What was the warning? It was basically the warning to keep from playing God and thinking that you can be like him, knowing what is good and what isn't. We all know what happened from there. The serpent came and tempted them, saying that they could be like God and really know it all. They could know "good from evil."



Continued...
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Attraction is Found in Who You are

Solomon in the Song of Songs reflects the appreciation of physical attraction for his lover, when he wrote:



How beautiful you are, my darling!

Oh, how beautiful!

Your eyes are doves.


How handsome you are, my lover!

Oh, how charming!

And our bed is verdant (Song 1:15-16).



Solomon goes into great detail throughout the Song of songs about physical attraction and beauty as well as character. And both Solomon and the apostle Peter uphold the value of character and inner beauty, even above outside attractiveness (Proverbs 31:30: 1 Peter 3:3-5). It is about the total package of a person. wink As you become more of who you were created to be, inside and out, you become more attractive.

Your job is to be the best "you" God made you to be.yay However, a common mistake is made when people do not realize the attractiveness of their personhood and instead focus only on the outside.

Men, your initiative and assertiveness, blended with tenderness and empathy, plus a sense of humorgrin put you way ahead of the crowd. And, get in shape, for a spare tire never turned any heads. But get in shape inside- be strong and compassionate. Learn how to listen, but don't be such a softy that she feels as if she can control you. That is death to passion for a healthy woman. She wants someone, as I hear often, who "won't let me get away with things."

Women, don't be controlling or smothering, because that registers in his mind as "motherly." Men are hard-wired to "leave their mothers and cleave." If you come across like a mother, he will leave and go find a woman who does not seek to control him. Instead, be open, independent, warm, and appreciate him without critical fault-finding, but not to the point of flattery or being giddy. He wants someone real. And that includes someone who is honest with him as well, even about where he is wrong. In the same way that women want someone who can stand up to them, good men want a woman who can be assertive without being controlling.

Above all, if you have some issue with men just because they are men, get over it. They do not want to be disliked just because they are men. They want that to be a plus! Many women's subtle disdain for men is a problem they never realize is sneaking out in unseen ways and keeping them stuck.

Both of you, men and women, be interesting and, as research shows, funny! Everyone has his or her own sense of humor, and it is different for all. Some are class clowns redclown and are subtle. Some are dry, and some are comedic.rolling on the floor laughing It comes from inside you and what you see as funny.giggle Attraction research shows that a sense of humor is always way up there as an important quality. And, remember, bad habits and anxiety quirks are always a turn off. So, work those out somewhere.

In the end, it is about being real and genuine. Be who you are, but make sure that who you are is quality.peace Would you want the person of your dreams wanting anyone less than quality? You don't want to be a ministry outreach for them! You want to be someone they feel as though they won the lottery to be out with. And to do that, you don't have to have surgery or put on a fake show. You just have to be healthy, strong, warm-hearted, open, and fulfilled in life. That will come through, and it is very sexy.kiss



How to Get a Date Worth Keeping: By Henry Cloud



Happy Thanksgiving to all those in BlogLand! God's love and blessing be with you all! Serendipityteddybear
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God exists (His law is written in our hearts)

Every moral law has a moral lawgiver.


There is an objective moral law.


Therefore, there must be an objective Moral Lawgiver.



The first premise is self-evident. Laws have lawgivers, and prescriptions have prescribers. The burden of proof rests on the second premise. What is the evidence that there is an objective moral law, not just something subjective or created by humans? Strangely enough, atheists themselves have provided the evidence for the moral law- evidence so strong that it has converted many of them to belief in a Lawgiver (God). grin


As a former atheist, C.S. Lewis believed that the evil and injustices in the world eliminated God. But then he asked himself:


Just how I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust...Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too- for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless- I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality- namely my idea of justice- was full of sense (C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity).


Lewis is not the only atheist to come this route. Former Nietzschean atheist J. Budziszewki came to God the same way. he reasoned,

What actually led me back was a growing intuition that my condition was objectively evil...Evil is deficiency in good; there is no such thing as an evil "substance," an evil-in-itself. So if my condition really was evil, there had to be some good of which my condition was the ruination. In short, we cannot know evil except on the backdrop of good. If evil is real, then there must be an objective standard by which we know that (J.B.; "Objections, Obstacles, Acceptance").


Former atheist (now head of the human genome project) Francis Collins was impressed with the moral argument on his way back to God. He later wrote,


After twenty-eight years as a believer, the Moral Law still stands out for me as the strongest signpost to God. More than that, it points to a God who cares about human beings, and a God who is infinitely good and holy (F. Collins; The Language of God).handshake



There are many reasons that there must be an objective moral law:


1. We would not know there was injustice unless there were an objective standard of justice.

2. True progress is not possible unless we know an objective standard by which we measure that things are getting better or worse. we can't know better unless we know what is best.

3. Real moral disagreements are not possible without an objective moral standard. But there are real moral disagreements- for example, those about injustice, intolerance, and cruelty.

4. The same basic moral code is found in all cultures. It's wrong to kill innocent people. It's wrong to steal something that belongs to someone else. It's wrong to lie. We should respect our parents. Rape, racism, and child pornography are wrong. There's basically universal agreement on these things.


5. We sometimes choose duty (e.g., to save a drowning person) over instinct (not to risk our own life).


6.We did not invent the moral law anymore than we invented mathematical or physical laws. It is discovered, not created.


There was once a student who claimed he was a moral relativist in a well-researched, well-documented term paper until the professor marked it with these words: "F. I don't like blue folders!" The student sharply complained that it was unjust, unfair, and flat-out not right to give him an F simply because of the color of the folder.


Continued...
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Science and the Bible

Given that not much scientific information was known in Bible times,the Bible speaks with considerable scientific credibilty,an evidenced of it's supernatural nature.



Origins Universe had a begininng.



The very first verse of the Bible proclaims that"in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." It was common in ancient views to consider the universe eternal,yet the Bible taught that it had a beginning. This is precisely what most scientists now believe in accepting the Big Bang theory. Agnostic astrophsicist Robert Jastrow wrote that "three lines of evidence- the motions of the galaxies,the laws of thermodynamics,and the life story of the stars-pointed to one conclusion: All indicated that the Universe had a beginning"(God and the Astronomers,111).


Order of events.


Genesis 1 also indicates a progressive creation,universe,followed by formless earth,followed by what happened to give form to the earth. This is much more scientifically sophisticated conception than held by the common ancient creation story. The bible affirms that God said in the beginning,"Let there be light. And there was light"(Gen.1:3). Jastrow wrote of the parallel of this statement with modern science,"the details differ,but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same:the chain of events leading to man commence suddenly and sharply at a definate moment in time,in a flash of light and energy"(ibid., 14).


No new matter is being created.



The Bible declared from the beginning that creation is complete. God rested from his work(Gen.2:2)and is still at rest(Heb.4:4). In short,no new matter (energy) is coming into existence. This is precisely what the First Law of Thermodynamics declares,namely that the amount of actual energy in the universe remains constant.


Universe is running down.


According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics,the universe is running out of usable energy. It is literally growing old. This is precisely what the Psalmist said:"In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish,but you remain;they will wear out like a garment(Ps. 102:25-27). Genesis declares that life first begain in the sea(Gen.1:21),and only later on land(1:26-27). This accords with the view that multicellular life teamed in the Cambrian waters before it multiplied on land.


Life produces after it's own kind.



In Genesis 1:24 God said,"Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock,creatures that move along the ground,and wild animals,each according to it's kind." According to agnostic paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould,"Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking much the same as when they disappear;morphological change is usually limited and directionless"(Gould,"Evolution's Erratic Pace,"13-14). In that fossil record,as in Genesis,human beings were the last to appear.



Humans made from the earth.



Unlike ancient myths or the Qur'an which claims that humans were made from a "clot of congealed blood"(Sura 23:14),the Bible states that "the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,and the man became a living being"(Gen.2:7). Further,it adds,"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,since from it you were taken;for dust you are and dust you will return"(Gen.3:19). According to science,the constituent elements of the human body are the same as those found on the earth...
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If We Can't See God, Can We Know He Exists? Yes!

It is not uncommon for skeptics to suppose that Christians are irrational to believe in a God they cannot "see." In reality, it is irrational for skeptics to suppose that what cannot be seen does not exist.


First, Christians and skeptics alike recognize black holes, electrons. laws of logic, and the force of gravity despite the fact that all these are unseen. Even the most ardent anti-supernaturalist recognizes the gravity of gravity.


Further, "God's invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). In other words, creation implies a Creator.handshake


Finally, Jesus is the image of the invisible God. As such, the incarnation of Christ is the supreme act of God's self-revelation. Thus, we can experience the power and presence of God in a way that is more fundamentally real than our perceptions of the physical world.yay


Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12). peace




Creation: Hank Hanegraaff



God's love and blessing to everyone! Serendipityteddybear
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Accept Reality

Let's face it. You would love to be ideal, perfect, and heavenly. You would like to have the looks and body of the latest movie star, the heart of Mother Teresa, the intellect of Albert Einstein, or the wit of your favorite comedic figure. But the reality is that you are attractive in your own way, have a good and imperfect heart, are smart enough to do what you do, and find humor in your own way. And guess what? These things would be very, very, attractive- in fact intoxicating- to the right person. kiss Just as you are- not perfect, but juicy and real.hug


But, if you don't feel you are attractive, you won't be. If you feel as though you aren't good enough and would only be good enough if you were your ideal, then the real you won't be attractive to that very same right person.moping He or she won't ever see you because the real you will be hidden by anxiety, performance issues, fears of rejection, narcissism, hiding, and defenses- all of the things we call insecurity. If you feel you are not good enough, you won't be. Not because you aren't but because you don't feel as if you are, and you show it.

In addition, you will look for the "ideal" or the perfect person to make up for what you feel is lacking in yourself. And this is never attainable. As soon as you've found the perfect person, he or she will disappoint and not be good enough. So you will always be alone and looking, too picky, or you will be attracted to those who try to appear ideal and perfect but have made themselves unattainable. You will chase them and never catch them, as it is their strategy, like yours, to never be caught.uh oh

Instead of that scenario, you could join reality and learn to accept your good parts, your bad parts, your imperfections, and the real you.handshake You can be known in your hurts and your failures. Then you would be loved as you are, and you would have nothing left to prove. comfort You could "take off the fig leaf" and stop hiding. Then there would be a lot to be attracted to. Those parts would be real, touchable, able to be experienced, sexy, juicy, life-giving, interesting, and all of the other real things God has placed inside every human soul, if they can be seen by others.wow

But to do that, you must come out of self-judgment and be known and loved by others as you really are, first in a nondating context. Get into a relational setting and practice these skills:



- Confess your faults and imperfections.


- Talk about the things you feel the worst about.


- Pray together about them.


- Practice loving what is less than ideal and perfect in others.


- Do not disregard others when they are less than perfect.


- Accept your failures and others when they fail.


- Process negative feelings, like sadness, anger, hurt, and fear.


- Don't expect perfection in yourself, others, or the whole world around you.


- Forgive everyone.


- Rework your ideal and have it be a real person and not a fantasy.


- Rework distortions in the way you evaluate yourself.


- Monitor the way you talk to yourself about your imperfections.





So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).yay




How to Get a Date Worth Keeping: Henry Cloud




God's love and blessing to everyone! Serendipityteddybear
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Look in the Mirrior

At a seminar a woman raised her hand and said that she thought the problem in dating was that men were only interested in appearance, and she found that to be very shallow. The last man she was interested in, she said, was not interested in her, and she surmised that it was because of her weight.

It did not take long for the audience to hear that she was angry. "Men are so conditional in the way they love. I want to find unconditional love and be accepted for who I am as a person. That is like God's love," she said. "I think you should focus on teaching men how to love unconditionally."


Seminar host: "What is it you want?"


Lady: "What do you mean?"


Host: "I mean, what are you looking for? Do you want to get married? Is that what you want?"


Lady: "Yes, I do. I want a man to love and to share my life with. But he needs to love me as I am, weight and all."


Host: "Okay, I will find you a husband by next Monday. Can you be here? Bring a preacher, and I will have a husband for you by next week."


Lady: "What!!?? What do you mean?"


Host: "Well, you said you wanted to get married, and I'm sure I can do the ceremony."


Lady: "Well, what...I mean, who would it be?"


Host: "I don't know; I will find someone. Don't worry. I am sure I can find someone."


Lady: "But what will he be like? What...who...I can't just marry anybody...are you nuts?"


"Well what is this person like? How do you know I will like him?"


Host: "Wait a minute." Why does that matter? I thought you had no requirements and were into unconditional love. You said you wanted someone to like you just as you are. Now you are saying you have requirements for the person you want to marry. You are saying you won't be unconditional with the man you like. You may not like something about him? That doesn't sound very unconditional to me. Sounds like you have some idea of what is okay with you and what is not, but you don't want this guy to have things he's looking for. That sounds like a double standard to me."


She got the point, yet she was kind of mad.grin She thought it was okay for her to have requirements on what she was looking for, but that if anyone else had requirements, they violated unconditional love. What a double standard, and also what a fantasy!angel2


The truth is that babies can do whatever they want, act like whatever they want, achieve little or nothing, and their mothers will love them to death. They are truly accepted unconditionally. hug But at the end of the first year, things change. Parents begin to put boundaries on their behavior. They are required to meet standards and expectations. Some things are met with approval and other things are not. Life is not so "unconditional" as they were born.

Life makes requirements on us; even God does that. God's love is unconditional, but His approval and what He is attracted to is very conditional. Some things He loves, and other things He hates. This is part of His nature, which He has passed on to us. Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that there is no such thing as unconditional love that looks past imperfections. That is the meaning of agape love. It is the way that God loves us and the basis of any good relationship, especially marriage.

But to make a relationship work and be enjoyable for both parties, there are things that matter to both people. You can't slack off, behave poorly, neglect your chores, ignore your appearance, have crummy manners, be a bad listener, disregard people who are talking to you, or be uncompassionate, and think that people are just going to fawn all over you, as your mother would. Some things are attractive and make being around a person enjoyable and other things are not. I hope they are not shallow as appearance, but they nevertheless exist for all of us, even the lady above.




Continued....
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