Last Commented Religion & Spirituality Blogs (1,493)

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. It can be an expectation and anticipation that rests in what we believe.

If we believe that we are valued in our job, then we hope that the raise we ask for or the promotion that we apply for will be granted. If we believe that we are loved by our significant other/life partner, then we hope that we’ll have a wonderful, lasting relationship together. Heck, if we believe that it’s gonna rain, we hope that we don’t get wet or catch a cold if we do.

We all hope/have hoped for so many things throughout our short lifetime, and probably for everyday of it. But ‘hope’ is something that many of us overlook or take for granted. Love (the most used 4-letter word on the planet ) - we know about and consciously think about, speak about, write about, dream about and seek after. But ‘hope’ is something that we do without realizing it. Kinda like breathing…it’s a reflex. So, for someone to feel hope-less would be cause for concern.

Feelings of hopelessness can occur for a variety of reasons, but it’s one of the main traits of sadness, and even more so, depression. Remaining hopeful is the key to overcoming them, so we should examine what we believe about a person or situation that worries us, in order to find a ‘silver lining’ and restore hope within ourselves. Hope helps us to keep dreaming, keep trying, keep smiling, keep planning, keep working, keep loving, keep giving, keep communicating, keep forgiving, keep praying…to “keep on keeping on”.

The thing that keeps me hopeful is my faith in God, because I believe in His Love for me. His Love and Faithfulness keeps me going even when I feel like giving up on after-50 dating, malicious family members, duplicitous politicians, greedy business owners, warring world leaders, etc., (and even myself, sometimes ). My expectations and anticipations are new every day that I wake – but mainly the hope of having a really good day regardless of the weather, regardless of the state of my finances, regardless of my health, regardless of my single status, regardless of the negativity that may come my way, regardless of the challenges.


What keeps you ‘hopeful’?

Daft question, has anyone ever heard of such angelic souls?

I never have, yet strange unexplainable experiences are leading me to believe soul keepers exist

JMO of course

Yesterday night, my God mother who is a Florida resident, was experiencing the fears/concerns of most (if not all) others over Hurricane Ian. The anticipation of real damage, and even death, was palpable, but she was hopeful that things would be over by morning. All that I could do for her was to hope and pray, which I did.

Earlier this morning, I called (on Whatsapp). She/someone answered, but almost immediately there was a loss of audio and no communication could be had. I hung up and immediately felt wary, but still hoping and praying that she was ok. About 2 hours later I received a text message from her proclaiming "GM Thank God I had no damage all is well Thank you for your prayers". You could imagine my relief!

Was she lucky? No, she was blessed with yet another opportunity to continue in the land of the living and to sing God's praises for His protecting her (and many others), from yet another hurricane.

I pray that even though the hurricane has "whacked" Florida, there was no loss of life.

Sir Robert Rubin founder & owner of Mysterium Philippines. My teacher in Intuitive Awakenings & Candle Magick 101(2017). Discuss about KULAM. Filipino witchcraft.

Fostering an attitude of gratitude/thankfulness is important for managing life and relationships. Thankfulness reflects ‘appreciation’, ‘recognition’, ‘credit’, ‘respect’, ‘acknowledgement’ or ‘regard’ for someone or something.

For those of us who are familiar with the Bible, 1 Thess. 5:18 says “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. For those of us who are familiar with Oprah Winfrey, she said “Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never, ever, have enough”.

Many people fail to understand how thankfulness can change a life and alter one’s perception for the good. A life without gratitude is often an unhappy, unfilled life. Putting a little gratitude in your daily life is a first-step to achieving many of your hopes, your dreams, your goals.

The thing with being thankful is that it actually helps you way more than the person you’re showing gratitude towards. When you feel thankful, grateful, and content in your own life and in your own experiences then you will find that you want less. You’ll find that you’re actually more satisfied with where you are and with what you already have in life.

Here are some persons that we need to take time to be thankful for:
• Take time to be thankful to God – He is the reason why we live, love, learn, aspire and achieve.
• Take time to be thankful to our parents, teachers and religious leaders – They are the reasons why we are clothed, fed, protected, educated and inspired.
• Take time to be thankful to our close friends – They are the reason why we feel accepted for who we are, and who we may want to be.

IF WE TAKE TIME TO BE THANKFUL, THEN IT’LL BE TIME WELL SPENT.

According to scrolls found in a cave near Iraq, and written by two disciples, Thomas and Phillip, Jesus was frequently seen with Mary M. They often embraced and kissed each other. Peter, one of the apostles, asked Jesus who his favourite disciple was. Jesus responded by saying Mary M. Peter was disappointed with this reply and told the other disciples of his frustration at this.
None of this was ever recorded in the Bible, and you can imagine why. The senior church leaders didn't like the idea of Jesus having such a relationship especially with someone who was alleged to be a prostitute( though nothing confirms she was such ).
Therefore this activity was never recorded in the book.
The behaviour of Jesus sounds more normal and what one would expect from a human being.
Mary always followed him around and was there at his crucifixion, and at his tomb.

Well, this is a great opportunity for all religious leaders to show their faith in God. Why don't they march in Moscow and demand an end to the war. They could carry banners stating, stop the war on Ukraine. What have they got to be frightened of? God will protect them, unless they don't really have faith in his protection or chance of an afterlife. The Pope could lead the protest. I'm sure that if their god existed then he would be very happy at this true test of faith. Would they not wish their god to be happy?

Could the story of Stepford wives be an insight into what Heaven is really like? This would satisfy the needs of everyone and we could all lead natural happy lives. No more conflict. All needs met. A paradise wouldn't you say?

So many of the world’s inhabitants are in need of basic survival resources, that those of us who are blessed often feel constrained to give what we can towards helping such persons. Hence we are all familiar with “giving”. The very word presents the idea of being selfless/altruistic, but do we always give out of selflessness?

Some of us give because we want to impress others, or repay others or get something in return, so that’s really being “selfish”, not selfless. Some of us give because we may have been coerced/forced to do so, so that doesn’t count either. But, some of us give because we truly ‘want’ to; ‘giving’ gives us joy, makes us feel useful, allows us to share with others as a way of bonding, expressing love or just being kind and compassionate, not expecting anything in return.
Yet even for those reasons, we may be seen as being selfish (but in a good way ).

Jesus gave His very Life for us. Was He being selfish (but in a good way)? If so, what did He hope to gain for Himself by leaving His heavenly home, taking on the form of a mere man, living amongst us, being betrayed and tortured, then dying a cruel death? Yes, He lives again (no thanks to us), but even now He continues to give us His love and attention. I’ve often wondered if He ever questioned whether we are worth what He gave/gives. But for Him, it's all about His Motive/s.

For us to give 'selflessly', I think it depends on our motive/s also.

Blessings everyone.

Sir Robert Rubin founder & owner of Mysterium Philippines. My teacher in Intuitive Awakenings & Candle Magick 101(2017).The first of many educational short from Rob's hit podcast MYSTERIUM AFTER DARK , in this episode Rob shares his sentiments on how he feels the Gods and Goddesses of old are returning and how they are looking for new "Representatives" in this new era.