“Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul.”
This quote, by Wayne Dyer, has a way of making us think beyond the here and now–beyond the things that may be weighing us down and beyond our physical being. We are all so much more than our occupation, physical appearance, accomplishments, and shortcomings. It’s important to take care of our body. But in addition to that, how can we take care of our soul? It’s a part of us that’s all our own. One that can never be duplicated or imitated.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
This quotation is from 2 Corinthians 4 verse 16. It’s a great reminder that we are more than our outer and physical selves. We may show visible signs of age, become weaker and slower over time, or become injured. That is part of life; and it shouldn’t make us lose heart. Because while all these things are taking place, there is another part of ourselves that is being renewed each day. It’s a part we don’t see and may not feel; but it’s the essence of who we are–our inner selves–our souls. At the end of the day, the constant renewal of our inner selves is what really matters. So,…
Living Life Poetically: Keep On
The poem, “Keep On”, was written for those bad days; for whenever you feel like giving up. Perhaps, you’ve lost the drive to pursue your dreams and aspirations. I’ve been there. However, I’ve learned that giving up leads to more regrets. So push through the challenges. Come out stronger, each time, than before. Keep on. Keep On Take heart you downcast, my friend. Joy and happiness,You deserve. Though gone for now, They’re only hidden. Discovered, not given. Found where contentment, faith, and hope means believing, In a life that’s always worth living. So, keep on. For the journeys to come.
Living Life Poetically: The Hope Factor
The poem, The Hope Factor, is about how our future can seem so bleak without some element of hope. But sometimes hope isn’t a conscious thought. Sometimes we take it for granted–not realizing it’s there within us. It’s only when it’s gone or lacking that we appreciate it, and we want it restored. It feels like there’s a fundamental piece missing in our soul. If you find yourself looking forward to your future, or you’re able to envision good things to come in your life, it means you have hope at some level big or small. It is the key factor that keeps us moving forward. The Hope Factor It’s…
Living Life Poetically: The Intangible Gifts of God
About half of this poem (later titled “The Intangible Gifts of God”) was written on August 2, 2014. It was originally intended to be a song, but that plan went nowhere. At the time, all I had was the first line in the first, second, fourth, and sixth stanzas–but no chorus and no established melody to rightfully call it a song. After having these lines sitting there for over four years, I decided to just forget the chorus and move on. I’m glad I did. I was stuck on a few lines that were going nowhere because I told myself they must be part of a song. So I didn’t…
Living Life Poetically: Why
This week, I was told a story that made me ask “why.” I hate to be depressing here on PositLive, but we can’t avoid this topic. There are certain unfortunate things in life that are difficult or impossible to explain, like someone who’s devoted their life helping others unexpectedly passing away from a terminal illness or a freak accident. Or maybe it’s the death of an infant or young child; or “bad things happening to good people.” But it requires some amount of faith to know that there’s a bigger picture in all things good and bad. We can drive ourselves crazy trying to find some logical explanation. But the…
A Prayer to Reorient Your Focus and Mind
There are so many old prayers out there with interesting orgins. One such prayer is The Prayer of St. Francis. The Prayer of St. Francis was first published in 1912 inside a French magazine called “The Little Bell.” Since its first publication, it’s been attributed to St. Francis. However, there’s no evidence that he actually wrote it (1). So, the prayer’s authorship is, in fact, unknown. Moreover, while we know when it was published, the year it was written is also unknown. “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace” is the first line of the prayer, and this one line immediately sets the tone. It sets a tone of…
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“Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow, so give it everything you’ve got.”
Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.
“The things you are passionate about are the real reason for your existence on this planet.”
Living Life Poetically: “A Love Poem”
As the title of this poem suggests, “A Love Poem” is literally a love poem. But not just to anyone. It actually came about two and a half months ago while I was trying to fall asleep. I was feeling full of gratitude. First, a couple of lines came to me, then a couple of stanzas, then a couple more lines–then it reached the point where I just had to get up and scribbled down as much as I could remember before going back to bed. Past experiences have proven that if I don’t write it down right away, I’ll forget the next morning. Just yesterday, I finally decided to…
Living Life Poetically: “Until We Meet Again”
I have to admit: I’m more drawn to writing fiction. I like making up names of people and places, imagining a character’s history and personality, and doing all the creative things that go with coming up with a story. “Until We Meet Again” is a unique poem because it’s based on fictional characters and places. I didn’t expect it to end up that way, but that’s what came out. So, there is no Mr.Kurtberry or farm on Kurtberry Plain. In fact, I’m not entirely sure whether there’s actually any farm out there that harvests both cranberry and grain. Yet, even though the characters and setting might be fictional, the situation…
Increasing Faith with Patience, and Increasing Patience with Faith
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 You’ve prayed. Others have prayed for you. You’ve hoped. You’ve lost hope. But you’ve kept on hoping. So then, you’ve kept on praying. Other’s have kept on praying for you. How much longer? You’re now beginning to lose patience. And you catch yourself wondering if your current situation is ever going to improve–get better. You’re now beginning to lose faith. And you catch yourself wondering if God is still even listening. If he still cares about you. Suddenly, you’re caught in the faith-patience cycle. It can apply to just about any change you’ve been hoping and praying for…
