Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLXIV

I understand your concerns. I have the same ones. The unrest in this world is frightening. Who knows what horrible stunt ISIS will pull next and where it will happen. The leaders of our nation are attempting to make a deal with a country whose stated goal is to bring about the annihilation of Israel, which may push Israel to act on their own, putting the entire world in a state of chaos. In other areas, Christians are being murdered simply for their beliefs, and even in our country they're being ridiculed by Hollywood and some of the late night television hosts. With every new regulation being forced upon us by our government, we lose another little snippet of our freedom. Poverty is causing people to act irrationally, while cyber crime from all parts of the world is quickly becoming one of our biggest threats. Financial stress has become a major factor in the lives of people in all walks of life, both rich and poor. It's enough to drive us crazy.....if we dwell on it. As bad as the news is, we still have a responsibility to keep ourselves aware of world events and to walk into the voting booths with a thorough knowledge of what our choices are and why we should or should not vote for each of the candidates. Our tendency is to avoid depressing news, yet if we want to be responsible citizens, we have no choice but to stay informed. The result, however, is people are stressed to a greater degree than most of us have seen in our lifetime. I have a close friend who is a flight attendant for a major airline, and she has been telling me that the tension level among their passengers is higher than it's been in any of the previous years she has worked there, which has to be a result of the increased uncertainty we all face on a daily basis. There may not be much you nor I can do to lighten the mood of the general public, but there IS something we can do to help ourselves. You see, there's some other news I haven't mentioned, and it's the news I choose to think about. No doubt, you can find similar news on which to focus your attention. I have a family whom I adore, and they adore me. If wealth is determined by the number of friends a person has, I'm a rich man. I know these friends love me, because they tell me often. My friends from church (aka my church family) are top notch, quality people. The friends in my running group are true, loyal, die-hard companions who probably know more about me than anyone else besides family. Although I have my share of problems, as does every one of you, life is basically going my way. Angie and I are very actively involved in our church for one simple reason: It's what we want to do. I get up early four mornings every week to go running with my friends, because that's what I want to do. I have my job because it's the job I want. Even with all our problems, I still believe I live in the best country on Earth. I may not be rich in a monetary sense, but I'm able to pay all my bills on time, and even put a little back each month. I've been forgiven, and I've learned how to forgive. Events that have upset me in the past are now water under the bridge, and will forever remain "in the past." I know how to give and receive love. I've learned how to trust, and I know I am trusted. I've often said I can't ever see me becoming an Elvis impersonator, because why should I pretend to be someone else, when being me is about as good as it gets. Although I will constantly be striving for self improvement, I'm really okay with who I am. Anyone who works a job, or just lives life, will face stress on a daily basis, yet on the whole, I'm happy. I realize the events I mentioned in the beginning of this article are real, and I will continue to watch them, but I can't worry about them, because for me, life is good. Please understand, I'm not bragging, since most all of you can say the same things I've been saying. If we learn to focus on our blessings, our problems will become no more than slight, temporary annoyances, and we can live with that. It's all about where we direct our mind. "For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honour, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things." Philippians 4:8 (BBE) Preston