Who on earth keeps records of incoming visitors to our country, aside from the powers that be?
I know that I certainly don’t have a list of folks traveling here from distant lands. I’m not prepared! There are candidates to consider, interviews to be held, and then I’ll need time to review all their answers, and such.
While I won’t be attempting to scramble for an answer to the prompt this morning, I will bake you cookies… that, I can do!
For some, fear of the dark might be a real thing. For others, perhaps it’s something as benign as a spider, or even a bee. Yes, those things are rather minor when speaking of overcoming fear, but no matter how well someone tries to explain away them away, the uncomfortable feeling may still remain.
What about fear of injury, disability, or even death? This category of fears won’t be so easily defeated! While we usually carry these fears in the quiet recesses of our minds, for some, the fear remains in the active part of the brain.
Living in constant fear can be overwhelming, leaving some to sink into very lonely places within themselves. If left unchecked, those fears, accompanied by negative thoughts that surround them can be debilitating. The idea of existing in fear all the time sounds exhausting! So, how can we avoid it?
You know that old saying, mind over matter? I think that’s the secret! The brain seems to have a nasty habit of taking a thought and just running away with it, so to speak. I don’t think it matters what the fear is, or even how real or imagined it may be. We, as humans, have a tendency to overthink things, quite often.
Now, I’m not talking about having a healthy dose of fear to keep us physically safe from avoidable injuries, and/or mistakes.
The fear I’m referring to is the kind that we’ve built up in our minds over something that may or may not ever occur, in the near or distant future. Those are the fears that we most often find ourselves wallowing in, and constantly revisiting. Out of the blue, we realize we haven’t been worried about a thing for a while, so we pull it all back out of the box we’d been storing it in, and start the worrying once more.
What’s the one thing that helps, when we feel overwhelmed with fears? In my opinion, it’s having someone that can make us feel protected, and safe from our fears. But, is there even such a thing?
I spent my entire childhood on the streets, sleeping behind dumpsters, or sometimes in the bed of a stranger. I did what I had to do to survive. The only reason I could brave the dark alleyways was from my fear of the adults in charge of my care. It was far more dangerous in some of the foster homes I’d been placed, than it was in the bed of a complete stranger. So, I grew up with an actual absence of fear, where it probably might have offered more protection.
When I was 17 years old, I found myself at a cross-road. I was tired, lonely, angry, and wanted out of this world. That was the first time I met a fear that I could not master, within my own power. It was the fear of what came after death, since I was considering a way to take my own life.
In a dusty old attic, within a rickety old farmhouse that stood beside the sea, God spoke to me clearly, as if He were standing right there in that room. He met me in that place, asked that I believe in Him, and promised that He would never leave, nor forsake me. I accepted His offer, though it was more like I demanded that He prove it! He would have to earn my trust. I know, I know, it was an unreasonable demand. But, do you know that God took my demand, and has delivered it a thousand fold, over the years.
Now, when I look back over those seasons of my life, it’s clear to see God’s hand at work, even before we made our little seaside pinky swear. I am here, simply by God’s design, to be used for His own purposes. My eternal home is waiting for me, with my room already prepared.
Armed with the truth of who my Creator is, the blood of His precious son Jesus Christ that covers me, and the hope and faith in my future eternal heavenly home… my fear has been replaced by FAITH!
Remember the proverb “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”? Or, what about “Practice makes perfect”? Today’s prompt gave rise to a number of sayings, statements, and suggestions that reveal the answer. What did they all have in common, you may be asking yourselves? I saw one commonality among the list, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed.
All those sayings seem to be encouraging us to do one thing… don’t quit!
If you want to be confident about a thing, you have to learn it, first. Then you practice and perfect your skill at it, as much as possible, right?! Don’t look at mistakes as the end, but simply, as a way to improve your skills.
And, the number one rule to having self-confidence is… don’t let others tell you that you can’t!
If you believe in your heart that you were meant to do a thing (providing it is used for good), then walk forward in faith, and do what the prompt’s title says… Just do it!
It would be hard to pick only one moment. While it may not be a box office smash hit, it’ll certainly make you squirm in your seat, shed some tears, really come to dislike the bad guys, and want to throw your popcorn at the screen, a time or two.
Though I highly doubt that my journey will make the reviews, it has certainly left an indelible mark on the pages of my memories. How often do we replay a scene from our own circumstances, over and over again? Sometimes the scene is warm and tender, offering moments of quiet reflection. At other times, it feels like a recurring bad movie in our dreams… one that refuses to leave us.
I guess my point is that maybe WordPress could have asked a more specific question, if they really wanted me to answer the prompt. Do any of us carry merely one or two movie worthy memories to recall? I highly doubt it!
Besides, have you seen some of the movies out there, just now? With the falling quality of on screen acting, cheap theatrics, and terrible plot lines, most would find it much more entertaining to simply share their own stories. And, the added bonus to making our own movies is that there aren’t any commercials. Just sayin!
Do you realize how easily I could spend someone else’s money? No one would ever offer me such a proposal, once they realized the damage I could do. Do we actually believe that most lottery winners make wise choices with all that cash they’ve won?
If they can spend money fast, I can do it faster!
You see, I’m not talking about shopping sprees and frivolous gifts for anyone close by, no no. In the span of 24 hours, I can do substantial damage to our national debt!
The first thing I would want to do is gather up all the politicians that have any real power, but I’d do it in the middle of the night. I’m sick of tax dollars being spent on their extravagant holidays, from such hard work that they claim to be doing on behalf of the American people. I’d get them all in the office, but on their dime, not ours.
Besides, the prompt didn’t give any stipulations, as to what time my 24 hour spending should begin. If we get all the paperwork done during the night, we’ll have the whole day to spend said money. See, pretty smart, right?!
What would we be spending money on, you may be asking. Why the people, of course! My desire would be to create a nationwide trust fund, and every politician, or government worker, must fork out 10% of their annual income to fill the coffers, so to speak. No one said whose money I get to spend, right?
Said trust fund would be meant for widows, orphans, and disabled, no questions asked! If anyone of those folks come knocking, they are to be given a monthly income provided by the trust fund, equivalent to the cost of living. Why am I adding such specific rules? Haven’t you seen Pirates of the Caribbean? Balbosa was very good at taking advantage of specifics. That’s how Captain Jack got marooned on that tiny island, and more than once, I might add.
So, anyway, if there’s any money getting spent overnight, it’s got to come from somewhere. I just want to make sure we’re not spending our own money, by whomever planned on funding this party. Isn’t that how it’s done? Promise someone something special, but in the end, they have to pay the tab? I know Oprah did it, with all those ridiculous cars she gifted to her audiences.
Just sayin!
Cookies should take the sting out of that…
Fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies spilled on a sunlit kitchen counter
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you the answer to this prompt. Do you realize how many shows there are, and have been, in the past? That’s a huge list, my friends. One that I’ve no time to divulge.
Cookies?
A pile of trophy-shaped winner cookies on a wooden cutting board
Why on earth would I want to eat dinner with a complete stranger? How uncomfortable would that be?
Busily trying to prepare and serve food to someone I don’t know, while simultaneously attempting to hold a somewhat intelligible conversation with them, seems absurd.
You know, I went out onto the internet and queried a list of all the philosophers. It’s substantially longer than I expected, and no surprise here, folks… I didn’t recognize any of them.
That’s not to say that they don’t hold any value, or useful knowledge. It just means that I don’t know them, personally. What on earth would we talk about? I fear I would bore them with ridiculous questions about how they managed to survive without modern conveniences.
There honestly isn’t any list of important questions I’ve been holding onto, for someone I’ve never met. I mean, if they hold important information, don’t they normally write it all down somewhere, anyway? If I’ve a list of burning questions, I can simply look them up on the internet. Why do I have to fork out dinner for them, first?
Now, I would go back and walk beside some of our greatest prophets, and apostles of Jesus Christ. Those would be the only people of interest to me, as I spend most of my time reading and studying scripture about them. They saw the things that Jesus did while on this earth. They heard his voice, walked with him, and were taught by him. I’ve always wondered over the impact Jesus had on those He touched, those that were changed by his teachings, and his sacrifice.
Outside of that, I don’t really have any desire to seek a dinner reservation with anyone I don’t know, personally. Don’t judge! I’m just not a social as I once was.
Much of my life has been spent running… running from hurts, fears, and enough self-doubt to sink a battleship, as they say. From the time I was a small child, anything that caused one or more of these emotions, meant it was time to run away.
I ran away from an abusive and neglectful home, ran away from every foster home they put me in, and tucked myself away from watchful eyes. Much of my youth was spent wandering the streets, in the hopes that I might find my own safe place.
Somehow, I managed to let my own fears and self-doubts destroy my first marriage, and the lives of my children. Ouch! Yeah, fear will do things like that.
For much of my 58 years on this earth, I allowed my own fears to dictate my journey. I refused to let go of all that haunted me, all that continued to cause incredible damage to my body, mind, and soul.
When Covid brought about a nationwide shutdown, the world around us imploded! When that occurred, the scales of balance in my fear department were simply shattered beyond recognition! The weight of it all seemed to crush my spirit, leaving nothing more than an emotional disaster area!
Not more than three years ago, I chose to quit running from painful things, as I’d been doing all my life. The running hadn’t done anything for me, aside from make things worse. God offered me the freedom of letting go, surrendering it all to His will, and trusting in something other than myself, for once. While I’d been a Christian since the age of 18, I never fully let go, and let God, if you will. I’d made a right disaster of my life, thus far, so I had nothing to lose.
Well, I did have some things to lose… like that ole fear and self-doubt that the prompt was asking about. It’s not a perfect walk, nor always an easy one, as I’ve shared with you on occasion. But, whether the journey is easy, hard, long, or even painful… it is without fear, and for the most part, without any nagging self-doubts. If any of those pop up, it’s not God that’s the problem, but my willingness to surrender.
So, when fear and self-doubt come knocking at your door, you don’t have to let them in. Be brave, be strong, and lay those fears down. They won’t change the outcome of a thing, unless you let them.
If you’ve ever seen the video of the little boy who ate a spoonful of baking cocoa powder, you’d agree that he was probably questioning reality, right at that moment!
Aside from moments like that, I can’t say that there has ever been a time that I was unsure of reality. I’ve hated it, avoided it, and downright ran full force away from it, but never questioned it.
Reality is one of those undeniable factors of existence, just like time. Time doesn’t change it’s pace, though at times, it feels as if it goes too fast. Then again, there are times that feel as if they might drag on for eternity. I would say that reality and time probably go hand in hand.
As far as questioning reality goes, as long as I don’t have to eat unsweetened cocoa powder any time soon, we’re good!
While I am entirely flattered that WordPress desires my definition for the meaning of life, it’s highly doubtful that my response will be world altering, or anything.
Perhaps, on certain occasions, I may feel inclined to think that I have a firm grasp on life, and how I fit into it. You might even observe me patting myself on the back, in my own self-delusions. But, if you think I would ever really offer an actual statement on my assumptions, regarding the meaning of life… your out of your mind.
Why? Because all of us, and none of us, has it figured out! We’d like to believe that at some point, we’ve finally got it all mapped out, right?! Maybe some will, but I highly doubt it.
While none of us may ever figure out the entire meaning of life, I think most of us get to a place where we have a solid grasp on the meaning of our own lives, hopefully. We find our place within the world around us, as best we can, and make peace with it. And, we discover what treasures are worth holding, deep inside our hearts.
I think those treasures are the very answers to the meaning of life, and they’ll be different for everyone. They’ll look different, and feel different… but in the end, most likely they will all mean close to the same thing.
I’m not sure if I just explained myself, or if I’ve simply confused everyone. It’s Saturday though, and I’ve no desire to overthink this. Let’s just move on to something else, like cookies. Yeah, that’ll balance things out…
Journey With Me! 