SOME WAYS TO BE MORE LIKE GOD

 

SOME UNCOVENTIONAL WAYS TO BECOME MORE LIKE GOD

See potential – not weaknesses, not flaws, not error.

See silver linings – not storm clouds, not the darkness, not the cold, not the tempest.

Focus on what can be – not what could have been, not what went wrong,

not where things went off the rails, not who’s to blame, not why things went awry.

See things working out, they eventually will, they’ll come together,

they’ll transition into something good – be patient.

Root for the underdog, the orphan, the disadvantaged, the underprivileged,

the deprived, the needy, the poor, the sinner, the ‘least of these’.

Encourage without qualification, without recompense, without expectation, without remuneration.

Love because it’s the right thing, it’s always right the right thing to do,

it will always produce the best results, the choicest outcome, the finest outcome.

Forgive whether deserved or not, without limits, without condition, without a prerequisite appeal.

See a flower in a seed, a forest in an acorn, an ocean in a raindrop,

a star in a spot of glitter, a galaxy in a speck of dust – see greatness all around.

Envision safe passage through a sea on dry ground, feeding thousands with a few fish and

loaves of bread, the wind and waves obeying His words, the afflicted and transgressors healed.

Understand that agency (not force) opens the way for the most progress,

the grandest accomplishment, the most opportunity, the greatest triumph.

Want joy and happiness, redemption and life for all of God’s creatures, every person,

every creation, every intelligence, every friend, every foe.

Align all contingencies for the best possible outcome, the best potential result,

the finest consequence, the most glorious, perfect conclusion.

See the possible in the impossible – not the probable, not the maybe, not the lucky –

see the possible becoming the probable and eventually the reality.

Believe in others – when others don’t believe in themselves, when you’re not even sure of yourself,

when you don’t even believe in yourself – believe contentedly, confidently, boldly.

Choose the right, be exactly accurate in goodness, confident in righteousness,

unapologetic for virtue, unbending in decency, and repent quickly of less than accurate choices.

Have unshakable faith, immovable and unyielding faith, unquestionable and steadfast faith, indisputable, uncontestable and irrefutable, perfect faith.

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Wm. Calvin Hughes | February 23, 2020 | Lake Elsinore, CA

A LEASH OR A LIFELINE

A Leash or a Lifeline

It’s interesting how one person can look at something as a hindrance, restrictive and controlling while at the same time another can regard the same thing completely opposite, as liberating, protecting and caring. True is the adage that says, “You’ll find exactly what you’re looking for” when it comes to most things in life. These assessments from opposite ends of the spectrum, occur frequently regarding subjects related to morality, standards, lifestyles and ethical behaviors. Consider some (extreme) examples:

Person A views God’s laws and commandments as constricting, as limiting their ability to freely exercise agency and “live life to the fullest.” Person B sees God’s laws and commandments as a comforting blessing, providing loving guidance and shelter from danger.

Person A looks scoffingly at sacred covenants, treating them as mysterious and mystical, old fashioned and of no intrinsic value. Person B regards sacred covenants as holy, a mechanism to commune with the Creator, important to spiritual progress and of great, eternal worth.

Person A regards prayer as useless, a crutch for weak people, and as a pointless, one-way conversation with yourself. Person B hold prayer in reverence, as access to the infinite wisdom of God, as a two-way, interactive, intimate communion between a loving Father with one of His cherished children, and looks forward to these daily, familiar reunions. Person B values prayer as a source for guidance, instruction, comfort and inspiration.

Person A thinks of sacred ordinances as meaningless rituals, ceremonies without purpose and customs of the unenlightened from the dark ages of centuries gone by. Person B reflects on sacred ordinances as sacred, consecrated for the benefit of men to bless and sanctify, as tools to align us with God and His people, as integral to covenant-making and keeping, and as spiritual reminders of life’s most important priorities.

Person A treats a God-given health code as childish, restrictive, restraining, over-protective and lifestyle cramping. Person B views a God-given health code as protective guidance from a loving Father, as evidence that God knows the future and is looking out for His children’s best interest, as faith-building, and as evidence that God is interested in the details of our lives.

Person A regards moral standards as imposing restrictions on personal choice, overbearing and unnecessarily intrusive, and a constriction on personal happiness. Person B reveres moral standards as personal cleanliness, as worthy and respectful, as Godlike and virtuous, as an increase in individual freedom, and as worthy, ethical and honorable behavior.

Certainly there are many linear point between the spectrum’s extremes. And we may find ourselves in a variety of locations on the spectrum depending on the subject, our perspectives, our experience, and our knowledge. We may also learn from our experiences, both good and bad, and adjust our position on the spectrum many times. Although we have strong opinions about our beliefs, trying to convince others to “our way of thinking” will be most effective when done with patience and benevolence – much like our Heavenly Father so lovingly does for us.

The next time an important decision shows up in your life, think about the potential outcomes in terms of whether it will be a leash or a lifeline. Most often, leashes bring temporary pleasures and are self-centered, whereas lifelines tend to focus on consequences and bring the longer-term benefits of joy, peace and personal growth through self-discipline.

 

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Wm. Calvin Hughes | January 30, 2020 | Lake Elsinore, CA

 

 

 

GRIEF: HOW TO PROCESS IT

October 26, 2015

This is the Best Response I’ve ever Heard about How to Process Grief

Facebook post – “My friend just died. I don’t know what to do.”

Not knowing how to deal with grief is a common problem for humanity.

This is the best response I’ve ever heard about how to process grief – “Alright, here goes. I’m old. What that means is that I’ve survived (so far) and a lot of people I’ve known and loved did not. I’ve lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, co-workers, grandparents, mom, relatives, teachers, mentors, students, neighbors and a host of other folks. I have no children, and I can’t imagine the pain it must be to lose a child. But here’s my two cents.

“I wish I could say you get used to people dying. I never did. I don’t want to. It tears a hole through me whenever somebody I love dies, no matter the circumstances. But I don’t want it to “not matter.” I don’t want it to be something that just passes. My scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that I had for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are a testament that I can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and that I can heal and continue to live and continue to love. And the scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are only ugly to people who can’t see.

“As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.

In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life.”

BEING TEMPTED

BEING TEMPTED

In Luke, chpt. 4 Satan temped the Savior from multiple perspectives and at several scheming levels. One has fascinated me in this way: Satan tempted the Creator of the universe, the Light of the world, the Savior of all of humanity to use His own wisdom, His personal infinite understanding, His distinct limitless knowledge to decide for Himself about whom to worship. The Father of All Lies was tantalizing Jesus to worship him, Satan. Lucifer cunningly encouraged Christ to exercise His own will (impeccable decision making abilities) in a way that would self-acknowledge and self-validate Christ’s omnipotence to Himself – – in a “my will be done!” self-promoting fashion. Accordingly, if the Savior would so decide (realizing He could do it in a half-a-second, requiring no great, strenuous effort, no heavy lifting, just a simple nod would suffice…), He would, in addition to the momentous self-validation (“I am really who I think I am! I am as great as I think I am! I am really a God!”), Satan would graciously share his seemingly “godlike” inordinate powers, his self-induced (bogus) glory, and his purportedly self-conferred vast “temporal” possessions.

“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to it whomsoever I will I give. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:5-8, emphasis mine).

In a similar fashion, Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. The Serpent beguiled them saying in essence, “You’re a big boy and big girl… you’re smart… look at this beautiful garden you’re taking care of… all by yourself… all these animals you’re responsible for… you’ve made lots of great decisions on your own… you are so self-sufficient… look at how you’ve exercised your free will (decision making abilities) so well… without Father looking over your shoulders and prodding you every step of the way… you’re both so wise, so independent and so experienced… you should be very proud of yourselves, you’ve accomplished a lot! You could use some of that wisdom and partake of this special tree… because when you do, it will help you be even wiser (smarter)… as wise as the gods! And you most certainly won’t die! You’ll have even more power to choose, more autonomy, more influence over your future! So, use your will, use it wisely, based on your track record you’ll be just fine! Your will will be done! You can do it!”

“And he said unto the woman: Yea, hath God said—Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.) And the woman said unto the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; But of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said—Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die; For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat” (Mos. 4:7-12, emphasis mine).

In contrast, the Savior taught us to be careful when temptations come our way that encourage us to use our will (decision making abilities) based on our mortal wisdom (which is trifling when compared to God’s wisdom). He taught us that serving God is the priority especially over the temptation to serve oneself, “…thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:8, emphasis mine). All temptations tend to relate to the physical side of our existence, which makes sense due to the ongoing hourly battle between the spiritual and temporal conflict. Interesting that Christ addressed this issue head-on (how to use our will - decision making abilities) in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt.6:9-10, emphasis mine). Thy will, God’s will; not my will.

The great secret into correctly exercising our will (decision making abilities), is to run it through the filter of: “What’s God’s will on the matter?” If our will is in alignment with God’s, we’re on safe ground to move forward. But, if our will doesn’t align with His, it isn’t God’s will that needs to be adjusted. How sacred and blessed are these four words in guiding our way and lighting the path back to our heavenly home – ‘Thy will be done’. May those words ever be our how our minds evaluate, our hearts yearn, our choices are realized, and our actions follow.

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Dedicated to my loving daughter, Sadie Jane on her nineteenth birthday

Wm. Calvin Hughes | 2/22/2020 | Lake Elsinore, CA