Potential

It is often stated that one is or is not living up to their true potential. It can be that we are not trying as hard as we should, that our drive isn't as strong as it once was in the beginning. Yet, ones potential is hard to truly measure, it is not like we can get the yard stick out and say yes you are over achieving or are falling short by a lot. Our potential is what we are capable of achieving such as a goal or an assignment at work. It is what others are able to see in us, that we may not be able to see if we looked at ourselves. Sometimes others are able to view our potential because they are seeing what we are able to become if we continue to strive at the current pace and not look back.
Yet, have you ever stopped to consider what your potential is with God. Is there an expectation that he is looking for out of those who call themselves a "Christian". If there is a true potential that we are to strive to, then what is it and it different if you are a male or female, young or old. I would have to venture to say that our potential with the Heavenly Father is one that is ongoing and is one that is the same for all those who are His children.

Christians or children of the Almighty Father are to live to worship the King, and praise Him on a daily basis. One of the things we are to be doing daily is furthering His kingdom, while we have the gift of living on the earth. We are walk in His ways as we go about our daily lives. One of the things that is vital in today's society is reaching out to those around us in love. Taking the time to not only talk to others but also listening to them as they share with you about their day, life, worries, and celebrations. This can be a hard task, if we consistently have to deal with those who get under our skin, or annoy us when they are around. This love can be a simple hello, taking time to acknowledge all that you come into contact with, or taking the time to have a simple conservation with that individual. You may not realize what an impact you are having at that moment by taking a small amount of time each day to reach out to others. God is able to work through you in times that you may not realize.

God is able to tug and pull on others hearts, and not make you aware that you are doing work for His kingdom. All you know is that you are simply chatting with another about something that they want to share with you at that moment. It could be they are looking for a friend, and feel drawn to you because they are able to see Christ in you and in your actions. They may ask you what it is that you have that is different. They may want to know how you are able to function when everything around you is falling apart and you seem so calm. It is simply the love, comfort and relationship that you have with Jesus that keeps you going. Knowing that you are never alone no matter what, that you are able to call His Name and He will be there for you in less then a heart beat. We as children of the Almighty Father know that he will never leave us nor forsake us in our times of need or joy. Many others are able to sense that security in us and are trying to find out what it is so that they too can have that joy, peace, comfort and love in their lives.

Our potential is to ultimately further the kingdom of Christ, but to further that kingdom we have to know who He is to us. For this to happen we have to take the time to live for Him, walk with Him through Bible study, prayer, mass or church services where we are able to learn and grow in God. Our hearts need to be open to what God wants us to do for His kingdom.

God brings people across our path and we just can't stand them and want to hide, there is a reason why they are now in our lives. They may need a friend or a ear to listen to because they are alone, afraid, scared or just lonely and may not have anywhere else to turn. Yet, because we have taken that time to say hello to them, they come to us as Christians in their times of need. They come to us because they can see something in us that they too long for and maybe by showing them the love of the Heavenly father we are helping God's kingdom grow a little more each day.

Twinkling Star

As a child we all learn a common nursery rhyme that deals with the stars in the sky. Then as we grow and become school age we learn that these stars are a wonderful thing. Stars are placed on our papers when we do a great job on an assignment.  We hurry home with that paper and tack it on the fridge for all the world to see.  It is something that we are proud of and as a plus we got a star on our paper.

There are other stars as well, the ones in space that light the night sky. Ones that are so bright that they have to be seen by all. There are stars that we watch on TV, at concerts and stars that we know in our lives. People that we see as special to us, those that are our shining star in the darkest hour of night. Stars are everywhere, it just depends on what star you are looking for and why.

Yet, there is one star in the night that is brightest, it is the star of David.  That star is a representation of Christ, the light that resides in us as Christians. Christ is the light that shines through us as we walk with Jesus on a daily basis. He is the hope that all Christians have because of their faith in the Jesus and in the Father in heaven. That light is one that is to be shared with all that we come in contact with on a daily basis. It is not something that we are to hide from the world. Why, hide something that brings you so much joy, peace, comfort and love. It is something that we should want to shout from the roof tops that we know the secret to true happiness and love. That we know the almighty, the all powerful God. The God who loves and cares for each and every one of us, to the point that he knows each tear that we cry and every hair on our head.

We are able to come to the true light, daily and without having to fear rejection or punishment. We come to the Father through Jesus who has washed us clean and has taken all the sins from us. By Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation we are able to freely come to the Father, because He sees us as clean, white as snow. We are able to walk with Him, commune with Him, Talk with Him and have a real relationship with the Father in Heaven. This relationship is one that the Father longs to have with you, if you are willing to reach out and walk in the true light of the world. Reach out and grab that twinkling star, and walk in the light of Father.

Family Hurts

We would go yearly to some of the relatives house that we would not see very often for one reason or another. As a child we never really questions why we did or did not see certain family members, know that our parents knew best. That the underlying reasons that we did not visit, were know in some realm, yet never spoken aloud for any reason. That it was hush, hush, and that is just the way that it has to be right now, you will understand why when you are older. Yet, we grow older and never really ask the questions of why we don't really associate with certain family or visit them as often as others. It is just the family dynamics and that is it.

In reality though, there is so much more going on then we really want to acknowledge. As we venture further into our lives, and relationships become complicated and busy we tend to forget, or push things aside that are not in our lives at the moment. Even if it means walking away from certain family members, or not communicating with them. Yet, we know they are our family, we just are not that close to them and we really are not sure why, other then we just don't know them all that well, and with all the business in our lives who has time for another realtionship right now?

Yet, there is so many reasons under the lost relationships in our lives, whether it be family or friends. There can be a deep hurt, or something so small at the time that we have allowed to grow into so much more that now we have forgotten why we were even mad at them for in the first place. Yet, to put those things behind us is so hard, and to ask them for forgiveness for the wrong doing even if it isn't our fault is just beyond our comprehension! Since they should be the one to say sorry, they did me wrong! Yet as a Christian and a follower of Christ we are to forgive them, even if we did no wrong. By opening that door up and saying simply "I'm sorry for hurting you" By doing this, you are able to free yourself from the burden of the judgment on the other person, and you are able to touch them with the love of Christ. By letting go and allowing that relationship to now grow in Christ you will see how He can transform that hurt and pain into joy along with freedom.

There is so much power in forgiveness. Especially if it is in ones own family. By telling them other member that you now forgive them for holding that grudge, or pain that they have inflicted upon us. We are able to free them from that burden as well and us being free in Christ. We are able to see that person in a new light, one of Love and we are now able to love them as Christ would want us to love them. We are able to help them heal the hurts that are deep within them, by opening those doors of communication not only with you but with the Father in heaven. We are able to show them that by forgiving them, and allowing that wound to close, we are able to find freedom in Christ that we may not have experienced in the past. A freedom that allows you grow and go deeper with God. We are allowing God to work through us on a level that we may not realize, because we have finally let go of that hurt and grudge. As a Christian we are able to show others the true Love of Christ by simply forgiving them.

Walking on the road.

We as Christians are followers of the Lord. We walk daily with Him and long to be in His presence. Yet, there are times that we all slip and fall, and may even walk away from the Lord. Yet, in the end when we return He is there to welcome us home with loving, open arms. We then find that ultimate love once again and start over with God.  We have to be open to the Father and His love to be able to walk, pray and grow in him. We also have to learn how to listen to God as we walk the road of life.

As we walk this road, we are to share the ;love of Christ with those who are around us. We are to have the Love of Christ with our family, neighbors, friends, people in the community, strangers, members of the church, the priest, the pastors and all that we can come into contact with daily, weekly and monthly. We are to inspire those who are around us to want to walk with God, and if they are to walking with the Lord, then we want them to walk closer, deeper relationship with the Heavenly Father. We are there to lead others in there walk, and to be lead by others as well. To be open to teaching and talking about the Lord with others, along with having a open spirit to learn about God from others. We are to have that communion with God, and woth those in our lives.

We are to pray, and listen in prayer. We as Christians are called to pray, to interceed daily for those needs, and people in our lives. We need to pray, and a part of prayer is being still in God. Something that is very hard for many people. To take that time to listen, be still and sit in God's presence and allow him to minster to us as His children.  It is so important to listen and sit quietly in prayer, yet we are so distracted in todays society with TV, sports, cell phones, email and work that we often list the petitions to God and say Amen! I can see God, sitting on there on the couch, going to say something, yet we say bye and walk out the door before we allow Him to speak to us. I heard a perfect example to this, we walk into the MD office and sit down, then The doctor come in and we say hello, and list all out complaints and worries to him, when we are done we say bye and leave. We didn't give him a chance to speak, and he stops you at the door and says, so you want to hear what I have to say? One other thing we all should do when we take the time to pray is to lift up the spiritual leaders in our lives. To pray for the priests, the pastors, the nun's who are in the convent and teaching in the school or working out in the community. They too need our prayers, they face some giants in life that we as lay people may never face. They fight for us in the spiritual realm, and we are thankful for them in our lives, so lets remember them in prayer as well.

As we continue down this road we are to take the time to become part of the church. I know that many are members of the church, but are you there in church or is it that you are just going through the motions. Er are to listen to the homilys, the sermons that are presented on Sunday morning. They are given to help us walk that road with God. They are there to help us when we come to the stumbling block, to give you the tools to use to keep on the straight and narrow path.  Are we singing the songs with our hearts or just our heads? Are you there wondering about lunch, who is calling as you hear the cell phone vibrate, or what the afternoon holds, and wow this is a long sermon! Are you just there waiting to see what happens, or are you drawing near to God, focusuing on him for that hour or 45 minutes once a week. Can we give God our full attention for that short time to God and learn more about Him, or are we so distracted that we lose the purpose of why we attend mass or church.

We are to go to one another or to the priest, pastor or maybe a deacon and cofess the sins that we have in our hearts. We are to go to them to help us in admitting our wrongs against Christ, and by doing this big step in faith we are taking the stronghold over that sin. We go to the priest and the pastors to help us in gaining forgiveness form God, so that we no longer continue to sin in that manner.

As we walk the road and follow after the Lord, we begin to grow and mature in Him. Those old desires to son become less frequent, we have to the tools to say no and to walk away from that sin. We are able to be secure in the Lord, because of His blood and His love for us as His Children.

Wasting Time:

There is something that we all do in life and on a daily bases that others consider wasting time. We acknowledge att he time we are doing it or shorting there after that what we were doing was a true waste of time , and that we should have been doing something else at that moment. Yet, what is wasting time, and is something a waste of time to one person, while it could be very important to another soul. Then there are a ton, and I mean a ton of resources out there that tell you how to be mnore efficient in your day, how to be more effective in a shorter amount of time. Yet, our time is ours and it is all we have in a day, the same 24 hours as any other person, what we choose to do or if others see us as wasting our time as Christians then so be it, God is not a waste of time in my book! Going to daily mass, church on Sunday is not a waste of time it is a time growth and renewal!

Why do people think that time spent with God is a waste of time? God is vital in our lives as Christians, even if you have only been a Christian and walking with the Lord for 2 minutes or have been walking that path for several months or years. By having that walk with God on a daily bases we are able to secure in the love that the Father has for us as His Children. When we take that time daily to be with the God, we know not only are we loved by God, but we are able to recieve all that the Father has for us as His Children. We are His sons and daughters, we are valued by the Father, and and he wants us to spend time with Him. He longs for those moments when we take the time to talk to God, and listen to what He is telling us. He loves when His Children come to him in worship, that time when we draw so near to the Father, that we almost hear His heart beating for us.

As His children we are always loved. There are no conditions on the love. We are not loved by God if we do or not do something. We are si,ply loved by God because we are His kids! We are able to come to the Father through the cross and the reserection of His Son Jesus. We are able to remove all hinderences that would prevent us from getting to our Father in Heaven. But, we have a direct line to heaven beacuse of our Faith and belief in Him. He is all loving and a very forgiving Father, and will always welcome His children home with open arms. He is there waiting and long for us to be there with Him and spend a little time each day with our loving Father in Heaven! God, loves us and if spending time with my HEavenly Father is never a waste of time.

When we are in the arm of the Father, spending time with Him, being there in His presence we are renewed, we find strenght, comfort, peace, love and so much more. It is one of the best places here on earth that we can ever experience is that of being in the loving arms of the Heavenly Father!