Resonance

Category: Life

  • Childishness vs. Child-likeness II

    Childishness vs. Child-likeness II

    Everyone has an inner child that we’d never lose as long as we live. No matter how old we grow, we’d still be someone’s child. But the expression of our child-ness is very important in every relationship. There are certain aspects of our inner child that certainly must grow, and then there are those aspects that we must never let go no matter how old we get.

    Adulthood is crowned with complex reasoning that leads to needless worry. As long as we don’t lose our child-likeness, life’s journey will be nothing short of amazing even in the most bizarre moments.

    CHILD-LIKENESS

    Child-like wonder

    A child will always ask the simplest of questions that have complex answers. According to a study in UK, curious kids ask a staggering 73 questions every day. “Why do people die?”, “how are babies born?”, “why is the sky blue?”, “how was I made?”. These questions are so simple that we think we have answers to them, but we usually don’t. Children are fascinated with the world around them and have all the time in the world to at least notice the minutest of details even though they cannot comprehend it.

    When we lose our child-like wonder, we think we basically know the answers to everything. We explain everything away instead of simply letting ourselves be amazed by it. We miss the simplicity of fascination and the acknowledgement of a mysterious beauty that leaves us in awe. Sometimes we feel we have so many things to worry about than to be fascinated by nature and our surroundings. Remember, God is in the detail. It is the little things that do count. If we overlook the little things and focus on the “big” things, we’d be disappointed more times than necessary. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

    Child-like trust

    Like children, we usually don’t know what’s best for us even when we think do. God wants us to trust him like a child trusts the parents. Even as parents, we generally don’t know what’s best for our kids. But we do know much more than kids do. We do know the consequences of their little actions – eating soap, playing with the kitchen knife, not doing their homework; the list goes on and on – and we try as much as we can to direct their paths and instruct them. God, on the other hand, knows all things. He is the only one big enough to see the bigger picture. The only way to trust God is with child-like trust.

    There’s going to be a lot of mess, shortcomings, failures, heartbreak, division and misunderstandings so difficult and unending on our individual journeys that we don’t see how it’s gonna get any better in the end. There’s gonna be times when we think God’s promises are simply outrageous and that His decisions are questionable. It’s only by child-like trust – “It is so because Mom says so: It is so because God says so” – can we continue to trust God in the midst of the storm.

    Child-like joy

    This world is so full of troubles, trials, tribulations and torments. Life is hard. Life has a way of throwing new problems at us while we solve the old ones. We can all relate with how tough life can get no matter who we are. Some situations are clearly out of our control; there is nothing we can do about it. Those are the situations we worry about the most. Worry is not a sign of care. To understand the main differences between worrying and caring about something, click on the link to read Caring Too Much Without Worrying.

    Not being worried also doesn’t mean pretending not to care. Having joy in the middle of the circumstance only comes after establishing your child-like trust in God. Happiness is based on the happenings of life, but joy can only be within. Once you have child-like joy, you stay true to yourself regardless of what happens.

    It’s been said time and again that it’s not about what happens to us that matters, – what happens to us is nothing new; it happens to other people too – it’s our reaction to what happens to us that really matters. Joy comes when we trust in something bigger than the circumstance. Joy is not pretending to be happy; joy is knowing that all things work together for good.

    What is more beautiful than being child-like; you’re innocent in thought, humble at heart, joyful in spirit and fascinated with nature. I believe life is not so much becoming who we are than unbecoming what we are not. We are all born a child and must remain like a child in order to be teachable, love fully, live freely and laugh wholeheartedly.

    I love you ❤️

  • Dare to Dream Again: Being an Instrument for Generational Greatness

    Growing up, Alice was an epitome of a “dare to dream” persona. She wanted to try everything, be everything she could be and basically be great. Alice wanted to sing with the angels when she heard the church choir on a Sunday morning. She wanted to be an architect when she observed the Art Nouveau of building façades that evoked feelings of awe and beauty. Alice even wanted to be a philanthropist so she could help the needy in society. She never understood why people blinded their eyes to beggars on the streets.

    Nothing hindered her dreams. She wanted to be so great. She dreamed freely and fully, but as she grew her reality of the world began to fade. Her reality wasn’t all flowery and colourful, it was full of dreads and limitations. With time, she had lost her sense of positive imagination. She never dared to dream anymore. It was never the right time to make a life-changing decision. She never lost sight of any obstacle, any hindrance, any existing problem that blocked an open door in her life.

    Alice now saw people who were positive as childish, ignorant and blind-sighted. She believed that it was more matured to consider both sides in every situation but the negativity bias of the human mind made her weigh the possible negative outcomes more without realizing. Motivational speakers were unrealistic to her and even absurd most of the time.


    With time, she no longer believed in the supernatural or the miraculous. Too logical and “metrics-minded” to play the card of luck or grace. Until she walked herself into a quarter-life crisis. Now she desperately needed something life-changing. Eager but too depressed to take action. She knew all the decisions to make but lacked the drive. She was drained. Consistently. She now doesn’t see herself as a “generational-anything”.

    You may not realize but perhaps, you may be living life like Alice did and walking right into Alice’s pit. What is your excuse? You see all those logical meaningful reasons you make up when someone pictures you as the greatest there will ever be? They are excuses. Nothing but excuses. People who changed history greatly were “normal” people, like you and me. So what is your excuse?

    You don’t need to be “special” to be great but it does take something special to realize you’re great: the audacity to dream in spite of the current realities

    Daniel Good

    To become great, realize you’re great. You’re born great. Greatness is within you. Greatness is not a mountain to be climbed or a medal to be won. Before great people climbed that mountain, won that race or left a legacy, they already believed they were great. Not everyone who believes in themselves becomes great but there’s no one who became great without believing in themselves. Therefore, greatness is not an attainment. It’s self-actualization.

    Sometimes as older people, we kill the dreams of younger people. We don’t want them to be too hopeful or keep their hopes high. They want to be the greatest there has ever been. Instead of riding on their hopes to aim high ourselves, we cloud their mindset with our negativity-bias reality. Just because we’ve seen more of how the world works doesn’t mean we’re right to do that. Do you even believe that “nothing is impossible” anymore?


    Do you want to dare yourself to dream like a child again? In the last days, the Bible says that old men will dream dreams. Maybe that’s you. Your mindset is “old”. Your way of going about things is “old”. You’re still stuck in the past of how things work and how things are supposed to be. Lack of initiative, no innovation but it’s not too late for you. It is time to blow your mind. Bombard your mindset with impossibilities made possible. There and then will see the spark of greatness ignite in you.

    I love you ❤️

  • Who Am I? What Is My True Identity & Where Is It Found?

    From the gathering of Greek philosophers to the congregation of great theologians to the inscription on the Apollo temple, “know thyself”, identity remains the most unknown and/or the most “unsure of” subject in the history of studies. It is a subject academicians have debated about, musicians have moaned about, artists have abstracted about and wise men have hypothesized about. All their provided answers have an iota of the revelation of truth but none truly answers the simple question, “who am I?“. Indeed, it’s the simplest questions in life that has the most complex and hidden answers.

    Humanbeings have so many dimensions to the extent that some of the dimensions overlap and are still unknown. Therefore, knowing our identity in an unknown dimension becomes virtually impossible. We don’t even know for sure if the question, “Who am I?” is a philosophical one, a scientific one or even a theological one. Before you get to know yourself, you’re old enough to die. Such personal knowledge is of no or less use to a younger individual since he/she has to also go on a personal journey to “know thyself” exclusively. Thus, very little experiential knowledge of identity passes on from one generation to another.

    Growing up, I believed the earth was a living being in and of itself because humans were just like planets. I saw humans as entire planets. We have millions of living things dwelling on us and within us. Thousands of pathogens, microbes and microbiomes. There are also entire systems within us that function outside of our consciousness. They each have an identity of their own and function accordingly. Not just the systems or the tissues but even down to the cells. Within each cell is the DNA 🧬 that contains the code of our identity in various dimensions; our physical, mental, physiological, neurotical, psychological, emotional, material and fundamental makeup.

    Also, growing up, standing beside my mother brought about an outstanding revelation. My mother gave birth to me but my present body would be too big to carry in her womb and deliver. Nicodemus, a great theologian, said it well, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” The body she gave birth to is not the same body I have now. Little by little, newer cells replaced each cell in the body I had as a baby until no cell in the body I had as a baby remained.

    Every 7 to 10 years, our body replaces itself with a largely new set of cells. More or less, we have a “new body” every 10 years. In humans, as many as 100,000,000,000 cells die in each adult each day and are replaced by new cells. (Indeed, the mass of cells we lose each year through normal cell death is close to our entire body weight!) The DNA code within the newer cells mostly remain the same as the old but some go through genetic mutation. So who am I? Am I the baby me, the present me or the granny me?

    According to the law of the Conservation of Mass, matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Since the beginning when everything was created out of nothing, everything that existed from then on continue to exist forever. Do you understand? Our bodies weren’t formed out of nothing in our mother’s womb. It’s the materials that exist that formed you. When you die, your material makeup doesn’t disappear into nothingness. It decays and forms the dust of the earth. It’s an entire cycle of matter changing forms. We are everlasting. Not eternal. Anything that has no beginning and no end is eternal. We have a beginning but we have no end, both physically and spiritually.

    The source of all identities is the only Eternal One. That ought to mean that our identity, though found within us literally, goes deeper and further than our material makeup. The source of our identity springs from an immaterial world. As answered in the previous post, Who You Are Who You Are, right now, right here. You’re the same yesterday, today and forever. Just like the Eternal One, who we are, though always present, is not static. It consistently expands into eternity. Since our identity is engrafted in Him, the more we know Him, the more we know who we truly really are. It is not just a theological, theoretical or spiritual understanding. It’s an all-round multi-dimensional encapsulation. It is where all false identities fall off us like flakes and our innermost reality awakes.

    “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
    ‭‭I John‬ ‭3:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

    Your journey of life into knowing yourself begins with a journey of walking into knowing Him.

  • Reality vs Existence

    There is a difference between what it is and how we see it. What it is is purely its existence. Our perception of it is our reality. For instance, Greece is a place. It is what it is. Yet, our perception of Greece really differ. To some, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. To others, it’s actually a very racist country. So many factors come into play to shape our reality of the place. One is our very own experiences, another is other people’s experiences. In fact, we could both have the same experience and still have different perceptions. That’s because we get to choose our own reality.

    One understanding of existence is it being an objective reality. This means it is not a figment of our imagination or perception. In fact, given the same circumstances, everyone would testify to the same reality. I’ve never come across anyone on planet earth with a sound mind you thinks trees don’t exist.  Existence needs perception but it just doesn’t rely on perception as its evidence. Let me explain. If a tree falls flat in the middle of a forest and there was no animal to hear the sound, the sound was never perceived because the sound was never heard. Did the tree fall? Yes! It is what it is. Thus, the fact that it’s not part of your reality or the fact that you cannot perceive something does not mean it doesn’t exist. 

    With reality – in this context, I’m talking about subjective reality – we get to choose what is real to us and what is not. Thus, something can exist outside of our reality. In fact, so many things do. Oxygen was discovered in 1772 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Before then, humans still breathed in oxygen. It existed – it always has – but it just wasn’t part of man’s reality.  We can choose to believe ghosts don’t exist and have a good life without having to worry about them. We can also imagine they exist, but it will be part of only our reality, not everyone else’s. Ghosts can actually exist, don’t get me wrong. The truth is, when you shut something out of your reality, it continues to exist and does everything it does to exist. However, you will lack the ability to perceive it because it is not part of your reality. 

    Our mind is a very powerful tool. Inasmuch as we get to create our own customized realities, we don’t have the ability to determine what exists or what does not. Our mind does not possess the power to create existence. Our minds are powerful enough to create a reality of its own but not powerful enough to imagine something directly into existence. We cannot merely think any physical substance into existence. No! You can’t create a flat tummy with your mind. You have to put in the work to achieve the result. A good mindset is a good start and keeps you going but on its own, it’s just wishful thinking. 

    Imagination and our subjective reality is a good starting point to see yourself do the impossible. It can help you trick your mind into believing that you are limitless. But after all the chemical reactions in your body are done, you would have to face the objective reality. So don’t abuse the mindset issue. You can achieve anything you put your mind to, but if you don’t do anything about the situation, what exists will still continue to exist. It all starts from a good and positive mindset, but trust me it doesn’t end anywhere there. Nonetheless, create a good reality. It’s one of the few things in life you have control over. 

  • What Matters to You?

    Have you ever been in a queue and see someone jump in from nowhere? What was your reaction? What matters to you at that moment?

    Virtues

    What annoys you probably shows what virtues you resonate with. Sometimes it’s not that we don’t believe in some other good virtues; it’s just that we don’t necessarily have a problem with it. Some people get really annoyed when you don’t tell them the whole truth. It wasn’t really a lie from your side so their reaction may look really exaggerated in your eyes. That’s because telling them the whole truth matters to them.

    However, it doesn’t necessarily mean they should have a problem with other seemingly related things like lying to other people they don’t care about so as to avoid they asking further questions. Sometimes you’ll find people close to you complaining a lot about something little you did, but don’t complain when others do the exact same thing to them.

    Relations

    Truth is, we don’t hold everyone to the same standards. Subconsciously, people who matter to us are expected to resonate with things that matter to us. When they don’t, therein lies all the misunderstandings. To avoid those misunderstandings, you don’t need to necessarily uphold their beliefs and virtues. What you must do is to understand what matters to them and relate to them specifically as such.

    Some people have a problem with sharing their stuff with just about anyone. Well, you don’t. You share freely. She doesn’t, so don’t try to talk her into doing so. Share yours. Leave hers to her. When it comes to things she shares with you, treat it as hers and don’t share it with others still. It’s that simple.

    Sentiments

    Understanding a person is knowing what the person resonates with, not trying to change it and accepting him/her for that, and relating with the person in that light. We all have our petty petty sentiments. The more people pay attention to these little sentiments, the more we connect with them. Sometimes it’s amazing when you get to know that an acquaintance shares the same sentiments as you.

    The real deal is knowing how to handle an issue where those close to you don’t resonate with the things that annoy you. You never know a person till you know what really gets on their nerves. Don’t assume that everyone thinks like you. What matters to you may not matter to me. In the same vein, what you’re very okay with can really annoy someone else.

    Boundaries

    If this very important issue is understood, you can relate with every human being in the world. This issue explains why some Christian-Muslim relations have worked out, and how an atheist and a theist can be best buddies. It’s not a matter of pleasing them, it’s a matter of respecting their boundaries.

    People call this adjustment, others call it compatibility. Whatever the case is, it determines the functionality of all kinds of relationships. Once we understand this issue and find the middle ground, all kinds of compatibility issues – from social to sexual to sensual – can be resolved to the detriment of none of the parties involved.

    I love you ❤️


  • Matters That Matter

    What really is the matter with the Pharisees

    Jesus didn’t have that luxury of time to explain the matter to the Pharisees. If anyone should have been worried, it should have been John, but John had said, “He must increase and I must decrease.” First of all, it was misinformation. Jesus wasn’t the one baptizing; it was his disciples. In life, make sure you don’t act based on rumors. If it matters, find out for yourself. If it doesn’t, don’t waste your time.

    Secondly, it wasn’t a John vs Jesus matter. John and Jesus were not rivals. When Jesus heard what was being said, he left. He didn’t need to explain himself to them. He didn’t need to let it worry Him. If you follow the matters of Phariseeism, they will always give you something to be offended about, and you’ll break friendships with people you weren’t supposed to have issues with. 

    If it’s not a matter that matters, learn to walk away from the issue and it will die out. Don’t add any additional burden to your life. Focus, and leave the distractions to fall away. They said you’re 30 and you’re still yet to marry, so what? Who’s even more concerned about the issue in the first place; isn’t it you? People talk about issues that don’t concern them as if they care. 

    There are two sides of the same coin. There are people who genuinely care and bring someone’s matter up to you but if it’s not your matter, don’t bother yourself. If two people have an issue, the only time you can address the issue with the two of them is when the two invite you in. Don’t make yourself a judge over a matter that nobody invited you to. 

    If someone’s girlfriend invites you into a matter and you personally don’t know her boyfriend, it doesn’t concern you. From the passage, Jesus didn’t know the other brother, so He didn’t bother Himself. If two strangers are having an argument by the roadside and they invite you in, don’t explain anything. If two best friends are fighting and they invite you in, be discrete. They will get back together like they always have, and your rushed advice won’t be forgotten. 

    When Jesus came to earth, there were billions of problems as there is now. With many social problems, He didn’t even try to solve them or even address it. He didn’t come to judge the world, He came to save it. He solved what was man’s most important need and the underlying cause of all other problems. All others were just distractions. 

    Be like Jesus ❤️

  • Stop Raping Women

    Dear men,

    Treating a girl like shit doesn’t make you a man. It makes you more of an animal.

    Every girl has experienced sexual harassment in some form. It will shock you to know the number of girls you know that have been sexually abused. As a guy, you also know at least one guy who brags about taking advantage of girls. Therefore, this rape culture is not far-fetched. Don’t act like it’s happening elsewhere.

    You may not be the problem but make sure you’re not part of it. Stop hyping yourself for never taking advantage of a girl against her will. If you hype what is meant to be normalized, you normalize what is meant to be discouraged. Treating a girl like a human being is normal. It’s not an achievement. It’s the bare minimum.

    Don’t wait till someone rapes your relative or friend until you realize the severity of this problem. Imagine being a girl and having to be constantly taking precautions literally from birth to avoid getting raped? How about we denormalize rape? Adding insult to injury, society blames the girl for falling victim as if those who rape cannot be stopped.

    If girls don’t feel comfortable around you, you’re part of the problem. If you’re always demeaning women, you’re part of the problem. You coerce girls to do things with you, you’re part of the problem. If you still hang out with friends who undermine women, you’re still part of the problem. If your first instinct is to question what the girl did or didn’t do when she fell victim, dude you’re a BIG part of the problem.

    Stop treating women like they are some sex objects, a minority group or second-class citizens. And if you STILL don’t see where the problem is, you’re the worst part of the problem.

    If you’re not supporting the #saynotorape movement, then it speaks volumes about you. Stop avoiding the subject. Stop running away from the real issue. It’s not about what women should do anymore. The question is, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? What you’re doing is either encouraging the culture or annihilating it.

    If you still think that “real” men aren’t the problem, how about you fight side by side with women? What about that? How about you let go of those shallow-minded, unwilling-to-learn-yet-really-dumb friends you have. You have a voice. Use it!

  • A Good Example of a Bad Example

    Life is a paradox and so is truth. The only person who can step on your feet is the one closest to you. The only constant is change. The truth is, we can’t avoid all the mishaps in life even if we made all the right choices. Every choice we make, regardless of the motive, has both good and bad repercussions.

    There IS right and wrong. But they are not necessarily at both extremes. There is actually a thin line between them. In our world today, it is increasingly becoming difficult for people to define right and wrong. What was generally considered to be wrong 50 years ago can easily become an acceptable norm 5 years from now. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe right and wrong are not meant to be defined. Maybe they are meant to define themselves.

    We are not powerful enough to control the balance of ups and downs, highs and lows or even foreknow if the good will outweigh the bad in any decision we make. However, we are powerful enough to choose right over wrong and good over bad with our limited discretion.

    Most often than not, the decision is not necessarily between right and wrong. It’s between good and best. But wait, what if we make the wrong decisions because we cannot foretell which one would be a better decision in retrospect?

    Assuredly, the more bad decisions we make the better the chances of making the right decisions in future. We make good decisions from the experiences we gained, and we gained those experiences from making bad decisions. Failure can surely lead to success. Nothing and no one can be utterly useless. If anything at all, it can be used as a good example of a bad example.

    We are all not perfect, not because perfection doesn’t exist, but because we are too imperfect to understand how paradoxical true perfection is. Nature is perfect because of its many imperfections. Even bull shit fertilizes the soil.

    At the end of the day, we are well able to appreciate the effects of our decisions and know for sure if we made the right decisions or the wrong one in retrospect. But even with the wrong decisions we made, there is no need to regret. “For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

    Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Be rather cautious of thinking you’re always right, because you definitely shouldn’t be. So live life, being rest assured in the fact that God can take our mess and make it His masterpiece.

    I love you ❤️

  • Can You Feel That Connection?

    Have you ever met someone in your life that you feel you’ve known all your life? Have you ever felt so close to someone though you don’t really know them so you’re willing to know them? Have you ever felt the same about someone for so long a time that you know for sure that it’s something real? One word explains it all; connection.

    There are more connections in the human body than there are stars in the galaxy.

    It’s certainly magical to establish a connection with someone but sometimes it’s just difficult, especially with someone you are “supposed to” get along with. This is because connection is mutual. It ought to fit, just as a plug fits in a socket. It doesn’t have to make all the sense in the world. In fact, it needs no words to explain it because there’s none.

    There are some people that we’re gonna meet in the future that we wish we had met earlier. There are some people that we’re gonna meet that we’d feel we’ve known them all our lives, because the interconnectedness is so strong. What we must know about connection is that connection is energy. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but translates from one form to another.

    Our energy fields react differently with people we have connection with. Thus, we connect with different people differently. Sometimes we’re not able to understand our connection with some people and we think we don’t like them. But once we make the mutual connection, our perceptions change and we experience a new reality together with them.

    Connection can therefore go beyond space and time since it’s energy. You can connect more with someone in 3 months more than someone you’ve known for 3 years. You may not see someone for 3 years but still feel the strong connection you have with them. Some connections however need time, but once symbiosis is established, it can last a lifetime.

    Why is it important to know what connects us? Because what connects us is the binding agent of our relationship. So go out there and connect. Connect with God. Connect with your innermost self. Connect with nature. Connect with family. Connect with friends. Connect with the world.

    I love you ❤️

  • Everyone Hurts

    There’s so much hurt in the world. There’s too much pain. Everyone hurts. Sometimes we may not have enough time to cry but we bleed anyways. Some don’t just go around exposing their vulnerability and be looking for sympathizers in their situation, though some others do.

    The mental trauma and instability is so alarming that being rude to anyone at all – even those we think we know so much – is stupendously uncalled for. Don’t be part of the problem. Be the light that shines in the darkness.

    People are going through so much. You are going through so much. Don’t isolate yourself into thinking you’re the only one. But guess what? One random act of kindness brings mutual healing. Hug somebody. Mind somebody. Love somebody. They need it, yes! But you need it too.

    I love you ❤️

  • Can Goodness Be Taken Advantage of?

    Can Goodness Be Taken Advantage of?

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
    Galatians 5:22 NKJV

    Goodness cannot be taken advantage of. What people take advantage of is insecurities. When you are insecure about doing good to others, you basically care about your public image, the show you’re putting up, how people will see you and praise you, how you can use your goodness now for a favor later. True goodness is not ignorant or blind. People take advantage of whatever that is ignorant and blind. True goodness understands the situation, sees the need, has the resources and is willing to help.

    True goodness is not forced or coerced. True goodness is a decision to help when you are willing and able. True goodness is not to the benefit of others and a detriment to yourself. That is a dualistic thinking. Not every situation is dualistic. Giving someone an advantage does not necessarily put you at a disadvantage. Your parents spending huge sums of money on you is not to their disadvantage.

    Sacrifice is not detrimental, how much more goodness. Don’t be shortsighted. Look at the big picture. Yes! Sacrifice is costly. But we choose the value we place on anything, including ourselves. If it’s worth it, it’s worth sacrificing for. If we don’t learn to prioritise what really matters in the long run and sacrifice for it, we would hold on to everything there is and eventually lose everything. Laying down your life for someone is not necessarily killing yourself. Every parent understands this perfectly.

    Goodness is not only giving what we have materially. Sometimes all the other person needs is not the amount of money they are asking from you and will be unable to pay. Sometimes they just need the peace of mind you’re not willing to give away. That will mean not giving them what they think they need in the short term but what you know would be beneficial in the long term

    Goodness from time immemorial has been a coverup for a hidden motive or evil deeds that need not be seen. That is the kind of goodness that can be taken advantage of. Why? Because such a goodness has to be put up to cover up. There are top businesses in the world that grant auditors huge sums of money to shut up concerning their fraudulent transactions.

    When you’re insecure about goodness, you do good out of convenience and pity. Perhaps, it’s your way of putting people under you. Or a sure way to avoid controversy. Or even a way of pleasing the public eye. Insecure goodness can be blackmailed. Anyone can do good. Even some serial killers in history have donated parts of the bodies of their victims for the good of science. But truly doing good emanates from being truly good.

    It is absurd to think goodness can be abused. Can you abuse your mom’s love for you? Can you abuse the sun’s energy? Can you abuse the oxygen you breathe? Can you abuse the grace of God? Certainly not! Whatever goodness we abuse affects us more than the source of goodness. If you have a friend who is willing to support you no matter what, and you think you can abuse them and you indeed do, you lose their trust but they never lose their kindness. Think about it.

    Sometimes I wonder if Mother Theresa would have remained Mother Theresa in this system of ours. I believe she would. In fact, there are more people with her heart now than ever before. Don’t let the system fool you. Those who linger close to the top and abuse whatever goodness there is never make it for long. Everyone at the top is a philanthropist. Whoever wants to make it to the top must have the mindset of giving back to society.

    There is a kind of goodness that emanates from empathy and compassion. It causes us to do good because we ARE good. We are the epitome of goodness when the reason for our goodness is because we have seen a need that we can address. True goodness is a response to the call of the universe to address the needs of our fellow selves. True goodness does not take advantage of. True goodness gives advantage to.

    So, don’t stop doing good because people did you bad. Do good because you are good. The world has been changed and will change a thousand times by the littlest of goodness shown. Think about all the people and works that came to stay throughout history from the first civilisation to date. Don’t fear your goodness will be taken advantage of. Be glad that you’re the vessel being used to make a positive impact in the lives of the people around you.

    I love you ❤

  • If God Is Real, Why Does Evil Exist?

    Why does evil exist? Saying God doesn’t exist because the world isn’t perfect is like saying doctors aren’t real because diseases still exist. It’s a fallen world. Everything inclines to the negative. Put one sick person in a room with healthy people and everyone will eventually get sick. Put one good apple in a basket with bad apples and none will turn good. It is what it is!

    It’s so easy to blame God for all the evil things that happen in our world because He foreknew and did nothing about it. It is easier to blame God than to live with our own failures.

    “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the LORD.” Proverbs‬ ‭19:3‬ ‭GNB‬‬

    Why does evil exist? Evil doesn’t happen because God permits it. No thief needs permission to steal something that isn’t theirs. The enemy doesn’t ask for permission to kill, steal and destroy. He didn’t ask for permission to sow weeds among the tares.

    He doesn’t need permission, he needs submission. Submission of the human tendency to lie, be greedy, lustful, slothful, envious, wrathful and proud.

    It boils down to us. God has prevented more evil than it has ever occurred, but we’d never know or even believe. The little we could do is blame him for our mistakes and irresponsibilities, ironically.

    “But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” ‭‭Eccl‬ ‭7:29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    If evil exists, it’s because WE have allowed it. God will always give us a choice. Where there is no love, there’s no choice. The human will is greater than the strongest evil. It’s about time we took responsibility for our own choices and actions and fought evil with good.

    I love you ❤️