If a man sheds a tear, is it because he is frustrated at what he has been dealt in life? Or is it because he has taken life so easily that the guilt of his not doing much for society as a whole is quietly eating away at the essence of his life?

Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" NKJV

Reading between the lines here reveals the true nature of the human condition. We want what we want, but that does not mean that it will really help us or define us. We can want the world and try for it. But instead we fall way short of the grace of God in this endeavor. Not because we want to but because the trail of bread crumbs we leave behind makes others and ourselves lost in what we are all about.

Who are we? Seems to be the eternal question. But is it really who we are that is important? I would say that it is what we have done that counts. Really think about that when you start spending a great deal of time on selfish pursuits. I think it is better to think about what we do as being helpful in some way to society as a whole.

Is there a path you are on, possibly a personal goal that may not be mapped out clearly but for some reason you follow it and your motivations may not be clear and may not be even clean?

Instead of living life every day in a way that repeats over and over again the same pattern, why not think about ways of serving the human race. Ask yourself if the present direction in your life is really making you happy. If you question that happiness then it is time to really give yourself some time to evaluate what is important and what is not. Change to a goal of enlightenment rather than one of doing better than the Joneses.

When was the last time you heard about a saint? When faced with the plight of the suburban jungle we can get so caught up in trying to make a difference, we often forget what that difference is. Back to the saint. I remember hearing in the past of people like Mother Teresa, and others like her that tried their entire lives to make others truly happy. But can you really think of somebody in this day and age that is making a difference in the lives of others like she did?

There are so many followers of God, but yet very few if anybody that we can think of that is a true saint. Just try to imagine living a life that is full of situations that benefit others. For some, it would seem, there is a trade off. There are those that live a lie, because what others may see as pure of heart, behind the scenes can be pure evil. There are sides to people we may never encounter. Think about it. Have there been people in your life who you thought were great people who were loved, so loved by others, and then one day you learned something about them that made your blood curdle at the thought of what they had done? You may think, for a very long time, that somebody you know of has done a great many wonderful things only to find out one day that it is all smoke and mirrors that hid their true self. It is like putting somebody on a pedestal, so to speak, only to witness one day that pedestal comes crashing down.

That is why it is so hard to find saints today like the prophets mentioned in the Bible. There are so many false prophets out there. It is really hard to sift through the rubble of society and find something real and important and worth really taking notice of.

So how do we find a saint? Maybe finding one is not as important as trying to become one. But that cannot be accomplished in a day, a week or a month. So why not take a step, and then another step, and then another. Find out what it is like to help another person by doing something in your community. Then try again and again to help others. It will be hard at first because you will have to give up part of yourself in the process. But then giving up the selfish endeavors we often swim in can make the road to enlightenment one of caring and sharing and the most important, which is love.

I am sure that at one time or another in your life, whether it was in a group study or in personal time, that you tried to define what love is. What is love? I think I understand what it is not, but what is it? When you give love it is given back in one way or another. I think when we really study what the path of love is, that will be a time of wonderful enlightenment. That will be a time when what we are given, we will want to give back to society in a way that will come back to us in loving, caring, sharing ways.

Psalms 18:20-21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands. He has recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. NKJV

Don't ever think that that doing something kind to another will not be rewarded. The person you give that love to may not be appreciative of it, but yet you will feel like you tried and that there must a person who will take that love and give it back to you. You could even be taken advantage of after giving love because there are those that will take advantage of others every which way they can so they can feel good. It is people like this that you can only pray for that they will someday truly find out what love is.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to understand what I have to offer this planet, both in love and caring contribution. Sometimes Lord, I feel a bit confused as to what needs to be done to improve my life. Not just for myself, but what I can give to this world and share with it to somehow make it a better place for all that grace it's paths. Give me insight and your love to help alleviate the frustrations. Thank you Lord, for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2006 Bryan Hill