I HOPE.

I take comfort in the fact that God says that He knew me BEFORE he knitted me into my mother's womb. It doesn't get more personal than that. The fact that God loved me enough to create me, unlike anyone else, with my own body, mind, and spirit; tells me that He must have had a purpose in mind for me to carry out. Why is it that most of us who are believers in a loving God, can't seem to wrap our minds around the fact that it is ok to live an abundant life, one that is happy, fulfilled and for the most part - stress free. He tells us in His word that Jesus came so that we may live life abundantly. The whole power of attraction thing that everyone is so excited about, isn't some random thing, it is biblical! New age thinkers credit this power to "the universe". Others may call it "the thinking stuff". I call it "the Spirit of God". The power of attraction is prayer, meditation, and the "golden rule" in action - so let's give credit where credit's due.

To reach one's potential - can it be done? Of course. It's only too late if you're dead. We may miss out on alot of the opportunity that comes our way because we're so wrapped up in our own misery that we don't see outward. Or maybe it's just because of the way we were programmed throughout life. We become fearful, insecure, and discouraged to the point of forgetting about all of the wondrous optimism we had in our hearts and minds when we were children. We weren't born to lose, we were created to expand our lives, and the lives of others. How do we do that? By staying in line with the mind of God through prayer. We need to immerse ourselves in what is positive and good, and open our eyes and hearts to God's direction. WE CAN ONLY REACH OUR POTENTIAL BY SERVING OTHERS. There is no other way.

A word of caution here; I said GOD'S direction - not man's. Don't let another person tell you what you should be doing in life. We only get to be here on this earth one time, so make it count - live YOUR life! On another note, there are many who have come before us, who have become enlightened to some very empowering principles, and who in their service to humanity, have put into words some of the keys to opening up the hope that is inside each one of us. These people (the good ones) aren't telling us what our purpose is, they are showing us how to go about finding our own unique set of talents, passions, and desires; and how to then use all of that awesome information to prayerfully figure out what our own individual purpose is. Do you realize that if we don't pay attention to what God is putting in front of us every hour of every day, that something very important won't happen? I got that from "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson - by the way.

Speaking from personal experience, I think that fear and a poor self-image is what has held me back the most in my life. I've been so afraid of what other people think of me, that I have been immobilized by it. When I think about it, I can actually visualize myself bound inside of a "shell", but then I burst out of it and can finally feel the relief and joy that I know has been bottled up inside me for so, so long. I want to be a goofball, I want to not care about what people think of me. As long as I am not hurting anyone, or myself, it's my right.

As far as the poor self-image thing goes, I still battle with it on a daily basis. But this I know; God says He created me in His image, and when I really sit and meditate on that, I know that He said that for people like me. In the first paragraph I talked about how God knew me before He knit me in my mother's womb, and loved me enough to create me in all my individuality. All these things I think about while I'm praying and meditating, and all these things I am seriously grateful for. How can I continue for very long with that negative self-image? I have written out positive affirmations that I repeat to myself in the morning, and at night before I go to bed. I read books that are empowering by authors who realize that they are accountable for all of their contributions to mankind. I listen to audio discs and MP3's from people who cheer me on and genuinely want to share their love and passion for life, and show us how to achieve it. These are men and woman of impeccable character and integrity. Life coaches who have spent much of their lives developing themselves personally, spending thousands of dollars learning from those who have gone before them, and most who have utilized the privilege of a mentor/mentee relationship. I want that. I want to become the kind of person that I would want to follow. I want to help people find the hope inside themselves. I want that to be my ultimate contribution to mankind.

Now let's talk about the stress I mentioned earlier. By stress, I mean unrelenting negativity that keeps us from realizing our potential because it's too busy ruining our health and poisoning our minds. I believe there is good stress, and bad stress. Good stress is the kind that comes from excitement, and positive challenges. It is the kind we experience when we leave our comfort zones or break through a massive wall of fear. This kind of stress comes and goes, and lets us know we're alive! I've experienced some of the good kind, but mostly the bad kind. I've felt the adrenalin pumping through my body upon waking, just from thinking one negative thought. I lived with this day in, and day out. I didn't sleep, I couldn't think straight, I had no energy or motivation, I stopped exercising, I stopped caring about myself, and worst of all - I stopped dreaming. I felt absolutely hopeless, and like no one could, or would be willing to help me. Thank God, He gave me the eyes to see an awesome opportunity that would give me hope, and change my life forever.


Hope is an awesome thing when it arrives after the life has been sucked out of you! In the movie Shawshank Redemption, there is a part when Ellis Boyd Redding "Red" (Morgon Freeman) is let out of prison, and he goes to the secret spot that his good buddy and prison mate Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) tells him about during one of their conversations. When he gets there he's supposed to look under a certain black rock that has no "earthly business" being there. Here are the actual words from the screenplay and my favorite scene in the movie:

Red walks the long rock wall, nearing the tree. A squirrel scolds him from a low branch, scurries up higher. Red studiesthe base of the wall. Nothing unusual here. Just a bunch ofrocks set in stone. He sighs. Fool's errand. Turns to go. Something catches his eye. He walks back, squats, peering closer. Wets a fingertip and rubs a stone. A layer of dust comes off. Volcanic glass. Gleaming black. He tries to get the rock out, anticipation growing. It won't come; it's too smooth. He pulls a pocketknife and levers the rock free. It tumbles at his feet, leaving a ragged hole. Red leans down and solves the mystery at last, staring at the object buried under the rock. Stunned. It's an envelope wrapped in plastic. Written on it is a single word: "Red."

Red pulls the envelope out and rises. He just stares at it for a while, almost afraid to open it. But open it he does. Inside is a smaller envelope and a letter. Red begins to read:

Voice of "ANDY"

Dear Red. If you're reading this,

you've gotten out. And if you've

come this far, maybe you're willing

to come a little further. You

remember the name of the town,

don't you? I could use a good man

to help me get my project on

wheels. I'll keep an eye out for

you and the chessboard ready.

Remember, Red. Hope is a good

thing, maybe the best of things,

and no good thing ever dies. I will

be hoping that this letter finds

you, and finds you well. Your

friend. Andy.

By now, tears are spilling silently down Red's cheeks. He opens the other envelope and fans out a stack of new fifty- dollar bills. Twenty of them. A thousand dollars.

Voice of "RED"

Get busy living or get busy dying.

That is goddamn right.

For the second time in my life, I

am guilty of committing a crime.

Parole violation. I doubt they'll

toss up any roadblocks for that.

Not for an old crook like me.

I find I am so excited I can barely

sit still or hold a thought in my

head. I think it is the excitement

only a free man can feel, a free

man at the start of a long journey

whose conclusion is uncertain...

I hope I can make it across the

border. I hope to see my friend

and shake his hand. I hope the

Pacific is as blue as it has been

in my dreams.

I hope.

The movie ends with those two simple words... I HOPE.

To view this scene click here:
http://www.vidivodo.com/29878/the-shawshank-redemption-_-final-scene


I think I've decided what this blogging site is going to be about for me.
I'm going to do a little experiment - I will only write/post positive things, and when "life happens" I will make it a point to find the good in what appears to be bad.

Hopefully, the positive words, quotes, audio, video, and music here will inspire someone, somewhere to shift into a higher realm of living with eyes open to the possibilities that are all around us.
Just remember that "with God, all things are possible".