Try A Little Kindness

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Every day when I go around and see the suffering of people in our world, I always wished I had lots of resources, to help the poor. I believe this is the mentality many of us have. We wish we were like the very rich. We wouldn’t just fold our hands and do nothing or do very little.

But the truth is, how much are we doing with the little we have? Kindness is an act that can be rendered, regardless of what you have or lack. Remember the song “Try a little kindness” by Glen Campbell? We don’t have to wait to be rich to be kind to others, as no one is so poor that he cannot give something to enrich another’s life everyday of his life.

What this life requires is a little act of kindness from everyone.  Many of us have old clothes that we will never need, yet we store them, instead of giving them out to others less fortunate than us. There are lots of kids out there without books to read, and here we are with books used by our kids, and they don’t have need for them anymore. And instead of giving those books to others who need them, we store them in our libraries or in the attic.

If you’ve got things you no longer need, give them to others who need them. Do not keep those things until they become useless, thinking you may need them some time. Let them do good now, pass them along today. They have served your turn. Let them be evidences of your love and thoughtfulness of others.

Today’s Quote

Even if you have a problem, you don’t need to be one. – Helen Keller

Why Voluntarily Become a Slave?

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“So long as you are still worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.” – Neale Donald Walsch.

How many of us realize the truth in the words of this great writer? Probably quite a few people do. Because if we all did, then we wouldn’t find people terribly inconveniencing themselves, bearing serious hardship and suffering trying to gain the approval of other people.

Every day in life, many of us voluntarily become slaves to the thoughts and opinions of others. We scheme, and hustle to make others believe we are other than we really are. There are many of us who practically starve ourselves, mince our resources, deprive our family of basic needs just for the sake of trying to keep up appearances in our offices, schools, churches, neighbourhoods and so on.

Why strain yourself to do things you cannot afford, simply because others do them? Why let other people’s eyes and opinions make you unhappy, and discontented with what you have? Back then when I was in the university, I used to find students who spend their tuition on the latest phone, trendy clothes, and other material stuff, other than their educational needs in other to be accepted and regarded as classy or “Big guys and Babes”. Today I find people in debts that are way above their salaries, because they borrowed to buy luxuries (packaging as we Nigerians call it).

Today’s Quote

Think about this for a moment;

“No life is just the same after you have once touched it ; will you leave a ray of hope or one of despair, a flash of light or a somber cloud across some dark life each day; will you by thoughtless cruelty deepen the shadow which hangs over the life, or will you by kindness dispel it altogether? No matter how you feel or what is disturbing your peace of mind, never allow yourself to send out a discouraging, a cruel, or an unkind word or thought.” – Orison Swett Marden

What Do You Think About Yourself?

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According to the Bible, one day Christ asked His disciples who people thought He was, and after listening to their answers, He asked them who they themselves thought He was. And Peter answered that, He was the Son of God. I thought Christ was trying to teach His disciples and us that, whatever thought of Him affects the way we think of ourselves and see ourselves.

The thoughts you hold of yourself are powerful tools that shape who you become in life. So I ask you, what do you think about yourself? Do you think well of yourself when you think about your life? Or you are among the many others, who, when considering their lives, see themselves as weak, sick, poor; who think that their lives do not amount to very much and never will; who only see the small and negative side of themselves?

The bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” So think good of yourself. I know some of us may consider thinking good of ourselves as an egocentric, self righteous thing, but I don’t think so. I think there is no modesty in thinking low of yourself, especially, considering the fact that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We were created and certified GOOD by God, and given the mandate to have dominion over all things.

Think good of yourself.

Today’s Quote

“So long as you are still worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.” – Neale Donald Walsch

Say Thank You!

The bible tells us that in everything we should give thanks, as that is God’s will. But being grateful and giving thanks all the time isn’t very easy as it sounds. Especially as everyday life is filled with moments of discomfort, pains, setbacks, sicknesses, poverty and other challenges.

Yet the bible says in all things we should give thanks. You may want to ask, why should I give thanks with everything going on around me? In the words of Maya Angelou, “Say thank you because your faith is so strong that you don’t doubt that whatever the problem, you will get through it. Say thank you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds. Say thank you because there is no problem created that can compare to the Creator of all things.”

Folks, our lives may not be much, but we can at least be thankful for the little that we have. Gratitude can transform any situation. Remember the story of the Ten Lepers in the bible, ten of them were healed but only one of them returned to say thank you. And immediately his entire life was altered. Gratitude is the secret of people who are living their greatest lives. As Oprah Winfrey testifies,

Overcome Your Fears With These 50 Scripture Verses

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Too many of us are held back in life, not by our environments, or hunger or poverty or a lack of talents and skills, or a lack of education. We are stopped by our fears, especially the fear of the unknown. We fear when things go wrong, we also fear when things go right, and so on.

Here are 50 Bible verses to help you overcome your fears and live your greatest life. They are taken from the New International Version (NIV), New Living Translation (NLT), and The Amplified Bible (Amp):

1. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
2. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 NIV
3. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Psalm 34:7 NIV
4. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matt 10:31 NIV
5. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. Deuteronomy 13:4 NLT
6. I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT
7. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NLT
8. But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 1 Peter 3:14 NLT
9. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! Acts 18:9 NLT
10. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:18 NLT
11. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 NIV
12. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56:4 NIV

Today’s Quote

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“Meaning doesn’t lie in things. Meaning lies in us. When we attach value to things that aren’t love – the money, the car, the house, the prestige – we are loving things that can’t love us back. We are searching for meaning in the meaningless. Money itself means nothing. Material things of themselves mean nothing. It is not that they are bad. It is that they are nothing.” – Marianne Williamson