Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘humility’

Embrace Emotions

The Scream by Edvard Munch

My second grandson was the screamer.
He spent the first couple years of his life doing it.
He certainly knew how to let his emotions out!

Screaming may not be the best way as an adult
To emote your emotions!
What are some healthy ways to let these feelings out?

Fear

But some fear is real and intended
It’s good to embrace fear when a bear is growling at you
It’s good to fear a runaway truck or an avalanche
Know when to embrace fear!

Anger

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Screaming in anger at a situation you can’t control
may not be the best way to embrace your emotion
But anger in itself is not wrong
Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers
Embrace righteous anger!

Sadness/Grief

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In Daily Guideposts today, Erika Bentson wrote,

“Cowgirls don’t cry!”
She admitted that she is “not the type to carry tissues”
but instead she can “brush over ]her] feelings.”
“Mourning doesn’t come easily to me,” is how she began.
Even in the face of her father’s death, she “stayed strong – mostly.”

In the end of the article, Erika quoted a friend who told her,
“Tears are a testament to what a great dad he was.”
She encouraged her to let the emotions show.
“Don’t be ashamed that you’re human,” she told her.

Embrace your sadness!
Allow your grief to play out!

Ezekiel 36:26

“I will give you a new heart,
and I will put a new spirit in you.
I will take your stony, stubborn heart
and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Embrace your tears!
Let them flow.

Shame

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Speaking of
“Don’t be ashamed that you’re human,”
what about it?
Does shame have a place in our emotional outlet?

Psalm 34:4-5

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 31:17

“O Lord, let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon You;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go silently to Sheol.”

Where does that emotion of shame fit in?
When we have screwed up and we know it,
When we have said something without thinking,
When we have done something to hurt someone else,
It is the shame we feel that causes remorse.
It is the remorse that leads to repentance.
It is the repentance that leads to “calling out”
And it is calling out that leads to forgiveness.
Do not wallow in shame.
Face your actions,
face your emotions,
and clear your conscience.

Confront your shame and eliminate it!

Despair

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Do not despair!
Replace despair with hope.
Despair is not a healthy emotion.
We are humans, prone to error,
But we are not desperate!

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed…”

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This is one of my favorite verses.
It is my faith that keeps me from despair-
And my prayer for you is that regardless of your circumstance,
you also can have the faith “which surpasses all understanding.”

Do not embrace despair!

Peacefulness

I feared that my second grandson, the Screamer,
would grow up to be a very disgruntled human being.
I should never have let that emotion embrace me.
Embrace the peacefulness of hope!
Embrace the peacefulness of letting go.
Embrace the peacefulness of knowing
God’s got this!!

There’s Nick – at peace with self and nature.

The emotions that accompany peacefulness
are joy, contentment, satisfaction, and submission.

Nick and Celine’s slippers with their peaceful dog

Embrace Peace!

Pride

What about that emotion of pride?
Pride in self? Pride in your accomplishments –
Pride in the person your children or grandchildren have become –
What about pride?

Proverbs 11:2

“When pride comes,
then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.”

Romans 12:16

“Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty,
but associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.”

Bob is reading a book right now titled, Soul Survivor, by Philip Yancey.
In it he learned about thirteen people who influenced Yancey’s life.
One of them is Gandhi who always traveled third class.
When asked why, his response was,
“Because there is no fourth class.”

Humility

In the last years of his life, Gandhi adopted a man with leprosy.
Daily he bathed him and changed that man’s bandaged.

Proverbs 22:4

“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”

Gandhi was invited to meet the King of England.
Gandhi approached the king wearing only his loincloth.
A bystander asked him why he was dressed so scantily.
He responded, “He is wearing enough clothes for both of us,”

Gandhi embraced the emotion of humility to the extreme.
As a result, he was indeed rewarded with “honor and life,”
but his riches were not in gold and silver,
for he disdained material possessions,
his riches were in honor, peace, and a meaningful life.

When you go to Google and enter Gandhi’s name,
Mahatma Gandhi – Wikipedia, it will tell you:
“Mahatma Gandhi,
as he is known by his followers with reverence,
preached the philosophy of non-violence
which has become even more relevant today.
His commitment to non-violence
and satyagraha (peaceful resistance)
gave hope to marginalized sections of India.”

Humility is a Wonderful Emotional Outlet!

Embrace the emotions
associated with humility:

joy
compassion
contentment
satisfaction
and leave all your worries behind!

See ya tomorrow.

Tell Me:
Which emotion will you embrace more today?
And which will you try to release?

Thanks for visiting JanBeek!

Embrace Questioning

Embrace Questioning!
Do we embrace all questions?
Like, “Are you stupid?”

No, it’s not questions,
But the act of questioning
That deserves embrace.

Not all questions are
Developed with pure motives.
Embrace those that are!

Embrace a pure heart
Full of inquisitiveness.
Ask because you care.

When you meet someone
Ask their name and remember –
Use it lovingly.

Ask about their life.
Listen with sincere interest.
Listening’s a gift.

Questioning’s one thing;
Listening is another.
They go hand in hand.

When I think of questioning with a pure motive and listening with an open heart, I think of Job. Even if you are not a Christian, seeped in the Bible stories, you have heard the expression, “The patience of Job.” (That’s pronounced Jobe… not job, like Steve Jobs, the American business magnate). What made the prophet, Job, come to mind?

Job is presented in the Bible as a good and prosperous family man who is beset by Satan with God‘s permission with horrendous disasters that take away all that he holds dear, including his children, his health, and his property. He struggles to understand his situation and begins a search for the answers to his difficulties. Searching for answers involves questioning. He does so without condemning God. He maintains his trust in God to ultimately work for his good – even when he is in the worst of his turmoil.

What a desolate looking man!
What must he be saying to God?
What questions would you be asking?

What does Job ask God?
“He demands answers from God Himself. Job wants to know why bad things happen to good people. He knows it’s not right, and will not accept the saccharine answers of his friends.”

God, “Why Have You Made Me Your Target”? (Job 7:20)

God explains to Job that to us mere mortals sometimes there are no words—no rationalizations—that can make sense of the unhappiness we endure.

Trauma happens and we have to accept it. Explanations may make us feel better, but they mislead. Ultimately, Job, like all of us, must endure suffering not knowing why … or if the question even counts.

Once Job accepts this, he somehow manages to live with his trauma without becoming its victim.

The Book of Job asks “why good people suffer,” but never actually answers the question. What it does do, is correct misconceptions about why we suffer. The truth of this wonderful tale is that man can’t know everything. 

Again, let me repeat, “Once Job accepts this, he somehow manages to live with his trauma without becoming its victim.”

How does this story relate to your life and mine?
Have you ever questioned why life was
throwing stones at you that you didn’t deserve?

Or have you questioned why you didn’t get a job that you knew you deserved?

This happened recently to my son. He applied for a job that he knew he was qualified for. Another person was chosen instead. He got a form letter of rejection. Instead of falling into a fit of depression or raging in disbelief, he called the person who did get the job and congratulated her. He asked if there was anything he could do to support her in her assignment – and he asked her to keep an eye out in case she saw a position in the future for which she thought he might be a good fit.

Within a day, he received a call back and an extension of his responsibilities was offered along with a significant pay raise.

Now, I’m not suggesting that every time you ask the right questions with the right motive, you’ll get a pay raise!

No, it’s not that simple. But, what embracing questioning does is it changes your focus. The right questions – in the right spirit – make the difference between misery and openness. The difference between depression and expression. The difference between pessimism and positivity.

Embrace a pure heart
Full of inquisitiveness.
Ask because you care.

Don’t question, “Why you?”
Instead ask, “What can I do?”
“Can I be of any help?”

Your attitude counts.
Humility is the key.
Embrace questioning!

My son posted this meme
the day before his interview.

God is good.
All the time!
Even to the Jobs of this world!
Be patient in love.
Your pay raise is coming!!

Hah!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek
Got any questions??
See ya tomorrow.

Embrace Humility

Humility Reigns
Its opposite is boasting
Let others do it!

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God’s chosen people,
holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with
compassion,
kindness,
humility,
gentleness
and
patience.

Photo by Mike on Pexels.com

Luke 14:11

For all those who exalt themselves
will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves
will be exalted.”

Photo by Vu0103n Long Bu00f9i on Pexels.com

With humility
Offer whatever you have
With a cheerful heart

Photo by Timothy Paule II on Pexels.com

Good to be brilliant
But bragging about your smarts
Dulls intelligence

Let the compliments –
Accolades about your job –
Come from other folks

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

So, be generous
With giving out accolades
Show your gratitude

Photo by Gary Barnes on Pexels.com

Thanks for your service
Thanks for your affirmations
You give so humbly

Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com

Humility Reigns
It’s not easy to achieve
In a “You deserve it” society

Step out of your skin
And step into others’ lives
Everyone needs praise

My favorite singer in the 1950’2

You can find the words
Tell someone they’re marvelous
It’s not hard to do!

Proverbs 27:2

“Let someone else praise you,
and not your own mouth;
an outsider,
and not your own lips.”

Hugs to you
from Bob & me

We think you are marvelous!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
See ya tomorrow.

On Being UnTeachable

We’re unreachable
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

Is our mind open
To attentive mindfulness?
Live expectantly?

Anticipate good?
Humbly work for improvements
In self and others?

Develop ideas –
Hopeful and doable ones
In a right spirit.

We close open doors
When we are unteachable.
Let’s check our mindset.

Photo by Jonathan Andrew on Pexels.com

Keep your mind focused
On the good that you can do.
Let’s be teachable.

Let’s be reachable.
Let us reach out to others
With humble mindset.

Photo by Matheus Viana on Pexels.com

Pray with me:
“Lord, help us to develop
a heavenly perspective
to look at life’s trials and difficulties
through the Truth and Hope
of God’s Word.
Peel away all barriers to Your wisdom, Lord,
And make us teachable and reachable!
Amen!”

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek

Meet Faithful and Faith

Here is Faithful:

Faithful is a Yellowstone moose. He’s 14 years old! When our granddaughter, Faith, was about 10 years old, she visited us here in Montana. As a family, we visited Yellowstone Park. She and her three siblings each were given a little money to select a souvenir from the gift shop. As kids typically do, they chose something for themselves. But, Faith was not typical. She selected this moose – and gave it to me as a present … a thank you for their visit.

Today is Faith and her husband, Kyle’s wedding anniversary. They were married a year ago. Faith is as thoughtful a young lady as she was as a little ten-year-old. Every morning I say a special prayer for Faith and Kyle as I make my bed, and put “Faithful” back in his central place of honor in front of the pillows.

Fourteen years has taken its toll on Old Faithful. His hat is torn – and it was chewed a little by TazE when she was a puppy. But still, I cherish this little stuffed moose.

I tuck the torn hat in under his antler and ask the Lord,

“Please watch over Faith and Kyle.
Tuck them under Your wings, O Lord,
just as I tuck Faithful’s hat under his ear.
Give them health and happiness,
love and longevity.
Keep them safe.
And help them lean on Your love
and their Faithfulness
this day and every day.
Amen.”

Happy 1st Anniversary, Faith and Kyle.

May they love with a universal love –
always generous,
compassionate,
grateful and hopeful,
brave and forgiving,
proud and yet humble.

Here is Faith – on her wedding day –
dancing with her dad, our son, Ty.

Do you have children?
Or grandchildren?
How about great-grandchildren?
The most important gift you can give them is the gift of daily prayer.

God bless you, Faith and Kyle. And both our children and their families.
Yes, we are so blessed.
Thank You, God,
for You are always FAITHFUL!

BEE WELL!

See ya tomorrow.
Love,
JanBeek


Live With Intention

What’s your intention?
Is it clear to you today?
Is it apparent?

Have you defined it?
Does “it” have a single word?
For me, it is PEACE.

Actually PRIDE
Has nothing to do with it.
It’s HUMILITY.

It is sincere love
Given with no thought to gain
Anything returned.

Anonymity
is the most beautiful way
Share your loving heart.

Set pride aside and just live intentionally to spread PEACE in these troubled times. Speak no ill of another. Pray for those who disappoint you. Pray for those who hurt you. Sincerely care for the transformation of those who sow seeds of hate. Be the LOVE you wish to see in the world. It starts with YOU and me!

What will you do intentionally to share your love today?


I am headed to my Writers’ Group.
I’ll share this blog with them.
Where are you headed?


See ya later.

The Power of Words

Give Compliments

Compliments.jpg

Give Compliments

Haiku x8

woman wearing grey crew neck sweater

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

When is the last time
Someone complimented you?
Who? Friend or stranger?

When is the last time
You complimented someone?
Who? Friend or stranger?

Which feels better –
A compliment from a friend
or from a stranger?

When do you speak up
To give out a compliment?
Is it natural?

Or do you have to
Struggle to give compliments?
Do you accept them?

What do you say back?
A simple “Thank You” will do.
Do not disagree.

“Oh, this old sweater?
I’ve had it for a long time.”
Try a humble, “Thanks!”

Speak sincere feelings,
And don’t underestimate
The power of words.


You’re Awesome!!
pexels-photo-887349-1
See ya tomorrow!

See Beauty in Imperfection

sea beach storm tree

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Have you heard of the Japanese word:
Wabi-Sabi?

We don’t have a single English word to translate its meaning.
It takes a whole paragraph!

According to Leonard Koren, who wrote a book
titled Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets, and Philosophers,

“Wabi-Sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
It is a beauty of things modest and humble.
It is a beauty of things unconventional.”

The impermanence of footprints in the sand is an example.

person foot prints on sands photo

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

 

The modest and humble man here speaks of Wabi-Sabi to me.
Look deep into his eyes. There is beauty in his face.

man person men old

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

I was inspired to write a Haiku X5 on this subject
as I look with fresh vision at the Wabi-Sabi examples around me.

Wabi-Sabi is
The beauty of the withered
Acknowledge decay.

brown wooden shed near green trees

Photo by Spencer Gurley on Pexels.com

Wabi is humble
Sabi is the solitude
Put them together

photo of woman sitting under the tree

Photo by Sơn Bờm on Pexels.com

Wabi-Sabi is
Beauty in humility
Embracing decay.

img_5983

Face imperfection
All things are impermanent
Each of us declines

grayscale photo of man

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Know Wabi-Sabi
Appreciate “ugliness” –
See beauty in it!

man in black and white hoodie

Photo by Donald Teel on Pexels.com

Surrounded by Angels

On a cold and frosty Montana morning
I sit in my sanctuary – surrounded by angels
And the stillness within and without
Takes me to my inner sanctuary

Come and join me this morning
In the beauty of a winter day
From the warmth of my Angel Room
My place of respite, where the Holy Spirit dwells

sanctuary in cloud.JPG

The sky is dark and we’re in a cloud

sanctuary 2 angels.jpg

The angels within sing quietly; they’re never loud

Jesus praying.jpg

Jesus prays with me from His place in my cloud

Faith book cover.jpg

And reminds me that FAITH is not for the proud

Swiss cup.JPG

With humble appreciation, I think of the faces

angel in frosty tree.jpg

Who surround me with love in these heavenly spaces

frosty tree.JPG

I thank God for the trees all frosty with glitter

sweet angel.jpg

I dream of the people gone before me – they flitter

placque 3 gathered.jpg

In and out of my prayers, like the three angels here

3 angels.JPG

They remind me of prayer partners far away, yet so near.

angel ornament.JPG

I think of the gifts of poets and artists

blue egg angel.JPG

The angels surround me – sending thoughts that are part of us

curly-haired angel.JPG

Some are melancholy, reminding me of my sins

angel conductor.jpg

Others are joyful, and my gratitude spins

blue angel egg.JPG

I remember the angel who decorated this egg

multiple angels.jpg

And all the other creative friends – Watch over them, I beg

angel-bee friends.JPG

Help my friends who are ill and need special care

angel light.JPG

Shine Your light on them… let them know You are there

3 angels on ledge.jpg

Bring them comfort and health and wisdom galore

angel w piggy.jpg

Hold them close to Your Heart, Lord, give them so much more…

feathered angel.JPG

… than ever they dreamed of; like the birds of the air

2 angels- mama+boy & gold chain.JPG

Let them know you are with them; show them how much You care.

angels-frosty tree-blue sky.JPG

As the darkness subsides and the blue sky emerges,

blue sky-sanctuary view south.JPG

Send them all Your GREAT LOVE that in my heart surges…

angel faith.jpg

Great love for the angels that brighten my day.

And now, my dear friends, I send some your way!

heart shaped red balloonGo on your blessed, lovely, angel-filled way!And thanks for joining me in my sanctuary today.

IMG_6317

Hugs from JanBeek

Bee Thankful

Image

Bee thankful
Bee cheerful
Bee prayerful
Life is just a bowl of honey!

Bee grateful
Bee forgiving
Bee carefree
Life is more than food and money!

Bee faithful
Bee mindful
Bee generous
Life is all about giving!

Bee compassionate
Bee humble
Bee a dreamer/doer
Life is Christ-like living!

Bee consistent
Bee persistent
Bee observant
Life is a constant prayer!

Bee joyful
Bee honest
Bee transparent
God is always there!

Image

Tag Cloud

%d bloggers like this: