Windows to the Soul
Windows to the Soul
That’s what your eyes have been called
May I look deeply?
I want to see you
Know you at your heart’s level
Open your windows
Seek and you will find
But what are you looking for?
Look into my soul!
Every week I have the privilege
of doing a Bible Study
with a few of my favorite
residents at the Madison Valley Manor,
our local nursing home.
We spoke about the importance of
EYES,
SEEING,
FOCUS,
UNDERSTANDING.
The lesson from In Touch,
daily reading for devoted living,
was based on Gen. 25:19-34.
The title was “Spiritual Shortsightedness.“
The lesson demonstrated how focus on the temporal
rather than the eternal can cause us to make decisions
based on today’s desires or needs without considering
tomorrow’s consequences. Notice the focus here:
This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son, Isaac, his wife Rebekah, and their twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
The consequence of Esau’s shortsightedness was disastrous for him.
If what we choose to focus on is temporal and selfish,
our lives can be turned upside-down, too.
What are you looking at?
What are you looking for?
My friends at the nursing home and I interspersed music with our Bible reading and sharing. I played my accordion. They sang along. Do you know this one?
“Open my eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him
And say that I love Him.
Open my ears Lord,
And teach me to listen.
Open my eyes, Lord,
I want to see Jesus.”
When I look deeply
Into your open windows
Will I see pureness?
When looking at me
Seeing into my soul’s depths
Do you see the Lord?
He lives inside me
He helps me practice restraint
Who lives in your soul?
Open your eyes, Friend
Let me see into your heart
I know I’ll find love!
See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Thanks for visiting JanBeek
I send you love from my soul’s depth.
(No, that’s not current!)
Care About Stats?
Do You Study Your Stats?
What do your stats tell you?
Talented musician and poet, Laura Sullivan, can look at her stats and know they spell SUCCESS.
No doubt about it! When you earn your living as a musician – and you play to be heard, getting two and a half million listeners has got to be a rush. Don’t you think?
How About You?
How about you?
Do you care how many followers you have on WordPress?
Do you count a successful post by how many likes you get?
Or by the number of comments?
Or by the viewers the stats show?
Looking at your daily stats
can reveal patterns
that give you clues
about what titles
or numbers of posts per day
can do.
BUT, they can be very discouraging.
What?
All that effort
and
only 16 likes or comments?
When I look at my stats
by the years instead of weeks or months,
Wow! How encouraging!
What a lot of improvement
I made after I decided
to post on a regular basis!
Hmmm,
do those stats
define success for me?
No! I won’t let numbers define me!
But, look at those likes and comments for this 2020 year.
Now, that can get my blood
rolling through my veins
at a quicker pace,
can’t it?
Is it Numbers?
Oh no, wait!
Are numbers why we do this?
Are we motivated by our ability to reach out?
Do our world views show us what we’re about?
Beware the Comparison Game!
When Cristian Mihai (The Art of Blogging) shows us his world map, every continent is colored in. It’s easy to play that comparison game – and decide you’re never gonna be good enough. Don’t fall into that trap!!
Define Your Purpose
Why do you blog?
Is it for numbers?
I doubt it!
Some people do it for money …
they are full time bloggers and stats mean income.
I understand that.
But, my guess is that the majority of us
are in it for the joy of
being inspired
and
being an inspiration.
That’s my purpose!
To spread positivity and optimism
and to help us all
just “Love One Another”
more unconditionally.
When I get a response
like the one below,
that’s what makes it all worthwhile.
That’s what makes my heart swell.
I want to be a “Beacon of Light and Hope.”
Don’t we all??
Yesterday I receive this comment:
Whose Light?
Yes, I want to be a beacon of hope and light …
and be unafraid to tell you where that light originates!
I can’t fulfill my purpose alone!
Only as I am connected to my source
am I authentic enough to inspire.
It’s not a candle that keeps burning on its own!
The flame is “This Little Light of Mine” and I don’t intend to hide it under a bushel!
Let it SHINE!!!
Who or what electrifies your light?
What prompts your posts?
Is it to inspire?
Let the stats speak…
But don’t let them be your only motivation.
SHINE!
Thanks for visiting
JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow.
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