Faith and Life Blog

  Wanting a change of scenery, I left my desk and sat at another desk across the room. I looked up and realized, to my surprise, that from this new vantage point, the office looked like a totally different place. I could not believe my eyes! Oh, what a change of seat can do! Life is like that. Our perspective determines the way we view the issues and circumstances of our lives. As the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison. Where I see a 6, you may see a 9.  Our exposure, or lack thereof, upbringing, environment, educational level, and socialization are but some of the factors that shape our perspective and which in turn, inform the way we see and experience life. As we grow and mature, our perspectives change and we view life differently. A change of attitude is often the catalyst that propels us to a new and different level. Indeed, our attitude determines our altitude.  Do you want to change your life? Change your attitude. Change your perspective.

  For I know the plans  I have for you,” declares the  Lord , “plans to prosper  you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)   Years ago, a well-known and established Jamaican financial institution ran an advertisement on television that ended with the words, “We have your best interest at heart. Full stop.” Those were powerful words. And I am sure that many potential investors believed those words and as such, took the bold step to open investment accounts with that institution. Such a move  would amount to an act of faith, believing that the institution would manage the funds invested in a responsible way, thus yielding handsome returns at the maturity date.  The drawback with this, however, is that those expected returns are not guaranteed. A myriad of things could go wrong in the financial sector. The stock market could crumble, investment deals could go awry and the list goes on.  There is simply ...

  Have you ever admired the beauty of a piece of embroidery? It is truly a sight to behold, one that brings a sense of pleasure to the onlooker, and satisfaction to the one who made it. Beauty, indeed, is in the eyes of the beholder. But have you ever looked at the reverse side of that same piece of embroidery? What is beneath belies what is above. Underneath is a maze of seemingly chaotic, uncoordinated, and confusing threads. There seems to be no pattern. Everything seems disjointed and out of place. A messy affair indeed! But the finished product, the beautiful design above, carries an all-important and comforting message of hope. There is a method to the apparent madness.  God will make something beautiful out of the brokenness of life. He gives beauty for ashes. He brings beauty out of chaos. He makes crooked paths straight and rough places smooth. Trust Him today. Give Him all your hurts, pains, anger, and suffering. He will turn it around for good and for His glory. Sou...

  I looked at the document I was working on and realized that I had inadvertently corrected something that in fact, didn't need to be corrected. It was an innocent mistake, but thanks to the undo/redo feature in Microsoft Word, the matter was quickly rectified with the click of a button. I could go back and correct the error I had made without suffering any consequences. All I had to do was to select the undo option. And, if at any point I had a change of heart, I could simply select redo , and revert to the original text. How convenient! As simple and easy as it may be, what works for Microsoft Word, cannot work in real life. The mistakes that we make, innocent or not, cannot be erased at the click of a button. It behooves us then to be careful of the choices that we make - the things we do, the words that come out of our mouths, the way we treat others, how we use our time, and the people that we invite into our lives. Let us be mindful that we can never go back in time, so it ...

  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of  light.    But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that  is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23) I overheard a humorous exchange between two ladies as I walked one morning. One was telling the other that she had, for a  while, been using her old pair of glasses because she had misplaced the newer one.  When she eventually found the new pair, she realized that all she had not been seeing was as clearly as she should have. Everything had looked so dull and unreal but she had gotten accustomed to seeing them that way and that state had become her reality. The new glasses, however, shed new light on things.  In her words |' everything seemed brighter and clearer .' She now had a new perspective. She was now literally seeing things from a new vantage point.  She lamen...

  Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:4-5 My new Bluetooth earphones provided me with a powerful reminder a few days ago. I was on a break at work and decided to watch a YouTube video on my cellphone. As I was doing so, I remembered that I needed to use the photocopier downstairs. I stepped away from my desk but forgot to take my cell phone with me. The beauty of this wireless earphone was that though I was not physically near to the cell phone, I could still listen from within a certain range. So it was not until I reached a point beyond the blue tooth range that I realized that something was wrong. The earphone speaker suddenly announced to me that I was disconnected. No sweat. I continued walking as I was confident tha...

  My sheep hear my voice , and I know them, and they follow me John 10:27 Recently I was watching the Sports news on television. When a particular item of news came on, the video of the event came up on the screen, but the reporter's face was not shown. Even though I did not see a face, I instantly recognized the voice of the reporter. It was easy for me. I did not have to struggle because I watch the news on a regular basis and as such, I have become accustomed to not just the faces, but also the voices of various reporters. Distinguishing one from the others was therefore not an issue for me. This to me was simple, yet profound. We often struggle to hear the voice of God. God is always speaking but we do not always hear because of the clamor around us. In addition, we sometimes do not hear because we are not sure how to distinguish the voice of God from all the other voices we hear.  There are many other contending voices that can cause a sense of confusion and doubt, hence ...