“To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
~ Luke 8:18
“Because you are alive, everything is possible.” A very profound lesson from the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. Often, we focus on what we do not have and miss out on all the blessings that come just from being alive. And when we do not use or appreciate the things that we have, we lose them. The opposite is true, when we use and appreciate the things we have, what we have tends to increase and to prosper. Indeed, to anyone who has, more is given and from who who has not even what he seems to have is taken away.
Here is something I wrote four years ago:
There is always the danger and temptation of creating God in my own image and likeness, of wanting to lead a life according to my own script. And just when I think I really know God or my life is going on as I believe it should; something happens to shake me out of my delusion that I am in control. During such times, my faith gets shaken and I have my doubts. God is in control. One thing I am realizing is that a faith that is untested is a weak faith. Just as muscles atrophy when not used, so does my faith fades when untested. If I do not ‘use’ or exercise my soul or spirit, I lose it. I do not pray for God to take away pain and suffering in my life. I should welcome the heartaches I go through – most of them minor, some major; some are self-inflicted, others are burdens I have to carry for others; some are physical, others are emotional and still others are spiritual. I pray instead for the courage to face them, strength to bear them and the perseverance in my faith that God is creating me in His image and likeness by forging me into someone better just as a blacksmith forges iron through fire and hammer to transform it into steel.
“Lord, thank you for the gift of life. It is so rich and so abundant, I dare not ask for anything more.”