Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff- Week 4

Hello everyone. Welcome to “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff” week 4. I know I keep saying this but I need to. Please remember that everything in quotation marks is straight from the book.

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“Nothing helps build our perspective more than developing compassion for others. Compassion is a sympathetic feeling. It involves  the willingness to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to take the focus off of yourself and to imagine what it would be like to be in someone else’s predicament, and simultaneously, to feel love for that person. It’s recognition that other people’s problems, their pain and frustrations, are every bit as real as our own - often worse. In recognizing this fact and trying to offer some assistance, we open our own hearts and greatly enhance our sense of gratitude.

Compassion is something you can develop with practice. It involves two things: intention and action. Intention simply means you remember to open your heart to others; you expand what and who matters, from yourself to other people. Action is simply the What do you do about it?  You might donate a little money or time ( or both ) on a regular basis to a cause near to your heart. Or perhaps you’ll offer a beautiful smile and genuine Hello to the people you meet on the street. It’s not so important what you do, just that you do something. As  Mother Treasa reminds us, “We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love.”

Compassion develops your sense of gratitude by taking your attention off of all the little things that most of us have learned to take too seriously . When you take time, often, to reflect on the miracle of life - the miracle that you are even able to read this book - the gift of sight,of love, and of all the rest, it can help to remind you that many things that you think of as big stuff are really just small stuff  that you are turning into big stuff.”

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Well thats all for today see you next week. 

                                 Sophie Shearman

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Friends, be still. Know that He is God. Even in the trials and tribulations you just need to rest and let God take control.

-Bryar

A Good Foundation

On December 11th, 1993 at approximately 1:35 pm, one of the three 12-story blocks of the Highland Towers apartment complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, collapsed following several days of heavy rainfall, killing 48 people. The prolonged rain caused severe soil saturation and slope failure, which undermined the building’s foundation and retaining structures, ultimately leading to the structural collapse.

This story reminds me of the parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24 – 27) where two people built houses. One of them built his house on a rock and the other one built his house of the sand. Then when the storm came, the house on the rock stood firm but the house on the sand fell. This parable is a good example on how if we build out life on God, we will stand firm but if we build it on things of this world, when the storms come, we will come crashing down.

The world is always changing weather it is trends, beliefs, or relationships. If we build our life on the world, it is like building a house on unsteady soil and when the soil shifts, cracks will appear in the house causing leaks and eventually leading to a collapse of the house. On the other hand, if we build our life on God, the world won’t be able to move it. 1^st Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now you might be wondering what a foundation it. According to dictionary.com, a foundation is the basis or groundwork of anything.If we let God be our foundation, we have a strong base to build out life on. This doesn’t mean that can do anything we want. Just like a normal building, if you build it wrong, it will collapse. 1^stCorinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. So what is the right way to build? Well look no further than the bible. When you study it, it will show you the correct way to build your life.

- Isaac S.