Where Do We Go From Here?

Let me start off by saying that no matter what your beliefs are or what route you take to assure your place in eternity, there is no wrong way! Just consider yourself and everyone else as the outer part of a wagon wheel and the spokes as the routes we take. We all come from different directions but our destinations are all the same. Some of us are raised catholic and some protestant, some of us are even raised with no religious beliefs at all and are left to discover on our own exactly what our purpose on earth is all about. For many years I struggled with the idea of, was there a God (when times were tough) and thanking him (when things went extremely well) You see, all through my younger years I dealt with an extremely violent father, a mother who desserted her 4 young children, along with sexual abuse and ultimately chronic depression. It was'nt until I tried to take my own life, I had a dream with a voice in it that said "Tim, why do you punish yourself so?" I responded with "what do you mean by that, it is God who is punishing me what did I do to deserve this?" then the voice said "God does not punish, God teaches and gives us guidance, but punishing is not what he does. He gives us a choice to deal with adversity in the way that allows us to learn" and in my case the reality of this did not manifest it self until many years later when I decided to take an inventory of my life and discovered that I had a knack for attracting those less fortunate than I and being able to perform that one act of random kindess that would in one way or another make their lives, if not for one day or a lifetime just a little better.It was then that I began to understand that when we make mistakes in life it is ourselves that do the punishing and not God. You see (and this is only my opinion) as Einstiens theory of relativity states "for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction" also pertains to the choices we make in life! Many times in our life we like to needlessly punish ourselves for making the wrong choice and wasting precious time suffering guilt and depression, when in reality the laws of karma will decide whether we are to suffer or not and that life should go on (with great reflection on our past short comings) and to spend less time worrying about whether or not the last decision we made was good or bad and consentrate on how to make the most of what we have been given. Life is too short to put the weight of the world on your shoulders. Instead, think of how a simple "how are you" or "have a wonderful day" could have a positive effect on another human beings day and and how it can remind you that it only takes one random act of kindness to let us know that we can make a difference in ours and everyone elses life that we touch! Remember, "That which we do will return to us" whether it be good or bad.

Please remember that In our deepest, darkest hour when we feel as though we have'nt a friend in the world, there is one who will lead us out of the darkness and show us that life does have meaning and that the lives of those for whom we give a kind word or gesture to, will effects us for the rest of our lives.