They Fear You Because You Are Strong

by Conscious Reminder 2016

Maybe they’re afraid of you because you are too honest at time when people are attracted by sweet-talkers and manipulators who make lies sound better than the truth. Maybe your truth is too bitter for those who don’t want to feel and taste your genuine self- the people who only want the cherry on the top of the cake.
      They might feel threatened by you because you  know exactly what you want in life, when the rest of them feel lost in their search. They might be so caught up in their insecurities, that they reject everybody who follows their own path. Even worse, they might be simply used to being in the company of  people who are insecure and have no idea who they actually are.
    Maybe they’re just afraid of you because you don’t want to take part in their games where everybody is so consumed by winning, and those who refuse to participate are considered losers. In this case, you’re probably surrounded by people who became experts in playing this game, that they don’t want to go back and try again because that would mean that they’re at the start line all over again.
      They might be afraid because you say things that they don’t want to hear; and it’s totally normal since they got used to the lies that they have been served for so long. These people believe in the image they created of themselves, not in who they really are. Maybe your words sound so unfamiliar to them that they simply don’t understand them or don’t believe in them.
       Maybe you scare them because you pay attention. You don’t forget what they said when they were angry or vulnerable; you pay attention to their eyes and body language and the tone of their voice and gestures. Maybe they’re not used to being seen or heard and your attention makes them feel uncomfortable, because it means that they have to take the mask off.
      Maybe they’re scared of you because you are aware of their fears, and yet you are not being overly cautious. Maybe you’re carefree with your heart and feelings, and they don’t know how to cope with them; it confuses them. They actually can’t deal with anything that affects their routine and reality. Maybe your heart rate is a bit faster and they can’t keep up.
      Maybe they’re afraid of you because you don’t need them; because they know you can survive without them; because they know you won’t wait for them; because they know you stand up for yourself; because they know you won’t be just another number in their phone book.
       Maybe they’re afraid of you because you appreciate yourself; because you’re strong enough to let go and leave and that you are smart enough to know your value. Maybe they got so used to the pedestal that they’ve been put on that have no idea how to function nowhere else.
     Regardless of the reasons, keep scaring them. Keep scaring them with your sincerity, with your strength, your goodness, love, understanding, with your words, with your eyes with your presence, and your ability to read them. Keep reading until you find somebody as brave as yourself. The one who won’t be afraid of you; someone as scary as you.

Yin Yang Symbol

This symbol is known to most people. However, I believe its true meaning is lost on most individuals. This symbol represents the equal amount of light and dark that is inside every individual at all times. It also represents every situation you will ever find yourself in. Every situation will either be good or bad. However, as you can see there is a ball of good and bad on both sides. Why? The balls represent the small amount of good or bad that accompanies both situations. Meaning if you look hard enough you will find something bad in every good thing that happens. It also means that if you look hard enough you will find something good in every bad thing that happens. What often happens in life is that individuals have good things happen to them and they will focus so much energy on that little black ball that it begins to grow until you end up on the other side and you have all bad and a small ball of good. The good news is the same thing can be done when bad things happen. If you choose to focus on the small good that is ALWAYS present in every bad situation then it will grow until you find yourself on the other side. Life is about choices and perspective and if we choose to focus on negativity then that will be our life, but if we choose focus on the good even when its a small ball that is barely visible. The light will always find a way to get brighter!

May compassion find your heart!

Christopher Laurent

Prayer

“And when you pray, don’t babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. You, therefore, pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven! May your Name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us the food we need today. Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us. And do not lead us into hard testing, but keep us safe from the Evil One. For kingship, power and glory are yours forever. Amen .’ For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours. Mattityahu (Mat) 6:7‭-‬15 CJB https://bible.com/bible/1275/mat.6.7-15.CJB

I have always been bothered by prayer for some reason, and when I compared this version to the kJV it appears different to me. This version seems to really bring out our humility and emphasize how we are to be forgiving, humble and non-judgmental. This seems to be an issue with Christian's today. I do find it interesting that these verses say don't bable and God already knows, yet public prayer and babling is pushed in churches all over the world. I've always felt I conversate with God all the time. People tell me I shouldn't talk to myself it's not healthy, but how can I be talking to myself if God is always with us? Why would he not be listening to me?

Stages of Faith

I found this article awhile back and thought it was interesting and worth sharing. Faith is an important phenomenon throughout history and how we approach it has shapped our world. Personally I find myself on stage 6, but I see many people around me content at stage 5 and some even get angry with me about my acceptance of other Faith's.

           Stages of faith
         By James W. Fowler

1. Intuitive-Projective: a stage of confusion and of high impressionability through stories and rituals. (Pre-school period)

2. Mythic-Literal: a stage where provided information is accepted in order to conform with social norms. (School-going period)

3. Synthetic-Conventional: In this stage the faith acquired is concreted in the belief system with the forgoing of personification and replacement with authority in individuals or groups that represent one's beliefs. (Early-late adolescence)

4. Individuative-Reflective: In this stage the individual critically analyzes adopted and accepted faith with existing systems of faith. Disillusion or strengthening of faith happens in this stage. Based on needs, experiences and paradoxes. (Early adulthood)

5. Conjunctive faith: In this stage people realize the limits of logic and, facing the paradoxes or transcendence of life, accept the "mystery of life" and often return to the sacred stories and symbols of the pre-acquired or re-adopted faith system. This stage is called negotiated settling in life. (Mid-life)

6. Universalizing faith: This is the "enlightenment" stage where the individual comes out of all the existing systems of faith and lives life with universal principles of compassion and love and in service to others for upliftment, without worries and doubt. (Middle - late adulthood (45-65yrs and plus)

     There is no hard-and-fast rule that requires individuals pursuing faith to go through all six stages. There is a high probability for individuals to be content and fixed in a particular stage for a lifetime; stages from 2-5 are such stages. Stage 6 is the summit of faith development. This state is often considered as "not fully" attainable.

A Time to Rest

   So many people today are so caught up in their lives they forget to just stop and enjoy it. I believe we have made celebrating things too stressful and too unimportant.  We have days devoted to resting and enjoying life such as: Sunday, birthdays, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Sabbath. However, these days and the days leading up to them are so stressful that instead of being days of joy and rest, they are stressful and unhappy events. There are days set aside in the bible and each one serves a specific purpose. Christmas and Easter do not significantly teach God’s stories and we do not truly stop and take the entire day to enjoy life and the people going through it with us. We are creatures of habit and always looking for something to do. We are supposed to appreciate the people that God has placed in your life for we do not know exactly how long they will be there with you along this journey we call life. For we will all eventually pass away and leave those we have cared for and impacted behind. It is up to us to take the time to enjoy and appreciate the life God has given us by relaxing and enjoying the time we spend with one another.

Abortion

Abortion has been a touchy subject for awhile now and people on both sides of the argument have some good points. There are many here in America that want much stricter laws, the question is how stricter are we gonna be. Just read this article and see if this is the future you want for your daughters and son's.
Huff post article.

          The question constantly asked is "should we allow women to abort their babies?" However, my question is, why do they want to? You see abortion is giving up on a human being you have the potential to experience so much joy with. How can someone do that? Well, have you ever been pregnant by someone that raped you? Have you ever been raped? Ever thought of how you would of reacted if it did come back positive? I would like to get into this more. 

           However, there is another side of this coin that must be addressed. Why did the man feel that he had the right to take advantage of that woman? See many men don't realize just how bad things have gotten. I cannot go anywhere without meeting a woman that has been sexually assaulted by a man at one point in their lives. Women are not property no matter how old or sacred your religious text is. If it encourages harm to any group of humans it is not fully inspired by GOD. Too often women are seen as the property of men or inferior in some way to a man. There is no inferior sex, we are different for a reason. These differences help us balance things out and teach us the art of co-operation. Just ask anyone that has been in a long-term relationship. If both parties do not do what they are good at, they will not succeed. If this is the case then how is what the man doing more important than what the woman is doing. Sexism and the popular notion that women are in some way inferior to a man has been going on for centuries. What if the sudden rise in LGBTQ community is gods way of teaching us once and for all just how similar we really are. If a man can become a woman, a woman can become a man, and we can all achieve the same things in life. How can one be inferior to the other? They can't, this is why we must teach our young men how to respect women and to understand that there must be boundaries kept unless given strict permission by the woman. There are too many men who see women as objects to be won and do not respect a woman enough to accept rejection.
      "Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him."
-Mathew Henry-
        If we want to stop abortions we can't abolish and criminalize it. We must legalize it and study why these women even want the abortions. Then we must take measures to teach our young men how to treat women with compassion and respect. If everyone respects each other and stop making excuses for our own lust and hunger for dominance we can remove the desire for abortions and only have them when all other options have been taken. 

         Sincerely,

Christopher Laurent