I Have a Dream

Each one of us can create and accomplish a dream that makes our world a better place.  We do this by looking into our hearts to discover our destiny, looking around us to determine who needs our special gifts, and looking upward to receive God's help in lifting, loving and serving others.

Martin Luther King knew that God loves all of his children, including those who are poor, black, or disenfranchised.  He changed the destiny of millions of people when he spoke up against injustice, racial bigotry, and inequality.  His determination to secure civil rights for all people in the United States though non-violent means inspires us to looks into our own hearts and speak up for justice, truth, and freedom.

You can make a difference!  Every one of us can lift another's burden, radiate goodness, and stand up for those around us who suffer.   Every one of us can leave a legacy of love, compassionate, and courage.

Consider these quotes by Martin Luther King:

“Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles;
Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.
Courage breeds creativity; Cowardice represses fear and is mastered by it.
Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency ask the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience ask the question, is it right? And there comes a time when we must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right.” 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”  

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” 

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”   

We can make a difference in our families, our neighborhoods, and our communities. We can be a beacon of hope to those who are oppressed, provide strong arms for those who falter, and shine our lights of goodness and mercy in a troubled world.  

We can speak up respectfully and powerfully in neighborhood meetings, city councils, and church classes.   We can visit the sick, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked.  Together and individually, we can make a difference.  

Let us begin today.



&copy Carol Brown

Peace-filled Thinking

When we center our thoughts on love, hope, and faith, we experience peace. In a world filled with messages of hate and despair, sometimes we find that we lose the sense of serenity that we seek, yet peace is available. Consider the words of Paul, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).

Paul teaches us how to turn negative thoughts into peace-filled ones in this simple statement. Here a few tips that may help you experience greater peace and happiness as you implement Paul's advice.

Give your worries to God.

All of us have concerns and troubles at times, and when we do, we need a Higher Power to help us. We can tell God about all of our worries and fears and then give them to Him. Let Him carry them. Let Him comfort us.

Ask for help.

Life is too hard to make it on our own. We need God's help. Ask Him specifically for the things you need. If you need help on a test, ask Him help you remember the things you've studied. If you need help in a relationship, ask Him what you can do to strengthen and sustain it? If you need help in solving a difficult problem, study out possible solutions and then ask God to confirm if your choice is the right one. He waits to listen and is the best Counselor ever!

Give thanks in all things.

Many times when we find we are discouraged and disheartened, we are forgetting to express gratitude for the blessings we have. Can you see? Give thanks. Can you walk? Give thanks. Can you hear? Give God praise for that gift. Can you smell, taste, breathe, laugh, and love? Thank God for those precious gifts. As we focus on what we have--and not on what we lack--we discover that we are rich in the things that really matter.

Ask God to guard your thoughts and feelings.

If you find yourself berating yourself or others, ask Him to give you compassion. If you find yourself condemning yourself or others, ask Him to give you mercy. If you find yourself losing hope, ask Him to strengthen your faith. Then, after you ask for His help, decide to change your thoughts. Think positively of yourself and others. Choose to forgive. Spend time each day praising God and remembering His many acts of kindness and tender mercy.

God wants us to be happy. As we center on thoughts on Christ, He will show us how to experience peace. We know apostle Paul suffered throughout his life with physical infirmities, and yet God used Him as a powerful instrument for good. Paul wrote that the Lord told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul replied, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me....For when I am weak, then am I strong."

May you find the peace this day that God is so eager to give you.

Amazing Grace

We remember the time when Christ asked the accusers of the adulterous woman to cast stones at her if they were without sin. The accusers departed in shame, and Jesus gently encouraged the woman to go and sin no more. I believe she was transformed by His love.

Christ befriended the Samaritan woman at a time when Samaritans were despised and hated by the Jews. She became one of His greatest advocates, spreading the word of the Messiah to her friends and neighbors and converting many with her testimony.

Even while suffering in agony on the cross, the great Jehovah plead with His Father to forgive the soldiers who crucified Him, saying that they knew not what they did. Now that is love!

Jesus taught that the merciful will receive mercy. Even though He promises us forgiveness of our sins if we repent and forgive others, it is so easy to judge others unrighteously. It is so easy to be unmerciful.

Think of the ways we judge others. Do we assume someone who is elegantly dressed is rich or a snob? Do we think that someone dressed in old, worn clothes is poor or lazy? Do we assume that a smart person is a nerd or that a mentally challenged person is a fool? Do we judge people by their religious, political, or cultural preferences? Do we diss others because of their race, appearance, or background? Do we assume that we are better or worse than another?

God says He is no respector of persons and that He doesn't play favorites. He asks us to love others as He loves us. He asks us to forgive.

Paul asked us to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. He told us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as God forgives us.

We can ask God to reveal those that you have not forgiven and then ask for His help in forgiving them. God does not expect us to forgive alone. He waits to help us.

When we hold on to bitterness, we live in fear. We feel anxious or angry, or both. When we forgive, we experience peace and serenity. We experience the perfect love of our Father and know true happiness.

Today let us choose mercy. Let us choose to share His amazing grace.
© Carol Brown