Joys of Pain 2018-57

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I remember a TV show, movie, or book where the man was, I think, a special forces soldier who was wounded/ hurt and he said, “Pain lets you know you are alive”.  I believe this is where this came from. I think now that that was, somewhat, BS, but it has a point to it here.

Joys of Pain  2018-57

Pain is not a joy of life

but instead a joy of knowing;

 

Knowing where the hurt

is located and finding it

 

Realizing where the

mind needs fulfilling

 

Seeing where the spot

needs fixed or repaired

 

Feeling where the heart

needs comfort with care

 

But most of all, the joy of pain

allows us to know we are living.

 

Den Betts     email: bettsden@gmail.com

Blog: thebettsden.com

Life’s Questions 2018-60

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We all have questions about life, to a degree, especially about life or the afterlife. It is great to have these questions, and doubting is a normal thing of existence. But, even if we do not get or have the answers, it is still a good thing to have questions.

Life’s Questions 2018-60

 

The equation in life is but a paradox,

It sits on the verge of reality.

A balance, a draw either way,

From knowing or being lost in a void.

Multitudes of signals transpire,

With highlights of supposition.

The answer is, but opinion,

One to be recognized for what it is.

It remains, as to who really knows all things,

Of life, with its totality of questions.

Only God knows for sure

the answers to what all ask, that all wonder.

Den Betts    email: bettsden@gmail.com  Blog: thebettsden.com

Submit and Surrender 2018-56

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Submit and Surrender!  2018-56

Sounds like a line from a TV show episode, but I am not referring to anything like that reference!

First off, allow me to define both words for you per Merriam Webster dictionary:

To Submit: To act always obedient, particularly to a master. This would be like a pet to an owner, or a slave to a master, but involves yielding oneself to the authority or will of another.

Surrender: to yield to the power, control or possession of another upon compulsion or demand. This would particularly be as a prisoner.

So, what do we do if we are going to submit ourselves to God and surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ? And, why should we do so? I realize that some could care less, but some do, so I will continue.

I have commented on this at one time, when I partook of a reaffirmation of my baptism. After the service was done, I declared that I was going to submit myself to God and surrender myself to Jesus Christ! I said this, but in hindsight, I was not sure of the exact meaning of what I said and what it entailed!

Since then, I have found that God is a demanding God. He does not want us to serve or submit to Him, because we are just supposed to do so. He WANTS us to do so, because we love Him!

Ok, I believe in Him and DO love him, yet I find that submitting to Him is a commitment; one that is difficult to do so in totality. It is making a commitment of ALL my energy, emotions, thoughts, and actions toward God.  Quite a package to consider!!!

I feel I am NOT doing what I could, to fulfill my commitment, but also believe, I AM working on it.  It is a slow process for me but one that I think is going in the right direction.

The same goes for surrendering myself to Jesus Christ. All that I have said about submitting to God applies to this surrendering to Jesus Christ.  I will NOT beat myself up in this matter, just make these statements.  I might hold myself to a high standard for doing these thing with God and Jesus, but feel they have a higher standard themselves for me.  So be it!

Therefore, I will Keep working on how to satisfy God and pray I have their help and understanding, which I really think they are doing for me.  I know one thing for sure!! I am a better person than what I was before, I have a deeper relationship with God and am feeling better about myself and others. I would NEVER have found this out, unless I made the first step toward becoming closer to God and in doing so, my life has been changed; changed forever.

I would suggest that you consider what I have stated above and give it some thought. I am on MY journey and it works for me.  I wish anyone reading this to begin their journey in any way that they feel comfortable, any way they feel good, and maybe, just maybe, they will find the contentment that I have found, the joy that I experience, in my journey.  It really is neat and wonderful………….

Thanks be to God!

Peace,
Den Betts            bettsden@gmail.com   Blog @:  thebettsden.com

God’s Gift 2018-55

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We all have a chance in life, and sometimes a second chance. If we do get another go of it, we should take advantage of what this is and improve. Hard to do sometimes, but great if we do so.   A gift is usually something given voluntarily without a payment in return and God does this many times to many people…….

God’s Gift   2018-55

God’s gift to me was life,

The beginning followed by rebirth

The many past years of living,

Plus a second chance on earth

From year one, till now, an experience,

Thought of, as one to succeed.

This period to reflect on past times

In ways of thought, words and deed

For now, my life is renewed with joy

But this time with insight, from today

It’s hard to change to a new lifestyle

From the old archaic way

But with this chance He has given me

I’ll be a better me, than was

Time will tell if I succeed in this

But God’s gift to me is thus.

To start over, renew, and rejoice

To give, to share, and enjoy this life

To look at living as a thing to treasure

And live each day as one with pleasure

 

Den Betts     Email: bettsden@gmail.com

Blog:  thebettsden.com

What and Who is FIRST 2018-54

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What/Who is First  2018-54

We, or most of us, have what is called “living rooms” in our homes! A fact!  I would say that many of us have “dens, kitchens, basement rooms” also. Some people hold dear or reserve the living room as a special place for visitors to sit and mingle with or socialize. It could then be called a “visiting room”, instead of a living room.

Some of us, could say our Lord God is good or an excellent choice for the visiting room in our home. This is where we could invite God to visit us on our terms, perhaps.  If we are any way religious, we could then go on Sunday and visit Him at the church, or visit him during devotional times there, but we do not live with Him on a regular basis, otherwise.

We do not hold God or Jesus Christ FIRST in our lives, but instead hold God just a little close, “in the vicinity”, maybe in the visiting room, but not FIRST.

Do we feel that we do not have time for God, other than, perhaps, the 1 to 2 hours spent on Sunday at church?  And, that is, if we do give Him time then, maybe we have a soccer game that is more important that day, instead? Do we then have a lack of commitment to placing God FIRST in our lives??

Therefore, God and Jesus are not that important for us and we prioritize other things that are more important in our lives, than Them.  Not untypical, somewhat of a fact for many of us.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ, involves putting Him and God, again, FIRST in our lives. This is NOT easy, but is important. This was asked by Jesus for us to do so, many times as written in the Scriptures.

Throughout scripture, Jesus mentions “FIRST” and nothing less than FIRST is where He belongs in our lives. NOT EASY, because we, and I too, take two steps forward and one backward in our journey of life in getting closer to Jesus or God.

It is easy to call myself a Christian, but much harder to live the life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and to also warrant the title of being a Christian. Could we start taking three steps forward, instead of just two and challenge ourselves to take more and more to become a better disciple and Christian?

I would think so, and I would also think that God would like that to happen. Too many excuses, too many outside influences and things that pull us toward them and not toward Them.  In this modern world we live in things are different than what they were before. Before what!? Before HiDef- TV’s, IPads, PC’s, X-Boxes, Smart Phones, and all the rest of the electronic and Hi-Tech items that now control us in our everyday life. Perhaps they have become our gods to replace the one God of the Universe!????????

 

Peace,
Den Betts            Email:    Bettsden@gmail.com    Blog Site:  thebettsden.com

Y in the Road 2018-53

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Y in the Road  2018-53

A “Y” in the road to ponder about, contemplate and think about.

Which way to go, and, do we think of, what will happen if the one we take is wrong?

What will be, will not be, if the other is trodden instead!

At the end, an always present way of life will occur.

 

Feet stir up dust of memories, not realized from the path not taken,

Creating puddles of dust by the door, not opened.

A journey begins with a decision, and a decision not made, affects the outcome.

Tis not easy to live with a bad judgement, but, better to make a dubious one than not at all.

 

Sometimes we get a second chance of life to retrace our path, and with the retread, a better life will

prevail, with not much time or effort wasted; hopefully!

BUT, not taking a chance, insures no guarantee that our lives will be improved,

The journey begins with one step, then another, and finally,

An end to the mysteries of life will prevail.

 

The mysteries! Something to think about, something to actually do, to experience. What will be the

outcome of we change our ways of life, or at least modify them? We can become complacent in life and

continue down the road of mediocrity and do the same old things the same old way.   OR, we can burst

out of our shell that keeps us imprisoned in a life style of everyday similar experiences. 

 

This can be scary, or at least, intimidating. To not try something because of the risk of failure or feeling

that we will not succeed or become different is normal, but if we do not become what we want, then so

what!!!!  We tried, and in the trying, we might become better than what we are today.

Something to think about!!!!!!!

 

 

Peace,
Den Betts                  Email: bettsden@gmail.com     Blog site: thebettsden.com

Sleep Like Death 2018-52

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Sleep like Death    2018-52

 

When we retire at night and finally go to sleep, is this like when we die? When we do not dream, we are existing in a lockout of feelings and sensorial input. We do NOT have our normal senses having any input which would affect us in some way.

We do NOT smell the roses in the room, hear the clock tick, feel the covers tickling our ear, see the fly on the wall, taste the mouthwash we used before bed, or have any emotional feelings to dwell on our mind.   We are, in essence, in a dark void of being.

Is this like death, or nonexistence in relation to living such as the “long sleep” of life or slumber? I don’t think so, of course.  Perhaps it would look the same to someone observing us in sleep who could compare our inert body to one that is dead.

In sleep mode, there is an awakening (hopefully). In that time frame, our eyes open and the realization of life continues. I believe, that, when we die and are definitely dead, we also have an awakening, but in a different way.

We do not have a body shell to have and experience the earthly senses.  We do not have the pains, if any before, that the body had as a human existence. Nor do we now have the other sensorial stimulations. Our “being” is now a soul, based entity, that does not require the senses, but does have the feelings of the mind we had and memories of Self.

Our capabilities, as such, will evolve and they will be enhanced. We will not be strumming on harps, while floating on a fluffy cloud in the sky. Instead, we have entered the realm of being that is truly unknown to us.

I cannot know how it is after we pass on to continue our journey, but I hope and pray it will be a wonderful occurrence, which we all will like and appreciate. I could add that there is a stated cost involved and is written in the Scripture gospels, which detail exactly what is expected.

My journey to get closer to God, is a long time and term commitment and one that involves my doing things that I never did before. It is a wonderful trip of life that makes me feel better in ways I never imagined. It gives me peace about myself that I never expected and a feeling towards others that I never had before. I now have insight about many things that were foreign to me in the past and that is sort of great.  So, there are benefits to becoming a follower of God that has ramifications unknown and I would never have experienced them unless I took the first step of the journey. Thanks be to God!!!

Peace,

Den Betts      email:  bettsden@gmail.com   The Blog site:  thebettsden.com

From the Past to the Future and Beyond 2018-51

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From the Past to the Future & Beyond 2018- 

We know of our existence of when and where we are NOW; that is evident! We breathe in the present and with expelling, the lung vapors become the past; the past of what was in life.

The past is what was, for us, of course.  All the hopes then, of what will be, are now the history of what our wish to be was and perhaps, is now, not…. (OK, a little confusing, but continue)

We hang onto our dreams of those things that might be, hopefully…  Nobody can take our dreams away, only us. When our dreams become something in the yesterday of our lives, they cannot be brought back. They remain aspirations of what will become and what will not become, and the choice is ours. The key to our dreams becoming reality is what we do in the present. 

Up – Down – Left – Right –  Forward or Backward are decisions of how we can change what is now to become what it is in the past.

Our past will always be there to remind us of what was in life.  We own it!!! Our future has not yet occurred, so we are in control of it, to a degree.

The present is what we control, to make the future dreams again, become a reality.  The present is but a Nano-second of time, between the past and the future.

Time is something to cherish.  IT should be spent wisely with forethought, before making a commitment in doing something that might change our lives forever.

Using the present to bemoan the past is wasteful and does no good. Redirecting the present to make a change for the future, may well reap benefits beyond imagination.

The future is waiting so, once more, use time wisely and use the past as a time frame type reference for knowledge today and as a learning tool in life for tomorrow. But, the present, although fleeting, is where we can create what we want and make our dreams become the way of life.

What we believe in for the past, is also a precursor to the future, or at least, a continuation of life to a degree. I do NOT know, have NO insight as to how our past actions or beliefs WILL affect our existence, and that is a fact.  So, does our past beliefs that have been succeeded by our present beliefs in God, now dictate how our future will aspire for us?  I will state for the record, not sure, but think I know!!

We could have been unbelievers then, but by turning that around 180 degrees, we could now have a different aspect of living. With a new way of thinking of both our being and of a higher being, this may give us an extension to join with the Extreme Being of the Universe – God.

This will involve not just an end to our earthly existence, but instead welcome us to a hereafter of continuation of life.  Not necessarily as the human form we inhabit now on earth, but a soul driven state of intellect, beyond comprehension. I welcome this adventure sometime and look at this as something to experience. 

Peace,

Den Betts               bettsden@gmail.com

Being Truthful/ Honest 2018-50

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Being Truthful/Honest   2018-50                                            4-28-18 Post

Truth is tied in with honesty, but both can be difficult to acknowledge and live with in life. I would think that we MUST be honest, when we say we are truthful.

It is my opinion that many people are NOT always honest with others and, in essence, not truthful at times in our dealings with those others. Perhaps we THINK we are, when we are not; something to think about, I guess. I MUST include myself in this, because of my being human and subject to  life’s foibles .  Is not saying something to a person lying by omission? Yeh, probably or absolutely……

This may be a defense to protect ourselves from “the others” or in effect, hide from the truth when we are communicating our thoughts.

On the other hand, we could be “too truthful” in our discussions. Who would want to be told that the mole on the end of the nose of “the other” looks hideous. Too much truth can hurt people emotionally and that would be cruel by telling the truth as YOU see it.

BUT, being honest in a good way can be helpful also.  Maybe the other needs to hear the truth at times, which could help them in the long run. I don’t know if someone would “want” to be lied to instead of hearing a factual truthful thought, but perhaps so.

On the other hand, after having a horrible accident that left me with some memory loss, I found that NOT telling outright lies was beneficial to me; I did not have to remember lies.  I was then subject to having anyone say I said something where I did not.  Did this happen? Not that I am aware of, which tells a lot about those I deal with; all great people. IF someone did lie to me, on purpose of course, I would be mortified and my feelings toward that person would degrade to the lowest of a low point in life. 

I also believe that with being truthful and honest, lends itself to being respected.  If someone is truthful and it is known that they can be depended on to be accurate to all, they would earn respect by many. We are dealing with someone today that lies a lot and I do not respect that person at all. For one thing lies can be found out so easily that to do so, is just plain stupid. It is sad in a way.

If everyone were to be honest with others, it would be a different world. I, myself, want the truth, and may resent hearing it, but in the long run, I can deal with it and its ramifications.

Peace,

Den Betts            bettsden@gmail.com

Quotes from the Terminator 2018-49

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Some quotes from the Terminator 2018-49 

Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.   

Political courage is not political suicide.  

I’m sure a lot of people out there make mistakes.  

Arnold Schwarzenegger