Anger

"Don't sin by letting anger gain control of you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry." - Ephesians 4:26-27

It is almost an instinctive reaction to let anger well up inside of me when someone says or does something that I find insulting. While this is a violation of my boundaries, I don't have to lower myself to the level of emotional abuse. I can remain above it, and decide not to take it to heart and not to retaliate.

I need to take a detached view of what is happening and cultivate an attitude of peace and serenity. I will not let myself get involved emotionally. And I need to do it before the steam of the argument builds up, otherwise it might lead to an explosion. "Time out" is sometimes necessary, like leaving the room or even leaving the house. If I let anger take possession of me and dicate my words and actions, I will lose control and inflict damage onto myself and others, even innocent bystanders like children. These traumas can take a lifetime to be undone.

If I refrain myself from harbouring vengeful thoughts, I am doing myself and others a favour, because resentment can build into a storm. It can turn into a savage attack on another human being, leaving deep emotional scars on all those involved at the time. What sort of person do I really want to be? I need to make this decision right now, not later. Do I want to be loving, caring and have a good life? Then I need to plan things accordingly, and maybe it is time take action...

"And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." Matthew 5:30

All the best,

from Isa

Painting by irmastarr

Start Every Day with Hope in your Heart

“There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen (Anthem - from his album The Future)

Let the light come in through the cracks of your being. Allow the positive energy of hope to infuse you today. Bask in it, bathe in it, let it penetrate every pore of your skin.

Hope is at your fingertips. Forget your regrets about yesterday, and forget your worries about tomorrow. Become totally lost in the present. That's where your point of power is, right here, in the now.

Every day brings with it unlimited possibilities, new challenges and choices that are yours to make. Allow the grace and beauty of a new sunrise to touch your soul. Remove your shackles, let go of yesterday's sadness and grief. There is so much love and joy around you, but it's up to you to allow it into your experience.

Hope is an expectation in your heart of good things to come. No matter what problem you're facing right now, you know that it will get better. You trust the Universe to be on your side and give you the answers you need. You trust that no matter how desperate a situation is, improvement is always possible. You trust that after the rain, there will be sunshine again...

Hope is a burning flame that will never go out. Hope is life itself, it's what keeps us going, no matter what we're going through. Our wishes are there to come true...

Bye for now,

Isa

Painting by Peter Rowntree

You have the Power to Change your Life

By recognising that we're powerless over other people and their behaviour, we regain our power over our own lives.

I might not have the ability to change others, but I can change my life, and I can change my circumstances, by modifying my outlook on them and taking action accordingly. These choices belong entirely to me, no matter what anyone else says or does.

Improvement begins once we stop attempting to control the uncontrollable. Then our real power emerges. We have the power to change our lives. These choices are in our hands, at any time. Decisions are never perfect and always involve a risk, but this is the nature of life itself. If we knew for sure that our decisions were 100 % correct, it would take away the excitement, wouldn't it? Change brings with it hope and positive expectations.

Don't look back. Follow your gut feelings. Decisions are not always made overnight, they take time to grow and develop. But you'll know within yourself when you're ready to take the plunge. This is your life, so make the most of it...

All my blessings,

from Isa.

Butterfly Woman Painting by Amethyst Wyldfyre

What's the Worst that Could Happen?

We humans tend to worry about everything and anything. We envisage the worst possible scenarios. We forget to enjoy the present moment, while obsessing about things that haven't happened yet and that might never happen.

Let's imagine that I quit my job, because of the stress and dissatisfaction I was experiencing at work. After a while, when I've used up all my savings, I begin to worry: "What if I can't afford my house, my car or my credit repayments?" "What if I lose my home?" But what if I don't? These things might not necessarily occur. But as long as I concentrate on the lack of job and the lack of money, these aspects will prevail in my life, because my thoughts keep me stuck in a place of fear and anxiety.

I need to ask myself, "What's the worst that could happen?" and how I would react. Surely, it would not be the end of the world if I lost my car or my credit card. As I focus on the positive aspects of my life, I will have a sense of relief and will begin to feel better. For instance, because I have a healthy body and mind, I realize that I am rich compared to a lot of people who are not as lucky as I am. Like the saying goes, "I complained that I had no shoes until I met someone who had no feet."

Relax. Stop worrying. Remember that when you're down, you can only go up. When things are bad, they can only get better. Improvement is the natural order of the universe. There is always hope, no matter how desperate your situation seems to be right now. Ask your Higher Power for guidance. In the meantime, distract yourself to take your mind off of your troubles. Go for a walk, spend time with your kids or with friends, read a book, watch a movie, do some cooking or cleaning. Be playful and cultivate a sense of humor!

"I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have... I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at any time." (Philippians 4:11-12)

All my love,
Isa

Painting: "Carefree" by Nancy Davidson

Forgiveness

In his heartbreaking book "The Tears of my Soul", Sokreaksa Himm recounts how his entire family and himself were led to execution by the Khmer Rouge in the late seventies. They were marched to a shallow grave in the jungle and hacked to death with hoes by a group of ruthless brainwashed thugs. Miraculously, he survived the ordeal (he was only eleven years old), buried by the bodies of his father, sisters and brothers, including his baby brother, while the soldiers walked away, laughing... Later while hiding in the bushes, he watched his older sister and mother also being butchered and thrown into the grave. Along with an older sister who was in a different village at the time of the massacre, and was spared due to a spelling mistake, Sokreaksa is the only member of a large united family to survive the Cambodian killing fields.

Sokreaksa was from a traditional Buddhist background, and for a long time he could not come to terms with his ordeal. The concept of Karma only made him feel worse, as he felt that he was being blamed for what had happened to him and his family, due to something he did in a previous life. He finally turned to God and Jesus, because he felt that above all he needed forgiveness if he was to continue living. He found that Jesus offered him the unconditional love and forgiveness he was seeking, in order to find hope and a renewed purpose in life.

Here are some quotes from Sokreaksa's mesmerising book, that I read in one sitting:

"The people who killed my family were evil, and they should be punished... Yet I needed to forgive them - not for their sake, but for my own. As long as I was unable to forgive, that fire burned in my heart."

"My refusal to forgive meant that I never gained internal peace, and that ball of fire continued to consume me."

"As I gave up my desire for revenge, and pulled out the root of hatred, anger and bitterness from my heart, I was journeying towards forgiveness, and the healing of my soul and the wiping away of its tears."

"I couldn't do this for myself... I needed a power outside myself, and that power was the love of God."

"Forgiveness has released me from the emotional torment that burned within me for years, and now my heart is lighter and my spirit has peace."

Isa

Cambodian painting by Hor Many

Stop Playing the Game of Blame

We can achieve so much just by changing our thoughts. This is something we can all do, regardless of our personality or level of education. All we need is to be willing to give it a go. Right now, we can decide to stop playing the game of blame, to stop being a victim of people and circumstances.

When something goes wrong in our lives, it's a spontaneous reaction to blame others. But pointing the finger at them is not going to change anything about our predicament. On the contrary, it keeps us stuck in a place of feeling miserable and sorry for ourselves. Sometimes, it's a relief to have a good cry, or to beat a pillow, pretending it's the person or event that we hate. But in the end, we need to figure out how we can improve the situation ourselves, because others will not do it for us, no matter how much we complain to them and accuse them of wrongdoings.

Once we realise that we can change for the good and release our animosity, it's incredible what we can accomplish. We can take our power back into our own hands, instead of handing it over to others.

Blame yourself and you will foster shame, regrets and low self-esteem. Blame others and you will end up hating them. But what happens when we stop playing the game of blame? What happens when we stop blaming anyone for anything? Miracles of acceptance and forgiveness, miracles of love. Joy replaces resentment in our hearts, and hope replaces despair. We'll finally feel at peace with ourselves and others, and reap the rewards from our new way of thinking. These are the true prizes in life: treasures in heaven, which cannot be destroyed by rust or moths...

All my love,
Isa.

Painting: "Australian Outback" by Vitbich.

Self-Mastery is the Goal that God Wishes us to Attain

In her breathtaking novel "Twilight", Stephenie Meyer introduces her controversial character Edward Cullen, a "good" vampire. Edward talks a lot about his determination to overcome his urge to drink blood. A model-looking Adonis, he is madly in love with Bella Swan, an ordinary human teenager, but thirsts for her blood, as she gives off the most delicious scent, like the bouquet of an exceptional wine...

Edward uses the self-mastery skills that his "father" Carlisle taught him over eight decades to overcome his lust for Bella's blood. This is his weakness, his addiction, and one part of him, the monstrous part, wants to sink his teeth into her, but the other part in him stops him from doing it. It's the good in him, his conscience, the day-by-day abstinence that his father taught him. To Edward, it's a commitment that he's made, and that he doesn't want to deviate from, no matter what... He knows that he would hate himself if he gave in to his urge. He also feels genuine compassion for his victim as well as for her family. He decided a long time ago that he would no longer take any more innocent lives. He almost needs superhuman strength to overcome his strong impulse to throw himself at beautiful Bella and have a feast.

As the novel progresses, he falls deeply in love with Bella, who is very smart and has a good sense of humour, despite being awfully clumsy and accident-prone. This feeling is reciprocated, and Bella can't get him out of her head any more. But Edward is worried and wants nothing more than to protect her from danger. The ultimate act of self-mastery is when he has to suck venom out of her hand, and has to stop in time or he would drink up her whole blood, which would be her death sentence. He needs to do this because of vampire venon that was injected into her by James. James is an evil vampire, the equivalent of a serial and obsessional killer, who stalks Bella and sets everything up to kill her and "drink" from her without remorse. Fortunately, he is thwarted in his attempt at the last minute by Edward and his family of "good" vampires.

As humans we are weak, that's why the Lord Prayer tells us: "Do not lead us into temptation". We are fallible; we never know for sure how we will react to any given situation. Self-control is a Divine skill that we need to practice every day. Just like Edward stops himself from drinking blood, we need to stop ourselves from doing things that are counterproductive, such as getting angry at our loved ones and lashing out at them. We need to be careful not to destroy ourselves with substances that are harmful to us. We need to control our urge to spend money on unnecessary luxuries.

We need to be careful not to do things that we might regret later on. Taking time to think is essential. It won't stop us from being spontaneous. After all, we can always be spontaneously charitable, and give money, time or praise to those who need it the most. Compassion always begins at home, and our loved ones are the people we can practice our self-mastery skills with. We don't have to go to University to learn this.

I believe that evil does not naturally dwell in the world, in people, or in events. Evil is the by-product of the absence of the Love of God. Evil happens because people are not happy with themselves. It also happens because of laziness, distraction and forgetfulness. It happens when we're not focused, when we've lost touch with our Higher Power, our True Selves, our True Purpose in life. Mistakes happen, but we can learn from them. We have good days, and we have bad days. This is normal, and no reason to beat up on ourselves. Every mistake is a learning opportunity, a chance to correct ourselves, to make amends, to choose a better course of action next time.

Once we remember that our goal is spiritual progress and self-mastery, we'll strive to be our very best selves. The secret is to never give up, never get discouraged. There is always hope, always light at the end of the tunnel. You will succeed eventually, without doubt, and you will be happy...

All the best with love and blessings,
from Isa.











Painting: "Eye Vitrail" by Jacques d'Auteuil,2007