” Cultivation “

• Not The  Only  One  !
• Post #84
• 15 Jun 23
•                          ” Cultivation “
• Howdy!
• Thanks again for being there.  I’m not this deep  tremendous  thinker, but I  enjoy  reading  and  listening to  people  who are, or that I  view as such. I  believe  that it’s a part of our journey  to grow and  learn  new things . I  often  think  that  we over think this as it has  to be some great  earth shadowing  or shaking knowledge . I will  sometimes  refer to this as getting   a new crease in my brain,  as in  it has developed something  new, and changes the neurological pathways in which my brain thinks and receives information, because I  have  introduced something new. It may or may not be exciting,  and in the grand  scheme of  things  , it may appear to be quite insignificant.  If  you  only  learn  that your  latest grandchild took  their  first  step today,  on their  way to  learning how to walk,  that is new knowledge that you  didn’t  possess  just twenty-four  hours before.  It is  often the  ordinary or sometimes  mundane things  in life that  has the greatest  impact on  us.  I mean,  when  I  was in school many  years ago,  I learned  that light travels through  space at the speed of  approximately  186, 000  miles per second, and that is fascinating,  but  I  can’t  tell you the last time that I  used  that  piece of  information,  or have  it come up in  a conversation.  How many of us, have  ever  given  much thought to  the fact  that light travels  through  space, but that sound  does not.  I’m told that if it did the constant  eruptions  of the sun would  be  crippling.  No matter,  once again,  if I’m not in some scientific  arena, where that information  is pertinent,  then  it’s just  trivia and something  that I would  never use, unless I  found  myself on some game show☺️☺️ . Now  ,that other  little  piece of  information  about  a grandchild’s first steps  is  something that  I  may  share over  and over  again within  my spear of influence ,family,  social groups,  or work colleagues. In fact that  piece of  information  ,you will  probably  carry  with you until  your dying days. Yet ,while  it may  seem  irrelevant or insignificant,  it  is of more revelent because  of  its importance to  you . Currently,  now, both of my off spring  are  in  their  early  thirties and I  can  remember  so much in detail about their  childhoods over twenty or twenty-five  years ago,  but often  struggle  to  remember  what  I had for breakfast  yesterday or last  night’s  dinner☺️☺️. I called this one cultivation,, because we all cultivate and develop story lines each and every day  in our  lives,  whether we realize it or not. I am one of those people who  believes that we often  find what we are looking  for  in  life ,as long as  it’s not that pot of gold at end of the rainbow ☺️☺️.  I have   known  many people,  including  myself  from  time to time who will  sow negative  speech  and  thoughts  into  their  daily lives. I  mean  we have  all experienced  some  disappointment or failures   in life that has led us to the occasional pity party. I’m not talking about  that so much,  but as I am for people  who have  made this their  daily  outlook  on  life.  The loom and doom is just  written  all over their  faces  and when  you see them  you pretty  much  want to  go in the opposite direction.  I  think once before on occasion I mentioned a  charter  named “Sleptrock” ,,and  he was from the  show or cartoon the Flintstones.  He was a person  who  walked  through life in  a perpetual state of  gloom and doom, accompanied by  his own  personal  rain cloud that  followed him around  equipped with  lightning ☺️☺️. This is  next level  ” Murphy’s  Law ” stuff, and  his perspective  was if it was bad  and  it could  happen,  then  it would happen to  him. I  often wonder how many of us  walk through  life like Sleptrock,  looking  for  or expecting the worst to happen or take  place. I  mean  like we don’t  want to  think of ourselves  as  Chicken Littles,   running around   shouting  about the  sky is falling , but  if we walk through life  always  expecting or waiting for the  other  shoe to drop, doesn’t that define us as a negative Nelly or  at least buy us memberships  into pessimist are us☺️☺️.  I said earlier that I  believe in general that we find  what  we  are  looking for in life  , on some  level ,it may  not be on the grand scheme that we imagined in our mind, but  pay dirt none the less. There is the whole  thing  about  shoot for the moon and if you  don’t  get there at least you would be  amongst the  stars. That is just  faulty  thinking or at least  bad science, since the stars are most often beyond the  moon. I’m also  not talking about  some silly or sappy  pie in the sky mentality . I  think if we look  for, expect and cultivate  good  things in our lives,  then  generally that is what we will  find.  This is often  about  our outlook or perspective on life. I  believe that the majority of us  are  familiar  with  the forest for the trees  analogy,  but rarely  give it much  consideration.  So, if  I’m standing  two feet  in front  of  a hundred  year old oak tree,  then  it’s going to  obstruct my view of  many things that  lay behind  it or just beyond it. If I  increase the  distance  between myself and the  hundred year old oak, , things can  become  much more  clear or visible,  as in the rest of the forest  behind the  oak. So sometimes we can  be to close to  something to appreciate other things  in life. It’s  really about  where we choose to place our focus  . If you  are  a  person in a  relationship and  the last  three guys  have  cheated on you and  been general scum bags, and  you are expecting for the next  one to pretty much do or be the same, then  that is something that  you are cultivating in your  life.  You are looking for it and you will  find it.  I’ve also  been  reminded that sometimes that we have a bad picker or selector, which  makes references to why we seek out  or are drawn to  certain  types of  individuals.  This often has something to  do  with our past or our upbringing and can  often  be  quite  complicated.  We  find ourselves with Narcissist,  but  fail to recognize that we may have had that present in  our  homes as we were growing up,  but not sophisticated enough to  name it or put a label  to it. I know for myself that my mother is and  was a strong woman and I’ve  always been drawn to strong women,  who have a  certain  swagger about themselves. . Life in general  has plenty  of  negative  take aways,  and  it’s just  part of life and the cycle of life and death, mixed with  sickness, illness,  disappointments and some  general  failures,  both  personally and  professionally.  I don’t  believe that  this  is  what God  had  in  mind  for  us, living  on the fringes of  life  and  just  surviving on a few crumbs of the occasional  happiness.  Again I will go back to  our focus and  what we look for and pursue in this life. If our goal is  to  be happy,  you know,  I  just want to  be happy!   Well , that is  nice and  all but it sets us up to be that crazy dog who  likes to  chase his tail. Come on!,  you  know what I’m talking about,  you guys have  seen  this,  where the dog just  runs around in a circle  chasing but never  achieving.  See, being  happy,  depends on  what  is happening and  if what is happening  is good,  then  we are happy.  This  requires us  to be constantly  on the move to make  or ensure that  good things are always  happening.  Sometimes we do this at such  a  tremendous pace, that we miss  out on so many  other things that  would  just  naturally  cultivate  joy in our lives.  So the battle  is between being  happy and  being  joyful.  We often  miss  this  because of an  instant  gratification  mindset,   we  want the pop, or the zing , or the big splash.  I  have to  have the  big European  vacation,  even  if  I have  to go into  debt to get  it, but I  can  afford  a stay cation.  I  don’t  know  who ever came up with  the idea of a stay cation, but I  think  it’s just  brilliant.  I’m not Foo Fooing an European vacation,  hoping  to  take  one myself  some day,  but its not an end all , as in I’m a failure or less of a person,  or experience  less happiness in life without it. I find that often our pursuit of  happy things often  drains or sucks the joy  right out of us. And even after the  big splash,  we aren’t  happy  because  we  have  to  be off to the next rush to maintain the  high or the illusion of  happiness, to say nothing  about  the  credit  card  bill from  the last  excursion ☺️☺️. This is the point,  I can  have  joy in my life, when  things  aren’t  happy  for me, but happy  can not always  produce  joy in my life. Joy is something  much  deeper.  Happy is the the nice calm conditions out on the water,  beautiful sunshine,  nice breeze, absolutely  perfect.  Joy is  the  nice steady current just beneath the  surf or surface and it’s steady,  calm and  not dependent on what is going on,  on the surface.  When  the weather gets nasty and  the sun is hidden by the clouds and now that you are unhappy,  the joy remains.  I  think and believe that our joy is determined  by  and cultivated through a relationship with  God.  I  believe the more time with  Him ,the more joy present in our  lives.  This isn’t  some magic  formula or  equation,  but it is  just  that He changes our focus and we see things from a different  perspective.  If we align ourselves with God and  His vision,  thoughts and values,  we just  interpret life  differently.  We see people  as precious and  important and not just for what we can  get  out of them or as a means to an end.  We value relationships over things and possessions. We  value and understand what a  tremendous  gift that children are in our lives.  Here is  a  big one,  we celebrate with and for other  people when they  have  success and blessing in their  lives and not be jealous or resentful,  we are  actually excited and happy  for them.  This is  just a few things,  but the funny  thing  is joy produces  more joy and  it is something  that  you can  give away.  You may be able to allow someone to  share in your  happiness,  but its not something that you can give away.  The things that make you  happy,  may not be  the thing that  would  make  someone  else  happy because we are  all  wired  differently, but joy  is peaceful and transcend, it’s something that everyone can  receive and be  transforming in their individual lives . I think that we have all  seen  someone  experience something awful and tragic,  and  as they walk through that experience,  whatever it  may be,  they  seem to have this ever present calmness about them,  and while they  may not  always have a  smile on their face , they have  peace,  calmness and the joy of the  Lord present in their  lives, their  very  souls,  and  this is often  because of an eternal outlook on  life  and  knowing that  regardless of  what  comes their way ,that  God is still  in control of it. I  can’t  tell  you  how a mother  prays for and forgives a drunk driver who  took away  her only child  just  two weeks before  high school graduation.  I  can’t  tell  you  how someone doesn’t  just  completely fall apart after walking out of  a doctor’s  office with  the  diagnosis of stage four cancer and there is nothing we can  do for you. I  can’t  even tell you   how this couples  marriage  was put back together better and  stronger than  it ever  was  after  infidelity and so so so many  hurtful words and things that took  place , but I  know that these types of  things  happen each and  every day and they  are  all  rooted in the joy of  something  bigger than themselves and  that is God , Himself showing up and  doing the things that only  He can  do….if we will  allow Him to. It Takes faith and the understanding that  somethings are  just to big for us despite us putting in our best efforts.  It goes something like, I can’t,  He can ,so I  think  I  will  let Him. I  know that for me the older I get,  the  more repulsed I  am  by unnecessary drama.  Talking about  me doing an about  face and  running in the opposite direction,  nothing  does that for me like  unnecessary drama.  So as we consider  the  kind  of  things that we allow in and  cultivate into our lives,  let me point out a couple of things real quick .  First up, when I  say cultivate,  that means that  you  have  some  control  over that.  If you are making  conditions  just  right  for pride, jealous and envy,  or you continue to  allow  people  in your life with  negative  energy.  People  who are  more comfortable tearing  something  or someone  down , more so than  building things and people  up, than that is completely on you and  I’m sure that will  be  one of the best decision that you have ever  made,  or not so much!☺️☺️. The other  thing that I  wish to bring to  your attention  real quick  is  this little  reality.  We live in a broken world,  where things are  not how they  often  should  be. I  spent part of yesterday with  my son, and  while  I  often  think that  he is way  to looped into  all of the social media crap, that  sometimes  ,God  does  bring order  out of the chaos.  So , yesterday my son was  telling  me  about  this guy on a YouTube  channel who has started doing  videos about  things  that  Your father  should  have  taught you,  but didn’t  for whatever  reason,  such as being  missing  from  the  home or just  to busy and unfocused,  I  have a feeling  here, that I  could  come up with  way more reasons for  them  not being there , than we have  time for ☺️☺️. Anyhow,  he’s teaching  them  simple  stuff  like how to change  a tire on a car, or how to tie a necktie,  and other  little things that you  would or should have  picked up  from  your dad. I  know  , I  know  , it’s another  one of those  get  to the point  or what  is the point. ? I believe that  we all want  to  cultivate  good and  positive  things in our lives and just  not  always  sure how to go about  such  things  , or even  be able  to  formulate it  into the  proper question, or   let alone  know if this is something that  we can  trust Siri with.  I’m going to put my two cents in and tell You what I’ve experienced personally in my own  life.  In the book of Galatians,  in the fifth  chapter  it talks about  the  fruit of  the  spirit,  yes God’s spirit and it says that we should  produce  Love, joy , peace ,patience,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness and  self control and that there is no law against  these  things,  meaning, who would  object to  you being  all of that?. This is  a  great  place to  think  about  even just  cultivating  one of these things into your  life.  Ok, so now,  I’m going to  give you  my  P.S, you know  the good  Ole post script,  not sure if that’s a thing anymore,  but here goes  anyway . These aspects of the  fruit are  a powerful and  life changing thing to have these present in  Your  life  , I don’t  think and at least for  myself,  I’ve  never  been  able  to  be or cultivate these things in my life  without  the working of God’s spirit in my life.  Yes, we can  all muster up for a day or two  , but to continually and consistently in your  life,  I  don’t  believe it’s possible without God’s help,  but you can  try on your  own  and I can  only say….good luck with that ☺️☺️.
• Till Next Time ✌️Peace!
• Sandy The Southerner

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