Twelve months of Christ: March

I feel like a walking dictionary this month as words have been flying around me. Words like God, Grief, Gratitude, Silence, Courtesy and Childhood. What does this all mean? Where am I heading this month?


What I know for sure is God has given me these words and I need to hear them, understand them, learn from them and follow them. What do all these words have in common?

ME - YOU

These words are what we experience throughout our life. It's how God helps to raise us. It's what our parents expect from us especially in our childhood.

INNOCENCE

Childhood is where our innocence is enhanced, altered or even lost. Our childhood is where we learn how to be as adults.  It's God's foundation phase for us. Unfortunately, our parents often misunderstood his teacher's manual and made mistakes. Childhood is where our first laugh, loss and love is experienced. Childhood is where we learn to love unconditionally, accept without judgement and get to know ourselves.

SSSHH!

Silence is so important in life. Silence is the time spent in our own air space. A place where we are true to ourselves and God sits next to us, feeling our heartbeat with us and whispering in our ears. It's up to us how we use our silence. Sometimes our silence is to allow us to help others by listening or just being present. Silence is a lesson that needs to be learnt. We need to be silent, even in company, to allow God to work. Silence shows we don't have all the answers but we are mature enough to be patient and wait for it. Silence is when we become aware of everything.

WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS? MANNERS MATTER!

Does this sound familiar?  Courtesy is a good habit which we all need to adopt. However, courtesy is not only about having manners. It's in the little things we do for others, like allowing an older person through the door first or smiling among the frowns. In karate, we start with courtesy and end with courtesy. This is a lesson I try to practise outside the dojo too as courtesy shows your respect for others, that you have manners and that you that others do matter. Courtesy is hard especially when we have to be courteous to people we believe might not deserve it but honestly, we all do deserve it. God gives us the courtesy of being available to us all the time. He is courteous by listening to us, loving us and giving us the respect to be in His presence. Courtesy = Respect.

THANK YOU

How often do we truly means these two words? Don't we use it because we know we have to because....manners matter! When and how do we truly show our gratitude? Gratitude is not about saying "thank you" for everything. It's the way we look after our family, our friends and even our material items. God has given us family, friends and material items to bless us with the life He intended for you and me. We can show our gratitude by loving, accepting and making sure it all stays "fixed". This too is not easy as family lets us down, friends leave and our material items age. Gratitude is knowing how lucky we are and letting God know that you know. God doesn't ask for payment or a "IOU", all he wants is you and prayer. Show gratitude by spending time with God, your family, your friends and yes, even those material items which might need a bit of TLC too. Remember, God did not promise that our family, our friends and our material items will last forever. This is why we should gratitude while we have them.

GOOD-BYE

At some point in our life, we experience loss. Loss can take many forms whether it is something or someone. Why we grief is because we have lost something or someone that is very dear to us, has special meaning and we thought we wouldn't have to live without it or the person. God makes us suffer to teach us some harsh lessons in life especially if we are not paying attention. Deep down, we also know that everything God created was not meant to live forever. Saying good-by is not always easy but we all have to say it at some time. Depending on what you believe, loss can be a bittersweet time. The person who passed on has stopped suffering and is now with God, where love reigns and is restored. We all hope we never have to experience it but in order for God to work, we do. Grief is as old as time and like love and laughter, it is a part of our earthly life. God doesn't like to hurt us and see us suffer but sometimes it is to benefit others and not even us. Grief is God letting us know that we need to suffer to save and that our time on earth is short.

Life is short so....return to your childhood once in a while, be still and know God, use your manners, always say thank you and know it's okay to shed a tear for lost loved ones.