The Seed of Hope

Crazy?

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently—they’re not fond of rules…You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”            Steve Jobs~Apple Computers

Have you ever read something and immediately claimed it as being “yours”? I don’t mean in the sense of claiming to have written it, but more along the lines of identifying with it, as though it had been written for you?

When our friend Britta e-mailed this quote to me I thought “He’s talking about me….this guy, this Steve Jobs, he just described me!” You see, I am crazy enough to think I can change the world; better yet, I believe that I can change the world, even if it’s one person at a time.

Look, there are some people that, while not really believing that I’m crazy, want to steer clear of me. I mean, who can blame them? Here’s this guy (me) who discovers the joy of walking with God at 53 and wants to talk about it, advertises his faith in and through his business, putting people ahead of money while doing so, reads the bible daily while walking outside the box of conventional “religion”, openly and brazenly gives “witness” to the goodness of God, and launches a website as a means of sharing his blessings with people around the world….all the while maintaining that he’s just a regular guy with a message! What’s crazy about that? J

Before you come to the conclusion that I really am crazy (you may have already done so), let me try to explain something to you. Unlike Enrico Fermi (he developed the atomic bomb), Henry Ford (he changed the face of American Industry), and Bill Gates (you know, the computer guy), I don’t really believe that I have a contribution to make that will change the world. I guess that my ambition, my mission, my ministry, is to change the way that some people look at themselves, those around them, and the world in which they live.

During my daily meditation and prayers I always ask God to put four or five people in my path that I can inspire, lift up, or help in any way. If nothing else, I’ll settle for simply putting a smile on their faces. Living out each day with my petition in the back of my mind, I look for opportunities to do exactly that. And you know what? He delivers!

What makes me think that I’m qualified to inspire others, to change their outlook on life? Let’s just say that it has to do with this certain light……

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”                                       Matthew 5:14-16

There are times, when I’m speaking to someone, that I sense Christ’s light shining through me. I believe it shines brightest when I’m sharing the good news of God and what He has done for me, but it also shines when I’m just talking about life in general. The light is always there; He puts it in my eyes for all to see, if they choose to look. Sadly, some don’t look, for a variety of reasons…..some don’t know that the light exists, some feel intimidated by it, and some are envious of the light, thinking that they can’t have it. Conversely, during the course of a conversation, if I am fortunate enough to encounter an individual with the light in their eyes, it makes for an unbelievably uplifting exchange!

I’m going to let you in on a secret: We all have that light within us. You have it in you. At this very moment, God’s light is in you; it always has been!

For those of you doubting that this light is in you (actually it is God’s presence), take the time for prayer, reflection, and looking within to find Him. If you have trouble finding Him, seek the help of a person “of the cloth”, family member, or friend. If there is no one in your life that you feel comfortable confiding in, I would humbly offer my assistance to you in your search for Him.

Now, for those of you that are aware of God’s light in you, I offer the following questions: What are you doing with that light? In the words of Christ, are you “putting it under a bowl”? Are you embarrassed to share it with others? Do you fear that your light is not bright enough to share? That you’re not worthy to share it? That you’re not good enough? Do you think that your light won’t make a difference?

“You are the light of the world……let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

God wants us to share our light with those around us. He has given you a light that is unlike any others; it is as distinct and unique as your fingerprint! He gave you it to that you might go out and cast your light where there is darkness. This light is a gift; treasure it, nurture it, and share it with those in need of its warmth.  

I challenge you to go out and share your light with others, and in doing so planting the seed of hope that a better life is to be lived by walking with God every day. Together, we may just go out and change the world.

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com

Linda's List

On January 5^th I offered a post titled The List. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, you may want to do so before continuing with this one.

The List is about an exercise that you may use to free yourself from the pain of being hurt by others and the guilt of causing hurt in others. It certainly was a great help to me when I began this spiritual walk a couple of years ago.

In response to the post Linda wrote “….which, for me, is proving difficult. The list is short, but the names are those whom I love the most. I can and have forgiven them, but am powerless to change the circumstances that led to their names being on the list. Where do I go from here?”

Great question, one that I don’t know that I’m qualified to answer….I’ll gladly give you my opinion; take what you want and leave the rest…..

There are several facets, or dimensions, to Linda’s question, and I’m gonna try to address all of them.

Linda wrote that while she was able to forgive those that hurt her, she couldn’t forget the circumstances that led to the hurt. It would be easy for me to throw the old Cliché forgive and forget at you right now, but that would just be a bunch of hooey! I don’t think it works like that; never have.

Funny thing about our memory….it remembers things! And we don’t want to change that. If we had the ability to flush memories from our minds at will, we might inadvertently dispose of a memory that is near and dear to us, like one of those “epiphanies” that I’ve written about before. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to run the risk of forgetting any of my “Kodak Moments” in exchange for erasing the memory of some bad ones! Also, if you’ve ever known someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, you are aware that both the individual and their loved ones would like for them to remember anything, good or bad.

It’s easier to forgive someone that you love for a wrongdoing than it is to forgive a friend for the same offense, just as it is easier to forgive that friend than a complete stranger.

I believe that we don’t ever truly forget events that cause us pain; they are burned indelibly into our minds. We can’t roll back the clock and “undo” them. We can try to pretend that they never happened (our minds know better), but by and large, we can’t forget ‘em.

What we can do is learn from them. I believe that every “circumstance” that has caused me pain, in my entire life, has been a part of God’s plan for me. Some of these lessons have come from the minds, mouths, and hands of other people; in many instances, these were people that I loved or admired. They caused hurt; deep hurt. Hurt that I still remember, but strangely enough, don’t feel any more. The List didn’t allow me to let go of the memories; it allowed me to let go of the pain.

You’re going to have to bear with me on this; I’ve mentioned to you before that in offering you my thoughts, I learn more about myself….I’m having one of those moments now.

I’ve told you before that everything I do in life, every move I make, every step I take, points back to God. I don’t know if this “happened” the day I got my tattoo, or if it was a shift in my thinking over the past two years, or if there was a “moment” of commitment to Him. I guess it doesn’t really matter. What matters is this:

I know (because there are some things in life that you just know) that God has forgiven me for figuratively slapping Him in the face, time after time after time during my fifty-six years on this earth. Offenses directly against Him. Offenses against Him through what I’ve done to others. Offenses against Him for what I’ve done to myself. My list of offenses is probably ten times longer than the list of people that I put together. And He forgave me for every one of those offenses. How do I know that? Because the God that I love is all-forgiving….I mean, come on! He forgave the men who nailed His Son to the cross….He GAVE His Son to us knowing what was going to happen. What greater love can there be than that?

I believe that God has forgiven me for my offenses because I asked for His forgiveness. No matter how small, or how large, the offense, He has forgiven me. I believe this with all that is in me. In turn, what has someone done to me, what could someone do to me, that would be any worse than He forgave us for?

I believe that God has a plan for me; this plan has been designed exclusively for me, and for no one else. I’ve finally come to realize that while I have a hand in shaping my destiny, He already knows the end result. I trust that He knows what’s best for me, and that whatever He gives me, good and bad, is for a reason; His reason.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this:

If you will “let go and let God”, He will give you the strength to let go.

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com

Walking the Walk

Okay, I realize that the last two posts have been about the presentations that I made for Redken in Las Vegas. This will be the last “Symposium post” for a while; other topics that I want to share with you are getting log-jammed in this noggin, but I feel that this one needs to be next.

During the second day of classes, a woman in her, I don’t know, maybe in her mid-thirties, tentatively approached me after one of the programs. It seemed to me as though she wanted to speak to me, but wished that she were standing somewhere else; anywhere else, other than where she was!

It was when I extended my hand to introduce myself that I noticed her reddened eyes and tear-streaked makeup. She in turn extended her hand, but didn’t raise her eyes to meet mine. I stepped a little closer, took her hand in mine, and asked if she was okay.

She paused for just a moment, looked into my eyes, and said “I didn’t expect this.” I asked her to define “this”, and she replied, “When I signed up for this class I suspected that one of the topics may be faith, but I didn’t expect it to be so bold.” I offered her an apology, explaining to her that sharing my personal walk of faith wasn’t meant to offend anyone. Never looking away, she replied “No, I wasn’t offended. I admire the fact that you will stand up and profess your faith to a room full of strangers. In fact, I’ve wanted to make a commitment to Christ the way that you have, to walk that walk every day, but I’ve been afraid to.”

I inquired as to what it was that she was afraid of, and she replied that the people she worked with would give her a hard time.

My response to her was actually something that I’ve been meaning to share with you for some time now. I believe that there a lot of people in the world today that would like to make that commitment to Christ, but for various reasons, are afraid to do so. If you haven’t figured it out yet, until just over two years ago, I was one of those people.

I feel compelled to interject something here. Look, I don’t have all the answers to all the questions. I don’t know that the answers that I have for some of the questions are the right answers. What I try to do through this site is share what is in my head and on my heart; what you do with what I share is up to you. As my friend Diane says, “You can take what you want and leave the rest.” That being said, I’ll continue…..

This is what I’ve learned in my walk….

You don’t have to change who you are to walk with Christ.

If you make a commitment to Christ, you will eventually change the way you think, and the way you do things, but that doesn’t mean changing who you are. I’m still sports nut (Roll Tide!), and I love to laugh. I enjoy having a drink socially, and every once in a while a curse word may escape from my mouth. What I’m trying to say is that the majority of things that once were meaningful in my life still are. Walking with Christ is an awareness that He is with you every day. It is through this awareness that your life will be enriched in ways you can’t conceive.

No one has to know.

I choose to wear my faith on my sleeve, but that doesn’t mean that you have to; in fact, most people don’t. I don’t think that God will mind one bit if He is the only one that knows you are devoted to Him.

Only two matter.

At the end of the day, when all the votes are counted, there are but two “people” that you have to answer to: God and yourself. When it comes to salvation, to eternal life, who else is gets a vote in regards to your final destination? No one.

Don’t be afraid.

For years I was afraid of what I’d have to “give up” to be closer to God, as if I were already a perfect version of myself! You can laugh if you’d like, but if I asked you to make a commitment to God, to walk with an awareness of His presence in you, to look at the world through Christ’s eyes, to feel life with His heart, to walk boldly through life with His Spirit, would you do it? Could you make that commitment? Right now? At this moment?

Now are you thinking about what you’d have to give up, or how much you would have to change? I thought so.

Here’s the thing: You really don’t have to give up anything, at least not anything that really matters. I’m usually a little hesitant to offer an opinion on something abstract or intangible, but I’m going to say this without question or pause…..If you make a commitment to walk with Christ, what you receive will make your life so complete that anything “lost” or “left behind” along the way will be but a fading memory.

I’d like to go back to the young woman in Las Vegas…..

She had been fighting back tears while I was sharing my thoughts with her, seemingly on the verge of losing control of her emotions. I placed a hand on each of her shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said “I want you to take a couple of really deep breaths. As you do, welcome God into your life. When you exhale, I want you to imagine all the fears of being close to Him slipping away. Just let go and let God. And by the way, it’s okay to cry.”

I stood there with open arms, offering her safe harbor, not knowing if she needed it, or wanted it. She stepped forward and we embraced, both of us crying. It was a beautiful moment, a special moment, a pure moment, and I stood there, holding this woman in my arms, thinking that if God brought me to Las Vegas just for her, it was worth the trip.

God is good.

Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com