We arrive on earth as a small tenuous life force. We grow, develop and learn. We experience. We laugh. We cry. And, eventually we die.

How long we get to be here is undeterminable which makes life all the more valuable. It is a mystery, one we cannot solve on our own.

But, what about the legacy we leave: Is it what we accumulate? Is it about making money—or gaining praise? Or, is it about being “on top,” holding control, having power?

Some seem geared primarily to think “be happy, have fun.”  Yet, there is something much greater than all else we do in life. There is an “ultimate purpose” for our being here.

The result of our being here will have to do with what we bestow upon others . . . how we have treated others. This is how we will be remembered once we leave this turf called earth. We can only make this world better through our outreach to others. It is called “love” in action—and God is love. He can help us become lovers of others in the greatest and best sense.

Some of my favorite authors have glimpsed eternity while here, granting them empowerment to bring into the world a paragon of virtue for making life better for others—and consequently for ourselves. Mostly this has come to them through reading Scripture, catching the vision of what God’s intention is and was and ever will be.

Aren’t we happiest when we have purpose and meaningful work? The garden He made for us calls for work. How we treat it is of ultimate importance. We either love the earth while we are here—or we treat it as “dirt.” Being a good friend to the earth and sharing ourselves in beneficial ways, blesses us and blesses others. What we do, here, does not have to be done “in a big way.” Treating the earth and each other with kindness and care—in small ways—is enough.

Due to the fall of human kind, described so clearly in the Book of Genesis, it is obvious that we are “sent here” to learn through our experiences. We make mistakes and our mistakes become our best teachers. Obedience to what God wants makes everything better. The essence of life calls for the blessedness of sacrificing . . . alongside granting and receiving forgiveness.

Life often is a struggle. But in surmounting the struggles—staying in the process of gaining ground—we experience joy and we grow in strength. Scripture says that the fruits of the spirit include love, peace and joy. Yet, these can only come when we step out in faith, saying, “God, you take the controls. Lead me. Guide me.”

The Bible portrays a picture of us becoming sons and daughters of God and that we are headed for the fullness of love when we leave this earth. It is there, or so it is said, that we will see our whole lives flash before us. We will then see the good of it and most likely also see what we will wish we had done differently.

And, Jesus will wipe away all tears.

There are two passages that show Jesus’ words most succinctly, “Jesus wept.” And, while hanging on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Jesus portrayed the ultimate level of loving by the way He lived His 33 years on earth—and by how He died. His entire life was about sacrifice and He laid down His life in love.

”This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends,” (John 15:12-13). We can lay down our lives for others in different ways.

We become children of God when we hear the “knock” on our hearts door and say to God, “Come in.” It is our Lord who stands there waiting. And, our repentance brings to us a clean slate . . . new life. Born anew in Spirit and truth. God is a loving Father who wants His children, to be seated at “the banqueting table” in heaven.

Clearly, the mystery is perceived when we look to Holy Writ: We are given the gift of life for the purpose of coming to know our Creator, Father God, and to receive His truth while growing in our ability to be like Him . . . loving all that He has created.                                                                  By Joy Le Page Smith, MA, BCC

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By Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA

The power to focus is something with which the aging process surely does a dance. In the past, while listening to a televised sermon, a strange thing happened. An overlay of sound came across nearly drowning out the pastor’s voice. By some technical blooper, two events were coming across at once.

It was not easy going, but as long as I concentrated, purposely blocking out the intruding somewhat louder sound, I could clearly understand the more desirable message. After several minutes of this I became rather surprised and pleased that by tightly focusing I could block out one message in order to hear the other.

How similar this is to the “spiritual hearing” within our daily experience of following Christ. The sounds of the world come through loud and clear: alarms, distress, expectations, demands, and the many, ever-present yearnings of our varied appetites. Yet when we are prayerfully listening the message of God is alive and strong, heard deep within our hearts. This involves continually choosing what we want to hear. It takes keen development of our empowerment to focus while overriding the “never­ resting” voices of our times.

It seems there are five voices we hear predominantly: 1) our own with our delights, disdains and desires, 2) the world’s, as already mentioned, 3) Satan’s (the deceiver) with his temptations, 4) the voices of those closest to us, and 5) the voice of God. Christians who seek maturity learn to recognize which is which. We can become keenly adept, as well, in examining the motives that lie beneath our choices and actions.

This is no easy task, but possible as we depend on the empowerment and grace of God along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. With Our minds focusing on Him and our ears in tune with His voice we can live in the world with peace, no matter what goes on around us, even though the world lives literally in our laps, given modern media with all its perplexities!

Staying tuned into God can best see us hearing His voice, doing His will. Sometimes that will find us sharing of our means. Other times, we will be humble while allowing others to help us. Most of us are exceedingly blessed. Any feelings of guilt for having been blessed can be dismissed, as surely God is greatly pleased when his children prosper. For the more we prosper, the more we are able to give-not only of our substance, but from the “fruit of our lips,” meaning the praise and “thanksgiving” offered up as we rejoice in the goodness of the Lord.

There are at least 150 references to “rejoicing” according to Cruden’s Concordance. Scriptural references to “praise” are even more numerous, not to mention all that is recorded about offering “thanksgiving.” We are even told to praise when things seem to be going wrong! With this in mind, let us ask ourselves how much of our mental energies are given to such efforts?

Dr. Eugene Wiesner, a Catholic psychologist from Billings, Montana, claims the key to good mental health depends on rejoicing, being thankful and full of praise. He makes an outstanding statement. Holding up his Bible, Dr. Wiesner plants  a  thumb on top  and says, “There is more psychology  under my thumb than in all the books that  line  the  shelves  of  my  library.”  Within his teachings, this psychologist claims rejoicing in the Lord can supersede depression, especially when praises to God are sung. There is power in song!

Every tool needed for coping is generously supplied in Scripture. We have only to search them out and put them into practice.

All of us, at times, are guilty of bonding a bit with the world…even to entertain evil thoughts. (Hurtful treatment of others is undoubtedly one of the worst of all evils.) When this happens, we have fallen short and there is a tendency to slip into guilt or self-condemnation. Yet, in order to maintain a healthy mental climate, we best allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to sweep our minds continually. “Godward” glances in moments of stress, pleas for

the Spirit’s guidance, and prayers of submission-along with continued dependence on the cleansing power of Christ are what keep us in tune with the will of Father God.

We are not going to be able to control what the days, weeks and months bring as life rolls on, but we can control our thoughts. II Corinthians 10: 5, admonishes to” … demolish sophistries and every proud pretension that rises itself against the knowledge of God…bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ.”

For me, one of the greatest challenges in life is to become more discerning and more God-empowered within my thought processes. For as the saying goes, we aren’t what we think we are, but we are what we think.”

Author info. Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith is a Board certified clinical chaplain. She is reaching readers with her books and websites in up to 32 countries.