Life Philosophies

My philosophy of life is very simple. The universe exists to create life. Life is about growth. Witness an acorn pushing up a sidewalk to become an oak tree. God defines what growth is. He wrote the guidelines for physical growth in our DNA. He revealed the guidelines for spiritual growth in His Word. He hasn’t left us in the dark. We exist to obey our Creator. Everything we need has always been here to fulfill that purpose. We don’t need modern technology. We don’t need to be rich or famous. We don’t need to go to the ends of the earth seeking spiritual enlightenment. We only need to live our lives guided by His word in the small corner of the earth in which we find ourselves.

Every age of life has it’s own lessons for us to learn. One of the greatest lessons I've learned is that there are only two basic ways of life…the way of get and the way of give. We can live our lives with the motto of: “I-Me-My-Mine” and only concern ourselves with what we can get, or take, from others. Or, we can live the way of give and help, serve and uplift our fellow man. In the process we can be uplifted ourselves. We all have the power to hurt or to heal. It’s that simple to me. I try to choose the way of give every day. I try to understand what love is by allowing God’s love to flow through me. I’m still learning to get out of His way.

It doesn’t so much matter what happens to us as how we respond. This is a lesson wise men in every age and in every society have discovered. We have the choice about how we will live. That, we should never relinquish. To grow, we can’t let others pull us down. We can all learn not to let life pull us down. We can help each other with that.

As I grow older, I sometimes worry about what will happen to me. Will I live alone? Will I die alone? Will my life have mattered to anyone? I look around and see other human beings succumb to various ailments and diseases. Alzheimer’s and cancer are especially hideous and cruel to me. I can’t live in worry about the future though. Worry only takes away from my experience of ‘now’…and what I worry about may never happen. So I engage life…here and now. I try to balance contemplation with action and to balance my needs with those of others.

I try to put God first in my life. Christianity is a way of life to me…one I take very seriously. I don’t have it all figured out but I’m working on that too. I don’t preach to others. I never try to convert anyone. I try not to judge others. I try to live my life in such a way that people will see it and think I must have something worth seeking. That’s a part of Christ’s gospel to me.

I try not to use other human beings for my own selfish desires. I first love and respect myself. Out of that love and respect flows my love and respect for others. I’ve tried living putting others first without love and respect for myself and found that nothing comes from an empty cup. Integrity and self respect are the only foundations solid enough to build an honorable life on.

My goal in life is simple…to become a good man in God’s eyes. I know I fail every day in my attempt to live a Christ-like life. But, I get up every morning and try again. I try to be quick in saying, “I’m sorry”…first to my God, then to those around me I’ve wronged. I try to treat every human being with the respect they deserve simply for being alive. Realizing we are all connected, I try to treat the other living things on this planet with respect and compassion too. I am a meat eater but I believe in treating animals with respect and love. We are all connected after all.  I try to see the connections and the beauty in life.

Even though I try to be a good man I know I’m full of flaws and faults. They help me to understand the struggles others go through. I believe people are basically good and bad. Everyone has, at least, one major flaw and many smaller ones. I know I do. Accepting people anyway gives us a chance to exercise love. Acknowledging our own imperfections keeps us from getting cocky!

I think my main purpose in life is to behave justly, love mercy and humbly walk with my God. By doing so I hope to set an example of a better way to live, Christ’s way, and to encourage it in others without being dogmatic. I recognize we all struggle so I try to be compassionate and forgiving. One of my main goals in life is to learn to forgive everyone for everything. I know what God has forgiven me of...

I know I'm nobody and nothing special at all. When asked what my ‘best quality’ is…I’d have to say my values. I don’t live up to them very well but I try. What I know of faith and hope and love God has taught me through other people. I just want to be a channel of God's light to a dark world...like others have been to me. This is to honor them...

I know this life is a gift. I Thank God for it every day…