I know, it's autumn outside, and I had prepared a story about summer, but actually only the photos are about summer, because the thoughts I am about to write have no specific season. :)
These photos are from the shining days of summer, the days I spent in Aveyron with Seraphine (my niece), days of joy and rest. This is exactly the subject that I want to speak about. I will write about restfulness, self giving, and availability in a society where everyone has too many "important" things to do.
Is it age, or the responsibilities that grow alongside with age that makes us so busy, and makes us to have no time anymore for meetings with one another? Or is it that we are immersed in a sea of selfishness and ease, and the things that should be in the top of our priority list are put in the "non urgent" list?
But, what's urgent in this life? Is it to arrive at the top of your dreams no matter what? If it's just it, what's the purpose, just to boast in ourselves and to prove that we've made it? Oh, the emptiness of our actual society... Oh, how we've forgotten that "happier is to give than to receive"... Yes, to be a giver of self, because the act of giving starts first in our hearts. I'm thinking, helping others to arrive at their own destinations could slow down our progress, but isn't it better to arrive later and together, than to arrive faster and alone? Alone = empty, poor...
What kind of place would this Earth be, if each of us would start to live as a giver of self? There would be no depression, no hatred, no envy, no many other harm things... we would in fact start to be humans, and this is exactly how humans were created to be in the beginning.
What if, my purpose every day would be to bring a smile in the heart of someone? :)
We have expectations regarding everyone and everything, and all is rightfully ours, but aren't we "the world", isn't it our responsibility to make the world a better place to live in by changing ourselves first?
Self-giving, thankfulness, humbleness, have become such unusual virtues among us, that's why we are so poor.
We don't have to be rich to be able to give, we only have to have a right view of life and higher values. The poor widow from the Bible story, had given all she had, two pence. So if I have two pence or two hours, I can use them with a heavenly purpose. I can visit a friend, or someone who needs fellowship, I can cook a meal for someone who lives on the street and the list can go on... There are numberless ways to serve, we only have to be available. If our values would be higher than our own sphere of success, higher than our own family, we would have no more time to complain about one another or to be ungrateful, and our lives would be enriched with more beauty and would have an everlasting purpose. Amen
"If I renounce of myself, I can serve Christ."
Richard Wurmbrandt
Timp pentru odihna, timp pentru daruire
Suntem in plina toamna iar eu am pregatit o poveste despre vara, defapt mai mult fotografiile sunt despre vara, caci gandurile ce urmeaza sa le scriu nu au anotimp.
Fotografiile sunt din zilele insorite petrecute cu Seraphine, in Aveyron, la ferma, in campie, prin paduri, si in varful muntelui. Acele zile de odihna si bucurie in mijlocul vietii ocupate pe care o au adultii. Si tocmai despre asta vreau sa vorbesc, despre odihna, despre daruire de sine si despre a fi disponibil intr-o societate cu prea multe lucruri "importante" de facut.
Este oare varsta si implicit responsabilitatile care cresc odata cu varsta, ce ne fac sa nu mai avem timp suficient unii pentru altii? Sau pur si simplu ne scufundam intr-o mare de egoism si comoditate, iar lucrurile care ar trebui sa fie defapt prioritati au trecut in categoria "nu e urgent"?
Dar ce e urgent in viata asta? Urgent e oare sa ajung cat mai sus, cu orice pret si cat mai repede?
Ma tot gandesc, ce sens este sa ajung sus daca ajung singura?
De aceea exista atat de multa goliciune si lipsa de sens in societatea noastra actuala, pentru ca oamenii par sa fi uitat ca " mai ferice este sa dai decat sa primesti." Sa te dai, da, pentru ca daruirea de sine este prima forma a daruirii defapt, iar daruirea autentica incepe mai intai in launtrul nostru si apoi in exterior, prin fapte.
Mai bine ajung mai tarziu la destinatie, si ajung impreuna cu altii, decat sa ajung mai repede dar singur. Viata nu este despre a fi cat mai sus, sau despre a avea, a poseda, ci despre a darui. Cum ar fi Pamantul pe care locuim, daca am fi toti daruitori de sine ? Cum ar fi daca zilnic, prioritatea mea ar fi sa inseninez viata cuiva? :)
Avem asteptari si plangeri cu privire la toti si toate, totul ni se cuvine... dar nu suntem noi "lumea" defapt, si nu cu noi ar putea incepe Cerul chiar de aici de pe Pamant?
Daruirea, multumirea, smerenia au devenit virtuti tot mai rar intalnite, si de aceea am devenit tot mai saraci. Nu trebuie sa fii bogat in bani sau in timp ca sa poti darui, ci doar valorile noastre trebuie sa se inalte mai sus decat decat sinele nostru. Vaduva saraca din povestirea biblica, ce a daruit doi banuti, a daruit tot ce avea. De aici inteleg ca atitudinea noastra este cea care face ca lucrarea sa fie mareata sau nu.
Restabilirea valorilor ne pot duce la trairea unei vieti abundente.
Daca am doi banuti sau doua ore libere, atat... le pot folosi cu scop ceresc, sa ma odihnesc in Dumnezeu, sa vizitez un prieten sau un om care are nevoie de partasie, sa pregatesc pranzul pentru un om ce sta pe strada...etc. Sunt nesfarsite feluri de a sluji si la indemana fiecaruia. Daca valorile noastre s-ar inalta mai sus decat sfera propriei reusite si mai inalte decat prosperitatea propriei familii, daca am cauta sa indeplinim mai mult nevoile altor oameni decat pe ale noastre, nu am mai avea timp sa ne plangem unii de altii sau sa fim nemultumitori, iar viata noastra ar capata o mare frumusete si un scop vesnic. Amin
"Daca ma lepad de eu, pot sluji Lui Hristos."
Richard Wurmbrandt