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Meditations on God

  • Robert Van Valkenburgh

  • Speak Up

    Learn to ask for what you want.

    Be bold, brave, and straightforward.

    Asking for what you want is not selfishness.

    It is honesty.

    You may not get what you want.

    Things will not always go your way.

    This is part of life.

    Other people have their own wants, needs, and plans that must be accounted for.

    Even if you ask for what you want, even if you are brave, strong, and uncompromising, you will still experience disappointment, regret, and remorse.

    But, at least you will not experience these because you failed to speak up.

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    June 17, 2023
    bravery, courage, desire, need, speak up

  • Complex And Healthy

    Healthy relationships should be challenging.

    They create friction.

    They push you to grow and change.

    Healthy relationships motivate you, and sometimes even force you, to become a better person.

    Healthy relationships also offer comfort, safety, and security.

    They are a place of rest and rejuvenation, a respite from the difficulties of life in a world that can sometimes be cold and cruel.

    A healthy relationship may not always be comfortable.

    It may even be painful at times, but it should never be injurious.

    All of that is to say that a healthy relationship is complex and complicated, just like you and I.

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    June 16, 2023
    health, relationships

  • Allow Creativity

    Creativity does not like pressure.

    It does not like timelines, deadlines, or ultimatums.

    It does not like to be told what to do or when to do it.

    Creativity prefers space, openness, and room to breathe.

    It is not easily forced or coerced.

    It needs to be allowed to flow freely.

    Creativity cannot be demanded, but it can be harnessed or channeled.

    It is not a right, but a gift.

    It is a powerful and transformative force of nature, and you are the vessel through which it flows.

    Create something beautiful and moving.

    Be moved.

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    June 15, 2023
    art, artist, creative, creativity, purpose

  • An Opportunity To Grow

    When someone tells you that you are messing up, thank them.

    They are doing you a favor.

    It is easy to be blind to our own mistakes, errors, and shortcomings.

    We need others to see for us what we cannot see.

    This does not mean that they will always be right, nor that you will always want to hear or accept what you are being told.

    Regardless, take the time to listen, reflect on what is being said, and, instead of becoming hurt, offended, or retaliatory, look for ways that you can improve.

    An attitude of graciousness, humility, and open-mindedness will serve you far better in life than one of obstinance or defiance, although these have their place.

    There is always room to improve, to better yourself, and to grow in understanding and effectiveness, so be thankful when someone points out ways in which you can do this.

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    June 14, 2023
    change, criticism, graciousness, growth, humility, open minded

  • Making Others Smile

    Learn to make others smile.

    This is not necessarily done by being funny, silly, or goofy, although these have their place, but by caring.

    Make others smile through sincerity and thoughtfulness.

    Through compassion and presence, be the light in another person’s darkness.

    Through understanding and generosity of spirit, be the comfort to someone else’s pain.

    Learn to see and feel what others need and, when possible, be that for them.

    Be there for them.

    Do not do this at the cost of your own health and wellbeing, for sickness does not heal sickness, but give of your abundance and your cup will be refilled tenfold.

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    June 13, 2023
    abundance, caring, compassion, thoughtfulness, understanding

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