How are you so successful?
“Everyday I ask myself, “Have I pleased God today? Have I behaved in a way which makes him proud and would not displease him?” At work I act in a way that I know the company did not lose money over me. I do my best. I live for God, not for myself or the company. I know that I am not the smartest in the room, and I am okay with that because I am comfortable listening and learning.”
This morning my colleagues and I were chatting and I asked my coworker this question and this was his response. I'm 24 and I have been blessed to have many fortunate opportunities, but my course is not yet over. I am still trying to get better at pausing to listen to others, I still have to remind myself daily that I do not know it all. I'm humble enough to be able to admit when I am wrong, because I, like everyone else, am a flawed human being.
My personal beliefs may baffle you, and that's okay.
I'm very proud of my upbringing, because my mom is a supermom and together we conquered some serious odds against us.
At a young age, about 2, my mom taught me how to read. The first book I ever read was a Snow White counting book. One of the larger books I read, by the time I was 5, was a children's Bible.
These are the cognitive years, and, because of that, many Bible stories still stick with me in my daily life and govern my core morals. And I am very grateful this is how my mom raised me, because regardless of religion, those were very important guidelines to teach a child. I am very blessed to have a down to earth, honest, transparent mom.
We never really went to church because my mom worked 12 and 16 hour shifts. When I wasn’t home or at the baby sitter's, I was at school or playing sports. So to make up for not going to church, she had me read the children's Bible growing up.
Some stories that stick out to me are the ones about the two sinners. Two asked for forgiveness. One never did the sin again but the other kept spinning and kept asking for forgiveness. Since the former was sincere he got to go to Heaven. The other was basically a liar, and he did not get to go.
Another story that sticks out is that God said that if your hands betray you time and time again, cut them off. If your eyes betray you, gouge them out. I guess the literal meaning is difficult to apply here, but I think this story really speaks on sexual assault and how you should hold yourself accountable.
My favorite story is the one that teaches you that you should do good and you should pray ALONE. Doing good deeds and praying should not be made public. You should not be seeking attention or praise from the public for doing these things. (That's why internet Christians are sooooo annoying to me. Its like they didn’t read the bible). If YOU are a good person, God will see that and you will be rewarded in due time. No need to seek reward from mankind.
And that's kind of what this verse speaks to too. (Corinthians 2:24-25).
I was brought up Christian, although I do not claim any religion as an adult.
In my lifetime I have been blessed with beautiful opportunities to go abroad and learn from other people and other cultures. I have toured Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, attended Catholic communion, been exposed to Judaism, even went to a Jehova’s Witness Easter celebration and had really great conversations about evolution with ladies from that church.
And through those experiences, as well as science and literature, I have learned that all of these different religions have the exact same core values at heart, and that no one religion is supreme, nor is one culture or one people or race or gender.
We are people, all across the globe. We all have more in common than we are different. And each one of us is deserving of love, understanding, empathy, and a chance at life.
Through experiences, science, and literature, I know that the Bible, like the Quran or the ancient Hindu scripts or the Torah, are all pieces of literature. And literature throughout time has been altered by authority figures and used to control the masses.
That is why I do not take the bible for fact. I read a story, think about its multiple possible meanings, think about why it would have been written that way 1500-2000 years ago, and think about how it can be applied to life today.
I recognize that I am not perfect and I have much to learn. I recognize that if I was to believe i knew it all, my capacity for growth would be no more.
I do not believe homosexuals or transgender people are evil or wrong. I think the people who hate them and bash them rather then lend an ear or simply let them be are wicked.
I do not even think a parent who murders an evil doer (towards their family) in an effort to protect their loved one is totally faulted if it was an act of protection from evil.
Honestly, the only truly evil people in my eyes are the murderers, rapists, molesters, pedophiles, beastality, those who think they are superior to others, and theft and greed which causes harm to other people, animals, or the earth and environments of which we all live.
I believe there is a Creator whom we cannot quite understand or grasp. That's kind of the point isnt it? And I believe the Creator is probably cool with you if you aren't committing any of the foul deeds (essentially as long as you are not causing harm to others) mentioned in the last paragraph.
The Creator would probably be EXTRA proud of you if you were being an exemplary human being and leading others by your good deeds rather than by empty words.
And so I just wanted to offer this to everyone today, because I really needed the reminder myself. Believing in something molds our core values, and those reflect in our actions.