Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

  I knew a word in Portuguese that I didn’t know in English, and I had never looked it up before. It turned out to be “heartbreak”. I thought we could only use this word in a romantic sense. I realized that is not so. A mother can be heartbroken because her son really disappointed her or didn’t give her due respect or consideration. A son also can be heartbroken if his father doesn’t show appreciation for him. Speaking of appreciation, we all want to be appreciated by our peers, especially parents. Most of the things we do for others, especially in a family context, we do it expecting some degree of appreciation. When we feel ignored, we can easily feel heartbroken. I realize that heartbreak can sicken the mind and the body. Our brain responds positively with good things. It can quickly restore or change the biochemical components of the body, let’s put it this way. When something disappoints us, our brain also responds to it, in a negative...

  What is the most important thing or person in your life? What are you willing to do to make this person safe and happy? If it's a thing, what are you willing to do to keep it? We often see people literally killing for money or a position of power. But I am not going to talk about that. I suppose, in fact, I want to believe the most important thing in your life isn't a thing but a person or a couple of people, what we usually call “family.” It doesn’t matter if they are family by blood or not. Family is what gives us a sense of belonging, security, love, and refuge. That is why we want to keep it safe and happy, in unity. However, it is hard to keep a family united, isn’t it? We value them, but we don’t really fight for them as we should, as we fight for the position of power, or money, or career. Some people sacrifice their family for their career. Maybe they believe they can fix it later once they get what they want; but can they ...

  Words   The world wants us to believe that being true to our emotions and feelings are the best thing we can do to ourselves. It is not. It is that simple. Emotions and feelings are fleeting things. They change and complicate things, a lot. Every time we act on our emotions, we most likely will regret it a little after. I am not only talking about emotions like passion or anger. Or as they like saying, anxiety. First of all, anxiety is a disease, not a feeling much less emotion. Love is a decision. Hate is also a decision. Decision that can be based on your feelings. “I like that person, because she makes me feel loved, cared for. She pays attention to me. She listens to me; therefore I can say that I love her.” You are being a follower of utilitarianism, and that is not love. I am not saying it is wrong. I am saying that is not love. We all are at certain times and degrees utilitarian. Who does not like being treated right? Who ...

  We are moving. We are leaving the state and heading back east and north—to the land of long winters, thick blankets of white, and heavy snow. I hope I don’t run into the White Witch there, from The Chronicles of Narnia. Anyway, we are moving to Buffalo, New York. Today is the day the movers are coming to pick up our stuff. It took us about two weeks to pack everything and sell whatever we wanted to sell. We were worried if we were going to sell everything. If we were going to find a good apartment, if we were going to find the right company to send our stuff and our car. If, if, if. So many doubts about the near future. Important things had to be decided in a short time window. We didn’t know whether we should buy a new mattress or send our old one, or whether we should keep our bed or sell it. We also wondered where we would sleep during our remaining days here if we sent everything a week early. In the end, we decided to trust God...

  Why bother fasting? Why should we fast? How does that help my life? A devotional reflection on fasting and on the Sabbath required by God through the prophet Isaiah.   Opening Scripture ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,     ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ (Isaiah 58:3)   Devotional reading Sometimes we just wonder, “Why pray, why fast? How many times have I done it? What were the answers that God has given me?” And all we want to say is: Why bother? Instead, we should look at ourselves and search our ways. What kind of prayer? What kind of fasting have I been doing all along? In this chapter ( Chapter 58 ), the LORD says through the prophet Isaiah the type of fasting He desires. He doesn’t want a fast that mostly pleases me, when I change nothing in my behavior and do nothing to show how repentant and penitent I am, and undeserving ...

  How to Recognize Foolishness and Pursue Wisdom A devotional reflection on humility, discernment, and the cost of our choices Opening Scripture “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” — Proverbs 3:7 Devotional Reading A fool is not the same as an insane person. In my understanding, an insane person is unable to reason clearly; things may not make sense in their mind. A fool, however, is someone who rejects counsel, ignores warnings, disobeys what is right, and acts from wrong motivations. If a person does the wrong thing for the right reason, we may still be able to understand the motive. But foolishness is different: it is often rooted in ignorance, arrogance, and a narrow mind that refuses wisdom. How can we recognize a wise person? In my understanding, a wise person does not act impulsively. This person does not need to suffer through every mistake in order to learn, because wisdom can also come from observing the experiences of ot...