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 ...