Friday, March 6, 2015

Life's Remote: Need a remote? Do you think that byhaving a remot...

Life's Remote: Need a remote? Do you think that byhaving a remot...: Need a remote? Do you think that by having a remote you can control your life? It may be natural to think if you can control your mind,...

Need a remote? Do you think that by having a remote you can control your life? It may be natural to think if you can control your mind, emotions and dreams you will solve many of your problems, but is that true?

What does personal control mean?

When we think about self, it is usually a battle with the mind. Control your thoughts like a remote, watch what you think, monitor what is good or bad for you, use commonsense, and you have a plan. Encourage good thoughts, those that are enlightening to the body, mind and spirit. These are the ones you need to feed. By starving them, thoughts that are negative you can discourage, do breathing exercises, meditate and pray. Do these techniques work? Yes, they do to some extent. Some negative thoughts you can capture and run them out of your mind. Other thoughts may linger with you because they are so emotional.

How do you control your emotions?

Psychologists warn us about feeding negative thoughts and desires. When these arise do something about them. Try distracting yourself, go for a walk, play music you like that will be sure to change your thinking. If negative emotions persist, meditate or pray. Call on the Lord, quote scriptures, refresh your mind and watch this change engulf your being.

Can dreams help?

A dreamer may dream about the future. It is estimated that 20 percent of the population are lucid dreamers. Another 50 percent occasionally remember some of their dreams. These are dreams while sleeping, but we are all dreamers during our waking lives. Dreaming is like hitting the remote and being transported to a completely different place in your imagination, building castles in a clear blue sky. The only thing is, the remote does not give us the reality as seen with a movie.

Can we rewind our life?

Like a movie, we cannot rewind our life. Listen to what Frank Matobo of Africa University, Zimbabwe, says about this, “Time waits for no man. A second of doubt means you are a second behind. So make a choice use it wisely or lose it forever. There is simply no rewind.” This is the reason why a believer must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Embrace life, believe and accentuate the positive. A Christian must not doubt but must seek what is holy, true, just and honest. Such attributes come with perseverance in the beliefs and teaching of the Word. There is a facebook community where people want to rewind their lives, but they can only speculate about those things that they wish to change, have not done, and if they had a chance to do it over again, what things they will do differently.


Can we fast-forward through problems?

Like with the rewind feature, an individual can use his mind to recall past events. He can linger on certain points, errors and faulty thinking of the past, but with fast-forward he can use his imagination to dream about the future. We are incapable and limited for we cannot fast-forward through problems or issues. We will never be able to know fully what the future will be. With a movie you can speed forward a CD or cassette in the VCR and find out, because all scenes have already been prerecorded. You can watch the end or middle of the movie before you even see the beginning. In real life, you can only do this with your imagination. That is why a Christian can focus on his salvation and eternal life, because he has been taught, pictured and reassured by biblical teachings, that a commitment in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is sound. He has been exposed to the beginning, middle and end of God's Word.

Does it make sense to hit the pause and mute buttons of our life?

Some will argue that there is never pause and mute buttons through which we have control. From the time we are born the play button throws us on our trajectory. It is for us to steer our ship and try our best not to have too many shipwrecks. Reflect on what author Sonya Parker believes, “Life doesn't come with a rewind, FAST -FORWARD or PAUSE BUTTON. Once it starts it PLAYS until it ends or until you press STOP.”

It will be interesting if we can see the pause and mute buttons as times for reflection, peace and quiet in our life. Caught up in a hectic schedule of a daily life, some moments it will be best to be able to withdraw to some quiet place, close your eyes and pray. Our prayer or meditation can very well be on pause and mute when we fail to utter words and just be One with all creation.  You will never want to hit the stop button for this is suicide.  Let life end naturally.