this i believe

last month i read this book for book club... This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. which was based from a radio program on NPR.

i really loved reading it. basically it's a collection of essays written by people from all walks of life. teenagers, receptionists, college professors and movie directors. even einstein. one of the things i loved about it though, was that they were all so different. although maybe some of the basic beliefs were the same they each had a different way of expressing it. and then there were some that were just completely different (than my own beliefs). but, there's something to say about letting people just say exactly what they believe. pure, honest, raw feelings. that come from experience. which comes from just living life....

so it got me thinking about what it is that i believe...

of course, i immediately think of my religious beliefs. my belief in God. my belief that i belong to Him. He is my Father. but then i was wondering why? why do i believe that? what makes me believe that i truly am His child.

i believe that because of experiences in my life. not only do experiences help me to make sense of it..but they help me to feel His love. i feel it when i am sad in the form of a silent moment of peace and comfort. i feel it when something starts to make sense in my mind in the form of clarity and understanding. i feel it when i am looking back at the past in the form of gratitude. i feel it when i am connecting with someone in the form of friendship and love. all these things create experiences that remind me that i am loved in big ways and small ways and sometimes even sideways by Him, who created me. and i am not just another pawn, what happens to me matters. it matters to me and it matters to Him. so i trust.

and you know what else i believe?

people need to be reminded of this. often.

sometimes i forget that. i forget that i have the power to strengthen and lift others...
which makes me sad that i keep to myself so much of the time.

now tell me people, what do you believe?