A warm hello from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Last month, I said, "Everything passes, and so will your current negative situation. When you are angry or upset, keep in mind that it will pass, so why waste your energy on something that will be gone tomorrow?"
When you read that, you probably thought, "Wait a minute, does every negative situation really pass? Did your blindness pass?" If that was your line of thoughts, you are not alone—I've had some people bring up similar points.
Certainly, my blindness has not passed, nor have my physical disabilities. The severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis I've had since infancy will be with me for the rest of my life.
So what did I mean when I say everything will pass when I know that not everything will pass in our current lifetime?
The answer lies in the keyword "current." Not everything will pass in our current lifetime, but everything will be a thing of the past after this lifetime.
"Duh!" you may think now. "Of course everything will be a thing of the past when we die! What good would that do us?"
Sure, when we pass away, our troubles will pass away with us. But the thing is that our life does not really end when we die.
Do I mean an afterlife? Yes, but not the kind you hear where people reincarnate, or enter either heaven or hell immediately after death. Instead, this afterlife happens when everyone is simultaneously raised from death at an appointed time. So we will all see our loved ones who have temporarily been in sleep, even our great-great-great-great-great grandparents.
You see, our life right now is only a tiny fraction of our existence, just the very beginning of eternity. All the problems we face will not exist anymore in our future lifetime. Yes, no more dishonest bosses, no more mothers killing their own children, no more wars, no more hungry children, no more abused elderly people, no more blindness, and no more death! Death will be our last enemy.
So every negativity WILL pass. Therefore, when I run into a stressful situation, I do not let negative emotions control me. Why waste my energy when I know that it will pass tomorrow? It may not pass in ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, or even seventy years; but it sure will be gone for good when I wake up after my final rest!
When will this appointed time come, when everyone will be raised from their death? No one knows, not even the angels in the heaven; only Jehovah God knows. He has long ago set a specific time when those who hear Jesus' voice will wake up.
What a great event! But how is this possible? How could everyone embrace an everlasting life?
This is possible because Jesus has redeemed us using his blood. God sacrificed His beloved Son so He can grant us salvation.
Salvation is a beautifully wrapped present given to us freely by Jehovah. It is not something we earn. It is something we can humbly accept and gratefully keep.
"Who wouldn't want to keep this gift?" you may ask in wonderment. Surprisingly, many people do not value this gift enough, thus they abandon it.
Let us say you give your good friend a new puppy as a birthday present. He has always wanted one, and you thought that he would really take good care of it. But when you return to his home a month later, you are shocked to find that the puppy is malnourished. So you took the puppy back to be your own dear pet.
This is the same case with us. God has given us a most wonderful gift, yet we do a very poor job keeping it. Some abuser of this gift will eventually lose it.
How can we ensure that we can keep God's gift? We can keep it only if we change our old bad habits to embrace a good way of living. So if your fictional friend in the above story apologizes for the mistreatment of the puppy and says that he will do his best to care for it from now on, you can see if he will keep his word by permitting him to care for the puppy again.
Change is not impossible. It just takes a clear focus and a strong heart to pursue the change. So if you do not like your way of living, change it! Repenting now will ensure your entrance into a brand-new eternal life.
However, if you know that you have been keeping God's gift well, then continue on your golden road!
Would you like to have your troubles pass and live a happy lasting life? Or would you rather pass along with your troubles? It is completely up to you.
Q & A with Shirley
For this month, I received one question from Jessica Lewis, who graduated from Cedarville University (Ohio) in 2001 with a degree in broadcasting. She met her husband Dave in 2003, and has spent the last four years traveling with a band as their road manager. Jessica is now a stay-at-home mom entrepreneur developing two sites: www.ToLiveBeautiful.com and www.HeatRelaxer.com
Question: So much of beauty, as I would recognize it, comes from what I see. For example, I love beautiful mountain skylines and waves pounding on the beach. Being blind, how would you describe beauty, and how do you see and experience beauty?
Answer: My existence, the birds chirping outside, the sweet taste of peanut butter crackers I just had, the soft feel of my stuffed pink Easter bunny, and the good times I share with my loved ones, all are beautiful to me.
Life is the greatest beauty, the most fantastic masterpiece of beauty. The purity of life is beautiful.
What is the purity of life? Well, when you take away all the manmade problems, what is left is the purity of life, and that is what I'm madly in love with.
Therefore, I experience beauty at every waking second. But I don't experience beauty with only my own action and thoughts; I delight in beauty more so when I hear of good deeds from others.
Every kind word said, every act of kindness delivered, is an act of true beauty. It is this kind of beauty that can make everyone and anyone beautiful.
I don't care if you live in a mansion, wear stylish clothing, or drive a sports car; if what you do is not beautiful, you are not beautiful to me.
In conclusion, life is beautiful, and beautiful people can make it even more beautiful.
Shirley's Corner
I'm on Twitter, finally! Follow me at www.twitter.com/shirleycheng I just have to see what the chittering chattering is all about!
I have released a new book! "The Adventures of a Blind and Disabled Award-Winning Author: Inspiration & Motivation to Empower You to Go for Your Own Gold Medals" is the sequel to my autobiography, "The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine," which I wrote at age twenty.
Here's what it is all about...
Do you want to be stopped or unstoppable?
What do you get when faith, passion, and determination cross with a blind and physically disabled individual?
You get an ultra-abled award-winning author, poet, motivational speaker, and above all, a passionate lover of life!
Although severely disabled with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since infancy and blind since age seventeen, Shirley Cheng has not stopped taking giant steps forward, with her loving mother Juliet Cheng supporting her every step of the way. Interspersed with words of humor, hope, and healing, this memoir will whisk you to the adventurous world of a blind author with vision, while gently nudging you to go for your own gold medals in life.
ISBN: 9780614175157
Binding: Perfect, 6" x 9" (150mm x 230mm) trade paperback, 210 pages with black and white photographs
"...should be required reading for anyone persisting in life's challenges or desiring goals...a wonderful treasure that will surely touch your heart, kindle a roaring bonfire propelling you into your dreams." -Susanne Morrone, Natural Health Expert, Educator
"...encouraging, inspiring and truly uplifting...very insightful and extremely motivating! If you would like to overcome depression, find motivation, get over your fears, and bust through any obstacle, then you must read this book!" -JoAnn Y. King, Success Coach
"...a song to life, to love, to God, to the greatness of the human spirit....a hymn to the wonderful love between a mother and a daughter." -Piercarla Garusi, Life Coach, UK
"I laughed, I cried, I was inspired, and I was motivated to action." -Leyla Hur, Empowerment Mentor, Inspirational Motivator, Radio Host
Want to learn the secrets to my success to propel you to achieve your own goals? Then grab a copy at www.shirleycheng.com
I end this issue with a few words regarding the swine influenza (flu) that is spreading throughout the globe. The CDC has an informative webpage that provides the information we need to know to better prepare for this disease: www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ Please follow their guidelines to slow down transmission. Be sure to wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, avoid physical contact, stay home when you do not feel well, and seek medical care as soon as possible if you have any flu symptoms, which include a fever of more than 100 degrees, coughing, headache, joint aches, nausea, vomiting, and a sore throat. It is also a very good idea to avoid any unnecessary trips to Mexico and any other affected areas.
Take care of yourself and help your loved ones!
Rest assured, every bad thing will pass for good, including this darn flu. We just need to be strong enough to live through our earthly troubles, and then we will embrace an overwhelmingly joyous life!
Content Copyright by Shirley Cheng; All rights reserved
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Award-Winning Author with 20 Book Awards
9-Time Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award Winner
Mom's Choice Awards Recipient
Miracle survivor, inspiring author and contributing author of 25 books by age 25, poet, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, advocate, and a co-author in the bestselling Wake Up...Live the Life You Love book series
Board member of World Positive Thinkers Club
http://www.shirleycheng.com Having a bad day? Then meet Shirley Cheng, A.K.A. the modern day Helen Keller, to inspire, empower, and motivate you to go for the gold medal in life!
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope haul you high!"
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