How Do We Overcome Racism?

No matter how we look at it, racism hurts us all. In this country, racism stems from slavery and its aftermath. While slavery has been abolished here for many years, the pain, the shame, and the blame of it haven’t. The feelings linger, and we don’t know what to do with them, except inflict them on each other and ourselves—at times.

People of both races—black and white—have tried talking about these feelings among themselves and with people of another race, but these discussions too often still lead to even more unresolved feelings and increased frustration and hostility.

The fact of the matter is there are no intellectual words that can express the pain of slavery, and there is no apology that can take that pain away. As awful as it was, nothing can change the fact that slavery is a part of our history. The question now is what do we do today?

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You’re More Loved Than You Know

A friend of mine sent this to me, and I found it so encouraging. I hope you will, too. Oh, and feel free to share this post with others to also give them a loving lift.

1. At least two people in this world love you so much they would die for you

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

4. Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep.

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5 Ways Overcome Problems Before They Start

I read a lesson in A Course in Miracles recently that said, "Let me remember my problems have been solved." It took me a little while to really see what this meant, but I think I get it now. God's love is the solution to all our problems. Not just some of them, but all of them. We need only remember and trust this truth.

It's tempting sometimes to feel that one problem is bigger, more difficult or less forgivable than another problem, but all problems are ultimately the same—fear. And as 1 John 4:18 reminds us, "There is no fear in love." The two cannot coexist. 

That means that when we appear to be experiencing problems, we are choosing fear, and we are not remembering to trust and choose love. All that is needed is a shift of perspective to remember that God loves us, and his love is the solution to all our problems.

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How to Avoid Hurt Feelings

Has anyone ever said this to you: “Don’t be so sensitive. I was only kidding.” If so, did it change the way you felt? Chances are it didn’t because you had already taken the matter to heart and it had already hurt your feelings.

Needless to say, not every hurt feeling can be avoided, but some can, especially the unnecessary ones.

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Love With No Limits

Most of us long for relationships in which we are loved and accepted just the way we are. Our hearts' desire is to give and receive love in relationships that make us feel that even if others disagree with what we do or say, they still love us. They accept us. They appreciate our contributions to the world.

While it would be wonderful to have these types of relationships with all people, we know that's hard to do. We can, however, have them with some others, but only when we first have them with ourselves—yet this is often the hardest relationship of all.

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Love Is the Dream Come True

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that is coming to pass, not in the world at large--yet, but in smaller, more intimate ways--in our individual lives. Dr. King dreamed that we would learn to see and love each other beyond the color of our skin and form relationships based on the content of our character. We each have the power to do that, and in our day-to-day lives, many of us are using it.

More and more, we're discovering that we may not be able to change the world, but we can change how we are in the world--with each other.

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Breathing Is a Spiritual Experience

The other day, I read an article on the importance of breathing. It said that most people feel anxious and stressed when they aren’t breathing in enough oxygen. I understand more fully now what the article meant.

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