Good News for the Strong at Heart!

0

With Independence Day just around the corner, it might be a nice time to reflect on how fortunate we all are to live in this amazing nation, even when it seems like everywhere you turn things have gone wrong  over the past few years. But some amazing things have also gone right — pinpointing some very special attributes of our country.

Yes, there are still way too many people without jobs and the housing market is still in a slump, but all of us have adjusted remarkably well to one of the worst economic struggles in the last 100 years. Report after report and study after study show that Americans have used the experience to reexamine their values and adjust their desires.

Despite the fact that many people had to drastically cut their own personal budgets, they still felt compelled to give to others around $300 billion last year; that’s remarkable. We did it not because our government forced us to, but because we wanted to. Incidentally that’s the key difference between socialism — where government supplants our moral right and obligation to help, which the Catholic Church squarely condemns — and social justice — where we choose to help because of our moral character. That character is alive and well in America!

And it seems that when the chips are down Americans go to church — attendance has continued to rise in America since 2008, when the whole economic turmoil started according to the most recent Gallup reports. Maybe that’s because nine out of 10 Americans say they believe in God (that number is only one in five in nations like Denmark and Sweden) — and most believe our nation was founded upon the divinely derived innate value of human beings. When times get tough, we go back to the source of our strength, our beliefs and our nation.

When times get tough in America, we stick together, especially with our mates. A report from the CDC released in May shows that the divorce rate has gone down for two years running after years of rising. Though some cynics say it’s because people can’t afford to get divorced, others point to the more sensible conclusion that since the number one reason for divorce is historically financial, maybe Americans are starting to revaluate their reasons for splitting as they reevaluate all their other economic indicators.

Finally, let’s take a look at crime in America. You would think that tough times would make crime rise, especially when it comes to theft. On the contrary, the overall crime rate is dropping like crazy across the board according to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Robbery dropped 8.1 percent, murder decreased 7.2 percent, aggravated assault declined 4.2 percent, and rape decreased 3.1 percent.

Experts can’t really point to a reason for that decline. Maybe money really is the root of all evil — when we are too obsessed with it. Or maybe we simply need a wake-up call every once in a while in America to remind us of our commitment to each other, to God and to the values that this country was founded upon. After all, this wasn’t the land of wealth of and wonton pleasure, but the land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we Americans don’t give up on that, or each other.

When times are tough, we respond, ready to fight arm in arm not just for our own selfish needs but for what’s right, what’s just and for the rights and welfare of others. That’s what God created us to do, and He gave us this blessed nation, unlike any other on earth, to do it in.

July 6, 2010 · Posted in Culture and Values, Economy, Faith and Inspiration, Health and Wellness  
　　　　

The Father’s Day Column

0
Every Time We Fall
I wish I had a buck for all the times I have been challenged by non-believers to prove the existence of God.  But instead of growing frustrated with their skepticism, now I give them what they want – ironclad evidence!
           
I tell them that I will never forget the day when I met God, once and for all proving the existence of the Almighty Himself, not that I really needed to prove anything.  After all, faith itself has usually carried me through all the confusion and calamities of my life. But it was still quite incredible to stand right there in the presence of the irrefutable evidence of Him in all His glory and greatness, His love and support.
 
I can’t help but be filled with uncontrollable joy as I sit here thinking about that memorable warm summer day so many years ago and the monumental discovery I made. After all, so many people have debated the existence of God for hundreds, no thousands, of years, since the dawn of man.  And there I was sitting on the biggest discovery of all time right there in front of me. 
 
Now, I never really gave much credence to the debate over God’s existence in the first place because I felt Him everywhere all the time looking out for me, picking me up when I fell flat on my face and teaching me how to live.
 
But still for Him to be there that day right in front of me substantiating beyond the shadow of a doubt His presence in the world was nothing short of a miracle.  I was so excited that I could barely keep my balance, nearly tumbling over in front of Him.  But His calm steadied me.
 
Just when I thought I had composed myself, my excitement once again got hold of me, and I found myself falling helplessly to the floor not once, not twice but over and over again.  Each time, I reached out for Him screaming in terror.  And he never deserted me, always catching me before I fell too far and wiping the tears from my face, a face so childlike next to his wise and weathered brow, as he told me He would always be there for me.
 
As the day wore on and the sun began to set, I soon grew accustomed to his kind company and trusted Him implicitly.  So when He told me that it was time for me to ride off on my own, I grew angry.  I didn’t want Him to leave my side.  I yelled at Him like a child speaking out of turn forgetting whose presence I was in. 
 
But He forgave me and assured me I could do it on my own.  But more importantly, He told me that He loved me and would always be there for me, even when I thought I was all alone.
 
I was speechlessly in awe of his love. But later that day after all the excitement was done, I did manage to speak my thoughts clearly for the first time.
 
I said, “Thank you Dad,” as we wheeled my shiny new two-wheeler into the garage, and then he silently threw his big, strong arm around me as he did so many times before and since.
                       
So I say, once again, there I was in the presence of the irrefutable proof of God and his unconditional love that day — the day my dad taught me how to ride a bicycle for the first time.
 
Thank you God, for giving me my earthly father to act as your proxy and your proof that I am your child and that You will always be there to catch me when I reach out and fall.
 
And to all you fathers, Happy Father’s Day!
 
Chris Benguhe is the author of “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God” available at Amazon.com  
June 16, 2010 · Posted in Culture and Values, Faith and Inspiration, Health and Wellness  
　　　　

Lonely? Here’s 7 Ways to Fill Up Your Heart This Valentine’s Day

0

ALL OUT OF LOVE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY?

Here’s 7 ways to fill up your heart!

By Columnist Chris Benguhe – Author of Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God.

If you don’t have a special someone to spend Valentine’s Day with this weekend, all the extra amor in the air is bound to get you down.

If your heart is feeling like its running on empty, then why not fill it up with what Valentine’s Day is REALLY about – REAL love – not just romance! There is a whole lot more love around you then you realize. 

Our lives are naturally enriched by surrounding ourselves with those that love us. From family to friends, and even people we meet for a moment in passing. We all can reinforce each other with love.

Here are 7 simple ways to find it and fill up your heart—

1.    Visit an older friend or relative or simply stop by a senior center to share some goodwill and cheer.

2.    Volunteer your time at a charity – St. Vincent de Paul is my favorite.

3.    Pick one person who has helped you the most this year and bring them a Valentine’s gift just because.

4.    Reach out to a neighbor.

5.    Call a long lost friend or relative just to say hello.

6.    Pick 5 people out who help you throughout the year and say thanks (hint – a police officer, your garbage man, your mail carrier and that cashier at the grocery store who always smiles and remembers your name for starters.)

7.    Spend the day smiling and saying hello to everyone you encounter.

And remember it’s not about whether the glass is half full or half empty – it’s about the value of the glass. The glass of your life is always valuable because you can fill it up with lots of love!

Read more of Chris Benguhe’s inspirational thoughts in his latest book available at Amazon through the link below-

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809143917?ie=UTF8&tag=beyondtragedy-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809143917

Chris Benguhe is a columnist for the Catholic Sun and the Author of “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God.”

ALL MATERIALS ABOVE ©2007 by Chris Benguhe

February 11, 2010 · Posted in Culture and Values, Dating and Relationships, Faith and Inspiration, Health and Wellness