To Begin With

To Begin  With

Words jump out at me.  When I heard someone today say, "To begin with..." my  thoughts turned to all the possibilities.


To begin  with...FAITH!

You cannot say that  you have faith if when you fall you give up.  Faith means you will  be given the strength to rise, or the hand to be lifted up.  But don't  lie there waiting.  God provides for the smallest bird, but He  doesn't throw the seed into the nest.  They were created to  fly.


To begin  with...HOPE!

Trust that in all things there is hope.  Even when we cannot see the opportunity, there it is in the out stretched  hand, the listening ear, the smiling face, the sunrise.


To begin with...LOVE!

If you cannot see love in your life  perhaps you need to put life in your love.  Begin by accepting who  you are and all you can be. This confidence will give you the power to love outside yourself.  Love is not love until it is given  away.  To love is to honor God.


To begin  with...FRIENDSHIP!

If you want to have  friends, BE ONE! Sometimes friendship, like love, appears one  sided. Sometimes people need more than they give. Trust that in doing for  another the act is the gift you give yourself.


To begin with...THE  PRESENT!

Where you are at the moment is a result of where you have been.  We only have the past and the present.   No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Learn from yesterday and begin anew with the  Present.


To begin  with...LOSS!

Succumb to the feelings  of loss.  The heart cannot heal until pain is acknowledged. Tears  are not a sign of weakness but an acceptance of the reality, a release for the bereaved. Faith, Hope, Love and Friendship will be your strength in the  Present. Even in loss there is much to be gained.


To begin  with... "I believe in you!"