written-in-faith.net - Personal Beliefs

Statement of Beliefs:

I believe:

In a kind, loving, caring, and compassionate God.
In a God who does not expect perfection, but one who appreciates honest & sincere effort.
In a God who expects us to use the brains He gave us and to trust the wisdom that He instills in us.
In a God who wants us to simply try.
In a God who wants us to be the people He knows we can be. - i.e. honest, caring, sincere.
In honesty, but always being mindful of how it may affect others.
In using tact and diplomacy.
In using words wisely.
In accepting and appreciating each individual on their own character.
In equality and social justice.
In respecting others, but respect cannot be demanded - it can only be obtained by giving it back.
In helping others whenever and however we can.
In loyalty and commitment. - Anyone who has known me long enough has undoubtedly heard me say: "I may not always like the people I love, but I always love them." - This basically means that my loved ones will, from time to time, irritate me, frustrate me, make me angry - to the point of pulling my hair out by the roots, but I'll always love and care about them
That a biological connection does not necessarily make people members of a family.
That your "brothers" and "sisters" do not necessarily have to have the same parents as you. - They just need to honestly love you, care about you, and always want what's best for you.
In good. - Yet I am very aware of the many problems that exist in this world.
That good cannot exist without some bad.
That good can (and often does) emerge from bad and that what we often perceive as bad, really isn't.
There is a reason for everything, but often the reasoning goes far beyond our comprehension level. - God understands why, we don't.
That each one of us has a particular purpose and a journey to follow.
That life is meant to be enjoyed, appreciated and made the most of.
That people are meant to be loved, valued, respected, encouraged, and never ever, ever taken for granted.

Whenever my time is up, (which I honestly hope will be many, many years from now) I imagine a conversation, something like the following, taking place:
God:     "Well kid-o, What'did'ya think?"
Me:       "Hey Big Guy, I had a blast!"
God:    "Did you love?"
Me:    "Yup! - You bet. I loved my husband, my friends and family, even cared about people I never got to meet."
God:    "Did you enjoy the life I gave you?"
Me:    "Immensely! Thank you God."
God    "Did you try to make a difference?"
Me:    "Well, I tried. - I'm not sure how successful I was, but I tried."
God:    "Did you do good?"
Me:    "I hope you think so."
God:    "Ahhh..... You did my dear. You did."

Enjoy the life that you have and love the people you hold dear to you.