Author CHRISTINA DITZEL

LIFE IS FILLED WITH STRENGTH & WISDOM

CHRISTINA DITZEL Leave a comment

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LIFE REPRESENTS DIFFERENT WHEN YOU CHASE WISDOM

For centuries religion and politics has kept us divided and at war with one another. So why than, do we continue to follow the fools who lead us to destruction year after year, and century after century? When will mankind seek wisdom for themselves so we can all live together in peace? Life! It is so difficult and real challenging moments. And yes, life also has many twists, turns, and mountains to climb, but it doesn’t have to be so complicated. There will always be another fire to put out, another illness to overcome, another loss of a loved one, and another storm to clean up after, but we don’t have to burden our hearts with the heavy burnden of things we can’t explain or change.

Life is complicated because people complicate it. We complicate our own life, and we complicate each other! Every time we lack wisdom and understanding, we do things that complicate our own life and the people in it with our judgment and opinions.  Why are humans so desperate for attention? Why do we speak words that we hear from other people and sometimes don’t even believe ourselves? We speak about things we know nothing about, and we want everything, and we want it right now! We have no patience, and we don’t take time to observe and learn in each season of life.

Let me start by saying this, all that chasing your doing, is meaningless!  Chasing “Money, fame, and power will NEVER buy you happiness, love, or intelligence!” You may experience these things temporarily but nothing in this world brings permanent joy. But for the sake of this blog let’s say it did! What then? If you had all the money, all the fame, and all the power in the world and you were happy, in love and you had achieved all the knowledge you could ever gain in the world, what would be left for your life tomorrow?

And who is to say what makes you happy and content today, is going to be enough to keep the person you fell in love with, happy tomorrow? Or furthermore, who’s to say the people who follow you (making you famous and rich) are going to agree with you in the next season of their life? They may end up committing suicide because the things you say or do are not in alignment with how they feel or believe internally. As a result, you end up making them feel unhappy, unloved, and lacking wisdom. What then? How can we have personal gain that doesn’t align with the ones we love? Truth is, when you lose one thing it leaves you wanting something more! What is it you are really chasing in this world? And when will enough be enough?

ENOUGH IS NEVER ENOUGH

It seems like people are never satisfied. Life has gotten so complicated, and people are living foolishly. They have no sense of time, no self-control, and they lack eagerness for wisdom! Oh, for those that think their smart, umm, I say this as gently as possible, “smart is not equal to wise my friend”! To live and walk-through life with a “just passing through” attitude, you lose time and miss so many important things that are right there for you to see, feel, touch, learn, and experience. When we go through life with no regard for the way we are living it, (with our words, our actions, how we treat others, our expectations, our choices, etc.) it’s such a sadness. We wreck ourselves and don’t even realize it as we run full force into danger zones, year after year.

What if, you could see life through a lens of “enough”! Enough will only be enough when you chase something that has true meaning to you. And nothing in life has any meaning if the world around you can change the perspective on it. Life only has meaning when it comes with wisdom. But how do we find meaning in life and get wisdom? It didn’t take me very long to realize wisdom was just truth in “Gods Words to me”. In All my mess, behind all my tears, and at the edge of a breakdown, screaming and yelling at God, (who was always with me through all my crap), I had to trust “I was never alone” and then I had to trust in His timing. I had to realize that in my time of waiting for him, I had to sit and be silent. That doesn’t mean I am not doing anything. I am always observing and learning while I wait.

When I decided to just sit quiet and get alone with myself, my own thoughts, my own anger, and all my pain and confusion; I found strength in His Words and in the promises, I heard in those words. In truth, I realized there is goodness in every light and every dark road I have traveled down. Every mountain I had to climb, every fire I had to put out, and every loss in life, there was Wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to understand life through Gods perspective. The reason I trust the Bible is because it is filled with different authors who encourage us throughout our walk-in life. Solomon is one who inspires us to get wisdom!

Those who get wisdom love life; It’s better to get wisdom than gold.

Those who get wisdom find life and receive favor from God…”

Proverbs

Those are just a few versus. But he encourages us to chase knowledge and not this life. If we chase life, we will always be fighting our own battles without understanding. Which leads us to make decisions based on our own understanding and we continue making the same bad choices year after year. If we keep our mind open and listen to the words, we become disciplined and discover an understanding in every season. To become wide means you don’t hate discipline and hold yourself accountable to do the things that are difficult. This my friend is priceless and leads you to freedom!

If we go through life never having enough, let us chase Wisdom! We can never have enough wisdom and you are never too smart, or too old to get more understanding. Wisdom means we gain something at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of every season of life. And if your wise enough to clear off your lens, you will discover wisdom every second of every hour, and every day of your life. Life won’t just be filled with seasons of tragedy; it will be filled with experiences that bring insight! You will always take something with you and that something can never be lost, stolen, or taken away. Because it comes in a package that is irreplaceable. Inside your mind, body, and soul.

Whatever people, power, and material things bring you pleasure in this moment, I promise that pleasure won’t last long. So, get wisdom and you will live a long, happy journey you can be excited to explore. Don’t waste time chasing fools in this life who don’t know you or what you’re capable of! Understanding is for the Wise, not the simple minded! Don’t follow people who limit their own worth by chasing a life today, which holds no value tomorrow.

HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND RESILIENCE

What is your perspective, and do you have the resilience to handle adversity in the next year? Did you know your soul gets weaker every time you look through someone else’s lens? Especially if it’s foggy, uncomfortable, and doesn’t speak to you! Your stability is in your perspective, sometimes you just have-to trust in your own discernment and believe that everything in life is moving you forward. When we get lazy because we don’t see instant results, we’ve failed before, or our perspective gets tainted by unexpected tragedy’s, we live curiously and foolishly through the lens of others. We lose so much time and knowledge when we depend on other people’s perspective instead of God’s Word. Some of you may believe this, others may not, but my belief is that God created us each unique with a different perspective, and He did that on purpose! When you embrace the thing that makes you different, you will realize life is ! There is so much wisdom behind your perspective! You just need to shut off all the noise!

Weakness comes when we fail too many times, and we no longer trust in our own skills and talents. I get it, we need immediate results in all we do, or we think we are unworthy. Some of us on spiritual journeys think we are not loved by God because of our mistakes. Others believe He is just not listening. Some of us may not even believe in a higher power, at all! While others believe in many Gods. Sometimes, we do things in life based on our own understand, which comes from other people and their opinions about us. Sometimes we deceive ourselves by adopting other people’s beliefs which inevitably make our situations worse. But what if we decided to chase wisdom above all things in this world? What if we started listening, and keeping track of the disciplines that life offers to give us wisdom?

What if life is happening exactly the way it was supposed to, because you still need wisdom to handle the things that are waiting for you on the other side? How many times have you said, “Thank God I went with my gut and didn’t go there? How many times did you take someone’s advice and realize it was a bad idea? But still, we try to do things without thinking or listening to the influences and voices around us. We push time and rush things because we are so impatient! When we sit still and quiet the noise, life will give us wisdom. By teaching us something new in every minute of every moment, we discover happiness in all of it. But if we don’t take the time to get Wisdom, we never increase our resilience in this world. So, hold on a little longer and chase wisdom in this moment!

HOLD ON A LITTLE LONGER

What if you held on a little longer? What if the difference between your happiness and failures is somewhere in between your perspective and your ability to sit still this season?  How many times have you overcome what others thought you couldn’t? How many times have you surprised yourself? How many times were you happy you embraced your intuition and made a new discovery in the unknown? If you know that you have experienced a time in life where you had a breakthrough before, who is has any say in what you are or are not capable of in this next season? You don’t know what you’re capable of, so don’t let others assume they know what you’re capable of! Don’t make decisions this year based on the seeds other people planted in you. If in doubt, I promise all your answers are somewhere in-between Wisdom and your uniqueness. What if this season you didn’t give up and instead, decided to get quiet and chase wisdom?

Okay, what I am about to say to you may be even more difficult to understand but stick with me for a moment! Try to hear my words! I promise at some point in my life, I have been where you are! Searching for answers, seeking for something more, and stumbling through life season after season. What if this season you did something different? What if you sat quiet with yourself and did something unordinary? What I am about to tell you is something that I have done before, then turned away from, and then came back to. And I can tell you this “my life has gotten easier when I came back”! I can’t tell you if this is going to feel natural for you, or how this will change your life, because I don’t know you personally. But what I can promise you is this, “you will discover a wisdom like no other person around you, and your life will change drastically and miraculously”!

Take a moment, any moment, in the morning or in the evening, when you can hide away in a room by yourself. Take that moment to look through some of the words in the Book of Proverbs. I know! I know! Churchy religious people preaching about their God! First, I am not churchy or religious and second, I have attempted life so many different ways and I can tell you that every area of my life has never been clearer then when I turn to the WORD! Look for Wisdom! Seek for Wisdom! Crave Wisdom! I promise there is a God who created you and He hears all your thoughts, emotions, and concerns about your life. He won’t just hear your thoughts and concerns; He will show you the answers to all of your questions! They are right there in the words of the many authors who contributed to the Bible.

 I get it! So many churchy people think God speaks audibly and they mystify everything! It’s kind of annoying! But I am not here to dictate what you should and should not believe, I am here as a friend and a witness, that the bible is not a mistake. It is full of men and women like us who stumbled through life with struggles, illnesses, pain, loss, and trauma. It’s fill with wisdom and information from people who walked side by side with a man who had enough faith to give up all the pleasures in his own life, to just be present with people who were different then him. He walked his life being a living example for us so that we could have a Heaven like experience here on earth. This man never took advice from people, but rather gave Knowledge to the people! I have experienced a different kind of God then most.

I believe we were all created differently on purpose! I also believe we were created to interpret things differently, but not dispute our differences! We were created to seek wisdom in our journey and get understanding for the things we can’t comprehend. To get Wisdom and understanding, we must allow “God”. Who always moves in silence and teaches me to do the same.

So, before you allow another distraction in your life, Hold on a little longer. Give yourself time to build strength, wisdom, and knowledge this season. Move silently forward so in the next season of your life, the burdens will be light. If we want to experience a life filled with blessings and happiness, our perspective on life must be transformed. We need resilience to hold on in the unknown moments of life that offer blessings. When things get confusing, sit silently in the Word and you will see all the blessings in the wilderness. You will discover wisdom in all your experiences.

CONCLUSION

Sitting still sometimes means doing what you know brings joy to your heart but could also add value to others. What do you love doing that could result in helping someone else? Sometimes it means you need to let go and let God! There are just some things we can’t control. Do the things you can and stop doing things that distract you and burden you. To break chains means, we must stop forcing ourselves to hustle, grind, work, and chase things that hold no real meaning tomorrow. Stop keeping busy on things that offer no value to your soul. And whatever you do, even if you have to do something you don’t really like, do it as if you’re doing it for The Lord. You will find the joy in it and your burden will become lighter! Your survival and life depend on how well you handle adversity. Your life is filled with experiences that offer you an opportunity to gain strength and wisdom!

Do Your Words Match Your Character (Part 2)

CHRISTINA DITZEL Leave a comment

The Gift of Grace

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GIVE YOURSELF GRACE & PICK UP YOUR MAGIC CARPET

I decided to stand tall in my faith way too late in life. But still, at the end of each day I’m faced with the reality, that is my story. This is called LIFE!  I am the only one that can answer for all my mistakes or all my miracles! I have to decide each day to “be the main character” in my story and I have to remain “in character” throughout the story. Because let’s be honest, no hero in a movie wants to go out as a coward! And I am no different!

In order to remain in character, you must stay true to yourself. I had to make some choices. Hard ones! Some easy ones! Sometimes I had to choose between My way or God’s way! And God offers a lot more Grace than we give ourselves! Bottom line! It is disciplined and enlightening! I believe the foundation Jesus gave us is a beautiful example that shows us the pathway to happiness. He gave us the key that opens the door to a life filled with amazing experiences! A life filled with people, communities, culture, instructions, messages, and yes sometimes lessons that may hurt a little. But they are there to help you grow your character!  I promise! Nothing bad comes into your life without it being an opportunity for something greater ahead!

In the same way He became the example for us to follow him, we are to be the example so that others may find their way to Him too. It’s not our job to scream, yell, shout, force or dictate our beliefs to others, just to encourage and lift people up when they are down! Your character becomes infectious. When we experience a feeling of freedom by discovering a foundation that helped us create the pathway to that freedom, we become happier and healthier people living life compelled to share the stories that lead us here. The Word is free and there is Freedom in the word! You just need to give yourself the gift of Grace in the process. That doesn’t mean you keep doing the same things over and over. NO! You Recognize your weaknesses, you stay far away from the people or things that keep you weak, and you engage yourself with new tasks that give you strength. I am not perfect or better than anyone else. In fact, I mess up a lot! But when I mess up or get off track, I give myself grace, pick my magic carpet back up, learn to have self-control, and then I get a handle on myself so I can do better next time around. And season after season I do this so that I can consistently learn more about the character in my story. Getting to know yourself in a deeper way is the most magical journey in life you will ever take!

PICK UP YOUR MAGIC CARPET AND MOVE FORWARD

If you want to start reading the bible, and I would advise that you do, start with the book that brings you encouragement! It’s all good but the book of John Chapter 5 tells an amazing story that just hits me no matter what season of life I am in. It is a book of encouragement for an eternal life and discovering your identity. It is an easy read too so that helps! Here is the short version of John chapter 5 which is where I discovered my magic carpet analogy.

“So, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Jewish feast. There was a pool called Bethesda which people would go to for healing of illnesses, disabilities, blindness, and other amazing miracles. That day a certain man was there which had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him, and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, do you want to get better? 7 The man answered him, Sir, I have no one to help me to the water, to put me into the pool: while I am going, another person goes down before me. 8 Jesus replied to the man, “Rise, take up take your mat, and walk”.

Ugh, That, just moves me so much! The man picked up his mat, walked away and was healed. 38 years of illness gone, just like that! However, the story doesn’t end there. A bunch of drama happens because Jesus did this on the Sabbath, but for the sake of this blog, I will keep it short. Here is another point people miss. So, Jesus sees this man later on that day and said, “Your healed now go and don’t sin no more” Like dude! “DON’T SIN NO MORE”. How do people miss this? We all interpret the bible differently. I get it! Some people take it literally others base it on their own circumstances. However, in every season of life we get thrown into different situations and that means our interpretations of what we read will change too. This is called WISDOM! If we are self-aware and willing to GROW & CHANGE in each season, we will expand our mind with wisdom, and enthusiasm for a life filled with experiences. Furthermore, if we share our experiences with humility, we end up finding pleasure in our own journey just by teaching, encouraging, and uplifting others. Just as Jesus did with this man and many, many others he came to know during his walk and throughout his life.

TO THE POINT!

The point is this, we can choose to pick up our Cross, our Magic Carpet, our Mess, or our flesh, whatever you wish to call it! But each, and every single one of us must be held accountable for the words we use, the people we trust into our life, and the actions we take every moment of every day. If we don’t want the same burdens year after year to occur, we must be aware of our own words and the actions we take daily!

So, I ASK, DO YOUR WORDS MATCH YOUR ACTIONS? How many of us talk a good game but the things we say are not a reflection of the character we represent? We change the way we walk, talk, and act, when we are around certain people, on social media, or in certain social groups. We camouflage ourselves to fit into the trends! But the truth is, we’re not even happy acting like that, and our magic carpet is taking us on a constant roller coaster ride. Which is our life, constantly spiraling out of control!  When you mess up or get off track in any area of life, you need to be aware of your surroundings and your own actions. This way you recognize danger when it tries to come back around a second time.

 

Use your “magic carpet” to help you recognize the red flags before you do something you don’t really want to do. Do you not understand that you carry yourself with you everywhere you go? When we get this, we find the strength to pick up our carpet and get a handle on ourselves, so we can fly off before we do the thing we will regret! It’s okay to give yourself some grace because you’re learning to sustain yourself with healthy boundaries! But please listen, we can only give ourselves so much grace! When we pick up our “magic carpet” with all our past mistakes, all our illnesses, all our mess, and all our bad choices, we can embrace the blessing that comes with letting go and have self-control moving forward! Can you contain yourself alone? We MUST let go and let God take the wheel sometimes, or we will never know self-control!

In this season of “Pick up our magic carpet (all our words, all our actions, all the people, and everything we’ve been carrying around with us our whole life) Pick it all up, means having a little grace for ourselves, and knowing when to walk forward and not look back. I believe for some of us, if we do this, God will give us the key to the door that will lead us to unusual acceleration in this next year! As I go through life in my own learning phases, discovering the main character of my own story, I am compelled to share with you my struggles, my wins, and my losses. My hope is that these foundations can be witnessed through my journey of discovering who I was, who I am, and who God knew I would be. Maybe by sharing my truth, you’ll be able to discover the main character in your own story too! Because I truly believe there is a hero in each, and every single one of us!

“We just have to trust our own paths, pick ourselves up, and decided to

take an extraordinary journey to unordinary places”.

CREATING YOUR MAIN CHARACTER IS LIKE CREATING YOUR OWN FAIRYTALE

Just like the fairy tale of Aladdin, the “poor boy”, or “street urchin” who created his dream life. But it all started when he got on his magic carpet, took a princess out of her normal environment, and then showed her the world through a new lens. Maybe in this season, Jesus wants to show you, your life through a new Lens too.  What if we didn’t just go through the motions of life anymore? What if playing a character in everyone else’s story wasn’t enough for you anymore? What if all those people came into your life to show you the kind of character you don’t want to be, so you could become the main character of your own story? What if you read this article and it was the first of many signs and wonders for a whole new world ahead of you? Would you take up your magic carpet and go for an unfamiliar ride to unordinary places? 

If you got this far into this blog post, I hope you can give yourself some grace today and let go of the things that happened yesterday. Pick yourself back up and go on an extraordinary journey and do it for yourself not to impress others! It’s okay to carry all the crap with you, you need to bear some of the burden of your own mistakes, and carry the carpet that holds all your secretes, all the guilt, all the shame, all your bad habits, and all the people and things you regret, so you can recognize them in the future. YES! Absolutely there will be a burden placed on us all when we are rebuilding up our character! But the burden will be light as time goes on because you will recognize patterns of people and read the red flags that are there to warn you along the way. But you have to allow the holy spirit to guide the way and stop trying to do it all on your own strength.

IN CONCLUSION

Remember this, “our burden comes from what we over-come, and we overcome only the burdens we are willing to face head on”. See I think if we are ever going to get our words to match our character, we need to remember where we’ve been and have some idea of the kind of life we want to live. Whether we are a mess or blessed, we will always have to leave room for learning and growing as our character changes from season to season! Struggles will always come and go constantly throughout our life, as we experience the trials and tribulation of unexpected events that we have no control of. However, reflection on one’s own life, is not only healthy, but also essential to walk a life worth witnessing. So, the next time you get upset because you messed up, did something you hate, or maybe jumped off track temporarily, remember to give yourself some grace. Pick your carpet and yourself back up, learn to have self-control, and then get a handle on yourself so you do better next time. You can do better next time, every time! Year after year progressing into the heroic genius you were created to be, as the main character in your own story!

Do Your Words Match Your Character? (Part 1)

CHRISTINA DITZEL Leave a comment

Holding yourself accountable for the words you use, the people you trust, and the actions you take!

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THE PEOPLE YOUR AROUND IMPACT YOUR CHARACTER

Let me start by saying this, “there are just some people you need to eliminate from your life”! The people we surround ourselves with are a direct reflection of who we are, and that is usually who we don’t want to be! There are some people, that we know are not good for us or our character and yet we allow these people to have a hold on us, and we don’t know why. You know the people I’m talking about! Every time you’re with “this person” or “those people” a feeling of regret overwhelms you, or you end up frustrated, stressed, and upset with yourself for not saying the thing, or making better choices when you’re with them. Staying away from such people is the only way to live life free from all that guilt and shame you carry around with you. It will give you space to move into a life filled with grace and mercy, for yourself and for others.

There comes a time in one’s life when we feel compelled to make choices that may not fit the views of those around us. But when we allow room to reflect, we leave space for wisdom and understanding about our own choices in life. To learn, grow, and change our spiritual walk, we must be willing to face the reflection in the mirror and walk different. In other words, we can stop doing (and saying) the things we hate, but we must change the way we think about life and view the world around us. We can start living a life that reflects the kind of character we want to be. And stop the role we play to appease everyone else who expects us to act a certain way. This truth (our true character) that lives inside of us is different for each of us, and we change in every season of life. Well, we should be changing and growing in every season of life! Please understand that! Get that last statement! Because when you know “your truth”, you don’t just build character, you become the main character in your own story! And that story becomes a God given life full of potential, opportunities, and unexpected blessings. If you want your words to match your actions, you must leave some people behind and out of your story! They can be there for a moment as a lesson for you, but don’t keep them around too long, because you will end up playing a victim role in their story! And as a result, you just end up being a villain in your own story or the main character in someone else’s! And that is not good if they are the one’s creating your character!

PAY ATTENTION TO THE RED FLAGS

The red flags are always there for you to see! They come to you as feelings through emotions like discomfort, fear, anxiousness, and/or annoyance. In my case I would say it’s mostly annoyance! (Giggles at self for being annoyed that I allowed other people to get me out of character! ha, ha! Funny, not funny!) There are thoughts that come to mind before our emotions provoke us into action. But for some reason it’s easier to ignore the red flag and just go with the flow. Or just react to what seems familiar, just to make other people comfortable. So many of us end up doing the thing we hate most! We do things that will sometimes even hurt us later, and we do it just to please other people in the moment. This is a behavior many of us have adapt to and it’s become normal behavior for many of us. Mostly because religion tells us to be kind and courteous of others. I mean, of course that is a great value to have! But I am here to help you and say, “we have the power to take control of our own words and actions”! Which builds our character!

If this all sounds familiar to you and you get completely out of character around certain people, most likely your words don’t reflect your actions! You’ve probably become a gossiper, a liar, bitter, always stressed out, and you may have even lost good people in your life at the expense of pleasing people, who have ulterior motives. This becomes a problem for you, your character, and the lifestyle you live! If you don’t learn to read the red flags, get a handle on yourself, and have the ability to initiate boundaries, you will be headed for a dreadful story filled with drama, loss, anxiety, health issues, and so much more trauma!

Now, if you’re a church person or a religious person you were most likely raised with certain beliefs that inevitably dictates how you look at others and how you look at yourself. For example, I was raised Catholic with very restricted Lebanese family morals. Through my own choices (influenced by others that I allowed to control me), I left home at a young age. I lived a wildlife that led to unexpected trauma which eventually lead me to a personal relationship with the Trinity. (God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) Yes, I was introduced to God at a very young age, so it came back around later in life. But let’s make it very clear, “The standards I have for my life and my children’s life, are not equal to the restricted standards my parents held for me!”

I didn’t always believe in a purpose driven life. I just lived life going through the motions with no real awareness of myself, my surroundings, or the people I hung around. It wasn’t until I was affected by all the Red Flags that I ignored through the years, that I and ended up in Jail, homeless, and losing everything. Eventually when I realized no one was coming to answer my cry’s for help, I turned to God for real help. I now live as if every moment counts and every person who crosses my path was placed here with purpose. That is not to say every single person is meant to stay in my life. Some people are meant to give a message to me or to get a message from me. While others may be in my life for long seasons others may be with me for a lifetime. Either way, we all go through certain experiences, and we are all on our own journey! However, the faster we read the red flags, the faster we get back on track, and in the main character of our own story! Your personal growth and life depend on how well you recognize the red flags of distraction that come into your life! So, pay attention to those red flags and get a handle on your reaction to them.

GET A HANDLE ON YOURSELF

To overcome different trauma or different circumstances you must change the way you handle yourself. It is imperative that we grow as individuals and become stronger for all the amazing things we desire in life. What does YOUR story say about you and YOUR character? The only way to grow as a person is to learn new behavior and change old ones. The key here is to learn new behaviors, but to do that you must be held accountable for your own actions and stop blaming other people. You allowed these people into your life with all their red flags and toxic drama. You don’t get to blame them for your own idiocy year after year! You can only blame other people for your own actions once, after that its on you! You need to get a handle on yourself before you wreck yourself again and again.

THE FOUNDATION THAT FORMS OUR CHARACTER

How does one form a new character when we’ve been so impacted by others and hurt by so many things in life? Well, we decide to do all of the above, let’s recap

  1. We eliminate people
  2. We read the red flags  
  3. We hold ourselves accountable
  4. We build the foundation that forms our character

Number 4 is probably the most enjoyable of the list. When I think of the trauma and drama, I have been through in the past, and then I think of the things I desire in the future, I go back to the examples and lessons Jesus gave us throughout the bible. I try to keep His words with me as lessons, constructive criticism, accountability, boundaries, and a base structure for a healthy, happy walk through life. All the foundations you need are there in the bible, I promise! And it is different for each, and every one of us! I am well aware that I may losing some of you by bringing up the bible and Jesus’s talk! But just hear me out for just a one minute! The foundations we use to build our character is so important to the life we live moving into each chapter! If you want to see major change in the next season, I promise these four simple steps will change not only your perspective on life, but your entire role in this life!

What is important to you? When you can answer that honestly you will discover the point in time where your life meets pure enjoyment and pleasure in the journey! Many churchy people say we can’t enjoy life and a walk with God is nothing but pain, struggle, and spiritual warfare. But I am here to tell you those are all lies! Jesus was the coolest sneakiest dude in his day! He literally hid in the crowds and ran from psychopaths who He didn’t want to be around all the time!

I was not raised to have a personal relationship with Jesus, or even understand the foundations of the bible, but there were values I grew up that are in the bible. And there were values I grew up with that the bible warns us about too. Maybe you live by some of those foundations right now. I don’t know! But you’re reading this article and I do know this, “there are many of us who have been hurt by the church and by the beliefs of other people who manipulated and dictated” and now we’ve found ourselves acting and living in ways that are not conducive to the lifestyle we desire. If that is you, and you are uncomfortable in your own skin or struggling to find confidence in your own life, I am here to tell you, that “the foundation you build today will impact the character you become tomorrow”.

In fact, if you spend time alone and read the WORD and then take the instruction you get from it and use the foundations in your own life, you will see an instantaneous change in yourself, and miracles will begin to happen in your life daily! I can say this with full confidence because I have done life both ways. I have tried it following other people, I have tried it my own way, and I have done it Jesus’s way! Can I just say, His burden is so much lighter than the burdens of other people, and the burdens I placed on myself when I did what I wanted. The main character in YOUR STORY depends on the foundation you use to build good character traits. So, what does the main character in your story look like? Who are you? What foundation will you utilize to build your character?

TO BE CONTINUED…

At What Age is Old enough? And Why Generations are so misunderstood?

CHRISTINA DITZEL Leave a comment

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If you clicked this title your probably asking, “old enough for what?” Old enough to drink? To Drive? To Vote? To become an adult? What exactly are we talking about here? At what age is Old enough to do what? Some would say it depends on the country, while others would say it depends on the state laws. But my real question is “At what age does one become wise?”

Ya’ know, someone not so long ago, told my 19-year-old daughter that she would not be an adult until she was 25 years of age! Well, I don’t agree with that, per say!

First, if a person can vote at 18 years of age, and drink at 21 I would hope adults didn’t create a law that allowed children to vote or to drink. Because what good decisions could be made if children, were getting drunk and had majority vote? (This entire statement was sort of a joke but not, obviously!) When I think of our laws here in America, I do question the many decisions these so called “adults” have made over the years. Especially concerning our laws or state regulations. The truth is, I have met many 40- and 50-year-olds who are still living with child like mentality and have not gained any wisdom over the years. In fact, my 19-year-old and 14-year-old daughters are much wiser than many people over the age of 25.  Actually, I have seen many people I know personally wake up and do the same things day in and day out for the past 5, 10, or 20 years. Their life never changes and neither do their circumstances.

So, why are humans so hung up on age? Furthermore, at what age is old enough for one to realize “it is time”? Time to what? A time to do any of it! A time to vote, a time to drink, a time to drive, time to have kids, time to get married, a time to make better decisions, and how about a time to grow up!!! When is the right time for any of it? Especially when most of that stuff has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I mean why does age matter when all things come to an end anyway, right? I mean in reality, we all feel a little lonely at some point in our life, no matter what age we are. A moment of loneliness is inevitable.

The Truth Behind Loneliness

The human being must be the most complex species roaming our planet. In fact, sometimes I feel very alone, even when I am surrounded in a room full of people. Mostly when I’m around people who have closed minded ideas. In other words, no wisdom! I was raised with a Lebanese father in America, so I can tell you that feeling uncomfortable, not fitting in, and staying silent in a room full of people has become quite normal for me. But in a society where everyone is so outspoken and doesn’t really care who is in the room, it’s like we’ve lost all respect for ourselves, for others, and for boundaries. I’m used to blending in as a Lebanese female living in America. Keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut was the rule in my home growing up. I didn’t speak until spoken to and I had to always watch what I said and who I said it to! If I didn’t, there were consequences. Bottom line! Although, I know that is not the way of today’s society, I do think there are some lessons in life worth embracing.

As children we grow up with parents who have these rules, or no rules at all. And we try to fit in to our environments when we become a prime age of curiosity. We can either choose to run wild from too many rules, or we can run wild from not having any rules at all. On the other hand, we could become tamer if we have no rules, because we’ve experienced the temptations and turbulence of a life with no rules. Similarly, we can become too aware and too cautious later in life if we had too many rules. So, it just depends on our individual life experiences, the seeds that were planted into us throughout life and of course, the realties we create for ourselves.

Loneliness only comes from an emotion of not being in community with other like-minded individuals.

I don’t know what your religious beliefs are, but there is a history book called the bible and it has many stories. In the very first story, called Genesis, the first time the creator says “it’s not good” is when He created man to be alone. Humans are not meant to be alone. In fact, no species of its kind in all of creation is meant to be alone. There is in fact Male and Female of every single species walking our planet today.  

Age is Just a Number Your Wisdom Determines Your Growth

I don’t know what your gender is, and I don’t really care to know! Especially since we are using way too many gender pronouns today. And if I am totally honest, my dispute on that could create an entire blog or maybe even a book! Which I have no time for right now! This article today was created to help those who feel like their age has literally defined their entire existence. I don’t believe our age should determine our life or our experiences, but rather our stages of life. I believe that the wisdom we gain throughout the years has more to do with growth then our age does. And I Believe that one can experience true growth at any stage of life through knowledge and wisdom. If you’re not learning, you’re not changing, and if you’re not changing, you’re not growing! It really is that simple!

Every single human being on this planet has experienced emotions such as pain, loneliness, contentment, and excitement. We have also experienced connection, love, passion, and joy. I can even go as far as to say that we have experiences loneliness in love and pain in things we once got pleasure from. I don’t care what anyone says, there is no material thing, no person, no experience more exhilarating in life then gaining wisdom. All love stories and relationships have an ending. Whether individually or mutually decided or by death, all relationships come to an end eventually leaving you in pain or feeling lonely. That is why we need to surround ourselves in “community” not alone with one or two in solitary but full communities.  Material things can break, get lost or taken away. People lose connections or die. People and things don’t last and there is always another thing or person to desire. The good emotions we carry around from people or things never last long. There are too many stages of life. And we all experience different stages at different ages!

But wisdom, that is forever! Growth never ends! There is always room for more growth in our human existence. No matter our age or our gender we can continue to learn and grow and get more knowledge. We can search for people and gain a moment of pleasure. We can search for things and gain a brief taste of excitement of something new. But when we search for Wisdom, “our cup runneth over” forever. There is no end, there is no limit, there is no age, and there is no loss when we gain wisdom.

So Why are We Misunderstood and What Age is Old Enough?

Generation after generation we have judged and been judged and misunderstood. If you’ve been feeling lost, scared, confused about life, stressed about your age, have people judging you based on your age, or just completely misunderstood by others, I would say don’t allow yourself to get too caught up with age! Age is just a number. Remember this, wisdom has no age limit, but there is joy, there is good judgment, protection, and in light of all life’s struggles, in gaining wisdom, there is understanding and an intelligence beyond human comprehension. When we gain a desire for wisdom, we gain life lived through a lens of perception. Awareness and discernment cannot be bought or purchased no matter how old you are. Behind wisdom is not an age, but rather a purpose and excitement for this beautiful thing we get to call life. There is no depression, no heartbreak, and no long-term trauma where there is wisdom! There is just an understanding of all things. Get wisdom and no matter what age you are, you will discover a life filled with so much emotion that your cup will overflow onto anyone you meet. You will be understood because you will have the knowledge to know when to speak and when not to. You will know who to connect with and what group of individuals to stay far from. You will know better in all situations because you took the time to get knowledge before the experience even happens. No matter a persons age or yours, you will be the one who will always have a knowing and understanding inside you, that is meant for only you. Being misunderstood because of age, is only from lack of knowledge to respond wisely to those around you. Because age is just the number of years you’ve journeyed here, your true view of life is in the Wisdom you gain in the journey.

“Get Wisdom and Gain a Great Life”

People Have Gone Mad!  My Blog My Rant!

CHRISTINA DITZEL Leave a comment

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People Have Gone Mad!

From millennials to Gen Z and from politics to religion…. people have gone mad! I don’t get it, really! We are taught at a young age to respect others and use our words kindly. So why do so many people today act so disguising? For those of us with parents who actually took the time to teach us manners, morals, and respect, I find myself scratching my head at some of you and your public behavior!

The controversial arguments over politics, religion, immigration, sexual preferences, and whatever the hell else you believe and argue about, has gotten completely out of control! Humans in survival mode are chaotic and beyond rationalizing! They panic and are extremely violent! I’ve found myself in complete shock after hurricane Ian. Watching a man in a gas station yelling at a lady over the direction of the line! Like first of all SIR, that lady was here 30 minutes before your arrival, and your next in line so calm the hell down! Why do men think they have the right to speak at women instead of speaking to women? Men today speak at women with such disrespect, and it makes me sick!

Do none of you have boundaries? Have you lost all respect for humanity? Do you know how to look in the mirror and judge yourselves before you point your fingers at others? Do you listen to the words coming out of your own mouths? How about your tone and body language used when you speak? This negative and toxic behavior must stop! For the sake of our society’s mental health and our children’s, children’s lifeline, this behavior must come to an end!

MY BLOG MY RANT!!!

First of all, LGBTQ community, I get it! You have had to hide in the closet for so long that your like Rapunzel who finally escaped her castle! I totally get! In fact, many women who live in countries that have limited, or no rights, are speaking up.  And I get it! I really do.
We have all experienced a time in life where we felt like Rapunzel stuck in a castle (or should I say ‘stuck in a dungeon’). We feel alone with no choices and no voice! I understand! I really do! I’m completely compassionate about people and their stories!

But if Im completely transparent, I really wish EVERYONE WOULD LEARN TO STAY IN THEIR OWN DAM LANE!!!

How is it okay to band religion out of schools but push LGBTQ in schools? Some of you sound like a bunch of contradicting, selfish, and inconsiderate assholes when you speak! Yes, I said that out loud! MY BLOG MY RANT!!! (Do you see what I am doing here? Keep reading you’ll get it eventually. Maybe?)

You are no different than the radical Christian Cults and the politicians that push their beliefs on people, using fear and scare tactics to convert people! If you’re attempting to convert people to think and live exactly as you do, you’re not a good person! Bottom line! This behavior hurts our communities, and is teaching our youth anything but good morals, manners and respect!

This new age behavior patterns are impacting our society with protests, violence, and division! When we should be spreading, knowledge, wisdom, kindness, love, and respect for individuality. And let me just add here for those who say they are “peacefully protesting” NO! YOUR PROTESTS ARE NOT PEACEFUL! How the hell, is protesting ANYTHING publicly, a sign of peace???

Get your priorities and mindset in Check! Hurting others at the expense of benefiting yourselves is not JUST! How do you appreciate me going on rants like this? It’s a total contradiction, right? Wrong! You’re in my space! My blog! My Post! Are you getting it yet? It’s just ignorance and lacks kindness, humility and integrity!  Do you even know what a protest is? It’s screaming your own beliefs, while kicking someone else’s beliefs down! How is that peaceful in any form of life? Your beliefs come from your life experiences, and you choose your life experiences with choices you make! YOU MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES! Let’s make that very clear! How you act and react is a choice!

Your CHAOS and actions are not justified because you place a sad story behind it! Let me remind each and every one of you that EVERYONE …no matter color, race, religion, political views, gender, or belief system, EVERYONE HAS A SAD STORY ATTACHED TO THEM!!!

You’re Not Unique!

You’re not the only one who thinks, feels or acts the way you do! Your story may be special to YOU! And you may feel unique, but you’re not unique if one other person resonates with you! Unique means “THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND”! If you want to be unique, you can’t be a follower of trends, and you must not push your ideas to force others to speak, walk, talk, dress and act like you! Not if you want to be Unique!

Do you know why people get followers, likes, and genuine comments on social media? Because someone else resonated with their story!!! THATS NOT UNIGUE! Some of you follow me, because somehow the things I say hold some kind of value or meaning for you personally. My words resonate with you somehow. That doesn’t make me different or unique! It makes us connected in some way. And isn’t that what we are all here searching for? A human connection?

So many of us are addicted to having a huge following and yet, we think we are, or we want to be unique! I have news for you luv, you’re not unique if you have a huge following! You’re just alone in a great big world of beautiful souls who all crave attention and a connection! Thats right, I said it! “Influencers, leaders, and people in power crave attention, a voice, and control of their environment!” And if you’re in their environment, they will control you too!

I find it so fascinating how people get so depressed, angry, or bitter when they feel different then their family members, or even other people in their local community. Some people even feel this huge sense of lack because they have nothing in common with people around them. But, if you want to be unique, you can’t fit in to everyone else’s bubble! If you want to be unique, you have to be different then everyone else in your world! And in reality, that looks really lonely!

This new age Belief system that says “push, scream, throw a fit, protest, and project your beliefs onto others, just to get your voice heard”, or just to make a buck; only makes you special for your arrogance, violence, manipulation tactics, and division in the world you live in. Being “special” is NOT equal to Unique! BUT Unique is equal to being different! Let’s be clear on one thing, “Being different doesn’t mean trending”! It means staying in your lane and staying in your lane means having boundaries! In other words,

YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE BOUNDARIES, THEN RESPECT OTHERS BY REALIZING THEY HAVE BOUDNARIES TOO! 

People have gone mad because their being forced to believe things that don’t resonate with them personally! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, should learn the difference between sharing information, and using information to persuade others. The words you use can give life to one person, but may cause hurt, pain, and scarcity to another. If you don’t choose your words wisely, you could be doing more damage than good to your community. You want cultural diversity? That means respecting and accepting other people and their cultural beliefs!

When you push (shove, press, drive, force) your ideas onto others, who are special in their own way, you’re only causing division and madness! Your story is not my story, and my story is not your story. That means if you’re pushing your beliefs on me and those ideas conflict with my own beliefs, I will become confused, and then bitter. Furthermore, if you keep pressing the subject aggressively, I could become hostile myself. This is the root cause of anger, violence and division in our society today! Are you hearing what I am saying? I have boundaries and I have certain moral values that I live by. These are my beliefs and I feel very strongly about them. Do you have boundaries? Thats great if you said yes! Now, stay in your lane!!!

For example, I wouldn’t push my God on people by screaming biblical versus in the street. That is just a really example of my God who is not a dictator but rather a God that Loves and gave us “Free Will”! I would never threaten people with scare tactics to get them to believe in my God. Respectfully, I don’t care to have LGBTQ beliefs shoved down mine, or my kids throat. These are my boundaries for own life, it is not me judging anyone else for their lifestyle. I just don’t want to live it or be a part of it. Just like an atheist doesn’t want to be a part of a Christian group. If we want diversity, we must learn how to respect our differences without affecting each other in the process. I’ve been to many drag shows in fact I’ve been on stage with them, but the performances we did and things we said were NOT child appropriate!

Now, obviously, the above content is just a few examples for consideration. My point is, when we are showing public displays of our beliefs, whether it be on social media or in at a public place; using certain words, tones, body languages and our actions, do affect everyone in and around that space. If you don’t want people to stare or judge you, stop bringing attention to yourself! Just like the “In God We Trust” so many pushed out of the schools, I don’t want my children living a life that I feel devalues their human experience.

People are going mad because the moral values of our country are in conflict with the diversity of cultures. When you have a multitude of people in one room with different ideas, you will have conflict. But these conflicts don’t have to cause havoc! These conflicts don’t have to cause division and violence! We could live with each other in this great big world with our own boundaries. But we must respect others for their boundaries as well! We can accept others for their differences, but we don’t have to agree with or live by their rules. 

So as a Conclusion to This Article, I’d Like to End by Saying This…

“Stay in your lane! Remember you will get more bees with honey! So, try your hardest to remain humble and kind in this next season of life. I promise, you will discover more peace in life when you make less noise!  Always, always remember to stand your ground, but don’t kick others down in the process. “To live with integrity means to always be honest and TRUE TO YOURSELF!  But don’t expect others to hold your same truth”. Hold strong to your own principles and moral values, by sharing! BUT Never EVER Dictate! Nowhere does INTEGRITY read or enable us to crush someone’s soul just because their principles don’t resonate with our own. That will never bring you complete happiness. The rules you allow into your boundaries are the morals you will live by. So, tread lightly where one can mislead you or where you can mislead others!