Joy After The Pain

“..weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.“

— Psalm 30:5b

I’ll Never Know
by O. Stephen Peart

Pains untold, pains I’ll never know,
As nature take its course
To bring forth such a beautiful force.
I’ll never know or understand its claim,
Even the Joy after the pain,
Pains untold, pains I’ll never know,
And then the name.

Intense the crescendo pain,
While helpless I stand and lame,
For little do we remember;
Of the burden from an unbearable tender.
Pains untold, pains I’ll never know
Are finally gone and now the joy.

Amazing it is to experience the transition of life from the core of the womb to the open space of the earth. Greater yet to see the form of a life that was decided, designed and developed, passing through the passage of life and to welcoming arms. This might not be true of all life, but one thing is sure that all life from before that moment yearns for that welcome invitation into the world.

Procreation has been a part of our civilization from the foundation of the earth. The forming of a family towards the sustained existence of mankind is imprinted in our being. It is the multiplication of families shaping a nation and giving life to a people. Our existence is dependent upon this union that seeks to keep us together as a race no matter how diverse we are.

King David in one of his writings stated, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well” (Psalm 139:14). From the moment life has started with the union of the egg and the sperm, the fathomless creation process where all the details of the human form begins is simply amazing. The detailing in the forming of the eyes, ears, lips, nose, head, hands, feet and the total body is divinely designed. Even down to the imprint of the fingers where it is said no two individuals share the same prints. Then there is the central nervous system, the intricate communication network of the brain, the unique channels that transport cells, blood and oxygen throughout the body and how information is received and sent.

The time of the development of this being is so orchestrated that everything is in sync and in order. We never know when it really will happen, but when it does the final work is fearfully and wonderfully made. However, the process never ends, as even into this vast space, the development of life as we know it continues.

Reaching forth and holding her hands I could but feel the pain in the limits of my mind, for this is the path we experience in the birth of a new born child. It is heartbreaking and for some almost helpless. However, one thing that amazes me is in spite of the seemly torture of labour, many women are not afraid to bear the pain simply because of the connection with that little child within their womb. They will go to the ends to bring forth that child into the world. I will never know what that feels like but I can share in the joy after the pain.

We may never know or understand the pain it took to bear that child. However, the process of development does not end at birth but the next level begins. It is incumbent on us to ensure that the families we form in the shaping of a nation receives the basic desire of love and welcoming arms. As a father that’s my call and responsibility to do my part. However, there is yet a greater call to fathers and men to be the protectors of this precious gift to decide that we give our all to there intricate and amazing design and help in the development of their lives. The joy is in giving that child a chance to live, love and learn to be all they can be. Let’s also recognize that there are also many children that did not receive a welcoming arm into this world and reach out to them. For them there pain has been transfer but we can bring some of our joy to them. Therein lies true joy after the pain.

“Make a difference in one life and that life will be one more different.”

O. Stephen Peart is a writer and the founder of Released Expressions, focused on consistently producing inspiring content through a unique compilation of poetry, imagery, articles and music, to create an environment of inspired, self motivated individuals. To purchase his book Released Expressions – The Journey Begins, visit ReleasedExpressions.com.

Change WE Can Believe In

It is time to change the political landscape and step yet higher.  Pass over the negative, name calling and anger attacks and focus on what is at hand.  The mission is change and this is an excellent platform to start that progress.

Governor Richardson said it so eloquently, that Senator Obama has something special that he hasn’t seen in the other candidates.  I am sure that many will agree with his statement has never before in a series of political campaign has there been a candidate that has brought people of all nationality, colour, creed, and cultures together.  This is what American needs at this time.

Forget about the war and all the other political policies that have to be passed.  If the people of America can’t come together as a Union then there is very little that can be done on all other fronts.  The world in many areas look to American to set an example in the way the carry themselves.  As it is right now the image and representation of the USA is on an all time low.  Coming together, working together towards CHANGE that WE CAN BELIEVE IN is not totally in the hands of one individual but on collective community inspiring the vision and actively orchestrating that within the USA and around the world.

Change WE can believe in is achievable and accountable to us to be proactively involved in the day to day affairs of our daily lives and the individuals we have appointed in positions of leadership.   Yes WE can.

www.releasedexpressions.com

Stay In Faith

Stay in faith
Don’t give in,
For the journey we take
Is for us to win.
Without the hand
To direct and guide,
The hope to live
In Him we abide.

There will be days
That seem so dim,
And the strength to keep on
Draining from within.
But keep your eyes up
Focused on the One,
That brings and give strength
No matter the cost.

Copyright © 2008 O. Stephen Peart. All rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part in any form or medium without the expressed written permission of O. Stephen Peart are prohibited.

Making Your Life Count Forever

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”  — Benjamin Franklin, 1738

Each day I live, I live to learn;

As I learn, to be.

In service to my fellow man;

For each day given, is for eternity.

– O. Stephen Peart

Are you just here to live day to day and strife to be rich or is there a deeper meaning to life? If you are thinking or waiting for another life changer to come, start looking within, for it takes only one person to make a difference and that difference is you.

We are all uniquely and wonderfully made. If you were to travel the world to find someone exactly like you that search will come up fruitless. However, there is one thing that is constant for all and that is the ability to make your life count forever. That ability is within you; the result is how you use that God given ability to fulfill your destiny. It doesn’t matter where you are from, what matters in Whom you believe and recognizing who you are in Him.

We all face many obstacles and challenges that might deter us from achieving real meaning in our lives. However, staying the course and acknowledging God in all our ways, He will absolutely direct your path. This truth was evident in the lives of some ordinary people who recognized a need and stepped outside their own comfort zones and made their lives count forever. Let`s look at some ordinary people that did extraordinary things.

Mother Theresa (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997)

Standing at about 5 feet, Mother Theresa had a heart that expanded across the world. For over forty years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. This little woman was tall in her exploits to making a difference in her world.

All her achievements were driven by her own philosophies, as she so eloquently states them, “I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness”. “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies”. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person”. “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try”. Making your life count starts with faithfulness.

Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948)

“I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to have control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away” (Mahatma Gandhi [Last Phase, Vol. II (1958), P. 65]).

Gandhi was a simple man, who throughout the course of his life searched for simple truths and in his pursue did simple things that resulted in extraordinary impact. “There is an indefinable mysterious power that pervades everything. I feel it, though I do not see it. It is this unseen power that makes itself felt and yet defies proof, because it is so unlike all that I perceive through out the existence of God to a limited extent” (YI, II-10-28, 340).

“I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good-wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed; but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but the pain of it is a positive pleasure to me. Each step upward makes me feel stronger and fit for the next” (YI, 9-4-25, I26). Making your life count is built on truth.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 – )

Spending 27 years of his life in prison, Nelson Mandela did not allow the physical boundaries to bind his passion to be an extraordinary human being. His message was clear, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. Mandela epitomized his words.

He unselfishly worked for the good of others, by doing, giving and living, “And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”, he said. So if you haven’t gotten it yet, Mandela asks this question, “Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?” Making your life count has no boundaries.

Albert Benjamin Simpson (December 15th, 1843 – October 29, 1919)

“People must always dream dreams before they blaze new trails and see visions before they are strong to do exploits.”

Simpson, a Canadian, was a successful clergy man. However, following a firm refusal by his board to accept 100 Italian immigrants to become members in his church, Simpson founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance where everyone was welcome, regardless of race, income, denomination, or social class. Making your life count does not have to be popular.

Martin Luther King Jnr (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

Do you really want to make your life count? Dr. King inspired a nation to be a part of a dream to be great. His message transcends colour, culture and creed. His message was a message that everyone can be great for all it takes to be great is to serve and everyone can serve.

“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant“.

Excerpted from Dr. Martin Luther King`s speech, The Drum Major Instinct – February 4, 1968

To make your life count is in serving.

O. Stephen Peart is an entrepreneur and author of Released Expressions – The Journey Begins. He is an avid writer of music and poetry. He can be reached at ostephen@mydsktop.com or from his web site at www.releasedexpressions.com.

Love… the absence of fear

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.   –1 John 4:18 – New American Standard Bible

For when I love, there is no fear,

For from my heart the language is clear;

Nothing hidden, everything said,

The absence of fear is certainly not in my head.

I leave the pass,

Stretching with faith to last;

For the battle in the mind will kill,

If we but surrender to its will.

So I look to God each day,

For strength to keep fear at bay;

And reaching forth in praise,

I rest assured all my days.

For when you love there is no fear and from your heart the truth declares. All you are is reflected, good or bad but always living to care. This is the path that we all strive to achieve with our spouse, friend, family member or even colleagues.

Love is a word that plays on the tips of our lips daily. Is there a day that goes by that you have not heard it being used in some shape or form? One day in the month of February is totally dedicated to the topic of love. However, there are many that go by us daily that do not feel loved or are yearning to experience true love.

I have heard many definitions of love. Oxford defines it as deep affection or fondness; sexual passion; sexual relations; beloved one; sweetheart. I am sure you can come up with your own definition based on your own personal experience. For today, let’s talk about love… the absence of fear.

The definition given to fear by Wikipedia is an emotional response to tangible and realistic dangers. Fear should be distinguished from anxiety, an emotion that often arises out of proportion to the actual threat or danger involved, and can be subjectively experienced without any specific attention to the threatening object.

Now for a word that is so regularly used, one would think that the world would be void of fear. However, we are crippled by fear. Fear comes in so many forms, however, because I am writing this from my heart and the passion within me that says many need to know the truth in order to overcome the fear, I am not afraid to write.

I am not suggesting you go say any and everything to any and everyone. By all means no, but when there is an absence of fear, your heart will speak, for love has taken its place. Jesus was a man that said many profound things during His time on earth. Some people took offense to it, but when you stop and think about some of the things he said, then we know for surety that He truly loved. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” – John 15:13, NASB.

If you truly love, it will come forth like a radiant light, shining in the shadows of your being. For everywhere you trod it will not only draw others to you, but it will bring them to yet a higher level. My challenge for 2008 is to replace all my fears with love. To emptying my entire soul, body and mind and let love take full and total control and be the perfection of my daily days.

It is the absence of fear that reflects what’s on the inside and brings us to a recognition of who we really are and what contribution we bring to the lives of others that in return breaks down the fear within their own selves. It is then that we create a community were individuals can look beyond issues and seek to understand each other and resolve with solutions. Love is a powerful agent and it is only when we understand that it goes beyond human definition and begins to dispel fear, then the challenges we face each day will become an opportunity to be a depositor of love and thus the reciprocal action of withdrawing fear takes effect.

It is fear that drives the many violent situations that cripples our schools. It is fear that is breaking into the halls of our governments. It is fear that has blinded the understanding of the family. It is fear that blazes friction between various religious beliefs. It is fear that has closed the doors of our communities. It is the easy way; however, love is an action which demands a lot but the rewards outweigh the sacrifice. If only we would take the chance and let love and leave fear behind.

O. Stephen Peart is an entrepreneur and author of Released Expressions – The Journey Begins. He is an avid writer of music and poetry. He can be reached at ostephen@mydsktop.com or from his web site at www.releasedexpressions.com.

Yes We Can | The Dream Re-energized

The mark of a true leader is having the ability to motivate and inspire others to achieve greatness.  Many leaders throughout American history have left a legacy of greatness and we hold their precepts dear and true.I believe for a number of years the human spirit in the American society and ultimately around the world has been dragged through the bushes of war and despair. There is no one person that can solve any or even one of the world’s problems.  I really don’t believe Americans or people around the world are looking for a person to be their saviour but someone who can inspire them to be all they can be.“And so, my fellow American, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.  My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” (John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961).Yes we can dream again.  Yes we can live again.  Yes we can find hope again.  Yes we can be examples of greatness. 

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”(Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr, I Have a Dream).

The dream is bigger than one man as it transcends the borders of the American borders into the nations of the world.  Never before have I seen the true American spirit as I have recently with Obama’s energized campaign.  This campaign is more than a campaign for the White House.  This campaign is about us recognizing that change can only be achieved when we all come together and work together for the reality is “We Can”. 

I applaud Obama on his initiative in awaking the dream that has been laying asleep in so many.  Many might call his speeches lame and a ray of false hope.  However, it is better to have hope than have none at all and so I join with the change and encourage others to do the same for change is the opportunity for each of us to make a positive difference in the lives of others and for future generations.

YES WE CAN!!! The Dream Re-energized.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/ostephen/gGC7SQ

The Centre of Life

How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in life you will have been all of these.

George Washington Carver (1864- 1943, American Scientist)

In the 2003 fictional thriller, The Core, six individuals risk their lives to save the world.  This was seen as necessary and extremely risky but it had to be done for the well being of others.  Have you ever been in a situation where you had to take action in an absolutely necessary and extremely risky situation?

The centre of life that we exist in is framed on this planet we call earth.  According to scientists it is built on the Core, Outer Core, Mantle, Upper Mantle and the Crust.  Then there is the Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere and Exosphere, all coming to form the Atmosphere.  It takes all these key parts working together to sustain life as we know it.

As human beings we are uniquely and mysteriously formed.  At the centre of the being is our brain which shapes our belief system and the way we function.   Working together are all the essential parts that drive us in the sustenance of our being. 

We are an amazing creation, different in many ways, but similar is so many others; populating the earth and representing unique cultures and colours.  We are all but part of the human race, all in one space.

In Canada, the centre of life is built on a unique diversity that reflects peoples from around the world.  According to Statistic Canada’s census of 2001, 23.1% of the population is East Asian, 16.1 – South Asian, 14.2 – North American, European and Oceania, 10.9 – Caribbean, Central and South American, 10.2 – Southeast Asian,  9.4 – Eastern European, 8.4 – West Asian and 7.7 – African.  Working together is a diverse culture of beliefs and ideology to create a “village” – Canada.

We are not here for ourselves but for each other.  Not for personal gain, but to live out a master design.  The humbling truth is we are not our own, but we are all God’s creation.  Think about being in the midst of a storm, earthquake, or tsunami.  As much as we think we have total control of our lives, when we consider how helpless we are in these natural disasters, we are humbled and must declare that God is in control.  We are here not for ourselves but to make a difference.

It is typically through those periods of disaster that the “village” seem to come together on a common goal.  We rally around each other, forgetting the diversity but seeing each individual as a human being.  How difficult is it for us all to visualize a common good for our fellow man?  Not waiting for a natural disaster to take place, but within our own space give a helping hand to our neighbour for we are all in this village together. 

The centre of life is dependent on you and me to be agents of change to save the world by starting with the time and space we move in.  You may not be called to be part of a six man team to save the fate of the earth.  However, you and I are called to be part of a team that can change the way we envision each other and break the barriers that so often bind us. 

The fate of the world is in the hands of each of us and what we do today, ultimately affects our tomorrow.  What we say today, dictates our tomorrow.  The centre of life is calling on each of us to discover and play our role in the sustenance of life. 

What are you doing to make a difference? Let’s hear your story for it’s through a story that inspiration is gained.

O. Stephen Peart is an entrepreneur and author of Released Expressions – The Journey Begins.  He is an avid writer of music and poetry. He can be reached at ostephen@mydsktop.com or from his web site at www.releasedexpressions.com.