God's Gift

The Christmas season is around the corner, and many of us are buying gifts, doing early festive shopping to avoid the "festive rush," and I was wondering if I should publish the blog that I was already working on, but a common theme kept creeping up in my conversations with my family, my clients and colleagues as of late.

I write this with a heavy heart, and really - with so much pain but with wisdom as well.




Whilst strolling through instagram, I noticed that many people were writing out to their loved ones who had gone missing, hoping that they would be found. I thought this might have been a kidnapping case, but when I looked into the matter and checked out the news, there had been a bar shootout in Southern California about two days ago.

According to the News Channel  Network 5, the Borderline Bar and Grill hosted a college country night, where an unidentified gunman killed 12 people, when he opened fire at around 11 pm. The gunman was also found dead.

To read more on the stories, click on the link below...

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/world/shootout-at-California-bar-claims-12-lives-gunman-found-dead/story/289165.html
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/thirteen-injured-including-sergeant-during-bar-shootout-in-california

Busy with everything going on in my personal life, tending to customer service related queries the entire morning, and spending a few hours online, figuring out my shopping gift list for the upcoming festive season. Day-dreaming about all the fun plans I had for the holidays - the tragic incident that took place in Southern California stirred my heart.

Thinking that these 12 people will not see another Christmas, some of them had not finished college yet, none of them will be given another opportunity to cherish the people that they love, words are left unspoken and what they thought to be a fun night out, turned out to be the day of their deaths. An unfair, cruel and tragic event that have left many families devastated.

This is not the first. There are millions of people across the world who have been robbed of life.

I pray with all my heart, and send warm love and wishes to all the families that were affected by this event.

Just the night before, when I had no knowledge of what had happened, I had a conversation with my Dad. We spoke on the healing of hearts, many people are walking around with broken and bandaged hearts, if not broken, then hardened - filled with bitterness and anger.

Traumatic events like this leave the pits of your stomach empty, and stabs an invisible sword through your heart. It drenches you in fear and takes the words out your mouth.

How could Innocent lives be taken away within a second?
.
How cold and how hard, does ones heart and soul need to be, to carry out an act of taking away the lives or destroying the peace of families and individuals?

I don't know any of the families that were affected by this. I don't even live in the same state, or country. I'm writing this from across the world.

But my message is plain and simple,

If your heart is hardened and if you are living  with bitterness and anger, if this is all that consumes you, please don't bandage your wounds. I pray that you allow the healing and trans formative love that only flows from God above to come into your life and change your heart. Because ONLY God can cause a man's heart to change, I pray that if you are one of those people reading this that God reveals himself to you, in ways that no man or woman can.

Anger, frustration and bitterness not only eats your soul but it ruins your life. It causes mental and phusical illness.

So I urge you, find someone that you can speak to, reach out and accept your healing. If you cannot talk to others, you can talk to God, if you feel like a fool - Do it anyway. God takes pleasure in your vulnerability, you don't have to be strong for yourself anymore, you can rely on him. He made you and he knows how to take care of your heart more than anyone else can.

And to those who are alive today, whether you're 80 and able to read this, or 20 with your whole life ahead of you and to you, who are currently busy with all the mundane things life has to offer, those of you who are focused on your goals to accomplish, your children or family, your next job promotion, the seasons of the year
- whatever it is that keeps you going, please remember:

"Eat, drink and make the most of your job. It's God's gift. Whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be. always. No addition, no subtraction. Whatever was, is and whatever will be, is. God's in charge and not you. Make the most of what God has given you. Take care of yourself. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given.  Don't brood over how long you might live, you can't argue with fate. Seize life, Eat bread with gusto, dress up and show up, relish life with the people you love,whatever turns up, grab it and do it heartily! "

Each day is God's Gift.

With love,

Venetia