Why Does This Keep Happening To Me?

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Some time ago I was watching an episode of a TV show called, “The Outer Limits.” For those of you who may not be familiar with it, the theme and plot was similar to a show that was very popular years ago called, “The Twilight Zone.” Well, this particular episode was about a young man who somehow got caught up in a “time loop!” He went go through the daily routine of going to work, doing all of the other things that people do on a normal day. However, when he woke up the next morning, much to his dismay, he discovered that it really wasn’t a new day, but rather the very same day that he had just went through! It got to the point that he could predict what would happen next because everything turned out the same as they had the previous time he had lived that day!

Well, in some cases, fact is stranger than fiction! Sometimes in life, we go through the same things over and over again, so much to the point that we ask ourselves: “Why does this keep happening to me?” Perhaps you are suffering from a continual string of bad relationships or successive failures. Whatever the case, it seems like it’s a repeating cycle over and over again! You keep getting involved with the same-type situations and with the same-type people! It’s the exact same situation that you were in before, but the names have been changed! It’s really the same (type) lady but she’s just wearing a different dress!

One reason for this is because most of us tend to live our lives in a closed-end loop! We never dare to venture outside of the circle of the familiar. You’d be surprised, but people who constantly find themselves in negative situations and circumstances, for the most part, actually placed themselves in those situations and circumstances by design! You see, subconsciously we will put forth more effort to stay with what is familiar to us, even if the familiar is bad for us!

Yet another reason for the closed-end loop is because many times, we fail to learn the lessons that life is trying to teach us. Unlike some educational institutions, life will not promote us to the next level if the lessons of the present level have not been learned and mastered. So, we keep making the same mistakes because we fail to learn the lesson that is inherent within the mistake! Once we learn the lesson, the mistake has served its purpose and we no longer make that “same” mistake!

So, when will you move to the next level? When will you break out of your closed-in loop? Only when you learn the lesson and understand the reason why this keeps happening to you!

The Difference Between a “Male” and a “Man”: A Guest Post by Bishop Larry Boyd

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by Bishop Larry Boyd (Open Praise Full Gospel Baptist Church: Buffalo, NY)

God did not design you (the woman) to carry the man. If you are in a relationship with a man that is lazy, full of excuses for why he doesn’t work, know that he is a manipulator and is comfortable with living off you. This kind of relationship is out of God’s order. He designed men to be providers, protectors, pursuers, and warriors. If he is sitting by watching you struggle and not lifting a finger to try and help, he is a “male.” If he is sitting waiting for your paydays and beating you to the bank for your money, he’s a “male”. If he would rather spend money on nonsense and with the homies than handle his financial responsibilities first, he is a “male”. “Men” will sacrifice for the GREATER-GOOD of the family. “Men” make sure the woman drives the better car in the family because he loves her and cares about her safety. “Males” want to “shack up” with you and “Men” want to “yoke up” in a covenant with you and marry you. Make sure you know the difference. ~ HE SHOULD HAVE YOUR BACK! ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE HIS BACKBONE! ~

The Most Valuable Pieces of Real Estate

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I read somewhere that the most valuable pieces of real estate on earth are not the oil fields of Saudi Arabia or Texas. The most valuable pieces of real estate on earth are not the gold mines of California, or even the diamond mines of Africa. The most valuable pieces of real estate on earth are the cemeteries!

Within the cemeteries lay books, plays, and dramas unwritten, dreams unfulfilled, songs unsung, symphonies uncomposed, masterpieces of art undrawn, promises unkept and potential unrealized! In the cemeteries lay rows upon rows of “could haves, should haves and would haves” because most people die with their potential largely untapped and their best still within them!

The preacher in Biblical book of Ecclesiastes said: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the grave), to which you are going.” (9:10 ESV) Live life in such a manner that when it’s all said and done, you will have done your best with no regrets! Don’t take your best to the grave with you! Leave it out on the playing field of life! Don’t contribute to the wealth of the cemetery, but rather live your life making valuable investments into the lives of the people around you. Don’t rust out; wear out! Give it your best shot now because you only go around once!