When Russian invaded Ukraine, I couldn't believe my eyes. When the Russian people follow Putin that Ukriaine is not a real state and that Russia needs to "liberate" the Ukraine from Nazi and demilitarize Ukraine, I see this as brainwashing and people in Russia knew this. Many Russians had family in Ukraine and also many Ukrainians had family in Russia. There were also pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine that said they wanted Russia and not Ukraine, but there were also people in Ukraine who also wanted no part of Russia. There are many opinions and voices about this conflict which is not as why it's as simple as "Russia and bad and Ukraine is good". 

If you want to know my personal view, I believe Russia is under a dictor named Vladimir Putin. He has convinced his people with money, with securities and doctrines to go attach their neighbor and brothers, which is Ukraine. I believe most of the world knows this same information as I do and I am not speaking on anything new. We are seeing this on the news for years now. My personal view is that Russian needs to stop the war and stop killing Ukrainians. I have a lot to say on this. The damage that has been done to Ukraine is unspeakable. 

Now, on my more deeper personal note I also know that God also allowed this all to happen since God prophesied more than 2,000 years ago in the Bible that there would be "wars and rumors of wars" in the last days. It's no doubt we are seeing this happen right before our eyes. 

The war that started on October 7th, 2023 when Hamas attacked their neighbor Israel.

I am really sad when I hear stories of someone who is suffering in a relationship. It makes me remember when I was in the same suffering. What I wanted was an apology and I also wanted to apologize for the way I was acting. 

When I felt unheard, and when I felt like the other person was still against me, I lost all hope. It really made me depressed. I would try to fix this pain by talking to other people but it never really helped me much. 

I think what I needed was to turn and connect to God. God was the only person who could heal me. The people around me couldn't help me because all of their advice either made sense or I couldn't find a way to follow it. It seems that the problem was me, so how do I fix the 'me' problem. I don't. I ask God for help, let God speak to me where I am at fault and I agree with God on these things. Then I am humbled. Even more humbled. I remember God's love for me. I believe it. I accept it. I allow this to change me. I allow this to resonate that God also loves them as well and will, in due time, help them as He is helping me. This is how I am recovering.

Why does God get blamed for suffering? 

Didn't suffering come from people making decisions?

Didn't suffering come from people having desires?

Didn't suffering come from people listening to a different authority and obeying it?

Is God accountable to me for explaining the suffering of the world?

Is God going to explain why the suffering exists?

Is there any part I might be doing to contribute to the suffering?

• What do you think it means to have a pure heart? 

• Some people practice a religion
• Some people follow philosophy
• Some people follow science and therapy
• Some people only do what they want to do
• Some people people mix and make
• Some people don't follow anything

What is the goal? 

• It's not to make it to heaven and simply avoid hell
• It's not to look good in front of people
• It's not to take advantage of people
• It's not to lie, cheat, and steal
• It's not to hurt, shame, or put others down

Why is worthy trying to live a pure life and have a pure heart?

• In order to stop evil that we see in the world
• In order to stop evil we see in our self
• In order to stop evil we see in others

It is very easy to look at others and say "What a bad person they are"

It is very difficult to look at ourselves and say "What a bad person I am"

We all want the other person to change. Listen to this. 

Scenario # 1 - A man tells wife "You are wrong and this is why" and desperately wants her to listen to him and take his point of view and change her heart (repentance). 

Scenario # 2 - A women tells husband "You are wrong and this is why" and desperately wants him to listen to her and take her point of view and change his heart (repentance). 

You see even in this simple real life example, what do we want really? 

A change of heart. 

You see the problem is that we don't want to change our selves, we don't want someone to tell us "how we are the wrong ones" but we demand that "you listen to me and you change, and don't tell me my wrongs."

Problem: We are both wrong, both need to work in our character defects and both carry unresolved shame, unresolved hurt and baggage, secrets, as they call it "skeletons in our closet"

She says "He will not listen to me" and he says "She will not listen to me". What happens, both will think "They are stubborn, angry, always put me down, they don't love me, so I will find another who will love me" and then the "give up" towards the marriage happens, in order to find a substitute. That substitute could be a drug or another person. 

1. Drug addictions
2. Infidelity

What is a drug addiction? When a substance captures a person's mind and heart and the desire to have it is strong. Because of the temporary pleasure it brings. But nothing really changes. This is escapism. This is a weak way to handle the broken heart and broken emotions. 

What is infidelity? When a fantasy captures a person's mind, so they search and find Mr. Right or Ms. Right and then imagines spending time with them, getting emotional support and even physical intimacy with them. They left their marriage partner, due to giving up, and hopes that someone new will fix them or they can be fixed by you.

What are some other matters that complicate life is that we are self-righteous. We do not want others telling us anything. We do not want anyone to scold us, to reprimand us, why? Because we hate any and all authority. The hatred manifests itself by our evil deeds, inner jealousies and many dark thoughts we think of past people who have held a place of power or authority and have not held true to their position, have been a liar, and deceiver, so we hate them still, and since we are not healed from that past resentments, we are not able to move forward, so when anyone comes into the role of authority, we resist, take up the authority of our life's and then rebel, fight, try to win the wars, the arguments, and are blind to our own character defects and personality brokenness. We don't even agree on what is right and what is wrong because we wrongly think that another's opinion has no bearing on me and so we create our own moral compass to guide and lead us even though, it's our own moral compass that is flawed and leads us right back to where we started from, a broken self. 

What we need

Education has it's place, but there comes a time when we are given the opportunity to practice what we have learned.

1. Realize/Become aware/Come to senses
2. Make a decision
3. Go and move forward

Those are the real steps in life. 

1. Turn to God
2. Allow God to heal you. 

Those are the real steps

What we all do not agree on is the "how" or the application because everyone has their own way to do things. 

Maybe it's 

1. A interpretation from a Bible passage
2. A mentor giving the advice (or a group of friends or recovery groups)
3. Some view of personal beliefs

What is important is that you search for God, and find God. 

What is important is that you want God more than the self, more then the desires, more than the drugs, more than the other person you might be addicted to. (codependency/idolatry/making someone else or self a "higher power").

Surrender to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

That is placing God or rather acknowledging God in God's place. God has first place in my life. The desire to follow God, respect God, and know that I am accountable to God first. The understanding of God's love towards me personally, unconditionally, deep and pure, genuine and authentic, as revealed and demonstrated by the life, ministry, teachings and death of Jesus Christ for our sins on the cross. The idea of forgiveness, acceptance of God's forgiveness of my sins, and having a gratitude attitude that humbles you into forgiving others of their sins, also not self-condemnation or self-hating anymore. If God has forgiven you, what right do you have to keep punishing yourself and holding your record of wrongs, when Jesus has not and wiped your records clean? Accepting this, believing this, meditating on this. Wanting this for others IS God's plan for you and I and others to have a pure heart.

The idea of authority. 

Either I am in authority or God is. God gives me freedom and choices, and I have responsibility to choose His way or ignore and just do whatever I want and suffer the consequences of making wrong choices that were rooted in rebellion and ignorance. 

You know the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

You know "Love others as much as you love yourself"

Loving others is related to your own self-compassion (not self-indulgence). 

If you think you are a terrible, worthless human being, you will project this on to others and say "They are bad, because I am bad and no one is greater than me" and you will put others into a bad light, judging them since you judged yourself unworthy, since you still have left over issues, that you haven't taken to God for, to get your new heart, cleansing yet. This is not self-compassion but living in self-condemnation which blocks out the grace of God. 

The grace of God is a gift. It's God's way to offer you and me and everyone the same precious gift of salvation, of living a new life, of living in a way that pleases God, where we learn to control our emotions and desires are mastered and we have opened our hearts to God, giving God permission and access to teach us, humble us, mold us, into all areas of our heart, all open doors that were previously locked are now admitted to God, and we seek God's approval on all matters of our hearts. 

This is not an attempt to simply appear good only on the outside, because anyone can wear a mask and smile all day and live in a way that appears as if nothing bothers them, but that is not honest, but a life. God knows we are hurting, carrying wounds and baggage of fears, resentments, envy, jealously, sexual immorality, adultery, idolatry, and pride. God knows all of this, which is why God sent Jesus to show us how to live. 

Jesus showed grace. 

Jesus called out hypocrisy. (seems like we all like to do this to others except when it's applied to us, we live in denial, unless we have admitted to the truth). 

Jesus was for the sinner. 

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. 

Jesus came to heal the sick. 

Jesus came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. (self-righteousness people don't think they need to change).