Get over yourself already! The world doesn't revolve around you, you know!

I know.  I have had to learn this.  I am learning this from my paretns, my teachers at school, and from my church.  It helps having my priorities set straight.  Believe me, after seeing what I have seen for the past several weeks, you learn to count your blessings and put your priorities in order really quick!

I am involved with a ministry at my church called "Beautiful Feet".  Tonight is our last session before the fall and winter weather sets in; we are having a biker's rally, along with prayer, praise and worship, and a sermon.  A lot of homeless or destitute people hear the music, so they come to check us out; several have been repeat guests, and some have even committed themselves to the Lord.

This is my second month with Beautiful Feet.  All of a sudden, I realize just how blessed I really am.  I mean, I have food in my belly.  A roof over my head.  A little cash on me.  Friends.  A church to call home.  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  A loving family that truly cares for me and my welfare.  Good grades.  The ability to discern right from wrong and to act accordingly.

A lot of the people we see at BF don't have anything, not even a home to call their own; some come with nothing but the clothes on their backs or maybe garbage bags or shopping carts full of their belongings.

In addition to that, this Beautiful Feet, I also realize that the world doesn't revolve around me.  There are a lot of people around, and not everyone is interested in knowing about me or my personal affairs; they have their own lives, their own problems, to attend to.  I'd better get used to dealing with other people instead of focusing primarily on myself, or else I'm only going to end up driving people away, and then I will be more alone than ever before.

And as long as you have your parents (that is, if you do), be good to them: you never know when they will be out of your lives forever.  I lost my beloved granny six months ago to cancer, and believe me, the pain is still there.  It will always remain in my heart, and I will never completely get over it, but as long as I stay busy and think of others, then it is a lot easier to bear.

And be good to your brothers or sisters.  I have two sisters (one is disabled with cerebral palsy: she is in a wheelchair and she cannot walk or talk), and I love them both with every fiber of my being.  I cannot imagine life without them, particularly Brittanie, whom we adopted a year ago from China.  She is the cutest little thing, and we love her dearly!  (Brittanie is six; my other sister, Raina, is nine.)

I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to them; don't even want to try ...

As for school, don't be a fool: stay in school.  Learn.  Do your assigned work.  You won't be sorry if you do.  You will have a much better chance in succeeding in life if you listen to your teachers and do your homework.  Yeah, I know homework sucks, but it's gotta be done, so, like the Nike commercial says: just do it!

And one more thing before I go: do not fool around with drugs or get into trouble.  You're just wasting your life and are going to end up in jail or far worse: dead or maimed for life.  That is not the way to be, and only idiots use drugs or get into trouble.  Yeah, the world's in a desperate situation now, with so many bad things happening, but you gotta get yourself straight and do the right thing.  You won't be sorry if you did.

Well, I gotta go: time to go to the local elementary school and mentor the little kids there and speak to them about Christ.  I will write in here soon with more pearls of wisdom that I've gleaned over the last several months to years.  Until then, take care and may God be with you always; He's got your back, and so do I!