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Issue 26

By Cailin Henson Leave a Comment

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“Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors

“Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keepin’ me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it’s gonna take. A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.” ⁠
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As P.T. Barnum sings these words to Charity in the beautiful montage of their young lives, we are captivated by the hope that they share, the possibilities of their bright future, and the chance of their love overcoming the wall between privilege and poverty that keeps them apart. The Greatest Showman asks us to wrestle with the quest for the holy grail of our modern world: success and happiness. ⁠
What is the good life? If a million of our wildest dreams came true, would we truly be happy?⁠
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In Jesus, we find a man who invites us into his presence with these words: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is the only one who can fill “the infinite abyss” of desire in our souls. When you have fully devoted yourself and your dreams to your Creator, you will discover that “everything you ever want” and “everything you ever need” is “right here in front of you” in Christ Jesus.⁠
{Steve Limekman}⁠
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✍🏼: by @slimkeman in “The Greatest Showman” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from newidentitymagazine

Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten

Every day in sub-Saharan Africa, one child in ten under the age of five dies of a preventable cause, and nearly every day in America eight in ten adults consume coffee. What do these numbers have to do with each other? A lot, according to the One Cup Project, which is using America’s love for coffee to reduce the number of children dying in Africa by converting coffee profits into life-saving aid.⁠
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The One Cup Project started in 2010, when Christian Kar, the founder of an award-winning Seattle-based coffee company, partnered with the Christian humanitarian aid organization, World Vision.Remarkably, every dollar spent on One Cup Coffee generates a dollar of aid for Africa.⁠
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Buy some coffee, put up a post on your Facebook page, ask your church, local café, or workplace to change their coffee, or run a One Cup Fundraiser. In doing so, you just may help hurting people find healing, hope, and life. Change the world for the better, one cup at a time.⁠
{Thame Fuller}⁠
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✍🏼: @thamefuller in “One Cup Project” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio or click on this link to take you directly to the One Cup website: https://onecup.org/our-story/⁠
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📸: by @AftaPuta from Pexels

When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old p

When someone accepts Jesus, they leave their old priorities behind and make Jesus the center of their life. Jesus calls each of us to share the good news with the world. He came to give living water to a thirsty world, and we have the honor and privilege of sharing his message by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).⁠
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The most important thing you can do is enter each conversation with a posture of prayer. Pray for the person you’re sharing with, that God would open their heart to accept him. Pray that God would give you the words to say. And a loving way to say them.⁠
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Expect God to work in your relationship and use you to share Jesus through your friendship in his own timing. No matter how long you have been a believer, you can share Jesus with the confidence that he is with you and that he will use you for his glory.⁠
{Eric Gulley}⁠
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✍🏼: Eric Gulley in “Sharing Your Faith” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @OliverSjostrom from Pexels

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs $“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t,” said the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon. Navigating the Christian life requires you to clasp your Bible and use it for guidance in relationships, work, and spiritual life. ⁠ ⁠ Observation, what does the text say?⁠ Interpretation, what does the text mean?⁠ Application, how do I apply the text?⁠ ⁠ While you can spend time in God’s creation appreciating his beauty, or with him in prayer, you can also get to know him more intimately through his Word. I don’t want to sound flippant or curt. I don’t want to give you a “get out of pain quick” false sense of problem solving. The Christian life is hard work. But through regular and systematic study, you can come to know our Lord in a deeper way than you eve have before. ⁠ {Christpher L. Scott}⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ ✍🏼: @the_christopherscott in “How Anyone Can Study The Bible” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠ ⁠ 📸: from Pexels$

The first surf missionary trip of our lives…⁠

The first surf missionary trip of our lives…⁠
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It all started with a revelation, a vision that exceeded the previous capacity of my heart. I sat on my board, waist high in water, facing the horizon as the sun descended into its perfect setting, as if to acknowledge my thoughts. I was seeking, perhaps convicted of my past habit of seeking inwardly instead of outwardly.⁠
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I was growing tired of using surfing as a comfortable tool to only further my own relationship with our loving Creator. I wanted something more. I wanted the global opportunity to combine the passions of my heart that could possibly be the gateway to leading others to Christ through the means of surfing. ⁠
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Looking back on our ten days in Panama, we saw the kingdom of God advance in great numbers, and also saw the growing maturity of our relationship with Christ. We were grateful once again that, although sometimes life plans may not go the way we had envisioned them, we don’t dictate our own agendas. Thankfully, we have a loving God who so divinely takes care of us and the plans He has for us. We are pleased to say gracias por todo, Panama.⁠
{Todd Greco}⁠
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✍🏼: Todd Greco in “Surfing and Serving in Panama” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from Flickr

III. *Growing and Maturing in your Faith*⁠ When

III. *Growing and Maturing in your Faith*⁠
When I became a Christian, I didn’t know what discipleship was, and in all honesty, years after giving my heart to the Lord, I still didn’t. So what is discipleship? Understanding the concept of discipleship starts with knowing the definition of a disciple. A disciple is a follower, one who accepts the views and beliefs of another and assists in spreading them; in the Christian community, that means believing and communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ.⁠
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Discipleship is a relationship in which one person passes beliefs on to another; Christian discipleship is believing the message of Christ, learning to be more like Christ, and teaching others to do the same.As you grow, you’ll realize that you have wisdom that other people want as well, gifts and experiences to share that no one else has.The Lord always wants to help grow you, prosper you, and mature you in your walk. Are you willing to say yes?⁠
{Nicholas Sowell}⁠
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✍🏼: @nicksowell in “What Does Discipleship Mean?” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @Simon from pexels

Why do we return, over and over again. To quotes f

Why do we return, over and over again. To quotes from our favorite movies? Why do we find them so inspirational, memorable and powerful? Ultimately, I believe it is their capacity to capture, in a line, the essence of a story, of a philosophy, of a worldview, which resonates with our hearts. ⁠
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"Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."⁠
"Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."⁠
That conversation between Frodo and Gandalf, is my single favorite moment of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. It shows a young hobbit, feeling inadequate to should the incredible weight of the historic moment that has been thrust upon him, feeling overwhelmed by the associated suffering that this evil device has wrought in his world..."⁠
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Take a journey as I guide you through Middle Earth, provoking a desire within you to explore the philosophical foundations of the stories and worldview that your favorite quotes represent. Empowering you to enjoy them on an even deeper level than you had before.⁠
{Steve Limkeman}⁠
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✍🏼: @slimkeman in “Why I’m Always Tolkien In Movie Quotes” (pg.26-41) Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio⁠
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📸: from Pexels

II. *Growing and Maturing In Your Faith* I stood o

II. *Growing and Maturing In Your Faith*
I stood out as the one person who couldn’t “get it together” and I felt like a failure. Nothing had gone according to plan. God had stopped me from the trajectory I was on by showing me that I was imperfect and human. I had thought I was self-sufficient and felt that I didn’t need God’s guidance or strength to get my goals accomplished. I had wandered away from the relationship I needed to have with my Savior.⁠
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In establishing God’s will for our lives, we must abide in him. Abiding in him is not simply resting while he does the work, as I previously thought; instead, abiding in him is acting according to his will and actively trying to know him. ⁠
God is strengthening his relationship with each and every one of us by guiding our lives. In giving up control of our own lives, we are gaining a peace and fulfillment by knowing that we are achieving God’s purposes and that we are doing the absolute best things we could be doing.⁠
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It’s difficult to give up this control and to give up the path we thought we would be on, but God’s plan for us is so much better. Rely on his infinite wisdom and embrace the changes he brings to our lives.⁠
{Sarah Donawerth}⁠
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✍🏼: @sarahdonawerth in “When Life Throws You Off Track” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio, it takes you directly to this specific article so you can read more!⁠
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📸: from Pexels

“God The Gardener”⁠ A person stuck in his or

“God The Gardener”⁠
A person stuck in his or her ways of sin is like a prickly shrub growing a lot of branches with no fruit. These branches must be removed so good fruit can grow. ⁠
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In the same way as a bush is unable to prune itself, a person who is living in sin is unable to remove all the unfruitful branches in life. Branches of pride, anger, shame and guilt. Branches of isolation, procrastination and intoxication. God removes the branches by making us face the things that are growing on them. ⁠
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Jesus provides the essential elements for growth : He gives us His Word (the Bible) for fertilizer, other believers for sunshine and the Holy Spirit for water. ⁠
{Delbert Teachout}⁠
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✍🏼: in “God The Gardener” (pages 48-53) Continue reading by clicking on the link in our bio, it takes you directly to the specific article so you can read more!⁠
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📸: by @MarkusSpiske from Pexels ⁠

We're so excited to announce the newest issue! Our

We're so excited to announce the newest issue! Our Summer/Fall Issue is out now to enjoy. Follow the link in our bio to read online for free, download your complimentary digital issue to your tablet or purchase a print copy! 😍 We hope you love it! 👏🏼

I. *Growing and Maturing in Your Faith* The reason

I. *Growing and Maturing in Your Faith*
The reasons we judge, versus the reasons we are judgmental, are as deeply embedded as the popular and polarizing myth that all judging is bad and all tolerance is good. By nature, we cannot escape making judgments about people and things, nor should we. Judging is a powerful organization tool that helps us manage our time, our energy, and our resources. Judging is part of choice-making. The heavenly marriage of grace and truth helps us understand we will never fully extinguish our judgmentalism. ⁠
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You started judging this post from the first word. Subconsciously, you asked yourself value questions like is this topic important to me? Does the content apply to me? Is its presentation engaging? You might have even made a few mental evaluations about the post's tone and readability. You totaled your answers to determine if it was worth your while to continue reading. If you’re still reading, thanks for hanging around—I think you made a good choice. So please, comment your favorite emoji if you made it to the end.⁠
{Lindsey A. Fredrick}⁠
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✍🏼: @lindseybeharry in “JUDGING LESS” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @Kasuma from Pexels ⁠

"Fear Less"⁠ Fear and anxiety can come from many

"Fear Less"⁠
Fear and anxiety can come from many sources: from memories of past hurts, from concern for people we love, and even from our own pride. Sometimes the reason we feel anxious or fearful is that we believe we can and must make things turn out a certain way. ⁠
As you step into your new day, new week, or new season of life, trust that God will move you away from fear and toward greater trust in him, and into a fuller experience of the freedom that he wants you to have.⁠
{Délice Williams}⁠
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✍🏼: By Délice Williams Continue reading more about Anxiety, Fear, Day to Day struggles in "Fear Less" at newidentitymagazine.com by clickineg on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from newidentitymagazine.com

The problem with actual suffering is it doesn’t

The problem with actual suffering is it doesn’t come with measurements. It doesn’t respect our abilities. Suffering doesn’t give us a choice to handle our situation or not, it just exists. It is far more of a comfort to know God walks us through what is difficult, aiding us, giving us his strength, than to think we must handle it on our own.⁠
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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1⁠
{Gary VanDewalker}⁠
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✍🏼: from “God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle?” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from VSCO⁠

The concept of humanity being created “image of

The concept of humanity being created “image of God.” What does this mean exactly? The full definition could fill a dissertation—several, I’m sure—but to summarize, we can learn two things from this: ⁠
1) We are above all other creations, as we are of God and share his likeness⁠
2) Ultimately, true fulfillment can only be found in Christ, and everything else we look to for meaning will fall short⁠
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“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.” He even repeats that fact two more times in the very next verse as well, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).⁠
{Ben Helmes}⁠
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✍🏼: @benhelms in “Create” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @JurePogacnik from Pexels

Craig Stanley Cliver plays golf. He’s a pro. He’s also partially blind. You’ve probably never heard of him. ⁠
At twelve, Craig was hit in the right eye by a baseball putting a hole in his retina. Craig’s forty-one now. He has one of the best laughs I’ve ever heard. ⁠
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Craig’s father retired a Two Star General in the Air Force. As a kid, he’d bring his dad to every show-and-tell. He was his hero and Craig wanted nothing more than to be his duplicate. When Craig was struck in the right eye by a baseball, the impairment to his vision killed any chance he had of becoming a pilot. ⁠
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Craig became an outsider in school and his family. So, he took up golf. “It’s a loners game. It was an escape.” He says. He would walk the course and talk with God. Later I ask Craig, “Do you believe it was God’s will to take you on this path rather than one similar to your father’s?” ⁠
“I thought about this a lot. I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t know. I know I believe in God’s will,” He says. “I believe God’s in control of all the random moments in your life…I believe there’s a God that cares about me.” ⁠
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“Ironic, you end up in a career that demands you to be social, in a game you initially took up to be alone,” I say.⁠
Craig’s skill with a golf club is legendary to those who have seen him play. With a little time and dedication, Craig could stand up to the best the touring pros have to offer. He’s the golf equivalent of a Seabiscuit.⁠
{Noah Nelson}⁠
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✍🏼: @noahrnelson in “Like Father, Like Son” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @Lina from pexels ⁠

It is vital that we as followers and ambassadors o

It is vital that we as followers and ambassadors of Jesus understand what and who grace is. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of your works, lest anyone should boast.” Did you catch that? Grace is a gift. When you come down to it and see it for what it is, you begin to realize that the essence of our belief system is based on a gift.⁠
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Grace doesn’t excuse you, but enables you. It empowers you to live the life you couldn’t live on your own through works. Don’t get me wrong, works are important, but we no longer do works to be saved. Rather, we do them because we are saved. I believe that when we embrace this avalanche called grace, we don’t just get empowered to do what we can’t do on our own, we get what we don’t deserve too, the best gift possible—we get Jesus.⁠
{Israel Ledesma}⁠
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✍🏼: @israelledesma in “GRACE LIKE AN AVALANCHE” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from VSCO

Netflix binging will no doubt accompany many summe

Netflix binging will no doubt accompany many summer vacations, but who says that much couch time can’t have a little substance? From lesser known Indie flicks to Hollywood’s most successful Blockbusters, many movies unexpectedly point to God’s grace and redemption. Check out these five films, available on Netflix, Amazon, or your local video store, that might be more spiritual than you think.⁠
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-FOOD FOR THOUGHT⁠
Bella (2006)⁠
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-FOR THE KIDS (AND MAYBE MOM AND DAD TOO)⁠
Frozen (2013)⁠
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-PARLE VOUS FRANCES?⁠
The Intouchables (2011)⁠
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-IS THIS REAL LIFE?⁠
Catfish: The Movie (2010)⁠
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-COMEDY MEETS GOD⁠
Bruce Almighty (2003)⁠
{Lindsey A. Frederick}⁠
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✍🏼: @lindseybeharry in “5 Films You Didn’t Know Had Christian Themes” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: by @Huynh from pexels ⁠

Have you ever heard of a prayer walk? Or have you

Have you ever heard of a prayer walk? Or have you ever heard someone talk about going on a prayer walk, but had no idea what that was? You are not alone. The technical answer is that it is in fact praying while walking; but let’s break down what a prayer walk is, why you might want to do one, and how to go about it:⁠
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What is a prayer walk? ⁠
Why do a prayer walk? ⁠
What are the benefits of a prayer walk? ⁠
How do you do a prayer walk? ⁠
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The Bible tells us that prayer prepares our heart (1 Peter 3:15), prepares us for spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:10-18), restores us (Job 33:26), helps us persevere (Luke 21:36), and both gives us forgiveness and helps us forgive (Mark 11:25). ⁠
{Heather Ricks}⁠
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✍🏼: @iamloislane in “THE PRAYER WALK” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠
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📸: from VSCO

Scripture reminds us time and time again that we a $Scripture reminds us time and time again that we are God’s children and he is our Father. Let’s take a closer look because the parent-child relationship between God and us is one that brings courage, joy, peace, safety, and freedom, no matter where you are in life. Letting go of control in our lives is hard sometimes. Choosing to call God “Father” and obey him seems like the opposite of choosing freedom. But in reality, making that choice is the only route to true freedom. ⁠ ⁠ So what does this mean for us, as we live out our lives, going to work, hanging out with friends, trying to follow God, and navigating the unpredictable future? ⁠How do you think God is present in your daily life? ⁠ We would love to hear your thoughts, ideas or feelings towards this question, comment below!⁠ ⁠ The Author writes: We are saying “no” to our sinful desires, but even more importantly than that—we are saying “yes” to a life of peace and joy, free from the anxieties that come from focusing on ourselves and grasping tightly to living life our way.⁠ {Bethany Wagner}⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ •⁠ ✍🏼: @bethany_kathleen in “Calling Him Father” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠ ⁠ 📸: by @EfdalYildiz from Pexels ⁠$

In our mother’s womb we are shielded from the wo

In our mother’s womb we are shielded from the world’s ugliness and pain. Then we are suddenly thrust out into the world and from there on out we say goodbye to comfort. We say goodbye to being insulated from war, crime, and poverty. We enter a life of discomfort and this is part of what makes comfort so appealing. In a world besieged by Murphy’s law or what Christians call “the fall,” comfort is an ever elusive commodity. It is always temporary and every good night’s sleep is awakened and disturbed by the sound of an alarm. Every appliance designed for our convenience eventually needs repair or some other equipment to keep it running smoothly. Like most things in this world, comfort never lasts forever, so we always seek after it. This explains why comfort is a “god” in our culture. By “god” I mean something that dominates and controls our lives; influencing almost every decision and the measurement of our satisfaction.⁠
{Ramon Mayo}⁠
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✍🏼: @mayotron in “Being Uncomfortable With Comfort” Continue reading at newidentitymagazine.com by clicking on the link in our bio ⁠

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