Godly Realities: What Godly factors determine mankind'srealities? ...

Godly Realities: What Godly factors determine mankind'srealities? ...: What Godly factors determine mankind's realities? Almost everyone will have his own wish list in mind. But it'll be beneficial to...

What Godly factors determine mankind's realities? Almost everyone will have his own wish list in mind. But it'll be beneficial to focus on the following: 1) destiny, 2) intellect, 3) physical characteristics, 4) ethnicity, and 5) economics. These were not listed in any order of importance. It may very well be that some business-minded people will put “economics” as being of prime importance to many of the other categories.

Destiny – if you believe in destiny this may be the way you view many of your experiences in life. For some people these may be difficult to put a finger on. There are those who continue to believe that with almost all things there's free choice. Some persons may even think that they are making choices but may not be necessarily be doing so. Thomas Merton (1915 – 1968), an American Catholic writer and mystic observed that “love is our destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.” Merton in No Man Is an Island discusses these aspects of our lives and provides rather insights about mankind's nature and beliefs.

Intellect – undoubtedly some are truly endowed with intellectual gifts and are considered geniuses. Their ability to recall and interpret what they have read is phenomenal. But persons can display talents in other ways. These may range from not only being so intellectually savvy, but physically, and/or spiritually insightful. It is sid as Christians that we have at least one gift. Maybe that special gift of a person may even go unrecognized, but it's nevertheless still a God-given gift.

Physical Characteristics – this can be how we're physically regarded by others. Do persons appear to be like eye-candy? Are they beautiful, charming, and/or charismatic? Some personalities are endowed with natural beauty and admirers may make praiseworthy comments about them. Such persons may have such striking personalities that when they walk into a room they are able to turn heads. Joel Osteen (b. 1963), an American televangelist and author remarked, “I believe that God put gifts and talents and ability on the inside of everyone of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe you're a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation.” To Osteen, it's more than the physical characteristics of persons that matter. He saw that with whatever qualities we're blessed, the Creator can shape us into becoming personalities of influence.

Ethnicity – in some societies persons' ethnicity may well be a cultural death sentence. Prior to the 1960s, it was this way in South Africa, Rhodesia, and to some extent in the United States. In some other countries of the world the skin color of persons continues to be determinants of privileges. Even today in America such images persist in various forms, although the United States did elect a bi-racial President in Barack Obama. It must be pointed out that persons from every ethnic group are gifted in their own ways and are sons and daughters of God. Maybe it will be better to view society in terms of classes as opposed to their ethnicity. Disproportionally in America, blacks because of a past history of slavery have been dogged with poverty, lack of education, poor housing and low living standards as compared to their white counterparts.

Paul Ryan (b. 1970), an American politician, member of the Republican Party and US Representative for Wisconsin's first congressional district felt that “every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together.” This remark only goes to show that we ought to stop thinking about ethnicity in divisive ways so as to move forward as enriched communities.

Economics – interesting enough what we do in life may well determine how much money we may have. But this is not always the case. Some individuals are born into rich or middle-class families, while others may be poor from birth. Some may be so poor that they are unable to see their way out of poverty. Even with help there are those individuals - some of them hungry and homeless, who are still unable to make ends meet. Like many of the indigent giving aid, training, and handouts still will not do the trick in turning these lives around. Yet there are those in society that continue to boast about how independent they are and how much money they have.

Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a renowned polymath captured the thinking of faithful Christians when he observed that “money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in his nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” It's obvious that money by itself is worthless, but what matters most is the way it's used. Charitable givers have demonstrated how money when used wisely can make a difference to those in need.