Tag: Think on These Things

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Do you want to know the truth about worry? It hits everyone. It is not an ailment just for weaklings or cowards. Worry is the cat you throw out only to have it back in before you can close the door.

Worry has another side. It proves we care very much, and that we appreciate our God-given gifts and loved ones. In a way, it is a sign of strength, for if we can turn it to faith, then faith can be just as strong. And to overcome worry, or to at least control it, there must be faith.

Faith, and the knowledge that if you could be in all the places, watching closely all the things about which you are concerned, you couldn’t do a tenth as much good as one simple prayer.

We are taught, “Be not anxious,” “Fear not,” and “Be not afraid,” and too quickly we become anxious, fearful, and very frightened. But even then, we have only to put worry to flight by remembering those quieting words that are so absolutely true, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Recently we had a summer storm. It was rumbling and heavy with darkness. The lightning flashed across the sky and currents. When the first huge drops of rain spattered across the walks and lawns, our thoughts turned to the safety of anyone or anything that might be caught out in the wind and rain.

We’ve been through many summer storms. Some of them left permanent marks upon our memories. The threatening, the darkness, the pressure of the atmosphere are not so different from the emotional storms of the human life. We see lives under pressure bend to and fro in the uncertainty of life. We know concern for the safety of those who experience emotional storms. Then we know the only answer is in God’s hands. There is no other way.

The good earth rights itself quickly after a storm. Nature comes forth more richly for having gone through the storm, and the scars are lost in new growth. And blessed are we when we lift ourselves up to a new, deeper radiance and peace.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Do you want to know the truth about worry? It hits everyone. It is not an ailment just for weaklings or cowards. Worry is the cat you throw out only to have it back in before you can close the door.

Worry has another side. It proves we care very much, and that we appreciate our God-given gifts and loved ones. In a way, it is a sign of strength, for if we can turn it to faith, then faith can be just as strong. And to overcome worry, or to at least control it, there must be faith.

Faith, and the knowledge that if you could be in all the places, watching closely all the things about which you are concerned, you couldn’t do a tenth as much good as one simple prayer.

We are taught, “Be not anxious,” “Fear not,” and “Be not afraid,” and too quickly we become anxious, fearful, and very frightened. But even then, we have only to put worry to flight by remembering those quieting words that are so absolutely true, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Recently we had a summer storm. It was rumbling and heavy with darkness. The lightning flashed across the sky and currents. When the first huge drops of rain spattered across the walks and lawns, our thoughts turned to the safety of anyone or anything that might be caught out in the wind and rain.

We’ve been through many summer storms. Some of them left permanent marks upon our memories. The threatening, the darkness, the pressure of the atmosphere are not so different from the emotional storms of the human life. We see lives under pressure bend to and fro in the uncertainty of life. We know concern for the safety of those who experience emotional storms. Then we know the only answer is in God’s hands. There is no other way.

The good earth rights itself quickly after a storm. Nature comes forth more richly for having gone through the storm, and the scars are lost in new growth. And blessed are we when we lift ourselves up to a new, deeper radiance and peace.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

So much has been written about happiness – the way to it, the reasons for it, the symbols of it – and still people search for that very special something that will assure happiness forever after. Of all the recipes for lasting happiness, we finally have to mix our own. But the one thing everyone has in common is the need for a little bit more. We have this and this, for which we are very thankful, but always the need is extended to that little bit more.

Happiness is like any other part of our lives, we must use wisdom in seeking it. We too often rush headlong into something that seems to be instant happiness, all the time telling ourselves we can right the wrong at a later time. But happiness doesn’t remain happiness for very long when it has such strings attached.

In order to be rightly happy we concentrate on getting, but it is giving that we find most necessary to mix into every recipe. To some happiness will always be elusive, never quite settling anywhere, never quite revealing itself, for they have yet to learn that happiness has the wings of angels, the breath of God, and the love of man, all hidden within Him.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 27 – Daily Feast

September 27 – Daily Feast

 

Walk with me to the edge of the woods and hear the birds. They haven’t all gone south, some stay the winter. The cardinal will later perch in the evergreens and make snow seem whiter – but now he sings in the bottom land that is protected from the wind. See the last of summer’s flowers, the sunflower that is a great deal bigger than the palm of your hand. And watch the lone jet draw lines from one horizon almost to the other before the wind scatters his lines. Even when the season seems to be taking away all that the land has produced – remember the potential is still there, and so is yours.

~ We gave you our hearts. You now have them. ~

SATANK – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

We are all aware of the emotional effect color creates. And for this reason we choose colors that please the eye by first pleasing the inner emotions. Certain colors have the same effect on many, while other colors affect each of us individually and in particular ways.

Red has an exciting effect; green is cool serenity, orange is the color of vivacity; and brown tones are restful earthy colors. People dress to enhance their appearances with certain colors. Homes are decorated and offices are planned to create pleasant surroundings.

And we as individuals possess moods of many colors. Yet, we are far more careless about the color of that mood, letting the attitudes and colors of others dictate to us how we are to behave. If we could remember when we meet people whose moods are black, to remind ourselves that their moods are their own, there would be less involvement in the emotions of others.

We are so vividly aware of color, we must not be reckless in recognizing the color scheme within our own personality. Whether it is a vibrant color, sophisticated, or bright and witty, color always works its subtle magic.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There is much to be said of small things. Even in this age of emphasis on bigness we must realize that bigness is only a mass of small things. An idea is a small thing. With it we can change our world. We can take a tiny seed and give it careful attention and reap a hundred fold. We can take a little idea and give it our attention and build it into a fortune.

A smile is a small thing. Smile once at someone in passing and three will return the smile. Smiling is so contagious that it moves from person to person until a hundred smiling faces are the result of one.

A thought is a small thing. One thought inspires another and another until a mental image is formed. From that mental image blueprints are drawn. And from those blueprints worlds are built.

Hope is a small thing. One tiny glimmer of hope can lift us out of the deepest pit of darkness. One whisper of encouragement will help us to know that as long as there’s hope there is an excellent chance.

A wish is a small thing. Like a little prayer, it climbs the steps to an idea that makes a smile and gives us hope to make our wishes come true. For in small things are all great things formed, in little beginnings the possibilities of great events.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 13 – Daily Feast

September 13 – Daily Feast

 

It is good to keep the promises we make to ourselves to enjoy a peaceful hour. How long has it been? How long has it been since we walked on a grassy hillside and watched the shadows hover and move? Walking is good for the legs – but it does wonders for the soul. The autumn season is one of the best times to walk and think. There is a rhythm in the earth that rises into our feet when we walk. In it is the healing and it centers the soul so that the cares of the world cannot get in to destroy peace. And peace has so many side effects. It restores youth and gives perspective to a world-weary mind.

~ The Great Spirit made these mountains and rivers for us, and all this land. ~

BLACKFOOT – CROW, 1850’s

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Human dignity is that silent something in us that keeps us from falling below the level where others look down on us to make light of our very existence. None of us exists who cannot sense to some degree the feeling that others hold for us. It may create in us a “show them” attitude that takes us through life more successfully, but it will more likely destroy our desire to be anything more than what is expected of us.

It is an appalling thing to see others impose their superiority upon the human dignity of those whose literacy may not be equal to their own. Only profound ignorance could convince anyone they have the right to see and idly judge another’s intelligence, or to insult the dignity of any human being. The little silent people who have not yet discovered within themselves the abilities they need to lift themselves, still have the right and dignity of being human. A small amount of respect and direction might start them on the road to better things, though it might be all uphill. At least if they know it is all uphill they may work harder and reach a place where they can look back at those with lofty ideas about themselves, standing forever stagnant, and feel more compassion than they could ever have felt.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 12 – Daily Feast

September 12 – Daily Feast

 

If you are standing deep in trouble don’t talk disparagingly of things spiritual. Spirit is your hope. It is your wisdom and your healing, key to your money and your relationships. If you believe these things are not true – then you have the reason for your emptiness. “Prove me now”, the wisdom goes. Spiritual things are provable. There is wisdom that can be tapped and put to good use when it has made the right connections. Right connections are not just people but Spirit. Breakdowns occur without Him, breakthroughs happen with Him.

~ We want to keep peace; will you help us? ~

RED CLOUD – SIOUX CHIEFTAIN

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Don’t allow life to mean too much. Keep it light and shallow; spend as much time as possible scoffing at those things meaningful to others; forget the decency and patience in their attitudes.

And look with overbearing revenge to make them pay for what they believe….laugh at their efforts…..call attention to their imperfections…..and don’t forget to learn how to live alone…..if not in body, then in spirit. And then don’t take the blame for a desert-island soul. It is of one’s own making. But remember, oh so well, that life does not stand still while we search for someone to blame for our isolation.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 9 – Daily Feast

September 9 – Daily Feast

 

There are ways you have not dreamed existed – until you can see beyond your own limited vision to possibilities of real substance. It takes a certain Mindset to stop believing in shortages and start seeing good things happen. Some people believe they will never see their dreams fulfilled – they accept it. And that acceptance solidifies such beliefs into reality. You have developed a consciousness of ga lu lo gi, the Cherokee’s expression of lack. In the words of the prophet, “Is anything too hard for God?”

~ We are all poor men; and I think others have got all the goods. ~

SATANTA – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Hardly any of us are without some jealousy. We like to think of ourselves above that painful emotion, because such a monstrous feeling is a destructive thing. But if we have not yet felt a normal amount of it, it is because we have yet to doubt something we love very much.

Margaret, Queen of Navarre, and sister of Francis 1, King of France in the fifteenth century, wrote the following words:

“Love may exist without jealously, although this is rare; but jealousy may exist without love, and that is common; for jealousy can feed on that which is bitter, not less than on that which is sweet, and is sustained by pride as often as by affection.”

Jealousy can rear its head when logic is giving you the facts, and throw the whole thing into chaos. But confidence is the enemy of jealousy. Confidence, trust, and faith are all strong parts of a nature where jealousy does not rule.

And jealousy, even in moderation, can introduce us to a serious problem with ourselves, if we let it grow out of proportion. It breeds rejection while maturity and understanding keep us safely within the bounds of permissiveness rather than possessiveness.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 7 – Daily Feast

September 7 – Daily Feast

 

Many weak excuses come to mind to give us a right to self-pity – we don’t feel well, we haven’t slept in a week, or we simply don’t know what others expect of us. All these things can be true and all have a devastating effect, but we could have said we are in the midst of a pity celebration. Mind games tell us we need an excuse to keep from being overwhelmed with obligations. We don’t need any excuse to say we are simply not up to the challenges at this time. If people want to be offended it is their privilege, but right now self honesty and rest are more important.

~ I have no father or mother; I am alone in the world. No one cares for Cochise. ~

COCHISE – APACHE

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“Think on These Things”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

True forgiveness could be described as a divine amnesty where we receive a pardon from the unworthy things we’ve done, and have another chance to prove our worth. Forgiveness is something we must give in order to receive. And we have a tendency to linger over old grudges, using them to bolster our reasons for not forgiving. But we cannot return to the past, not can we change one whit of anything that happened then. We cannot make up for resentments we’ve caused in others, no more than they can make up for ours.

To forgive is divine. God is above punishment, but we are not. It is we, not God, who punish by taking things into our own hands and making them work for our own selfish reasons. We demand punishment by hanging on to painful past experiences that produce self-pity. We are the ones who blame God’s will for our illnesses, our poverty, our lack of friends. But we are wrong, for there is a moment of truth when we face ourselves and know that we are the guilty.

And there is a time such as William Wordsworth wrote about, “That blessed mood, in which the burden of the mystery, in which the heavy and weary weight of all this unintelligible world, is lightened”…..because we’ve been forgiven.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 6 – Daily Feast

September 6 – Daily Feast

 

We’ve known extremes. We have pushed beyond common sense and we have paid a price for it. Most of us know what is good for us, but we allowed ourselves to be influenced where we should have stood our ground. This is true even of the little things – though often the results are not little at all. Things like eating and drinking and talking too much, these things are not bad in particular, but so easily overdone. There’s no obvious stopping place so we are well past the stop sign before we know it is there. Education? Awareness? Group understanding? These things may help, but a thorough adjustment in the soul and spirit is the only lasting answer.

~ My Great Father…..told me that fire and water were alike, and that we cannot live without either of them. ~

LONE WOLF – KIOWA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Regret is something everyone has, but no one can afford to keep. Being remorseful is commendable when we should be sorry for wrong behavior, but to live with regret is to add to it day by day. There are those who are unable to admit they have ever been wrong. But there are more who carry with them so much regret they are bowed in spirit.

Thomas Moore, the Irish poet, once said, “Remorse is beholding heaven and feeling hell,” but perhaps just knowing heaven can exist makes regret more hellish. And so often it renders the regretful almost powerless to lift themselves out of their predicament.

But there is forgiveness! A daily vow or affirmation can take us a step further in lifting ourselves above the things that cause regret. And if we’ve settled down in the middle of unhappiness to enjoy our lot in life, then, moment by moment, inch by inch, we shall overcome that, too!

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

September 2 – Daily Feast

September 2 – Daily Feast

 

Everything has a reason. We may have to wait a while to understand, because much of what we see is a puzzle with all its pieces strewn about. The whole thing is there but in our present condition we do not comprehend the first thing about fitting the right pieces together. It is going to take some time. Maybe our dullness is necessary to keep us from making foolish moves. It is better to stand and let life creep back in and our blood to flow normally before we begin again. We still do not know the reason for something but we can handle the time better and we recover our sense more quickly.

~ We are all Seminoles here together. We want no long talk; we wish to have it short and good. ~

CHIEF JOHN HICKS – SEMINOLE, 1829

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Do you remember the interesting story of the lion and the mouse in Aesop’s Fables? The lion could have crushed the mouse but was merciful and let it go free. A year later the lion became entangled and the mouse nibbled its way through the net to set the lion free.

It is a dangerous thing to wade through other people’s feelings, burning our bridges and believing we will never need them again. The saddest persons on earth must be those who find they have tried to destroy the only one who can help them.

The smallest and seemingly most insignificant has a purpose in this world, and it isn’t for us to judge what that purpose is. We have enough to do in finding our own.

As in the fable, we must remember, “Few are so small or weak, I guess….but may assist us in distress….nor shall we ever….if we’re wise…..the meanest of the least despise.”

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Whenever we stop to consider where we are on the road of life, we might also think about why we are there. Whether it is success or failure, or wavering in the middle of the road, we are where we are because of someone or something.

Nearly every person can pinpoint the time in their life when there was a turning point, a change for worse or for the better. And usually there is someone to whom they give the credit for such a change.

Throughout our lives we contact many people, and they each leave an impression. As living continues the combination of all those thoughts and feelings and actions forms our opinions, our likes and dislikes, our fears and our loves. But there is one basic factor in all of this that turns us one way or other – the individual, the personal self. It is how we take life, what we expect, how we do our daily tasks, where we place our values that makes the difference.

We are born with the right to choose – and whatever we choose there will always be someone there to help us be good or bad. But first, we must give credit where credit is due.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

 

August 25 – Daily Feast

August 25 – Daily Feast

 

We have a flair for convincing ourselves that there is nothing we can do about certain things – when it is more likely we don’t want to do anything about them. As long as we still care enough, we go on looking for solutions and hoping for miracles. But every day that goes by distances us from so much that no longer stirs us. Gradually, those things we thought so important fade and slip out of our daily thoughts. It is called gv ge wi s di in Cherokee, and means neglect in anybody’s language. It is one thing to let something go when it means nothing, and another to think we still have control and find the urgent need to retrieve it. What is important? It is vital to know what we want and need – if we are ever to have it.

~ I was very sorry when I found out that your intentions were good and entirely different from what I supposed they were. ~

SITTING BULL

“A Cherokee Feast of Days” by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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