Carmela Snelbaker

Author of "Thank You For Your Service, Sheep!"
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  • Tag: #GodIsGreaterThanLife’sUpsAndDowns

    • Questions?

      Posted at 11:27 AM by carmelasnelbaker
      Jul 28th

      When you identify beauty with Love and Joy you cannot help but Also identify Beauty within the opposite of Love and Joy (Fear and Rage).

      How can we not when all of human existence will at some time experience the entire array of elements. When the Rage is directed at what is wrong and not at the individual who acts in a way that is provoking the radical reaction, there is a beauty within the advocacy for what is Right and True.

      In no way am I encouraging or making excuses for anger or angry aggression I am acknowledging that without being emotionally stirred to stand up against unnecessary control, aggressive boundary encroachments, violence or life altering restrictive acts toward other human beings we will only find ourselves living a selfish existence.

      Greed and shallow materialism flourishes within an environment that will only allow “like minded viewpoints”.

      When we fail to be open to finding common ground and embracing the need to express and celebrate collective knowledge, experiences, and wisdom, We cannot state that we truly are supporting of Truth and Freedom.

      Individual Truth is Freedom. When we seek only power and control for like minded views we are not embracing UNITY AND FREEDOM FOR ALL.

      Truth and Honesty are based in Love no matter what “vehicle” of understanding you are approaching it with. True Unconditional Love and understanding embraces the opposing view. When we choose a divided state of being we choose Stagnancy and Lack of Growth and Development.

      When we choose stagnancy we are caught within a shallow human power struggle for control and authority.

      Those who live in fear may attempt to arm themselves with dishonest words, accusations and threats. Those that have little confidence, faith or understanding may be easily influenced to believe or simply cave to the threats and shame tactics and become compliant to the one who chooses human power and authority over everyone.

      True Love embraces unity and understanding. True Unconditional Love shows support for individualism and embraces growth change and peaceful solutions.

      Who are we to attempt to feel so boldly aggressive that we would choose to enforce individual opinion and belief onto others when we would NOT stand for that being done in reverse?

      Those who cannot be respectful of other people’s beliefs and boundaries, are also not being respectful of what they wish for themselves.

      When we act as though our ways and beliefs are MORE RIGHT than any other belief we begin to become only seekers of POWER instead of seekers of TRUTH, UNITY AND PEACE.

      IN A WORLD WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND BELIEF SYSTEMS REMAINING RESPECTFUL TO ALL RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS OR INDIVIDUALS WHO SEEK TRUTH AND LOVE IS ESSENTIAL.

      THOSE ORGANIZED RELIGIONS OR PEOPLE WHO CHOSE TO BE ENFORCERS OF ONLY THIER WAY OR THEIR LIMITED VERSION OF TRUTH ARE PUTTING THEMSELVES AND THEIR LIMITED HUMAN UNDERSTANDING ABOVE DIVINE WILL.

      WHEN WE TRULY SEEK UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR ALL WE ENGAGE WITH AND LEARN AND UNDERSTAND FROM EACH OTHER.

      DIVINE MESSAGES OFTEN COME THROUGH HUMAN HEARTS THAT ARE OPEN TO AND LONG TO RECEIVE, UNDERSTANDING AND RELAY DIVINE THOUGHTS

      THEY WILL NEVER CLAIM TO HAVE THE ANSWERS.

      LIFE IS FLUID AND EVER CHANGING WHAT THE MESSAGE MAY BE ON THIS DAY CAN BE A VERY DIFFERENT MESSAGE ON ANOTHER.

      TRUE DIVINE MESSAGES ARE RELAYED BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED DIVINE STRENGTH, GUIDANCE, AND HOPE IN TIMES WHEN DEVASTATING EVENTS PULL THEM INTO HOPELESSNESS AND CONFUSION

      THE TRUE MESSAGE WILL MAKE IT TO YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT .

      THE MESSENGER MAY NEVER EVEN BE AWARE THAT THEIR WORDS WERE WHAT YOU NEEDED TO HEAR, BECAUSE THE MOST POWERFUL DIVINE ENCOUNTERS OFTEN COME ANONYMOUSLY THROUGH CHANCE ENCOUNTERS WITH HUMBLY BROKEN INDIVIDUALS WHO SIMPLY MADE IT THROUGH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS, WITH DIVINE SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE

      PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW BELOW WITH BLESSING OFFOR’S

      TWO OF MY FAVORITE SONGS OF HIS ARE…. BELIEVE AS WELL AS BRIGHTER DAYS I HOPE YOU WILL SEARCH FOR THEM ON YOU TUBE. I AM NOT ABLE TO LINK THEM HERE BUT THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL SONGS WITH POSITIVE MESSAGES.

      With Hope, Joy, Peace and Love, Carmela

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      Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #blog4peace, #GodIsGreaterThanLife'sUpsAndDowns, Carmela Snelbaker, Freedom, gratitude, hope, inspiration, joy, kindness, love, peace, Peaceful solutions, positivity, respect, Truth, unity
    • Recalculating………..Return to the Route

      Posted at 10:24 PM by carmelasnelbaker
      May 5th

      What if one day you woke up and everything that once was, is now completely different?

      I know for sure that life is not easy. But I also know for sure that no matter how bad it is, it could always be worse. There will always be something to be grateful for when you have Faith.

      To this day I can still hear my mom and dads voices from heaven reminding me how they supported me through a struggle. It often makes me smile the quirky phrases or references they often used.

      “Now wait now…….you just have to be smarter than the chair you are working on” dad would say. My dad was a woodworker. I was the upholsterer. Lol 

      I loved to sew and upholstered many pieces. The fragile antique wood items challenged me. Dad came to my rescue on many occasions. 

      I know it is much harder to instruct someone and watch them struggle while learning the solution to the problem, then it is to take over do it for them. 

      I am glad dad chose the hard way and took the time to teach me how to solve problems and contemplate answers rather then taking over and doing it for me. 

      Being ‘Level Headed” “Humble” and “Wise” were all admirable traits of a good person in my dad’s book. Being open to new ideas and various opinions, were also good traits, but the utmost importance was having courage and confidence in our Inner Spirit.

      My 11 year old grandson taught me that true courage comes from God. “I’ll be brave” he would say when being faced with yet another medical procedure or difficult challenge. When he was particularly fearful he would fold his hands a pray. “Dear God, Please take the scary stuff away.” Prayer is powerful when faith is deep.

      “When I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, When I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous.” Dr. Maya Angelou

      I find myself hesitating as I write this. The need to use the right words to communicate clearly is Huge! Although my Faith and understanding has never been stronger I worry that the very problem itself is Not the Words that are written, or what we are reading once it is written ….. The real problem lies in the Level of Faith the reader has in what is True.

      If your faith is shallow what you read will be understood at the limited level your human understanding will allow. Without Faith in a Higher Power we are limited in our understanding of what is Right and what is True.

      It is impossible to communicate the Truth if the reader or the writer has little Faith in what is True.

      Without Truth there is nothing. Without Faith there IS no Truth.

      In a world of many people, many languages and many levels of Faith, it is wrong for a person, Political Party, or Religious Right group to attempt to be the enforcers of God’s word. The very thought a Church or Political Group would even WANT to make laws and force others to follow those laws is a HUGE example of their Faulty level of faith!

      When you feel the need to take over and do things yourself so that your level of understanding is enforced, you are showing how truly WEAK your faith really is…….. HAVE YOU NOT MISSED THE POINT OF PRAYER AND THE POWER OF YOUR GOD?

      WHEN YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BLOCK SOMEONE BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE THE OTHER HUMAN WILL FAIL TO SEE IT AT “FACE VALUE” ……. YOU ARE SHOWING WHAT LITTLE FAITH YOU HAVE IN GOD!

      IS IT NOT WISER TO PRAY TO THE HIGHER POWER?

      IS IT NOT WISER TO ASK FOR GOD’S WISDOM AND GUIDANCE DURING LIFE’S DIFFICULT MOMENTS?

      IS IT NOT WISER TO PRAY FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED OF GUIDENCE?

      DIDN’T JESUS TEACH HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY?

      Re-evaluate your level of Faith………. Let go of human arrogance……..let go of the need to control the outcome of your prayers……… Let God be in control……..Pray for the courage to allow his will to be done as Jesus taught us………..

      With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela

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      Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #GodIsGreaterThanLife'sUpsAndDowns, baptist church, Carmela Snelbaker, Catholic church, Choice, Christianity, church of god, faith, God, God's will, gratitude, have faith in prayer, hope, inspiration, Jesus, joy, kindness, let go let God, love, lutheran church, methodist church, peace, place God first, positivity, Power of prayer, Prayer, presbyterian church, put God first, Religion and Spirituality, respect, Trust, Truth
    • The Right Road, Really?

      Posted at 2:15 PM by carmelasnelbaker
      Apr 9th

      During a cross country trip traveling with my daughter, we sat in a roadside restaurant somewhere in South Dakota. Our attention was directed to a little girl about 3 or 4 years old, I am not sure what she did to get our attention but I remember commenting to her father about how cute she was. “Well, she is definitely a leader” her father commented, and with a chuckle he continues to tell us “I said to my wife, we better make sure she goes down the right road, because if we don’t she will be taking a lot of people down the wrong road with her”.

      That quick encounter happened 19 years ago. I have recalled that moment many times since, the memory always brings a smile and a chuckle, and makes me wonder where and what that sweet child is doing now.

      In that moment while my daughter and I sat admiring a child who couldn’t contain the Joy the day was bringing her, each one of us were unaware of the events that will be yet to unfold in each of our futures.

      Recently during caregiving, the wife of a person I was taking care of stated to me, “if I knew before hand the death and illness my family would have to face, I would never even have gotten married.”

      Time is irreplaceable. Life doesn’t allow for “do overs”. It requires us to dive into unforeseen adventures.

      Is there really such a thing as “the right road” or is that “road” forever changing and relative only to each precious moment in time?

      I have learned that life teaches by experiences. We can try to prepare ourselves and do our absolute best at living “right” and staying on the “right road” but in reality, each moment of the day we are called to improvise and navigate through the encounters life brings to us in that very moment.

      The maturity of our faith can change with every new event we experience; new person we encounter or conversation we share.

      22 years ago my mother who was nearing death was attempting to prepare me for navigating through my life without her. What she was telling me wasn’t making sense in that moment. It appeared as if she was hallucinating or deeply confused. It wasn’t until after her passing when events began to unfold and the memories of those moments began to become clear.

      For months afterward I searched every memory for a deeper meaning, trying desperately to understand the hidden messages she was attempting to place before me. I never felt so alone and unprepared for what was next to come. I prayed desperately for understanding, wisdom and strength to continue on and know what to do next. I searched each word that was spoken to me for a deeper meaning. I ran each sentence over and over in my mind trying to decipher its intended message. Finally, at the point of exhaustion I lay down in a field one night crying hysterically asking God “please just come and be me, because I don’t know how to be me anymore”.

      Deep in my heart I knew mothers can’t give up. Responsibilities loom and love reaches out beyond all limitations. It wasn’t until that night laying in the field under the stars when I ask God to take over and help me be me, that I wholeheartedly understood that He doesn’t want us to be doing this alone. He is more than a Prayer; He is our inner strength. He is the very breath we inhale, the Blood that keeps our body alive. He is our Soul. The heartbeat in our earthly body that keeps us alive and carries us through difficult experiences.

      My life from this point on has not been easy it has included devastating sorrow with the loss of our 11-year-old grandson but also great appreciation for the Blessing of his presence with us for those beautiful and precious 11 years.

      The Holy Spirit within continues to keep me strong and resilient, fills me with understanding, empathy and respect for others, but most of all fills me with Joy every time I am able to share in the daily Miracles and Blessing that continue to prove God’s Love for us.

      With Respect, Hope, Joy and Love, Carmela

       

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      Posted in Meditative Writings | Tagged #DivineGuidance, #FindingHope, #GodIsGreaterThanLife'sUpsAndDowns, #Life, #lifechallenges, #OvercomingSorrow, #TheRightRoad, believe, blogging, Christian, Christianity, faith, family, God, Grief, grieving, hope, inspiration, love, Mental health, positive energy, positive outlook, positivity, Truth
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