Joel Osteen - Say 'NO' To Your Feelings

Pastor Joel Osteen. Read his first book " Your best life now " 7yrs back. Me and my husband Satyajeet are both his fans, we have been inspired and motivated to by him. Even though we follow different faith, his teachings resonates with us so much , it has helped us have stronger faith, be more spiritual and has guided us in living our best life. Some people live, some make a difference. He is one who has made big difference in the lives of many all around the world. He is very simple yet very bold in his faith, he has great following , yet he has no sign of arrogance,since he sets an example of a great follower. Very consistent with his teaching, very clear of his purpose, his humble spirit, unwavering faith, love for people is what makes him connect with people at a deeper level. A simple message that can have extraordinary impact when applied.

Love is not like an Apple-pie

Would love to celebrate Christmas with my Christian friends, Eid with my Muslim friends and Hanukkah with my Jewish friends and Janamashtmi with my Hindu friends as if i am part of their family. Would pick unity,brotherhood, peace and love over segregation any day.
Is that not what all religion teaches ... then why do people say this festivals is not for Sikhs or this is a festivals of Hindu only.

Felt very disheartened when i saw people condemning other Sikh for enjoying Holi or when people would stop others from embracing celebrations from other cultures in the name of " this is not a part of our religion !! "
Well, what part of sharing, caring and loving is not part of your religion or any religion ?

As a mom , if i don't feel insecure when my son gives hug to his friend's mom then why do we feel insecure if a fellow Sikh plays Holi ...or if Sikh visits Church. Will that makes us less of a a Sikh ?


I don't think Guru Nanak Dev ji will get offended when he will see me hugging my Muslim friends on Eid and sharing semiya (sweet pudding )with them.
 Love is not like an Apple pie that has limited slices and if we give more to one, someone else will have to get less. Love is like air, it is everywhere , there is enough of it for everyone. No matter how much we share with one , we will still have enough to share with others.

Why do we talk so much about what is wrong with others, instead of focusing on what is right with others ?  In fact why do we even say others. There is no other, we all are one, we all are humans before anything else. God did not send us in this world with labels, he had just sent us a Human Beings.

Just like there are different teams of a game and each team has a coach , some rules and uniform ,so are all religions like a team with a coach and they have their own set of rules within the team and have a uniform that gives them identity . But when we play the game , rules are same for all and that is love others and respect others.

If we do or say anything that is not based out of love or causes separations and segregation and creates a feeling of we are better then them, then that is not being religious , that is going far away from basic principles of any religion , from the truth . Truth is "Love is above all" .


All prophets and saints and guru came in this world to spread the message of peace, unity and oneness. They came to tell people to follow principles, they gave the message of Divine Love, One God, Unity , love above everything else, all creations are child of one God, among other things and many people who felt good listening to them forgot the message and just started calling themselves their followers. Instead of following principles, started following people and just got stuck in the rituals.

When we get so blinded by following the rules and forget the main underlying message , two things happens, 1. We start judging everyone else and labeling them based on how well they follow rules. 2. Our ego gets inflated and there is a sense of superiority even though we may be speaking of humility.
Number one teaching of all spiritual teachers is Unconditional Love, Non Judgmental and Gratitude.

Why do people fight, criticize and condemn in the name of religion......? Who are they trying to please ?

I would  pick love over a ritual that promotes segregation any day.
Warmheartedness , compassion , tolerance be our motto before anything else.

If you want to shine don't try to be, just be

Inspired by a beautiful photograph i saw on twitter yesterday by Rich Cruse.  He has a gift of capturing nature at its best and has a eye for beauty which can be easily missed if we are not present enough.

A View from the Oceanside Pier - April 8, 2013 by Rich Cruse

" If you want to shine , don't try to be , just be  and let your strengths shine "

Stillness ... a peaceful, quite resting place  or all the action, fun , drama, music, dance , the waves, the winds, the tides...

So which is is more beautiful...

 Stillness is beautiful only when you have experienced all the action, fun and drama.  Its the drama that  makes us experience and understand the true depth of stillness and same is true the other way.

Only way you can really enjoy stillness is if you have experienced the action, the drama and high and lows. One who has never experienced fun, the action would never be able to truly understand the value stillness.

So they both make each other more meaningful.

and they both co exist , enhancing each other's beauty....making a picture so much more beautiful.

Our strengths is what makes us beautiful and our strengths and our unique gifts is what makes this beautiful world so beautiful.

 We all are pieces of puzzle when put together makes this most beautiful picture made by God. Each piece has its unique shape, colors, texture . They all have its own place . A smaller piece , a bigger piece, a brighter piece or a plain piece , all are special. No one can replace the other , no one is more special then other . Only when they all are put together is when we can truly see a big picture and admire the beauty. The beauty is not in one piece but beauty is when they all are put together  each piece in its own place , in its own way enhancing the beauty of the other .

Next i saw this picture

Fisherman on the Oceanside Pier at Sunset - April 8, 2013 by Rich Cruse

" God is smiling on you" this is the first thing that came to my mind when i saw this picture.

 Fisherman is busy in his own thoughts, focus on his own thing while sun rays are shining on him. He may not be even thinking about it. Just like the sun rays, God's love is showering upon us while we may not be even thinking about Him, busy doing our own stuff . His unconditional love, selfless love is always with us .

Surfer at Sunset in Oceanside - April 9, 2013 by Rich Cruse

and He continues giving and giving and giving warmth like sun rays during the day and tranquility and peace like twinkling stars and moonlight during the night ....