J. R. Brown, international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, comments
on the 2013 “God’s Word Is Truth!” Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses
and why these events are newsworthy.
SELTERS, Germany—Mathilde Hartl, one of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, was presented the Order of Merit on February 22, 2013, by the
Prime Minister of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer. The Order of Merit is the
highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany awards to individuals
for services to the nation.
Ms. Hartl, who lives in Bavaria, was honored for
the long-term personal care she has provided for her disabled son
Martin, now 26 years old. As a child, he was diagnosed with Duchenne
muscular dystrophy (DMD), a disorder characterized by progressive muscle
degeneration and weakness. As a result, Ms. Hartl gets up throughout
the night to attend to his needs, which includes regularly monitoring
his breathing and clearing his airway of bronchial secretions to avoid
infection or pneumonia. Her other son, Max, also had DMD along with a
mental disability. Ms. Hartl lovingly cared for both Martin and Max for
many years. Sadly, Max died in 2008, at 19 years of age.
Asked where she gets the strength to provide such
comprehensive care, Ms. Hartl answered: “From my religious beliefs. As
one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I highly respect life. As long as I can, I
want to contribute to my son’s joy in life despite his disability.”
Prime Minister Seehofer praised Ms. Hartl and her
fellow honorees when he stated: “Every single one of you has made the
world a little bit better.”
Media Contacts:
International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000
HANDLING stress is like pulling a heavy shipping
container. A large truck can haul it across the country with ease. But a
car cannot. Pulling such a load even a short distance could ruin a
car’s engine. The same could be true of your “engine” if you’re overwhelmed with stress.
Is the situation hopeless? Not at all! To keep
from burning out, you’ll need either to lighten your load or to get a
more powerful “engine.” Actually, you can do both. Let’s see how.
Lighten Your Load
THE CHALLENGE: Overscheduling.
“Someone will ask me to help out
with something or to socialize when I really have things that I need to
do. I just don’t want to let anyone down.”—Karina.*
THE REMEDY: Learn to say no.
“Wisdom is with the modest ones,” says the Bible. (Proverbs 11:2) Modesty, or accepting your limitations, empowers you to say no when the load will be too heavy for you to carry.
Of course, saying no isn’t always an option—for
example, when your parents remind you about your chores! But if you let
everyone add to your load, you’ll eventually give out. Even the biggest
trucks have a load limit.
Tip: If it’s hard for you to
turn down someone outright, try saying, “Let me get back to you.” Then,
before giving a definite reply, ask yourself, ‘Can I really afford to
invest the time and energy needed for this activity?’
THE CHALLENGE: Procrastination.
“If a task seems difficult, I’ll
put it off. But then I’ll worry about the fact that I still have to do
it. When I finally start on it, I have to rush, which stresses me out.”—Serena.
THE REMEDY: Get started—even if you don’t finish now.
“Do not loiter at your business,” advises the Bible. (Romans 12:11) Confronting a hard task is bad enough, so why add to the load by procrastinating? That just keeps it before you longer!
To create incentive, make a to-do list. Break
down big tasks into manageable sizes. “I love lists,” says a young woman
named Carol. “Usually I put the things I dislike the most first, and
then as I check them off, it gets easier. Before you know it, you can
move on to the things in your life that are more fun!”
Tip: If
you struggle to get started on a task, set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes
and begin working on it right away. When the alarm goes off, you’ll
have 10 or 15 minutes of the job completed. Now that you’ve started, you
might be surprised at how much easier it is to do more on the task.
Cut out the clutter! When you have to
rifle through chaos to find your homework or clean clothes to wear, you
raise your stress level. For a less hectic morning, set aside five
minutes to tidy up before going to bed
Get a More Powerful “Engine”
Make sure your “engine” can handle your load
Take care of your body.
Experts agree that a healthful diet, regular exercise, and proper sleep will help you to get more done.* Don’t worry—taking
care of your body isn’t all that complicated. A few simple steps will
get you started. Take sleep, for example. Try the following.
Get enough sleep. Set regular times to go to bed and to get up, at least on school days and workdays.
Allow yourself enough time to unwind. Don’t exercise
within three hours before going to bed, and avoid heavy snacks and
caffeine as bedtime nears.
When it’s time to go to bed, try to make your bedroom dark, quiet, and comfortable.
Connect with others.
Don’t hesitate to turn to your parents and
friends for assistance. Will that really help? Yes, for studies show
that emotional support reduces the damage that increased stress can
cause to your heart, blood vessels, and immune system.
Those findings agree with the Bible, which says:
“Anxious care in the heart of a man is what will cause it to bow down,
but the good word is what makes it rejoice.” (Proverbs 12:25)
When “anxious care” weighs you down, true friends can offer you a “good
word” of encouragement, which may be just what you need to make it
through.
Do you still need help in coping with stress? See the following chapters in the book Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work, Volumes 1 and 2, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
VOLUME 1
Chapter 18: How Can I Cope With Stress at School?
Chapter 21: How Can I Manage My Time?
VOLUME 2
Chapter 26: How Can I Control My Emotions?
Chapter 27: Why Do I Feel That I Have to Be Perfect?
WHY NOT ASK YOUR PARENTS?
What kind of stress do you face in your life? What methods of coping with stress have you found to be the most effective?
1. Focus on your strengths. (2 Corinthians 11:6)
While it’s good to be aware of your flaws, you also have much to offer.
Recognizing your assets will give you the confidence you need to break
free from a negative self-image and overcome loneliness. Ask yourself, ‘What are my strengths?’ Think of some talents or positive qualities that you possess.
2. Take a genuine interest in others. Start by showing interest in just a few people. “Simply asking others how they are doing or asking them about their work helps you to get to know them better,” says a youth named Jorge.
You can bridge the chasm that separates you from your peers
Tip: Don’t limit yourself to
people of your own age. Some of the warmest friendships recorded in the
Bible were between people with considerable age differences, such as
Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, and Timothy and Paul. (Ruth 1:16, 17; 1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Corinthians 4:17)
Remember, too, that conversation is an interchange, not a monologue.
People appreciate good listeners. So if you tend to be shy, remember—you
don’t have to carry the whole conversation!
3. Cultivate “fellow feeling.” (1 Peter 3:8)
Even if you don’t agree with another’s view, patiently allow that one
to talk. Dwell on points that you agree on. If you feel you must express
disagreement on some issue, do so in a mild and tactful way.
Tip: Speak to others the way you
would want to be spoken to. Needless bickering or teasing, insulting, or
self-righteously condemning others simply alienates them. They will
like you a lot more if you “let your utterance be always with graciousness.”—Colossians 4:6.
God’s will is that you come to know him as a Person, draw close to him, and then love and serve him with your whole heart. (Matthew 22:37, 38; James 4:8) You can learn how to do God’s will from the life and teachings of Jesus. (John 7:16, 17) Jesus didn’t just talk about the will of God—he lived it. In fact, Jesus said that his purpose in life was “to do, not my will, but the will of him that sent me.”—John 6:38.
Do I need a special sign, vision, or calling to know what the will of God is for me?
No, because the Bible contains God’s message to mankind. It has what you need to be “completely equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) God wants you to use the Bible along with your “power of reason” to learn his will for you.—Romans 12:1, 2; Ephesians 5:17.
Can I really do God’s will?
Yes, you can, for the Bible says: “God’s commands are not too hard for us.” (1 John 5:3, Easy-to-Read Version)
That’s not to say that obeying God’s commands is always easy. But the
benefits you will gain far outweigh the effort you must put forth. Jesus
himself said: “How happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”—Luke 11:28, Good News Translation.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Source: JW.ORG
Why Did the Holocaust Happen? Why Didn’t God Stop It?
Many who ask these questions have suffered extreme
personal loss and seek not just answers but solace. Others see the
Holocaust as the height of human evil, and they struggle to believe in
God.
Common misconceptions about God and the Holocaust
Myth: It’s wrong to ask why God allowed the Holocaust.
Fact: People of great faith have
questioned why God allows evil. For instance, the prophet Habakkuk asked
God: “Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to
spread everywhere?” (Habakkuk 1:3, Contemporary English Version) Rather than rebuke Habakkuk, God had the questions he asked recorded in the Bible for all to read.
Myth: God doesn’t care about human suffering.
Fact: God hates wickedness and the suffering it causes. (Proverbs 6:16-19) Back in the days of Noah, God “felt hurt at his heart” because of the violence spreading in the earth. (Genesis 6:5, 6) No doubt, God also felt tremendous pain over the Holocaust.—Malachi 3:6.
Myth: The Holocaust was God’s punishment of the Jews.
Fact: God did allow Jerusalem to be destroyed by the Romans in the first century. (Matthew 23:37–24:2)
Since then, however, God does not single out any ethnic group for
special favor or for punishment. In God’s view, “there is no difference
between Jews and Gentiles.”—Romans 10:12, Good News Translation.
Myth: If a loving and all-powerful God existed, he would have prevented the Holocaust.
Fact: Although God never causes suffering, he sometimes allows it temporarily.—James 1:13; 5:11.
Why did God allow the Holocaust?
God allowed the Holocaust for the same reason
that he has permitted all human suffering: to settle moral issues that
were raised long ago. The Bible clearly indicates that at present the
Devil, not God, rules the world. (Luke 4:1, 2, 6; John 12:31)
While the article linked to this topic provides a full discussion of
why God allows suffering, two basic facts from the Bible can help
explain why God allowed the Holocaust.
Whose free will caused the Holocaust? God
told the first humans, Adam and Eve, what he expected of them, but he
did not force them to obey. They chose to decide for themselves what was
good and bad, and their bad choice—and similar choices by people
throughout history—has brought horrible consequences to mankind. (Genesis 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12) It is as the book Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism says:
“Much of the world’s suffering directly results from our misuse of the
free will granted to us.” Rather than revoke our free will, God has
given humans time to try to manage their affairs independent of him.
God can and will undo all the damage of the Holocaust. God
promises to bring back to life millions who have died, including
Holocaust victims. He will also eliminate the pain that Holocaust
survivors feel because of horrific memories. (Isaiah 65:17; Acts 24:15) God’s love for mankind guarantees that he will fulfill these promises.—John 3:16.
Many Holocaust victims and survivors were
able to maintain their faith and find meaning in life by understanding
why God has allowed evil and how he purposes to undo its effects.
source:JW.ORG
