Friday, January 27, 2012

To making it count. . . .

My dear friend's blog this week was focused on one of those things everyone needs to know. Her poetic way of saying it, is a great read. Check it out here. I love it so much, I feel the need to give my parallel take on it.
 
The message is about making it count. Everyday. Don't let life get the best of you. Don't allow negative things to pull you down & leave you broken.


Instead, have a little faith. Find the part of you that has the ability to hope for something better & cling to it! When your mind wanders off into PityParty Land, yell STOP on the inside. Redirect your thoughts & refocus your mind on the positive side of things. Personally, I draw from my faith in God. One of my favorite verses, I silently recite to myself on a regular basis is....


Psalm 34:10   ..... those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 




When you truly believe that with your heart, you begin to believe positive things will happen, because you have God's favor. He will direct your paths & you will find open doors. When I was young, I thought people that talked like this were crazy. They thought some magic in the universe was listening to their thoughts and it affected their lives. It seemed like hocus pocus. However, slowly but surely I have a found a rich, pure faith in a higher power, and I now KNOW this is true. How do you know something? Well, you know, once you've experienced it. You begin believing when you hear stories from others. Then, it begins happening to you, again, and again, and again. Until the time comes, when there is no other explanation, it is a higher power that is directing you and bringing you this favor. 



However, when you allow your mind to succumb to thoughts of inadequacy, sadness, pity & depression, then you are revealing that you don't have faith in God. You don't believe in anything besides yourself and this carnal world. You don't have faith that the God who created the universe can fix your small problems. No matter how big your problems, ask yourself, How big is your God?


He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. ~ Psalm 147:3, NLT

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. ~ Psalm 84:11, NLT

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ~ Philippians 4:6, NLT

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18, NLT

Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. ~ Psalm 97:11, NLT

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. ~ Psalms 73:26, NLT

“For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord, "they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. ~ Romans 12:2, NLT       


It wasn't until I started looking to God in every aspect of my life, consulting Him before I make decisions and praying for His hand in everything I do, then believing that He would come through, that I realized the power we hold. When you change your attitude and start praising the Lord because you know He will make a way out of no way, then change will come. Once you start being thankful for all of the many ways you are Blessed and trust that He will guide you into the future, then peace and happiness overcomes you. No matter what may be happening on the outside, you are at peace on the inside, because you know you have God on your side. There is no greater Blessing. There is no greater power.


No matter what life throws at us, we should see the glass half-full, always finding something in every situation to be thankful for. If your partner left you, that means God has somebody better in your future. When you meet him/her you will appreciate him even more. If you lost your job, this is an opportunity to pursue something which you're truly passionate about. Once you find it, you'll live with a fervor you've never experienced. If you've had health problems, praise God for alleviating the pain and consider how He may use you to inspire others. If you were down on your luck and things have turned around, praise God for allowing you to see the worst. You'll never again take the smallest thing for granted and may you never look down on someone in that situation. Sometimes, God doesn't bring us out of the muck immediately and sometimes it may be about finding a way to live life with the changes that have transpired. Tomorrow is a new day. We can remain sad and depressed over the circumstances in our lives, or we can hold our heads high & say, I don't know what He has in store for me, but I know I have a purpose and His word says "they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

It doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Your blog makes me smile.