End of the World

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17

All variations of worrying thrive on end of the world thinking.  In other words, our emotions convince us that an undesirable outcome results in annihilation. We ask ourselves:

-What if they don’t like me?

-What if they reject me?

-What if I don’t fit in with the crowd?

None of these things result in the end of the world, but if we convince ourselves that they do, we will irrationally fear the outcomes and give our fears control over us.  The truth is, we are inefficient at correctly predicting how future situations will make us feel.  In fact, most of the time we avoid consciously thinking about it all together, which only perpetuates our subconscious fears and clouds our imagination.

So ask yourself: “If disaster should strike, and my fear of being rejected comes true, what are some constructive ways I could cope and move forward with my life?”

Sit down and think about how you will feel after rejection, how you will allow yourself to be upset for a short while, and then how you will begin the process of growing from the experience and moving on.  Just doing this exercise will help you to feel less fear around the possibility of someone thinking poorly of you.  And you’ll gradually begin to realize what other people think about you really doesn’t matter that much, but what God thinks and the confidence you place in Him matters the most.

Don't be afraid. God is in control. It's NOT the end of the world!

How Do You See Yourself

As much as we want individuality, we worry about what others think more than we want to think. Often we make bad decisions because we want to please others more than we realize. 

But...

People will think what they want to think.  You can’t control them.  No matter how carefully you choose your words and mannerisms, there’s always a good chance they’ll be misinterpreted and twisted upside down by someone.  Does this really matter in the grand scheme of things?  No, it doesn’t.

What does matter is how you see yourself.

So when you’re making big decisions, make a habit of staying 100% true to your values and convictions.  Never be ashamed of doing what feels right.

To help you implement this positive habit, start by listing things that are important to you when it comes to building your character and living your life honorably.  For example:

-Honesty

-Dependability

-Self-respect

-Self-discipline

-Compassion

-Character

-Positivity

Having a list like this to reference will give you an opportunity to consciously invoke your handpicked behaviors in place of doing something random simply for the purpose of validation from your peers.  While it may sound overly simplistic, most people never take the time to actually decide what is important to them when it comes to their self-image – they let others decide for them.  Don't be one of them.

We Might Not Be Perfect

Just a few weeks ago I was looking out on the woods that are around my house as I walked through my yard. It seemed so strange to see how the trees looked on this cold February morning. Their trunks were twisted, wet, and gnarled. They were full of chipped bark and dead limbs. They seemed almost ugly and as far from perfect as you could get. Still, I knew that in just a few weeks they would be alive again with bright, green leaves and in a few months after that they would be full of beautiful colors that would delight the heart and uplift the soul.

Thinking about this made me smile and reminded me that you don't have to be perfect in order to live a blessed life. God knows that I am far from perfect myself. I make mistakes every single day of my life. I am still a gnarled, empty, tree trunk much of the time. I do try, however, moment by moment and choice by choice to live a godly life. I do try each day to choose to share the love and joy of Christ. I do try to grow in holiness with God more and more as I travel the path of life. I think, in fact, one of the best moments in my life was the moment that I decided to stop trying to please everyone and to just live in His love and joy while sharing all the gifts that God gave me. 
We all need to stop trying to please everybody. We all need to stop judging ourselves and just love ourselves. We all need to give up on living a perfect life and enjoy living a godly and beautiful life. Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish. or what your potential is.  Let us all live the good news within us then. Let us all grow some bright, green leaves of love in our lives. Let us all share the beautiful colors of peace and joy from our hearts and souls with everyone everywhere. We might not be perfect, but we can still bless the world with the best within us and with the gifts God gives us.

Though the earth may change

"Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change." 

Psalm 46:2

My highest good is always unfolding because God has an eternal plan.

Circumstances change. Plans get interrupted. Life takes unexpected turns. Even so, I remain calm and unshaken as I stand on the solid ground of faith, knowing that my highest good is unfolding and as yet not revealed.

Beneath every outer change is the unchanging Truth of God, which is stable, unvarying, and consistent. In God, nothing is ever lost. In God, there is enough power and strength to meet any life experience. In God, I know I am not alone and I maintain the courage and will to embrace all that life offers.

As conditions change, I am flexible, moving through times of transformation with ease and grace. I expect the manifestation of my highest good, and I embrace whatever form it may take. What I can't handle He can. I will not be afraid of what the future holds because it's in His hands.

I have found that many people will accept seconds rather than make the changes needed to keep them fresh and trusting God. To mimic an old saying, "they will ride a dead horse into the ground" before accepting the necessary changes that could make them relevant. I refuse to be afraid of change or think that change is always bad. God is real and so is life and change is going to come whether we like it or not. It's what we do with it that makes the difference.


"In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?" 

Psalms 56:4 NKJV

 

Seconds

Exercising your soul doesn’t require heavy weights, expensive machines, or gym club memberships. It just requires a willing heart and a giving spirit. In fact, some of the best soul exercises I know can be done in 5 seconds or less. They always leave you feeling better than when you started them and they can be done anytime of the day as well. Best of all they help get your soul fit not just for here but for Heaven as well.

Here are just a few of my favorite 5 second soul strengtheners. Feel free to try them all and then to try out some of your own as well. There is no limit to what you can do to build a healthy soul. You can:
-give someone a hug, share a smile.
-hold a purring cat.
-pet a friendly dog.
-glance joyfully at the sun setting over the hills.
-hum a happy song.
-read an uplifting passage from an inspiring book.
-smell a flower.
-listen to a bird sing.
-share a kind word.
-think a positive thought.
-pray for someone.
-wave at a neighbor.
-laugh at a good joke.
-tell someone you love them.
-tickle a child.
-touch a loved one, look them in the eye, and listen to them.

Most of all you can take those 5 seconds to say, "I love you God and I thank you for my life here." Have fun exercising your soul then. Five seconds may not seem like a long time, but it is long enough to share some love, spread some joy, change a life, and make Heaven smile.

You Are Special

Your presence, is a present to the world.

You're unique and one of a kind.

Your life can be, what you want it to be.

Take the days, just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles.

You'll make it through, whatever comes along.

Within you, are so many answers.

Understand, have courage, be strong.

Don't put limits on yourself.

So many dreams, are waiting to be realized.

Decisions are too important, to leave to chance.

Reach for your peak, your goal and your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy, than worrying.

The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.

Don't take things too seriously.

Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember, that a little love goes a long way.

Remember, that a lot of love goes forever.

Remember, that friendship is a wise investment.

Life's treasures, are people... together.

Realize, that it's never too late.

Do ordinary things, in a extraordinary way.

Have health, hope and happiness.

Take the time, to wish upon a star.

And don't ever forget for even a day just how very special you are!
 

Just Give Up....

Just give up.....

-Pretending that you have to be who you used to be. When times get tough, our worst battle is often between what we remember and what we presently feel.  Thus, one of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make is when to stay put and struggle harder or when to take your memories and move on.  Sometimes you have to step outside of the person you’ve been, and remember the person you were meant to be, the person you are capable of being, and the person you truly are today.

-Berating yourself for everything you aren’t. Being kind to yourself in thoughts, words and actions is as important as being kind to others.  Extend yourself this courtesy.  Love yourself – your real self.  Work through your fears (dive deep), your insecurities (speak honestly and loudly), and your anger (scream into the pillow – not into the mirror, nor the people you care about; they don’t deserve it.)  Instead of hurting yourself by hiding from your problems, help yourself grow beyond them.  That’s what self-care is all about.  It’s about facing the inner issues that make you believe that you are less than you are.  It’s learning to see that you are already beautiful.  Not because you’re blind to your shortcomings, but because you know they have to be there to balance out your strengths. 

-Regretting, and holding on to, what happened in the past. When you stay stuck in regret of the life you think you should have had, you end up missing the beauty of what you do have.  Not all the puzzle pieces of life will seem to fit together at first, but in time you’ll realize they do, perfectly.  So thank the things that didn’t work out, because they just made room for the things that will.  And thank the ones who walked away from you, because they just made room for the ones who won’t.  As they say, every new beginning comes from another beginning’s end.

-Getting caught up in the negativity surrounding you. To be positive in negative times is not just foolish optimism.  It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of tragedy, but also of success, sacrifice, courage, kindness, and growth.  What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine how well we live.  If we look only for the worst, it destroys our capacity to do our best work.  If we remember those times and places, and there are many, in which people have behaved magnificently, and things have gone well, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning world in a different direction.  And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to sit around and wait for some grandiose and perfect future.  The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live right now as we think we should live, in defiance of all the negativity around us, is in itself an amazing victory.

-Thinking that everyone else has it so much easier than you. When times get really tough, remember this simple truth: Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy.  And when you’re struggling with something that’s important to you, and you feel like your life isn’t fair, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it’s just as hard as what you’re going through.