You will always look lovely!

Funny...I just wrote about this today...and then this showed up in my Facebook feed...

Thankful

Yesterday a friend of mine posted on Facebook about how Mondays ruin her weekends.  I heard on Family Life Radio a couple of weeks ago how they share blessings on Mondays to show that there is no reason to hate them so much.  So I commented on her status with something along those lines.  As a Christian woman, I kind of expected her to be all, "That's a good idea..." then share some blessings.  Not so much.  Too bad, her loss for not wanting to look on the bright side.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. --Philippians 4:8

God flat out says it in Philippians 4:8--positivity NOT negativity!  He doesn't say, "Think about the crappiest thing that's happening right now and then ruminate on how it is going to ruin your day.  Actually, it will probably ruin your week so go ahead and look all grumpy and spew negativity towards everyone you meet so their week sucks too."

Then He goes on to say:

...And the God of peace will be with you. --Philippians 4:9

So if I remember what is good, you will give me peace?  Thank you, Lord!

The other day I was feeling really down, so I posted on Facebook asking friends to share something that happened that day that was a blessing.  Many people participated with such experiences as simple as taking a shower without the kids barging in to getting kissed on the nose by their kiddo waking them up in the morning.  It was one of those posts that you knew everyone reading it was smiling.  And that warmed my heart.

I didn't dwell on the stuff that was happening that was hurting me so much.  Granted, as human as I am, that did come rushing back to me yesterday and I had a mini breakdown.  But in that moment, I learned to smile just by being positive.  If I can remember to look for the good in anything, then those smiles will come more frequently...and I will be at peace.

So what am I grateful for today:

• It is absolutely beautiful outside today!  I sat outside for a half hour this morning just listening to the birds sing.
• I got a hug this morning from someone I wasn't really expecting it from.  She knew I needed it though.  That meant a lot.
• I ate cake for breakfast. (*guilty grin*)
• My dog slept with me all night instead.  And not just at the foot of the bed, she was right against my body.  Something about that is just so loving.
• I finished a devotional series last night that I really liked.  Actually, I read 5 days of the series last night because I felt I needed to get fed.  Plus, it was good stuff I needed to hear yesterday.

The day is not nearly over yet (it's not even noon yet).  There will be so much more to be thankful for by the end of the day!

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.--1 Thessalonians 5:18

Positivity

I've already quoted this scripture and written on it in the last couple of weeks, but I had a morning full of resentment and decided I needed to remind myself.

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." --Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)

Today I looked up another version of the scripture.  The Message tends to put things in the most easily understood way.  I find that if I read several versions of one scripture, I "get it" better.

Without focusing on the negative too much, this morning, someone could have done something for me very easily instead of making me do it.  But it was not done, and I felt pretty annoyed.  I wanted to say something to this person.  I wanted to nag them for sitting around and not helping me out.  But I bit my tongue.  Nagging won't help.

I prayed to God asking for words to use to ask for help effectively.  I kid you not, in mid sentence of this prayer, God gave me this scripture.  It popped right into my head: "Things to praise, not things to curse."  I made a mental list of the things that this person did do this morning that were honorable.

I'm not going to lie and say that this cleared my heart of bitterness.  I wish it did. But it cleared my mind and reminded me that there isn't all bad in this person.

It was also put on my heart to email them and apologize for being cold due to the resentment.  I didn't talk much this morning because I felt so negative.  I didn't want to let the animosity leave my head via my mouth.  But in doing that, I also became terse and standoffish.  I wasn't very pleasant this morning although I wasn't nearly as bad as I used to get.

I'm a work in progress....

Believe the Best

Last week a friend of mine gave me a scripture that happened to be the same scripture that had come to me the night before when I was having a hard time not succumbing to the negative circumstances of my life.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." -Phillipians 4:8

Again, (I know I say this a lot but) God speaks.  He knew I needed this scripture and He knew I needed to work on this right now.  I need to not dwell on what is pulling me down--people talking behind my back, my own disapproval of my past actions, anger towards others' actions, what the future holds for me now--and dwell on what is real and right--I'm human and can change, God said so!  God is with me even when I feel like no one else is on my side.  God knows what is best for me and He will give that to me for my future.

You can walk down a road and look straight forward, or you can let your eyes wander off to the side.  Which way do you think your feet will take you?  Actually, stand up right now and try to walk in a straight line while looking off to your right.  Hard to do, huh?  Focus on where you need to go!

And then this morning, one of my devotionals expounded further on what the original passage said.  God is laying this on me thick.

"[Love] believes all things, hopes all things." -1 Corinthians 13:7

To truly love, you need to focus on what is positive.  You can't dwell on everything that someone does wrong because you won't see all the fantastic things that they do right.  If you concentrate on their annoying habits, you won't find those neat things that they do that make you smile.

Look at a screen door.   Look right at the actual screen.  Seeing that which is right in front of you made everything behind it blurry, didn't it?  You didn't see the kids playing and giggling in the backyard or the flowers blooming.  All you saw was that gray screen because that is what you focused on.

All day long I find myself consumed with thoughts of resentment towards a lot of people.  It has been my immediate prayer lately that God takes that away from me and fills me with love.

God, heal my hardened, broken heart and let me see the good.  Let me love again.  Let me feel love again.  Help me to not have negative thoughts towards others.  Remind me to pray for them instead of curse them.  Lift all the negativity out of my heart and fill me with love.

Love and Be Loved

"See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another." - 1 Thessalonians 5:15

I've been praying on this verse.  At this time in my life, it would (and has been) so easy for me to hate the people talking about me and the one "doing this" to me.  It would be easy for me to yell and scream at them, and just tell them to F off and get out of my life.  It's easy for me to curse them in my head, tighten my lips and knit my eyebrows in anger, and just to become negative and hardened.  But what good is this going to do?  God doesn't want us to hate anyone.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7

Not only does God want us to love everyone, in a secular, non-religious sense what good is it going to do me to get angry at these people?  The negativity is going to build up in me and I will spiral even deeper into depression and despair.  All I will feel is the hatred, and I will forget the love that surrounds me.

I never knew so much love surrounded me until now.  Surrounded by a church family, my own family, my husband's family, a large group of friends and prayer warriors online, and a few acquaintances in the area, and yet I still felt completely alone almost all the time.  The fact was that I had no love IN me to feel it FOR me.

I reached out to a group of friends and family who I felt would hold me together during this time a couple weeks ago.  There were a few that I were mistaken in thinking that they would want to stand behind me in this difficult time, but the majority of them check in on me daily, listen to my thoughts and prayers and woes and such, they pray for me and my family, and they tell me constantly that they love me.  I needed that as I haven't felt it in years.  But more over, I needed to feel it from God and within me. I needed to GIVE love too.

Love and positivity are feeding me right now.  When I start thinking anything negative whether it be doubt in my faith and what God is doing or if it's a negative thought about someone else and their actions, I pray (I told you I pray almost every minute of the day).

God, take this negative thought and feeling away from me. Fill me with love.  Help me focus on what is good in everything.  And through me bring good to others.  Amen.