“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” Brother David Steindl-RastOkay, I admit it, I’m a compulsive journaler. I take notes in church, I write lists for everything, and I’m rarely without pen and paper in the event I want to write down my thoughts. I even have to set a page limit for my morning quiet time or I would never get to work on time. Yet, when I was challenged to nightly write in a gratitude journal, I balked for the first time. What should I write? I was told not to repeat an entry, so good health, my husband, and friends went early. Now, what? Family, food & shelter, a job…I was stuck again. My church family, a ministry where I could help others, the gifts I was bless with…still I struggled to think of new things each night. Finally I discovered daily events: a green light when I was running late, my car starting the first time on a cold morning, a call from a friend just when I needed it the most. After a while, I surprised myself each day with what I was grateful for. My life had not changed, I was just more aware of my days…like seeing a glass half-full rather than half-empty. Over a period of time I could begin to see a change in me. I was more positive, more happy…more joyful. So, on the day after Christmas when suddenly all the Christmas decorations look tawdry, stuffed into the clearance corner of the store. The Christmas music is exchanged for the regular pre-recorded sound tracks, and cars honk at you when you try to make your way through a parking lot rather than the gracious pause to let you pull out... I will remember that the holiday accessories are not what makes me joyful. Do you sometimes struggle to get into ‘the Christmas spirit’? Are you more often viewing your life as half-empty rather than half-full? What has happened to you today that you can be grateful for?
Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to see the little things that bless me each day. Amen “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Brother David Steindl-Rast (1926- ), an Austrian Catholic Benedictine monk, author of Gratefulness, The Heart of Prayer, 1984.
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“Illusions are dangerous people; they have no flaws.” Screenwriters Barbara Benedek, David Rayfiel, and Samuel A.Taylor When I was single I lived for a while in a neighborhood I used to call Married with Children since I was the only single and childless person living on my block. I walked my dog to the mailbox every evening so I got to know all the kids and most parents after a while. I was known as “Button’s Mom.” When I took Button on longer walks down other streets, we passed houses where I knew very little about the people who lived there. Mostly I just imagined who lived in these homes. There was the home with a giant willow in the front yard, the home with a courtyard in front, the home with a paved, black pebble driveway, and so on. Button’s short legs went slowly (and he stopped to sniff every blade of grass) so I used to imagine who lived behind these architectural façades. In all my imaginings these families never had financial problems, illnesses, tragedies, or even misfortunes like divorce, unemployment, or a child on drugs. In the back of my mind they all lived perfect lives; no one had a demanding boss, cancer, or car problems. They weren’t real, they were illusions. Gradually, after years of walking Button, I began to suffer from envy. I was dissatisfied with my life. This became dangerous when I was having a bad day or working long hours and little time for social events. When I didn’t have an activity on a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, I would imagine all the things these imaginary happy families were doing, while I slogged down the street with nothing more exciting to do than walk my dog. On the verge of depression, someone came into my life that helped me see I was viewing life as half-empty rather than half-full. She challenged me to write down three things that I was grateful for every night. In a matter of a few months my thoughts shifted from ‘woe is me’ to ‘praise God.’ Is there an imaginary person, family, celebrity, athlete, or colleague in your life? Do you find yourself comparing your life to what little you know about theirs? What thoughts of thankfulness can you focus on that will replace these imaginary musings?
Lord, remind me to be grateful when I’m tempted to be envious, give me the gift of contentment. Amen “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content…those who want…fall into temptation…and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” I Timothy 6:8-9 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Barbara Benedek, David Rayfiel, and Samuel A.Taylor wrote the screenplay for the 1995 version of the movie Sabrina, with Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond, and Greg Kinnear. This quote, my favorite from the movie, was a line for the character, Irene, played by the famous French actress Fanny Ardant. Zac, whose parents followed a different religion, said “I’m determined to follow Jesus even if it means leaving my parents.” Rich spoke next, “Thank you. Starting tonight I want to take more risks for the Lord.” (Two men at a men’s retreat in Mount Herman, CA.)When I met my husband I was impressed by his passion to serve God. One of his commitments was as Chaplain doing ministry with men and women in the outlaw motorcycle world. Our first date was on his Harley. After lunch we stopped to pay respects to a man in that town who he was getting to know through this ministry—we went to a tattoo parlor. As our relationship grew, I got into the habit of attending Saturday motorcycle events where I learned more about the culture and the way women were treated in this culture. God was pressing on my heart a desire to reach out to these women. When Wayne asked me to marry him, I knew it was also God presenting me with a challenge to step outside my comfort zone. I loved Wayne, but was I ready for what this would mean. Would I be any good at reaching these women? My background was in Women’s Ministry, discipling other single women, and hospitality on Sunday mornings. Could I ever hope to be accepted by women in this culture? Then I remembered a quote by Georges Bernanos, “Hope is the risk that must be run.” After ten years of building relationships with the women I’ve met, God is opening doors and I’m actually making a difference in the lives of my new friends. Is God calling you to step outside your comfort zone? Is that step a risk that you’re not sure you can take? What are you willing to give back to God while you still can, in order to further His kingdom? Lord, thank You for the calling to reach these women with Your love. Without the call I might never have taken the risk that has touched others, and blessed me. Amen “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Georges Bernanos (1888-1948), French author and soldier in World War I, he was critical of bourgeois thought (pacifism) and opposed to ‘defeatism,’ which he thought led to France’s occupation in 1940. Most of his novels have been translated into English in the US and Great Britain, however, Bernanos is one of the least known French novelists by English-speaking readers. “All who Joy would win must share it. Happiness was born a twin.” Lord Byron I don’t know when I first heard the saying, “Shared joy is twice the joy, shared sorrow is half the sorrow,” but I have personally experienced the truth of it. One time when I was home sick from school and was watching television, something funny happened and I laughed. But it sounded so hollow, no one else was there to laugh with me. I could not share how funny it was with anyone. Since then I recall a particularly touching Super Bowl commercial. It showed a Clydesdale horse and the man that trained him when he was only a colt. The room full of people all said “Ahhh” in unison at the end of the commercial. Even after the football game was over we were still enjoying it as we recalled our favorite commercial. These two episodes were years apart, but they both stick in my mind…one because of the hollow dissatisfaction I felt, the other because of the happiness I continued to experience hours and even days later.
Are there times when you have experienced a hollow dissatisfaction? Can you remember times when you’ve been able to share your joy and been able to repeatedly relive the happiness with others? What can you do going forward that can increase your happiness quotient? Lord, thank You for the way you made us, to enjoy each other rather than live the life of a hermit. Amen “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:31b-32 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Lord Byron (1788-1824), British Poet most known for Don Juan (one of the most important long poems published in England since John Milton’s Paradise Lost), Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and “She Walks in Beauty.” Byron also joined the Greek War of Independence and is still celebrated as a Greek national hero to this day. |
WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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