“I don’t need therapy; I just need to go camping.” UnknownI planned a camping trip for my husband’s birthday so he could go fishing, one of his favorite things to do for R&R. This first morning camping in our new trailer, Wayne was out fishing before six am. I slept until seven. I dressed to walk the dog and returned with visions of doing a quiet time with my coffee in the great outdoors.
I started a fire. I used to love to watch logs burn. It took the chill off the early morning hours in the hills. Then I took Abbey on a long walk, her favorite thing to do, especially with all the new smells. Fortunately I had two doggie bags in my pocket. One I used to pick up bottle tops and other small litter, the sight of which disappoints me. But now—not in a rush to be somewhere—I could do something about it.
Wayne is now reading (or napping) in his new hammock and I’m comfortably settled with my laptop...both of us doing something enjoyable on our ‘therapy’ camping trip.
“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face…A cheerful heart is good medicine...” Proverbs 15:13, 17:22 What are your thoughts? Libby
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“…sorrow, it arises from craving…stopping of sorrow, it is the complete stopping of that craving…being emancipated from it.” Indian ProverbAfter two hours I looked down to discover I had only made five minutes progress on the project I set out to accomplish while watching an old movie. My sisters often laugh at me, “Just like Dad reading the paper, you don’t even hear us when we speak to you. You’re like a zombie in front of the TV.”
This Indian Proverb proves the idea of complete abstinence from a craving is not new. Alcoholics Anonymous proved the only effective answer for an alcoholic was to completely give up their craving; they call it sobriety. They don't aspire to be normal drinkers, or even tea-teetotalers, because they know it won't work for them. Even one drink could mean death.
Truly, the only time I’m free from the disappointment of wasting time is when I don’t sit in front of a TV at all! This on/off, black/white, yes/no, do/don’t division of movie watching is the only way I’ve been successful at breaking the power movies have over me. When I try to limit my movie viewing, moderate the frequency, or control the time spent; it’s like playing with fire…I always lose. Do you have something that has this kind of power over you? Are you trying to regulate it, so you can learn to control it like other people? What can you do today that will lift the burden and set you free from the sorrow?
What can a kid do to make God smile? “Say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’…a lot.” C.J. 7 year old
It never ceases to amaze me how a genuine apology can neutralize my frustration. In just minutes my face was cool again, my shoulders had lowered a full inch, and my ears weren’t pulsing. I was now able to hear his assurances that my problem was not beyond hope. Has your frustration recently gone from 0 to 100 in less than 60 seconds? Is there a person who was the brunt of your venting that is now due an apology? What can you do today to relieve your heart, and theirs?
Note: C.J. is one of many anonymous children quoted in the book Soul Food: Wisdom and Inspiration to Feed Your Spirit, compiled by Hallmark, 2007.
“You’re not going to call a stranger when you want someone to talk to.” AnonymousWhen I first started to pray I had no idea what I was doing—or who I was talking to. God was this image of someone or something untouchable, mysterious, unpredictable. Praying, or talking to God, felt a bit like what I imagined it would be if I was in the presence of the Queen, or was to sit down to dinner with Shakespeare, or was to have a conversation with Albert Einstein. Intimidating!
But don’t mis-understand. I’ve made many mistakes along the way. I’ve fallen asleep during prayer—many times. I’ve given God a multiple-choice lists of how I wanted my request answered thinking I’m being flexible and open to His will. I’ve started with my ‘laundry list’ of wants before opening the conversation with an appropriate greeting of praise. And, I’ve all too often spent more time rehearsing my words for others who might be listening than just letting it flow the way I would speak to any other friend. Along the way I’ve also discovered:
Someone once asked me, “If you were to go to heaven today, would you feel at home, or would you feel awkward as if you were a guest in a stranger’s home?” I’m happy to be able to answer, “A little of both.” I certainly know God better than I did, but I don’t know God as well as I’d like. Today I’m more comfortable in God’s presence, more refreshed by His promises, more revived in hope for the future. But, I’m even more in awe of His righteousness, humbled by His forgiveness and overwhelmed by His unconditional love. Someday we will all give our final breath; we’ll go to our final resting place. Will you feel like a guest in the home of a stranger? Do you want to foster a closer relationship today and become more at ease in God's presence? What one thing can you begin today that will build that relationship with God?
Lord, I want to know you more; teach me how to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). Amen “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and appeal, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God.” Philippians 4:6 What are your thoughts? Libby “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Henry David Thoreau
As it turned out, however, that was the beginning of my journey to faith. Now I can understand, and even relate in my relationship with my husband. Today I strive to make my faith my first priority. Yet, there will always be those who think that putting faith first can lead to becoming a church-aholic. Dana, a friend and missionary in Indonesia, always included in his newsletter prayer list: “Pray that I will please God.” He was a full-time missionary. Wasn’t that enough to qualify him as having put faith first? Since those days I’ve learned that just having faith isn’t necessarily putting God first, it’s the daily behaviors, decisions, choices, and how we handle temptations that reveal where our faith falls in our list of priorities. When I genuinely make God my top priority, it will be reflected in everything…what’s on my schedule, my attention to my health and fitness, time management decisions, work/life balance, financial choices, my tone of voice, my attitude, the willingness to apologize, to do the right thing regardless what others think of me, whose strength I rely on when tempted, and so on. Applying this lesson is not easy. I’ve been working at it for years and still I have friends lovingly point out (on a somewhat regular basis) areas where I need to improve. I’ve also recently heard a description of how God is right there at every point ready to help me with any of the daily challenges. Even when I’m not putting God first, God is still there waiting for me to ask for help, whether it’s help not to procrastinate, or to avoid a food I’m allergic to, or to say ‘No’ when needed, or… Do you profess God is the most important thing in your life? Are you careful to include God in all your daily challenges? If not, what one thing will you do today to practice making God your first priority?
“We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.” John F. Kennedy“Stick to the facts,” said a co-worker. It was so easy for me to fall into the trap of speculation. I would justify it when work-related projects were the topic, I’d say I was anticipating potential problems and designing alternate solutions…a.k.a. ‘Plan B.’
Lord, You have been faithful in the past to show me my next step; and I trust if I encounter success You’ll also show me how to celebrate and set new goals. Amen “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” I Thessalonians 5:24
“Other people always seemed better than me – more confident, more at ease…I only knew how I felt and how others looked.” Anonymous
As I came to meet and know their parents I quickly learned there was another single woman on the block struggling to raise her daughter without child support, a family down the street had a son with a serious illness, and my next door neighbors were filing for divorce. Although not happy to learn of other’s misfortunes, I was able to join in pray for the single mother, little boy who was ill, and the three young kids next door as their parents struggled in their relationship. But, in addition, I learned to be grateful for my problems that were nowhere near as serious as others. Now I’m learning that comparing my insides to other's outsides can be deceiving. It’s natural to want to hold our lives in place for bystanders, or even casual acquaintances, by using a sort of hairspray for our outsides. But on the inside we all have things we’re dealing with.
Are you envious of others who seem to have it all together? Does your life look dismal by comparison? What can you do today to curb the desire to compare and be grateful for life’s challenges? Lord, thank You for the challenges I have and the help you offer to face them anew each day. Amen “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13 What are your thoughts? Libby “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Plato
They couldn’t backspace and tweak the first sentence for minutes or hours. When I first started to write I could literally spend hours on the first paragraph. Hence the term ‘analysis paralysis.’ This kind of writing never leads anywhere…I learned the hard way. Like those with pen and paper or a manual typewriter, we must just begin. Start! Do something. There is plenty of time to edit later. Any published writer will tell you that editing is far more enjoyable than getting that first draft onto the page.
Lord, help me not get stuck in analysis paralysis, or thinking it has to be perfect before I move on to the second sentence; help me leave room for Your inspiration where my work really begins to be creative. Amen “…one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead; I press on…” Philippians 3:13-14 What are your thoughts? Libby
Note: Gladys Louise Smith, a.k.a. Mary Pickford (1892-1979), a Canadian actress and producer whose career spanned 50 years; she was one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has earned the name “Queen of the Movies,” credited as having defined the ingénue archetype in cinema.
Note: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) an English novelist, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer; best known for her novel Frankenstein. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, Percy Shelley, the famous English poet and philosopher. Herself a philosopher and advocate for women's rights of the day; her father, William Godwin, was a political philosopher and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a philosopher and feminist. “If you haven’t got all the things you want, be grateful for all the things you don’t have that you don’t want.” Anonymous“Thank you for the roof leak in the garage; and that we still have a roof over our heads,” we prayed as we left to drive to my mother’s for Thanksgiving. Thanking God for a misfortune that could have been worse, set the tone for what was about to befall us in just two hours.
We were not seriously injured, the air bags didn't deploy, the engine still ran, so we were thankful to drive the rest of the way to my mom's that evening.
Clearly a car accident was a misfortune, but when we focused on what we didn't have happen, it was a lot less stressful and we were more grateful.
Life happens. Are you looking at your misfortunes only? Are you considering how grateful you are that it wasn't worse? What can you be thankful for what didn’t happen, or what you didn’t get as a result of your misfortune? Lord, thank You for helping me see the good amidst the not-so-good and for the perspective to see how it could have been much worse. Amen “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 What are your thoughts? Libby “The future will be made up of todays and todays, stretching out as short as now and as long as eternity.” Anonymous
What I didn’t say was, yesterday I had a great time. What I thought would take two or three hours actually took over six hours. But there’s something about helping other people that turns a busted agenda into a blessed day. Today I’ll get done what’s most important. When unexpected events take my agenda on a detour – like the task I thought would take 40 minute but took over 2 hours – I’ve discovered that it’s more likely God had something else in mind for me today.
Lord, it’s been years that I’ve said, “I desire to do Your will,” but only recently I’ve learned to take the detour and let go of my agenda and I thank You for the blessings. Amen
“We know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, for those who are call according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 What are your thoughts? Libby |
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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