LET'S CHAT

I am thinking somebody prayed for the LORD to help me with patience

today because nothing has gone right so far. But that's okay. I will start

over as many times as it takes; won't let these little frustrations

get me down.

I wasn't sure what to share this morning, till I was drinking my coffee.
While drinking it, I thought about how many journals I have now, and

how the one I'm going to start my day with helps me the most.
I call it "Squares Of Life." When I created this journal my life

was a tangled mess; one I couldn't manage no matter how

hard I tried- no matter what I did. Feeling discouraged one day
I asked the Lord for help. As always, he was right there, with the

right answer.

I had only to take a look at His life in order to fix mine. He lived

in the present moment- not in yesterday, nor tomorrow. HIS point of
focus was first, his Father, second, others, third, himself. And

when I say himself, I point out that there was not an ounce of

selfishness in that. He only asked the Father for what he needed

in order to be a blessing to others, and what he'd need in order to

be faithful to his Father, to be able to do His will.
So finally, understanding my lack, I created a journal for myself,

one that would enable me to do as the Lord did: 1- Stay

in the moment. 2- Help me be a blessing to others, and 3- pray for

the Holy Spirit to help me rightly represent Jesus.  

I love my "Squares of Life" journal. LIfe is very hectic and very

confusing these days- oftentimes intimidating. Because of this, 

this kind of journal is the perfect thing for me. I set it up in the

same way a calendar is set up, each day contained within a

square. Each day is filled in with that day's activities, trials, hopes,

dreams, plans, goals, discouragements, etc. This being the case,

you can see how much help this kind of journal can be.
A page, like a day, can only contain so much. So when I write my 

entries on the day's page I am forced to focus on the really
Important things; things that really matter. It was amazing,

how quickly my life untangled once I had my priorities right.|

This part may seem a bit odd to  you, but it truly does help me.
Each morning, as I write on the day's page, I remind myself that
I am in a room and pretend that the next day's page is 

tomorrow's door. Tomorrow's door remains SHUT!   
I never have to worry about what trials or disappointments it

may contain, or what good, for that matter, for until I turn the

page I am still living in Today- in the Present.


A friend asked me how it is that I am able to remain so calm when so

often my plate is so full; how I am able to be at peace when things are

going so badly for me. I told her it's because I have learned not to

resist the trials that come my way. I have come to realize that though I

didn't recognize them at the time, my trials contained my richest

blessings: made me stronger, revealed areas I needed to grow in,

drew me nearer to the Lord, enabled me to have more compassison,

patience, tolerance, and understanding for others.
As well, it is wise to teach ourselves how to live in the present 

moment, for by doing so we are less likely to miss all the good

God is doing for us.  
Our days will not always go as we wish. Our prayers WILL be

answered, but not always as quickly as we desire, or in the mannner

we'd hoped. Each day contains beautiful, SHINY moments- blessings we

will miss if not looking for them. God goes out of his way to place them

there, knowing how greatly we'll need them, and wanting always

to show how much He loves us. Don't forget to thank him for the

blessings you find. If you don't keep a regular journal, please

consider starting a Gratitude journal. This kind of a journal remind
us how rich we really are.

 

I am hoping today was a good one for all of you/ But if not, don't

be discouraged, okay? Every trial comes to its own end. Every one!
The bad days, no matter the reason or how crappy, don't last

forever.

What's going on with me? Good stuff! In spite of worsening health
I am still able to do a lot for myself, not as much as I'd like, but

enough to realize what a blessing it is. As we get older we're forced to

slow down, forced to learn not just new things, but new ways of

doing thing. Growing old is not for sissies.

Age is nothing but a number, in one sense, but as all of us

senior citizens know, the larger that number is- the harder life

can sometimes be. I am grateful I have the LORD, my family, 

and such wonderful friends; people who love me for who I 

am, who lift me up rather than tear me down.


We can't avoid getting old, but CAN determine what kind of

neighbor we'll be, what kind of daughter, sister, mother, friend, etc.
We do have a say so as to whether we'll take ourselves and life

too seriously, or if we've learned  to laugh at ourselves - to 

hold tighter to  what  matters- less tight on things we need to let

go of.

Don't lose your sense of humor, don't give into self-pity, and 

don't give your pain, discouragements, worries and fears too

big a welcome. If you do, they'll move right in, will make you

miserable and be as a second skin. 

 I hope each of you know how special you are to me, how
much I appreciate your love, friendship and support.
Many of us have lost some good friends- loved ones too.
Even so, let us focus on the Lord's goodness, on

the goodness in life, and in those around us.

Let's do whatever we can to uplift and encourage

others, for life is hard. It's so much less stressful when

we have others to lean on. 

 

 Love  you much,


Barb

 

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