Hi friends! I've been thinking a lot lately about contentment. I know there are a lot of us out there that have dreams and goals and aspirations that we are so excited to reach, but we must not get so wrapped up in looking ahead that we forget to look around us and enjoy the beauty of the moment. One of my greatest "regrets" is not appreciating or enjoying each moment. And it is one of my greatest goals to, as Paul says, "be content whatever the circumstances." (Philippians 4:11)
You see, we miss so much of life thinking, "if only." If only I had that car, that house, that job, that pay raise, etc. But we forget that "THIS is the day the Lord has made." And we should "rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Do not let your desires for the future rob you of the joy of today. You may want a bigger house, but I bet the smaller one you have is filled with memories. You may desire more money, but I bet you can find ways to enjoy what you have right now. Joy is our choice, and choosing to live in the moment and appreciate each day for what it is is a big part of learning to live contentedly.
You only get one life, and I challenge you to make the most of it by making each day your best day yet. Do not look back on your life and realize you missed all the moments because you were so focused on what was ahead. It's not the destination that makes life great; it's the journey to get there. Look around you today and find things to celebrate. Find things to appreciate. You will find that the more you choose to be happy in your circumstances, the less you will need and the more peace and joy you will have on the way to your goals. As always, make it a great day, and I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Monday, September 24, 2018
Fighting Fear
Hey there friends! Are you experiencing fear or anxiety in your life right now? Sometimes it can seem that once our minds start racing down this track that there is no way to get them back, but I want to share with you a few of the secrets which have helped me on days of fear and doubt.
If you have been around church people for any length of time, you've probably heard the phrase, "Be anxious for nothing." But what most people do is quote that verse to someone who's struggling with anxiety like they are just supposed to magically stop being afraid. That makes no sense at all. Those of us who deal with anxiety do not choose to feel that way, and if we knew of a way to just not be anxious, we wouldn't be. The problem when people quote this verse is that they leave the second part off, and that part is the key to being "anxious for nothing." The whole two verses go like this...."Do not be anxious about anything, BUT in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, emphasis added)
Make no mistake about it, there is a proven strategy here for overcoming anxiety, and here's what it is. The first step is this. Ask God for help. Simple. Secondly, start thanking God. This is the real weapon which will give you victory. The more things your thank God for, the more your brain turns towards good things, and the more anxiety loses its grip on you. You can overcome those racing thoughts by replacing them with thankful thoughts.
Now, before you punch me or write me a nasty email, understand that I am not saying this is easy. Just because the steps are simple does not make them easy to do. And, because our minds are so powerful, if you've been fighting anxiety for some time, that thought pattern may be very ingrained in your brain, and it may take fighting this battle many times to overcome. Do not grow discouraged if you don't immediately gain victory. There are days when I have to ask God for help, then thank Him for as many things as I can think of, and then do it all over an hour later. Take courage and find hope though in the fact that you can overcome. Do not let fear rule your life. Cry out to God for help, and begin letting thankfulness restore your mind to peace. I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
P.S. I am not in any way suggesting that it is wrong for you to seek help from a professional or through the use of medication. I am also not a psychologist or medical doctor. I am simply offering a way that has helped me to overcome my anxiety at times when I was struggling. Each person is unique, and it may require you to incorporate other strategies as well. The goal is to achieve mental healing and stability, and I recommend you seek whatever help you need to do that.
If you have been around church people for any length of time, you've probably heard the phrase, "Be anxious for nothing." But what most people do is quote that verse to someone who's struggling with anxiety like they are just supposed to magically stop being afraid. That makes no sense at all. Those of us who deal with anxiety do not choose to feel that way, and if we knew of a way to just not be anxious, we wouldn't be. The problem when people quote this verse is that they leave the second part off, and that part is the key to being "anxious for nothing." The whole two verses go like this...."Do not be anxious about anything, BUT in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, emphasis added)
Make no mistake about it, there is a proven strategy here for overcoming anxiety, and here's what it is. The first step is this. Ask God for help. Simple. Secondly, start thanking God. This is the real weapon which will give you victory. The more things your thank God for, the more your brain turns towards good things, and the more anxiety loses its grip on you. You can overcome those racing thoughts by replacing them with thankful thoughts.
Now, before you punch me or write me a nasty email, understand that I am not saying this is easy. Just because the steps are simple does not make them easy to do. And, because our minds are so powerful, if you've been fighting anxiety for some time, that thought pattern may be very ingrained in your brain, and it may take fighting this battle many times to overcome. Do not grow discouraged if you don't immediately gain victory. There are days when I have to ask God for help, then thank Him for as many things as I can think of, and then do it all over an hour later. Take courage and find hope though in the fact that you can overcome. Do not let fear rule your life. Cry out to God for help, and begin letting thankfulness restore your mind to peace. I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
P.S. I am not in any way suggesting that it is wrong for you to seek help from a professional or through the use of medication. I am also not a psychologist or medical doctor. I am simply offering a way that has helped me to overcome my anxiety at times when I was struggling. Each person is unique, and it may require you to incorporate other strategies as well. The goal is to achieve mental healing and stability, and I recommend you seek whatever help you need to do that.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Letting Go of Why
Do you ever find yourself wondering why things happen? Maybe you question the way the world is, suicides, shootings, anger and hatred seem to be on the news every day. Maybe you question circumstances in your own life or in the life of someone close to you. Often times we are plagued with the age old question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But as we look around at life's seeming injustices or at the condition of our world, we have to remember that there are two forces at work. There is a force of evil which desires to "steal, kill, and destroy." But there is also a force of Good which seeks that we might "have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
I was reminded yesterday about the story of Joseph in the Bible. Joseph was a man who had every reason to ask God "Why?" He was stripped of his position and his possessions as a young man and thrown into a pit in the desert, only to be pulled out and sold into slavery in a foreign country. His own brothers did this to him. Later, after years of working as a slave to a man named Potiphar, he had finally proven his worth and gained a position of power. He was second in command of a large Egyptian household. But he was sabotaged yet again. Falsely accused, he was robbed of his position once more and sent to prison. He spent years in prison, during which time he could have become bitter and discouraged, but he held on to his faith. Eventually, through his visions from God, he became associated with Pharaoh, was taken out of prison, and given the position of second in command of all the land of Egypt. And it was this position which allowed him to rescue not only the land of Egypt, but his entire family (the ones who sold him into slavery all those years ago) from starvation and destruction through seven years of famine. (Genesis 37-50) Looking at the whole picture of Joseph's life, we can see that his circumstances were leading him to exactly where he needed to be and preparing him to be the man who could rescue an entire nation. But in midst of all those circumstances, Joseph couldn't see what was coming next. He simply had to trust that God's plan would work out for good in the end. I think part of the reason God dedicated an entire 13 chapters to the story of Joseph is so we could be reminded that in our life we may have terrible circumstances, and we may not understand them, but if we will remain in faith, God will use those circumstances for good.
Cheryl McGuinness, the wife of the Co-pilot of one of the American Airlines flights which crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, said it this way, "I believe that his [God's] purposes are greater than we can begin to comprehend, and the answers to our questions are often far beyond our ability to understand." (Taken from Cheryl's book, Beauty from Ashes) We have a great God, and even in the midst of our darkest days, He will never abandon us. Do not lose hope if you are facing difficult times. The enemy tries to use our circumstances to destroy us, but God uses them to do great and amazing things we never could have anticipated. Do not grow weary in well doing my friend. God has a great plan for your life. I pray you know how much you are loved. Make this a great week! I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
I was reminded yesterday about the story of Joseph in the Bible. Joseph was a man who had every reason to ask God "Why?" He was stripped of his position and his possessions as a young man and thrown into a pit in the desert, only to be pulled out and sold into slavery in a foreign country. His own brothers did this to him. Later, after years of working as a slave to a man named Potiphar, he had finally proven his worth and gained a position of power. He was second in command of a large Egyptian household. But he was sabotaged yet again. Falsely accused, he was robbed of his position once more and sent to prison. He spent years in prison, during which time he could have become bitter and discouraged, but he held on to his faith. Eventually, through his visions from God, he became associated with Pharaoh, was taken out of prison, and given the position of second in command of all the land of Egypt. And it was this position which allowed him to rescue not only the land of Egypt, but his entire family (the ones who sold him into slavery all those years ago) from starvation and destruction through seven years of famine. (Genesis 37-50) Looking at the whole picture of Joseph's life, we can see that his circumstances were leading him to exactly where he needed to be and preparing him to be the man who could rescue an entire nation. But in midst of all those circumstances, Joseph couldn't see what was coming next. He simply had to trust that God's plan would work out for good in the end. I think part of the reason God dedicated an entire 13 chapters to the story of Joseph is so we could be reminded that in our life we may have terrible circumstances, and we may not understand them, but if we will remain in faith, God will use those circumstances for good.
Cheryl McGuinness, the wife of the Co-pilot of one of the American Airlines flights which crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, said it this way, "I believe that his [God's] purposes are greater than we can begin to comprehend, and the answers to our questions are often far beyond our ability to understand." (Taken from Cheryl's book, Beauty from Ashes) We have a great God, and even in the midst of our darkest days, He will never abandon us. Do not lose hope if you are facing difficult times. The enemy tries to use our circumstances to destroy us, but God uses them to do great and amazing things we never could have anticipated. Do not grow weary in well doing my friend. God has a great plan for your life. I pray you know how much you are loved. Make this a great week! I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
An Intersection of Wills
Hi there! I was thinking a lot today about selfishness, but maybe not in the way that you would think. I know there are a lot of philosophies out there on selfishness today. One author tells you not to be selfish and to put others first. Another expert tells you that you must put yourself first so that you can then care for others, and in a way, both these ideas are true. However, I was thinking today not so much about whether or not to be selfish, but about what happens when two selfish people intersect. And to be fair, I think we all are selfish people from time to time. It's easy to get into a mindset of feeling like we are always in need, and when we do that we always begin to look at others with the mentality of what they can do for us or what we need from them. And it's not that it's bad to need others to do things for you. For example, in my work setting, I need my employees to perform their jobs, and I want them to do it as efficiently as possible. As a mother, I need my child to follow my instructions, and I want him to do it with a good attitude. Much of what we do in life is based on our thought process of what we need others to do in order for our day to run smoothly. The problem is that everyone else is also thinking about what they need others to do for their day to run smoothly, and this is where the intersection happens.
I may be thinking that I need to get somewhere quickly, and so I get angry when the person in front of me at the store takes too long at the cash register, while the person at the register may be thinking that they need to feed their family, but they have a limited amount of funds and getting that coupon put in right or making sure that their total does not exceed a certain amount is extremely important. Each of us is thinking about what we need, and getting frustrated that things are not going our way. The cashier may be thinking that she needs to get to her lunch break so she can go to a doctor's appointment she scheduled. Consequently she is frustrated by having to wait for her manager to come make the correction to the purchase. We each have a need, and in our selfishness we forget that the people around us also have needs. What happens when selfish people intersect is a traffic jam of wills, and the result is injury, insult, and division.
How often have you grumbled and complained because someone expected you to do something for them that you did not have the time or the desire to do? That person may not have even realized they inconvenienced you because they were only thinking about their needs. Likewise, you may have inadvertently done the same thing someone else. It's so important that we wake up and start looking beyond ourselves. If we truly want to love others and build lasting relationships and change the climate of our culture, then we must begin to think about others. We must choose to be understanding rather than upset, conscientious of others instead of confrontational with others, and we must begin to view each intersection of wills as an opportunity to meet the needs of others. As you start a new week tomorrow, keep in mind the needs of others around you, and try to see things from their perspectives. You will find yourself offended less often when you know that people are not deliberately trying to anger you, they are simply trying to meet their needs the same way as you are trying to meet yours. Give a little grace today, and it will go a long way towards making your day more peaceful and joyful. Make it a great week! I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
I may be thinking that I need to get somewhere quickly, and so I get angry when the person in front of me at the store takes too long at the cash register, while the person at the register may be thinking that they need to feed their family, but they have a limited amount of funds and getting that coupon put in right or making sure that their total does not exceed a certain amount is extremely important. Each of us is thinking about what we need, and getting frustrated that things are not going our way. The cashier may be thinking that she needs to get to her lunch break so she can go to a doctor's appointment she scheduled. Consequently she is frustrated by having to wait for her manager to come make the correction to the purchase. We each have a need, and in our selfishness we forget that the people around us also have needs. What happens when selfish people intersect is a traffic jam of wills, and the result is injury, insult, and division.
How often have you grumbled and complained because someone expected you to do something for them that you did not have the time or the desire to do? That person may not have even realized they inconvenienced you because they were only thinking about their needs. Likewise, you may have inadvertently done the same thing someone else. It's so important that we wake up and start looking beyond ourselves. If we truly want to love others and build lasting relationships and change the climate of our culture, then we must begin to think about others. We must choose to be understanding rather than upset, conscientious of others instead of confrontational with others, and we must begin to view each intersection of wills as an opportunity to meet the needs of others. As you start a new week tomorrow, keep in mind the needs of others around you, and try to see things from their perspectives. You will find yourself offended less often when you know that people are not deliberately trying to anger you, they are simply trying to meet their needs the same way as you are trying to meet yours. Give a little grace today, and it will go a long way towards making your day more peaceful and joyful. Make it a great week! I can't wait to see you succeed!
~K.W.
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