Wow!

This morning I read in my devotional "Our Daily Bread", I have to mention that, not to give the impression I am so smart! So that Yvonne does not have to say: "holy crap Mom, did you write that?" (See January 27th)

Title is "A reason for optimism"
(But I will condense it.)

Proverbs 17:22 assures us that a merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones, (actually, I thinks it dries more than just the bones, but that is beside the point!)

That simple statement was recently corroborated by the extensive research of Dr. Daniel Mark, a heart specialist at Duke University. The New York Times article that reported his findings carried this headline: "Optimism Can Mean Life for Heart Patients and Pessimism Death" The article begins with these words: "A healthy outlook helps heal the heart." In my case cancer and I also had a heart attack in 1996, the specialist could not believe there was no damage, a miracle? Of course it was! So many people were praying for me.

But Dr. Nancy Frasure-Smith, a heart specialist who has studied the effect of depression, anxiety, and anger, admitted, "We don't know how to change negative emotions."

However, faith in God can produce that change.(Happened to me few days ago when I talked to my sis Coby). People who look beyond their present difficulty and put their trust in God's goodness cannot help but be joyful.

The devotion ends with a few lines of one of my favorite songs:

All your anxiety, all your care
Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there;
Never a burden He cannot bear,
Never a friend like Jesus!

The following are my thoughts:
You see, some people have a positive outlook as one of their natural character traits, they see a half full glass, while the majority sees an half empty one. So we need some help here, don't you agree? The Bible offers that.

But......2Timothy 3:7 reads: Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge or recognition of the truth. Not being able to live it, or use it. Like me looking in the mirror in the morning, oh yuck..., got to do something and then walk away. Are you kidding, you will not find me anywhere without my makeup on, just ask Yvonne!

I read a book in 1972, "Power of Positive thinking" by Dr. Vincent Peale. That book changed my life,(besides the Bible that is). Peale showed me how to use the Bible in a practical way.

Trudy