Yesterday after Dinner, Ted and I came upon a discussion around "faith" and what it is. Faith is not the same as believing. A person might say "I believe in God, I believe that He exist, He takes care of me, He loves me, He directs me etc, etc". Having faith means applying what you say in regards to your every day living, putting it into practice.
How do you react when things are not going exactly how you had planned?
How do you react when you don't get what you had wanted?
Here is one, what if you get sick?
Never satisfied?
Or are there always problems looming in the future?
What is the automatic reaction to certain situations?
What has been (in the past) always seems better than today!
Finding fault with people, or they even might be the cause of a predicament you are in!
This list is endless.
My slogan is "Just go with the flow", I remind myself of that often and am a lot happier in the process! That small slogan actually contains a lot of truth.
It reminds me that the Lord is in control of my life. (He cannot be in control unless I let Him!)
It is like a surrender, like a "I don't give a care"! Or what they say nowadays WHATEVER!
I realize that some people have inherited certain positive genes Hahaha! It is the way they are put together. Others have to learn those positive behaviors.
Honestly, I seem to have positive genes, but....my life changed dramatically in the early 70's when I read that book "The power of positive thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale I'd never ever heard something so profound. You have to realize that there were not many personal books around. (This generation is just so fortunate.)
From then on I was able to turn over what ever negative attitude I had.
Ted and my life have definitely not been a bed of roses, that is all part of life. People who tell you otherwise, (it being part of life) are simply not telling the truth or are stretching it!
But the more you make it a practice to be thankful the more thankful you become!
I see people that have so much to be thankful for, yet they aren't, what a shame, what a bad Christian resume!
Actually, the following is funny. As I was telling a friend how happy I am here in Ottawa (and I truly, truly am!) Her reply was, "weren't you happy in Winnipeg? You always seem to be? You loved your house and your garden with the flowers, having lots of room for guests, or was that a put on?"
I was quiet for a minute, wondering if she was kidding (she wasn't), I answered: "I am like a dog finding a spot to lie down, he turns a few times, licks his paws, takes a deep breath and he has come home!
By writing this I don't mean to belittle anybody, it is just the way it is. Ted and I are very content, every day we mention how fortunate we are. Just think, how does that make the Fathers Heart feel?
Are you making Him proud?
3 comments:
I agree with your thoughts on contentment. I think 2 of the hardest things in this life are to be truly thankful no matter what our circumstances are at any time and to be truly content. There are so many temptations and distractions out there in the world to make us dissatified with what we have or don't have, but we always have to remember our true happines is in the Lord and what He has and is doing for us and that our citizenship is in heaven. We are only passing through this world and our time here is so short in comparison to eternity. Our God is always with us and always in control and how often we forget and fret and worry about stupid little things. We just need to take it to the Lord and leave it there. His love is so far beyond anything we can ever imagine. He only wants the best for us and gives us what we need, not just want. Our wants are often self-serving and not even good for us. This is often hard to accept because our focus is not always where it should be.
Colleen
Great post, Mom!
Thanks for your comment Colleen. Like Ted said: "So much more could be said about this topic", since this topic is the foundation of our existence.
Therefore, I do appreciate your thoughts and input!
Post a Comment