stop...

stop. I will stop, for at least this one day, one bad habit.

I will stop losing my temper and start exercising patience. I will stop gossiping and start encouraging. I will stop demeaning and start praising. I will stop ignoring and start paying attention. I will stop controlling and start being more flexible. I will stop yelling and start speaking calmly. I will stop being a doormat and start standing up for myself. I will stop my "pity party" and start recognizing my blessings. I will stop procrastinating and start doing. I will stop letting my past hold me back and I will start a new journey. I will stop discounting God's power and affection and I will start acknowledging and thanking Him.

So, for today I will stop. Whatever it is that needs to end will stop today so that I can start a better life.

act in faith...

act in faith. A dear friend forwarded the below quote from Mother Teresa to me and I had to spread this message along. Mother Teresa lived a life of action in faith and this quote is should act as a reminder and source of inspiration for us all.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
-Mother Teresa

So, for today I will act in faith. I will remember that it's between me and God - period.

check the company I keep...

check the company I keep. Have you ever heard the saying, "a body in motion, stays in motion - a body at rest, stays at rest." The same theory applies to the company we keep.

If your body of friends and family are faithful, motivated and focused Christians; that will help you stay in motion. You will be a more active participant in your relationship with Christ and in your community of faith. Fellowship with like minded (and hearted) individuals is what God intended in creating the church - the body of Christ. So, is your body in motion? Or are you and the company you keep at rest? Are there influences of what the world thinks instead of what He thinks? Is it about the easy road? Or is there just no motivatation to try harder? It's not about being a "bad" person. We all have differnt levels of effort we exude at different times, the key is to recognize it, own it, not make excuses and do better. Determine if you and your company are truly interested in growing? Status quo and being comfortable that you're "enough of a christian" isn't really the attitude God hopes for. What if he felt it was "good enough" to come to earth, but not to die for our sins... We should all, even if it's in small ways, try to keep changing and growing and following.

So, for today I will check the company I keep and check my own motivations. I will recognize that blessings abound beyond my imagination when I stay in motion and keep moving forward in my faith.

hope continually...

hope continually. Hope is everything. Without it we are surely lost. We have great comfort and great inspiration knowing that our strength and hope do not come from ourselves but from a greater source. Psalm 71:14-21

"But I will hope continually. And will praise You more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also, Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great and wonderful things; O god, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side."

So, for today I will hope continually. I will recognize His wondrous works and feel His strength and compassion as He revives me day after day. He is my comfort and in that my hope can remain strong.

not use profanity...

not use profanity. OK everyone, for some this will be easy - for others this will be a tough day. No cursing, swearing, taking the Lord's name in vain - it all stops right now!

There are millions of words available to describe every type of situation, circumstance, feeling and hope yet somehow we fall on the same choice few day in and day out. Is it habit? Lack of creativity? No thesaurus around when you need it? Well, for today you will get more control and be more creative in expressing yourself. You will challenge yourself to set a better example and break a rude habit.

So, for today I will not use profanity. I will remember that how I speak reflects who I am and who I want to be. I can challenge myself to grow, gain some self-control and become a more pleasant and respectful person today.

thank God for His protection...

thank God for His protection. 9-11. There isn't much more to say than that. Ten years have gone by, but 9-11 will never be forgotten.

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news? I do. I was at home getting ready for work. With my one year old asleep in the crib and my husband still in bed, I watched as the second plane hit the tower. I thought my eyes had played a trick on me. To my horror it wasn't a computer graphic. It was a real plane hitting a real building and killing real people. I don't remember what I was wearing or if I even got dressed that day. The shock and pain and numbness of that day will forever be with me. There is evil in this world. There is devastating heartbreak. I would never have imagined something like that would happen. Now that it has, I find myself not counting any possibilities out. Every moment is fragile. The next moment could be stolen from you in the blink of an eye. So for today, I will thank God for His protection. Thank Him for watching over my family today. For blessing us the opportunity to make it through the day and give each other one more hug, one more kiss, one more smile.

So for today, I will thank Him for His protection. I will not take today for granted or count on tomorrow. I will live today with more love and more joy and more gratefulness than yesterday. I will live it as if it were my last. And, God willing, if I rise tomorrow I will live that day the same way. God bless America.

cherish loved ones more...

cherish loved ones more. Do you recognize how blessed you are to have people who love you in your life? God has surrounded you with a family of love - starting with His son Jesus.

Through the life and death of Jesus Christ we can learn how to love and be loved.
God provides us with unending opportunities for love. The chances are out there every day, so take advantage of them. For today cherish all your loved ones more. Tell them you love them, show them you love them. Give your love away as if this was your last day on earth. Hug them, kiss them, let them know how important they have been in your life and how blessed you are to love them.

For today, cherish loved ones the way that Jesus loves you. We are precious in His eyes and He made the ultimate sacrifice for us out of love. Today we can pass that love to all the people we are blessed with.

trust...

trust. Have you ever worried and stressed yourself out over a situation only for it to resolve itself and everything worked out o.k.? I know I have!

Worrying doesn't work. Trusting God does. Put your faith into His actions and power! Even if you hate to admit it, you know you're not in charge. You can't control the future. And you're wasting your time worrying about a past that's gone or a future that's not here yet. God knows what you need. He knows what you're going through. And He will work it out. It may not be worked out the way you envisioned it - but that's where your trust must come into play. The best reason not to worry is because God said so. He told us "Do Not Worry." So trust instead.


So, for today I will trust. I will trust that He loves me, is with me, and is actually working things out for me. That's what He promised - so I either believe it or I don't. What do you believe?