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The Recipe for Happy

2/23/2014

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 Joy In the Morning

        I’ve found the recipe for being happy.                                                    

                                                    Philippians 4:10 (Message)

 Hello Friend, 

          Did you wake feeling happy?  If you did, I’m glad.  If not, how come? What is causing you distress?  Paul says, “I’ve learned to be content whatever my circumstances.  I’m just as happy with little as with much.”  I don’t think I need more; I just want my stuff organized.  When the Christmas décor was stashed away, somehow everything in my home needed a tune-up.  Drawers and closets had become disorganized, and I dislike mess.

          And I ask myself, “Is the mess I dislike really about my need for order?  Or, am I discontented with my messy life?”  January is all about making resolutions to change. My list is long:  I want. . .  I wish. . . I will. . .

          Ann Voskamp has written, “You can have joy any moment you turn hidden greed for more into honest gratitude for now.” Hidden Greed!  Perhaps, that’s my problem.   I don’t want more things—I want more joy.  And the secret of joy is gratitude for now.  My cheeks redden with embarrassment. How had I strayed from my habit of gratitude?  I realize that dissatisfaction has made a home in my heart.  Discontent is sneaky.  It’s sly.  It had slipped into my consciousness and was destroying my joy—one negative thought at a time.  The devil roams seeking to steal, kill, and destroy joy.  And my greed has opened the window for unhappiness.   

           I pause and give thanks for today; today with all its messiness.  One thought—one line at a time—I write in my gratitude journal and contentment surfaces.  I’m still on my spiritual journey.  Learning.  Growing.  Practicing.  One day at a time, with each step, I’m learning to be live joyfully.

                                                                                                Linda

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Just Breathe!

2/16/2014

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 Joy In the Morning

 God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.                                                                                                                                                            Genesis 2:7

 Hello Friend,   

          I have been doing a lot of reading about the importance of our breathing.  When I am feeling stressed, I find that I have a hard time catching my breath.  Sometimes it is even a little scary.  I have had multiple tests and I have a heart doctor and, with medication, I am fine—when I am relaxed.  It is in those moments when I allow tensions to build, there is no room for God’s peace to fill me.  No room at the inn, so to speak.  I am crowded with anxieties and cares and pressures and. . . I know that every breath I take is a gift from God.  Every slow, calm breath renews me and restores me to health and balance.  There is a wonderful, old hymn that affirms this truth.        

                                                                                                                                    Breathe on me, Breath of God,
 Fill me with life anew,
 That I may love what Thou dost love,
 And do what Thou wouldst do.


Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
                                                                                                                                                   Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.


                I have been quietly sitting and whispering these words as my prayer. And as I do, I feel peace finding a home in my heart, and all is well.                                                                                                                                       Linda



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