This weekend I conquered a challenge. I was asked to speak to a group of teachers about Paul's Epistle to the Colossians. I'm not as comfortable in front of adults as I am in front of teenagers, so this was a growth moment. And to be honest, I wasn't exactly happy about it until it was over!
My feeling is that this will be an area that the Lord will keep pushing me into. So I have a choice, to complain about it or embrace it and choose to be happy. I think the embracing part is the direction I should be leaning towards, but I am still apprehensive. I'm sure God will keep working with me on that!
I have a busy schedule today so my post will be short and to the point. Here is my inspiration for the day:
Life is a mixture of moments--
some happy, some sad,
and most in-between.
Make the most of each day
as it happens.
Don't listen to those whispers of doubt;
ignore any voice that says
you can't do something.
You're worthy,
and you can go as far
as you dare dream.
Life will lead you
according to your perceptions.
Let your viewpoint be filled with hope,
and keep your eyes focused
on the positive.
Barbara J. Hall
My goal today: To be the person the poem is talking about.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Measuring Up
How I did: It was a good day yesterday. I worked on my seminary lesson, which led to the topic of this post. I love it when something I am doing leads me to another avenue to explore!
My seminary lesson covered several miracles, some missionary work, some disciples of John seeking Jesus, and the inspiration for this post (Matt 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35, 16:16; JST Matt 11:13-15), Jesus' sermon on John the Baptist.
When I prepare a lesson I always try to look for all the lesson(s) from the verses. There are usually many lessons in each scripture block. It was obvious that Jesus was sharing his testimony of John as a prophet, but I wondered was there more I should learn from this story and how would I apply it.
At one point Jesus states: "For verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist:"
So what made John a greater prophet than Moses or Elijah? I came across some information about John that stunned me:
As far as we know John had performed no miracles and the approximate length of his ministry at the time of Christ's baptism was only six months. And from that time until his arrest, his ministry decreased as the Savior's increased.
John does not appear to be the poster child of success. His childhood was not exceptional as we would see it. He lived in the wilderness eating locusts and honey. He wasn't a snazzy dresser, in fact, he was dressed extremely humbly. For most of us we see his achievements as:
He was entrusted to prepare the way before Christ and declare Christ's divinity to all men (which he did)
He had the privilege to baptize Christ and witness the Holy Ghost descend upon him
He baptized other people
I think those are amazing achievements, but it doesn't mean much by the worldly standards. That's when it hit me: this story also presents the opportunity to discuss how we measure success. That would be the topic of discussion in class.
It was interesting to talk about how we measure success and how the world measures success, then to discuss how the Lord measures success.
My students quickly caught on to the fact that it wasn't about the numbers; it was about John fulfilling God's will to the best of his ability.
To remind them of this message I gave each of them a ruler. The ruler is flexible (representing our willingness to bend to God's will) and written on the back are the words: Be careful of the standards by which you measure your success.
The class experience made me think about how we tend to attach our happiness to the world view of success and not through God's view of success. Which in turn took me back to the 'seeing things through God's eyes' challenge. It is nice when you start to see the connections between the things that are going on in your life.
My goal today: To measure the success of my day by my willingness to do God's will.
My seminary lesson covered several miracles, some missionary work, some disciples of John seeking Jesus, and the inspiration for this post (Matt 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35, 16:16; JST Matt 11:13-15), Jesus' sermon on John the Baptist.
When I prepare a lesson I always try to look for all the lesson(s) from the verses. There are usually many lessons in each scripture block. It was obvious that Jesus was sharing his testimony of John as a prophet, but I wondered was there more I should learn from this story and how would I apply it.
At one point Jesus states: "For verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist:"
So what made John a greater prophet than Moses or Elijah? I came across some information about John that stunned me:
As far as we know John had performed no miracles and the approximate length of his ministry at the time of Christ's baptism was only six months. And from that time until his arrest, his ministry decreased as the Savior's increased.
John does not appear to be the poster child of success. His childhood was not exceptional as we would see it. He lived in the wilderness eating locusts and honey. He wasn't a snazzy dresser, in fact, he was dressed extremely humbly. For most of us we see his achievements as:
He was entrusted to prepare the way before Christ and declare Christ's divinity to all men (which he did)
He had the privilege to baptize Christ and witness the Holy Ghost descend upon him
He baptized other people
I think those are amazing achievements, but it doesn't mean much by the worldly standards. That's when it hit me: this story also presents the opportunity to discuss how we measure success. That would be the topic of discussion in class.
It was interesting to talk about how we measure success and how the world measures success, then to discuss how the Lord measures success.
My students quickly caught on to the fact that it wasn't about the numbers; it was about John fulfilling God's will to the best of his ability.
To remind them of this message I gave each of them a ruler. The ruler is flexible (representing our willingness to bend to God's will) and written on the back are the words: Be careful of the standards by which you measure your success.
The class experience made me think about how we tend to attach our happiness to the world view of success and not through God's view of success. Which in turn took me back to the 'seeing things through God's eyes' challenge. It is nice when you start to see the connections between the things that are going on in your life.
My goal today: To measure the success of my day by my willingness to do God's will.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Through His Eyes
How I did: I couldn't stop thinking about how God sees the world. If you judge our world by the news, it would appear that we are in a very sad state. If you take the time to search for the good, it would seem that there is still hope.
In the scriptures we read that when Christ looked over Jerusalem he wept and he wept when raising Lazarus (Luke 19:41, John 11:35). What does God weep for in our world today?
I think this video shows just a little of what makes God weep today.
I know that God is aware of these things, it would be hard not to be. I am painfully aware of them in my small part of the world. So how does God balance this negative? How does He keep from wiping us out and starting all over?
Here is a sample of the good in the world:
I think it is in moments like this that God is smiling, maybe even shedding tears of joy. It brings me joy to see people being good to each other, I imagine that it would do the same for God, but on a much bigger scale.
I think one part of learning to see the world through God's eyes is to be aware of the negative, it is a necessary part of the law of opposites, but not to ignore it. We can't live in a bubble where everything is great, we would never progress. We can be part of the solution and do the good that God would have us do.
Good will always prevail over evil, that is a truth. God believes that we will do our part to do good in the battle against evil. He presents us with opportunities each day to join him in giving hope to a world that also makes us weep. Our job is to recognize them and jump right in!
Quote:
In every event, in every circumstance, we have a choice of perspective. Faced with difficulty, we can choose between disappointment and curiosity as our mind-set. The choice is ours. Will we focus on what we see as lacking or will we look for the new good that is emerging? In every moment, however perilous or sorrowful it may feel, there is the seed of our greater happiness, greater expansion, and greater abundance.
Julia Cameron
My goal today: Look for the opportunities for good in my day and take them!
In the scriptures we read that when Christ looked over Jerusalem he wept and he wept when raising Lazarus (Luke 19:41, John 11:35). What does God weep for in our world today?
I think this video shows just a little of what makes God weep today.
I know that God is aware of these things, it would be hard not to be. I am painfully aware of them in my small part of the world. So how does God balance this negative? How does He keep from wiping us out and starting all over?
Here is a sample of the good in the world:
I think it is in moments like this that God is smiling, maybe even shedding tears of joy. It brings me joy to see people being good to each other, I imagine that it would do the same for God, but on a much bigger scale.
I think one part of learning to see the world through God's eyes is to be aware of the negative, it is a necessary part of the law of opposites, but not to ignore it. We can't live in a bubble where everything is great, we would never progress. We can be part of the solution and do the good that God would have us do.
Good will always prevail over evil, that is a truth. God believes that we will do our part to do good in the battle against evil. He presents us with opportunities each day to join him in giving hope to a world that also makes us weep. Our job is to recognize them and jump right in!
Quote:
In every event, in every circumstance, we have a choice of perspective. Faced with difficulty, we can choose between disappointment and curiosity as our mind-set. The choice is ours. Will we focus on what we see as lacking or will we look for the new good that is emerging? In every moment, however perilous or sorrowful it may feel, there is the seed of our greater happiness, greater expansion, and greater abundance.
Julia Cameron
My goal today: Look for the opportunities for good in my day and take them!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Proper Perspective
How I did: I tried to make every experience worthwhile yesterday, it was an interesting experiment in perspective. I had to decide if I was trying to make the most out of each moment through my productivity, my attitude, or by what I had learned from the experience.
I found myself wondering if I could make better use of the time while I was driving, should I listen to the radio, listen to scriptures on cd, or just have a great conversation with God. I chose the latter. Although I love music and it is a great mood booster, and the scriptures are always good, I really felt like a good discussion with God was what I needed to make my drive worthwhile. I do not regret that decision. It set the tone for my day. I had taken the time to ask God for the proper perspective and he didn't let me down.
I've been thinking about how the simple act of asking God to help me see things through his eyes really made my day seem better. So today I am digging a little deeper into the topic of perspective.
I found the quote first:
The reality of life is that your perceptions- right or wrong - influence everything else you do. When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how many other things fall into place.
Roger Birkman
What's the difference between perceptions and perspective? And why is it important to get the proper perspective of your perceptions?
Perceptions:
I found myself wondering if I could make better use of the time while I was driving, should I listen to the radio, listen to scriptures on cd, or just have a great conversation with God. I chose the latter. Although I love music and it is a great mood booster, and the scriptures are always good, I really felt like a good discussion with God was what I needed to make my drive worthwhile. I do not regret that decision. It set the tone for my day. I had taken the time to ask God for the proper perspective and he didn't let me down.
I've been thinking about how the simple act of asking God to help me see things through his eyes really made my day seem better. So today I am digging a little deeper into the topic of perspective.
I found the quote first:
The reality of life is that your perceptions- right or wrong - influence everything else you do. When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how many other things fall into place.
Roger Birkman
What's the difference between perceptions and perspective? And why is it important to get the proper perspective of your perceptions?
Perceptions:
Noun
| |
Synonyms
Perspective: Noun 1. A mental view or outlook: "It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present" (Fabian Linden). 2. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance: tried to keep my perspective throughout the crisis Synonyms view - position - orientation If I am understanding this correctly, then having the proper perspective (view, position, or orientation) enhances my ability to process the stimuli around me into clearer perceptions (realization, understanding, and comprehension). So what is the proper perspective? This is where the scripture come in... Colossians 3:2 Set your aaffection on bthings cabove, not on things on the dearth. 1 John 2:15-16 Love not the aworld, neither the things that are in the bworld. If any man love the world, the clove of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the alust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the bpride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the cworld. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this aworld: but be ye btransformed by the crenewing of your dmind, that ye may eprove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, fwill of God. There are many more scriptures about what the proper perspective is (looking at things from God's view, position, and orientation, not the world's), which says to me that this is a pretty important topic. In my quest for happiness this year I can see that perception and perspective will play a part in my success. I should probably spend more time and effort on this. God is not done teaching me to have the proper perspective. Sometimes I just need a reminder that the world, our Earth, is just a small part of the bigger picture.  My goal today: I will take the focus off of the things of the world and put more focus on the 'things above." |
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
A Worthwhile Experience
How I did: I had finished my post and was on my way to work yesterday filled with the desire to choose happiness, when I hit traffic. If there is one thing that frustrates me and sucks the happiness out of my day it is having to deal with less than stellar drivers.
On a normal day I would have shaken my head at them and when the opportunity arose I would have made eye contact and mouthed the words, "Don't be so rude!" But I was in happiness mode and I was not going to let them take that away from me! So I turned the radio on to some good music, I still shook my head at them, but instead of telling them they were rude I told them to have a happy day. I'll be honest, it was through a smile of gritted teeth, but I'm sure they weren't aware of that.
Amazingly, a few of them mouthed the word, "Sorry" with a sheepish look on their face. Others were not so kind and just turned away. However, it was my reaction that surprised me the most. I started to feel sorry for these rude people. I wondered what could be happening in their lives that would make them behave like this. I found myself on a mission to bring them a little bit of happiness. That is when my fake smile turned into a real effort to change some one's heart. It is interesting that it took a change in my heart to bring that about.
I had been given the opportunity to see the situation in a different light. This led me to think about other areas in my life that I needed to change my attitude about. One such area is work. I am not always excited about the chance to work, especially when it comes to the chores around the house. I catch myself thinking that surely there is more to my life than laundry and dishes! Well, this scripture helped me put it in perspective.
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
Then I came across this quote.
Quote:
Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. See your future filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
Sandra Sturtz Hauss
And I got a little motivation from one of my favorite childhood movies Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Watch the mouse and the spider's reactions, I think that is me sometimes!
My goal today: To make every experience, even work, a worthwhile experience!
On a normal day I would have shaken my head at them and when the opportunity arose I would have made eye contact and mouthed the words, "Don't be so rude!" But I was in happiness mode and I was not going to let them take that away from me! So I turned the radio on to some good music, I still shook my head at them, but instead of telling them they were rude I told them to have a happy day. I'll be honest, it was through a smile of gritted teeth, but I'm sure they weren't aware of that.
Amazingly, a few of them mouthed the word, "Sorry" with a sheepish look on their face. Others were not so kind and just turned away. However, it was my reaction that surprised me the most. I started to feel sorry for these rude people. I wondered what could be happening in their lives that would make them behave like this. I found myself on a mission to bring them a little bit of happiness. That is when my fake smile turned into a real effort to change some one's heart. It is interesting that it took a change in my heart to bring that about.
I had been given the opportunity to see the situation in a different light. This led me to think about other areas in my life that I needed to change my attitude about. One such area is work. I am not always excited about the chance to work, especially when it comes to the chores around the house. I catch myself thinking that surely there is more to my life than laundry and dishes! Well, this scripture helped me put it in perspective.
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
Then I came across this quote.
Quote:
Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another. See your future filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
Sandra Sturtz Hauss
And I got a little motivation from one of my favorite childhood movies Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Watch the mouse and the spider's reactions, I think that is me sometimes!
My goal today: To make every experience, even work, a worthwhile experience!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Choosing Happiness
How I did: Yesterday was about resting to rejuvenate and renew my body, mind, and spirit. Well my spirit was energized with the testimonies that I heard at church and reading the scriptures. My mind didn't really rest because whenever I get filled with the Spirit my mind starts to go a mile a minute pondering what is going on. But that is a good thing so I'm going with; I did okay in that area. As for resting my body, I didn't do any strenuous work, but I did play with my niece and nephews and that is anything but calm, but it is super fun! I don't get to see them often so I try to make the most of the time I do see them. I think it was important and therefore I'm saying I did alright in this area too.
I had choices to make as to what was appropriate behavior for my day of rest and I think I did okay. It might not have been completely restful but it brought me and others joy. And if anything makes things look better it is seeing them through the eyes of joy.
Scripture: Alma 27:18
Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.
Quote:
You have a choice. You can select joy over despair. You can select happiness over tears. You can select action over apathy. You can select growth over stagnation. You can select you. And you can select life...
Leo Buscaglia
My goal today: Chose to seek happiness and joy in my day!
I had choices to make as to what was appropriate behavior for my day of rest and I think I did okay. It might not have been completely restful but it brought me and others joy. And if anything makes things look better it is seeing them through the eyes of joy.
Scripture: Alma 27:18
Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.
Quote:
You have a choice. You can select joy over despair. You can select happiness over tears. You can select action over apathy. You can select growth over stagnation. You can select you. And you can select life...
Leo Buscaglia
My goal today: Chose to seek happiness and joy in my day!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
A Day of Rest
How I did: It was an interesting experiment yesterday. In my effort to focus more on the solutions to issues than to grumble, murmur, or complain about them I realized that you have to think about the solution prior to opening your mouth and complaining. In order to make sure that 80% of your time is spent on the solution you really have to limit the time you complain. Basically, you state the problem and then let the complaining go and you begin the journey of finding the solution.
Another tip is to chose someone who will listen to the issue and then encourage you to move forward. An interesting observation: men do not really want to listen to the problems (I know because I live with men), but lean more towards finding the solution. It used to annoy me when they didn't want to listen to my complaints and would tell me to let it go. Now I see that it is their way of pushing me off the issue and on to the solution. It's too bad that I didn't see this earlier, it would have saved me some complaining about them!
Yesterday was not filled with a lot of issues (I'm so thankful for that), but the issues that did come up were not as burdensome as they would have been had I focused on them all day. It took some effort to not complain so much, I had to remind myself of the goal a few times, but as soon as I got back on track the problem seemed to get solved faster. Faster solutions, less complaining, I would say that my experiment definitely was a success and my positive attitude was enhanced!
In my efforts to continue building my positive attitude on this Sabbath Day I did a little research on the importance of taking a day of rest.
Scripture: God Designed Rest from Labor Genesis 2:2-3
Another tip is to chose someone who will listen to the issue and then encourage you to move forward. An interesting observation: men do not really want to listen to the problems (I know because I live with men), but lean more towards finding the solution. It used to annoy me when they didn't want to listen to my complaints and would tell me to let it go. Now I see that it is their way of pushing me off the issue and on to the solution. It's too bad that I didn't see this earlier, it would have saved me some complaining about them!
Yesterday was not filled with a lot of issues (I'm so thankful for that), but the issues that did come up were not as burdensome as they would have been had I focused on them all day. It took some effort to not complain so much, I had to remind myself of the goal a few times, but as soon as I got back on track the problem seemed to get solved faster. Faster solutions, less complaining, I would say that my experiment definitely was a success and my positive attitude was enhanced!
In my efforts to continue building my positive attitude on this Sabbath Day I did a little research on the importance of taking a day of rest.
Scripture: God Designed Rest from Labor Genesis 2:2-3
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had amade; and he brested on the seventh day from all his cwork which he had made.
And God blessed the aseventh day, and bsanctified it: because that in it he had crested from all his work which God dcreated and made.
He even commanded that we rest Exodus 20:8-10
Remember the asabbath day, to keep it bholy. aSix days shalt thou blabour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy astranger that is within thy gates:
Everyone needs rest Exodus 23:12
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the aseventh day thou shalt brest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
I think it is interesting that God talks about rest from the very first book in the scriptures and that He emphasizes it's importance by making it a commandment. That says something to me about how important it should be to me.
Christ was a great example of taking time to rest Mark 6:31
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a adesert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no bleisure so much as to eat.
Rest is a necessity. It's a scriptural principle that all creatures must rest.
Quote:
Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.
Ralph Martson
I love that quote. I can picture God saying that to me! And who am I not to keep his commandments?!
There are weeks when I wish that I could wear a Do Not Disturb sign everyday because I feel overwhelmed with life. I am not a happy person when I don't get my rest. I think this sign would be appropriate for those days:
At least I am willing to warn people about the consequences of my not resting and the impending attitude that comes with it! And so I have found my goal for the day.
My goal today: Refresh and renew my body, mind and spirit so that I can get back to work tomorrow with a healthy, happy attitude!
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