Life Is Hard
Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out. - Abraham Lincoln
Hello Fellow Sojourners!
Last year a special friend visited and brought me some cute little signs for the yard. One said, "Leap For Joy." A few days ago, I was watching the squirrels play outside and one of them took a liking to the sign, stood up and read it, and then considered whether or not to comply.
Take a moment, slow down, and enjoy the photo story of the joyful squirrel. Click the double arrows to the right to flow through the photos. Be sure to add your own comments or titles as you view. Subscribers love to read the variety of titles displayed and so do I.
What a gorgeous time it's been here on our little acre at Bluebird Cove. I've been converting the flower beds I used to seed into more perennial beds. Life is too short to make everything difficult and I seem to have had a knack for doing things the hard way over the years. If you can relate to that at all, you will enjoy this issue's article, entitled, "Life Is Hard."
Take some time off, alone, just you and God. It's okay to get out there in Creation and enjoy it. After all, we were made to live in a garden and fellowship with God. Why do we fill our lives with so much other stuff?
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today's Featured Article
Life Is Hard
by Donna L. Watkins
Does that thought run through your mind? Do you hear yourself thinking and saying these words? For most of us who were raised in a home with a Protestant work ethic, this is a belief system. Without knowing it, our lives are designed and orchestrated around it.
Some of the thoughts that go along with this foundational belief system are:
Life is full of sorrow.
Suffering is worthy.
Pain is a virtue.
This life is unpleasant.
There's no hope for lasting pleasure on earth.
Life will never give me enough.
Pleasure is indulgence.
Wealth is wrong.
It's immoral to have when others have not.
Life is about working and producing.
From these beliefs, we make life choices that are based on continuous hard work with little pleasure.
As Christians, we can really buy into all of this since sacrifice and "sharing in Christ's sufferings" seem so spiritual and holy. The more you suffer, the better you become (in some way).
This causes a lot of judgment of of others, who don't "spin" 24/7, and who appear to be self-indulgent, shallow and strictly fun-loving if they take time for leisure and play. Yet, Christ told us we have to become as children to understand the Kingdom and to see our loving Heavenly Father as He truly is. If we don't play and enjoy life, we get bitter at others doing it. How much more loving could you be if life was fun? How would your influence on others change if you saw life as being good?
Do you remember more of life's difficulties than you do life's pleasures and blessings? Do you focus on the blessings of your days or all that went wrong. Life will be full of challenges for all ... but God doesn't shoot a machine gun full of troubles your way to get glory. He's a loving Papa. The devil's job is to mess up your life and if you're listening to his lies and believing them, you're only helping him.
One dear subscriber sent me a few articles after my last mailing and it reminded me to focus on thankfulness and gratitude and seeking God's face above all else. It's so easy to get wrapped up in your own troubles.
I've been wrapped up in this dis-ease that appears to be taking over my body ... but in reality my thoughts create a lot of what's going on. Have you ever noticed what you were thinking before an "attack" of whatever health issue you deal with? I sure have and I see clearly how much thoughts are involved in whether I am well or sick for the day. Give it a try! It takes awhile since our thoughts are automatic ... we don't even notice them, so to begin to notice them it takes patience and insight and determination.
Have you heard the saying, "Change Your Mind and Change Your World?" That says it all. We tend to create the environment around us that will justify our belief systems.
So ... if we think "Life is Hard" ... we will create enough chaos to make it so. Difficulties will be recited, rehearsed and remembered, while blessings are just a "bit of luck" in a bad day.
As if the present isn't bad enough ... we waste time projecting the past upon the future, expecting more hardship, suffering or poverty.
What if we filled our days and nights with good thoughts. Like when you're dieting and all thoughts turn to food. Why not fill our minds with thoughts like:
I can make life as happy as I want it.
I am worthy of having pleasure.
I am receptive to life's pleasures.
I am kind to myself.
I love myself.
The Golden Rule is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And remember what Christ said the second greatest commandment was (after loving God with all your heart)? It was to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31)
Maybe the reason we're so busy judging everybody and everything around us is because that's all we do to ourselves. If we don't love our own flesh, we will not be able to love others.
We see what we believe. If we believe life is hard ... we will be seeing all the "hardness" in life and miss all the good. God is good and wants good for us. Allow Him to show you His love each and every day in the blessings He gives you daily.
Life is Good!
Archived Articles Here
Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Quick Links to The Herbs Place
Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Hello Fellow Sojourners!Last year a special friend visited and brought me some cute little signs for the yard. One said, "Leap For Joy." A few days ago, I was watching the squirrels play outside and one of them took a liking to the sign, stood up and read it, and then considered whether or not to comply.
Take a moment, slow down, and enjoy the photo story of the joyful squirrel. Click the double arrows to the right to flow through the photos. Be sure to add your own comments or titles as you view. Subscribers love to read the variety of titles displayed and so do I.
What a gorgeous time it's been here on our little acre at Bluebird Cove. I've been converting the flower beds I used to seed into more perennial beds. Life is too short to make everything difficult and I seem to have had a knack for doing things the hard way over the years. If you can relate to that at all, you will enjoy this issue's article, entitled, "Life Is Hard."
Take some time off, alone, just you and God. It's okay to get out there in Creation and enjoy it. After all, we were made to live in a garden and fellowship with God. Why do we fill our lives with so much other stuff?
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today's Featured Article
Life Is Hard
by Donna L. Watkins
Does that thought run through your mind? Do you hear yourself thinking and saying these words? For most of us who were raised in a home with a Protestant work ethic, this is a belief system. Without knowing it, our lives are designed and orchestrated around it.
Some of the thoughts that go along with this foundational belief system are:
Life is full of sorrow.
Suffering is worthy.
Pain is a virtue.
This life is unpleasant.
There's no hope for lasting pleasure on earth.
Life will never give me enough.
Pleasure is indulgence.
Wealth is wrong.
It's immoral to have when others have not.
Life is about working and producing.
From these beliefs, we make life choices that are based on continuous hard work with little pleasure.
As Christians, we can really buy into all of this since sacrifice and "sharing in Christ's sufferings" seem so spiritual and holy. The more you suffer, the better you become (in some way).
This causes a lot of judgment of of others, who don't "spin" 24/7, and who appear to be self-indulgent, shallow and strictly fun-loving if they take time for leisure and play. Yet, Christ told us we have to become as children to understand the Kingdom and to see our loving Heavenly Father as He truly is. If we don't play and enjoy life, we get bitter at others doing it. How much more loving could you be if life was fun? How would your influence on others change if you saw life as being good?
Do you remember more of life's difficulties than you do life's pleasures and blessings? Do you focus on the blessings of your days or all that went wrong. Life will be full of challenges for all ... but God doesn't shoot a machine gun full of troubles your way to get glory. He's a loving Papa. The devil's job is to mess up your life and if you're listening to his lies and believing them, you're only helping him.
One dear subscriber sent me a few articles after my last mailing and it reminded me to focus on thankfulness and gratitude and seeking God's face above all else. It's so easy to get wrapped up in your own troubles.
I've been wrapped up in this dis-ease that appears to be taking over my body ... but in reality my thoughts create a lot of what's going on. Have you ever noticed what you were thinking before an "attack" of whatever health issue you deal with? I sure have and I see clearly how much thoughts are involved in whether I am well or sick for the day. Give it a try! It takes awhile since our thoughts are automatic ... we don't even notice them, so to begin to notice them it takes patience and insight and determination.
Have you heard the saying, "Change Your Mind and Change Your World?" That says it all. We tend to create the environment around us that will justify our belief systems.
So ... if we think "Life is Hard" ... we will create enough chaos to make it so. Difficulties will be recited, rehearsed and remembered, while blessings are just a "bit of luck" in a bad day.
As if the present isn't bad enough ... we waste time projecting the past upon the future, expecting more hardship, suffering or poverty.
What if we filled our days and nights with good thoughts. Like when you're dieting and all thoughts turn to food. Why not fill our minds with thoughts like:
I can make life as happy as I want it.
I am worthy of having pleasure.
I am receptive to life's pleasures.
I am kind to myself.
I love myself.
The Golden Rule is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And remember what Christ said the second greatest commandment was (after loving God with all your heart)? It was to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31)
Maybe the reason we're so busy judging everybody and everything around us is because that's all we do to ourselves. If we don't love our own flesh, we will not be able to love others.
We see what we believe. If we believe life is hard ... we will be seeing all the "hardness" in life and miss all the good. God is good and wants good for us. Allow Him to show you His love each and every day in the blessings He gives you daily.
Life is Good!
Archived Articles Here
Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Quick Links to The Herbs Place
Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
posted by Donna at 4:58 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Donna,
Excellent article!
I only recently discovered your blog and your articles. A lot of what you say is quite similar to what I've been writing and teaching through my blog and newsletter.
Keep up the good work!
All the best,
Laurie
Donna, I was intrigued by your comment, "I've been wrapped up in this dis-ease that appears to be taking over my body ... but in reality my thoughts create a lot of what's going on", in this week's newletter of the The Healing Moment. It made me think of something I heard recently that we are able to telegraph health to our body, e.g., making pain go away by willing pain away; something like mind over matter. I also read recently about fiofeedback which is a similare procedure. I intend to look further into this. Thank you.
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