Series Continued: 21 Habits of Joyful People –Part 3

Here’s a recap of those habits of joyful people covered in previous entries...

Joyful People:

1 Appreciate Life

2 Choose Friends Wisely

3 Are Considerate

4 Learn Continuously

5 Use Creative Problem Solving

6 Do What They Love

Note:  Many thanks to Dr. Michelle McCollum for her portion of content in this series. Photo credits: Google Images and Personal Collection

Enjoy Life

“A man can only do what he can do. But if he does that each day, he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.” ~Albert Schweitzer

Take the time to see the beauty around you. There’s more to life than work. Take time to smell the roses, watch a sunset or sunrise with a loved one, take a walk along the seashore, hike in the woods etc.

5 LINX Super Saturday Training - Embassy Suites Dallas, TX 

Learn to live in the present moment and cherish it. Don’t live in the past. Learn from it. Don’t live too much in the future. Just prepare for it.

“Well, one thing, at least is good: it is for a man to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long The LORD may let him live. And of course, it is very good if a man has received wealth from The LORD, and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life – that is indeed a gift from GOD. The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for GOD gives him joy.”

~Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Keep Their Word

Honesty is the best policy. Socrates said it like this: “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”

Every action and decision you make should be based on honesty. Be honest with yourself and with your loved ones. If you find that you are unable to keep your word, say something. Don’t just ignore your promise hoping no one will remember. That seldom works out well.

“It’s not what we eat, but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” ~Frances Bacon, Sr. quote

Forgive

Forgiveness is a key ingredient to true peace.  In Luke 17:4, we learn “Even if a person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Holding a grudge will hurt no one but you. Forgive others for your own peace of mind. When you make a mistake – own up to it – learn from it – and FORGIVE yourself.

In the chapter on forgiving yourself of the wonderful book by Paul Meyer, Forgiveness:  …the Ultimate Miracle” he gives “The top 13 reasons why forgiving yourself is hard” and they are listed below.

“For most people, forgiving themselves is a very difficult thing to do. Is that true for you? If so, why? Perhaps it is because:

§  You can justify the actions of others, but not your own

§  You still feel guilty, regardless of what others say

§  You cannot accept failure

§  You have to live with yourself

§  You cannot escape your past

§  You can give grace, but you cannot receive it

§  You couldn’t possibly pay for what you did

§  Your mind will not stop replaying the incident

§  You don’t feel worthy of forgiveness

§  You don’t believe others and God have really forgiven you

§  You refuse to forgive others

§  You simply don’t know how

WHATEVER the reason – or excuse – you still need to forgive yourself . I repeat, YOU NEED TO FORGIVE YOURSELF!

When you forgive yourself after forgiving others, you finish the circle of forgiveness. You are completely free to enjoy all the benefits of forgiveness without the side effects of unforgiveness.”

Laugh

“Trouble knocked on the door, but hearing laughter, hurried away.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Don’t take yourself – or life to seriously. You can find humor in just about any situation. Laugh at yourself – no one’s perfect. When appropriate, laugh and make light of the circumstances.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favorite films. The lead played by the late Audrey Hepburn sharing my same sentiment, remarked: “I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”

Naturally there are times that you should be serious as it would be improper to laugh. Often when people are uncomfortable or don’t know what to say they will laugh as a reflex. Ask yourself, “Am I laughing at someone’s pain?” And if the answer is yes, of course it would be best that you not laugh. However, if it’s not at the expense of another, I say by all means have yourself the best belly laugh you can get out of it.

With DPSVP Barry Donalson at 5 LINX Super Saturday in Dallas, TX 

I remember reading once that “Laughter is the human body wagging its tail.”  Laughing just makes you feel good. Do it as much as you can and share generously!

Are Grateful

“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.” ~1 Timothy 4:4 (NLT)

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Count your blessings; All of them – even the things that seem trivial. Be grateful for your home, your work and most importantly your family and friends. Take the time to tell them that you are happy they are in your life.

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that stands behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for it.” ~Albert Schweitzer

“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either.”

~Wayne Dyer

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” Gladys Brown Stern

Thanks so much for Reading and Sharing The Love!!!

21 Habits of Joyful People, Part 2

“I do it for the joy it brings, cause I’m a joyful girl. ‘Cause the world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world.” Ani Difranco

For the next 6 installments under this title, we will explore 21 things joyful people make a habit of doing on a consistent basis.  

Here a recap of the first three mentioned in Part 1:

Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one wants to be sad and depressed. We've all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life. 

These people will: 

1. Appreciate Life

2. Choose Friends Wisely

3. Be Considerate

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Part 2

 4. Learn Continuously

"Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them."

Proverbs 18:15


Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. Try new and daring things that have sparked your interest – such as dancing, skiing, surfing or sky-diving.

“I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me!”

1Corinthians 9:26 ~ The Message Bible

5. Creative Problem Solving

Don’t wallow in self-pity. As soon as you face a challenge get busy finding a solution. Don’t let the setbacks affect your mood; instead see each new obstacle you face as an opportunity to make a positive change. Learn to trust your gut instincts – it’s almost always right.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His Purpose for them.” 
Romans 8:28 – New Living Translation

6. Do What They Love

Some statistics show that 80% of people dislike their jobs! No wonder there’s so many unhappy people running around. We spend a great deal of our life working. Choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it. Make time to enjoy your hobbies and pursue special interests.

“Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. 

For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1Timothy 6:6-10 ~ Children’s Living Bible

Many thanks to my Sister Beloved, Dr. Michelle McCollin for the idea and much of the above content. 


Photo Credits: Google Images

Where is the Love? Part 5

Welcome Back! Thank You and a Warm Welcome New and Veteran Readers from: Netherlands, South Korea, Ireland, Lebanon, France, Italy, South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, India, United States, Nigeria, Hungary, Malaysia, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Mauritius.

Thank You for Reading and Sharing! I am greatly humbled by your tremendous support.

Our main verse comes from Matthew 22:37- 39. Jesus replied, “You must love The Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself." (The Living Bible)

TODAY’S FOCUS: 

HOW DO WE LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR SOUL?

Okay, anyone who knows me well, knows that I really love research.  It’s one of the things that I really enjoy doing.  So, yes, I did break out the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to look deeply into the word ‘soul.’

The word for soul in the Hebrew is nephesh (neh’ fesh) and in the Greek it is pneuma (pnyoo’ mah) and both mean breath, life and spirit.

                                                                                                            

Since we are made in the image of God, Who is a Spirit, we are also all spiritual beings living in fleshly bodies.  Our souls are what survive death which is why accepting Jesus as your own Savior matters so much. Your soul will live on, but where?

Simply put, we are according to Joyce Meyer, “We are a spirit. We have a soul and we live in our bodies.” So, we are to love God, who by His Breath gives life to our spirit. Without Him we cannot exist. We’d have no breath without His Faithfulness.

Equally important to know is the fact that soul winning is very important to God. Look at James 5:20: “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul  from death and cover a multitude of sins.” How about that?

This is why our job as soul winners is so important.  The directions that our spirit follow here on earth determine our spiritual placement in eternity.

We have just looked closely at the importance of our relationship to God. Since we are all here on earth to help one another I shall borrow a line from my culture, “Let’s not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good!”

That means we can’t be so wrapped up in ‘church traditions and church politics that we can’t relate to the people who need Jesus. In fact, the outcast was not an outcast where Jesus was concerned. He met people where they were and we are to do the same.


Please stay tuned for the final 2 installments of this series. The next one will look at how we are to love our neighbor.

Thank you again for your Awesome Support!

Where is the Love? Part 1

Know how sometimes you're sitting somewhere and someone says something that you recognize as the answer to a prayer question that you yourself had asked of God? The person who says it usually has no clue that they've blessed you. Well...tell 'em!

First and foremost, I want to thank Dr. Jimmy D. Hunter, Pastor of The Toliver Chapel Missionary Baptist Church for the idea for this title and confirmation (in the sermon of the same name) that LOVE should be the topic of the next few posts.  It’s so critical to living an abundant life. 

Period.

I’d also like to thank my ‘other’ Mom, Erna Watkins, for inviting me to present the Bible lesson at a Women’s Ministry Meeting that she hosted in her home some three years ago. I researched and wrote about Love. Pastor’s recent sermon was on another commandment regarding love that will make for an excellent follow up topic. It’s about how we are to love one another.

This series, “Where is The Love?” is based on Matthew 22:37-39.

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love The Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

So let’s explore what it means to Love The Lord Our God with All of our heart, soul and mind; plus what it looks like to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

I welcome your comments.

Before we get started, I want you to see this video by Man Navales. It’s really something to think about.

Thank you so much for reading, sharing and for your very kind words. 

They mean a lot! 

Stay tuned! God Bless You!

In the Presence of Love ...a note from Mary Robinson Reynolds

WELCOME NEW READERS from Qatar, Sri Lanka, Australia, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan and the US! I'm So Pleased that You have joined us!

While putting the finishing touches on a new series called, "Where is The Love?" I was blessed to get the following in my email box this morning. I listed the site below so you can have access to some really life enriching material. 

Enjoy and Thanks for Sharing! 

~~~~~~~ 

Each person's core purpose in life is to be loving. Love and compassion don't solve problems, they just get you into the best frame of mind and heart to reach beyond where you've gone before, to find new, creative, peaceful and healing solutions.

Mary Rowland in her book Dare to Believe! has described how you can double the good in your life by simply putting love first:

          "If you are not attracting the good that you desire in your life, learn to express love; become a radiating center of love; and you will find that love, the divine magnet within you will change your whole world ... when your heart is filled with love you will not be critical or irritable, but you will be divinely irresistible."

Florence Scoval Shinn wrote, "Every man on the planet is taking his initiation in love." 

To which Catherine Ponder concludes: "Whatever your problem, it is but a test in love. If you meet that test through love, your problem will be solved. If you do not meet that test through love, your problem will continue until you do! Your problem is your initiation in love."

Christmas is the time of a new birth in consciousness ...and a return to that which created each and every one of us: Love.

With peace, comes love. Peace can be found in the silence.

Sometimes we may feel it is just too hard to feel love, let alone express love. It is times like this that you can reach for compassion first, understanding second. These two simple pre-emptive steps will get you to a place of peace. From peace, love flows easily.

This holiday season, simply try putting compassion first. No matter what the situation, find the compassion. Whether it's about money, relationship or job dissatisfaction, health, weight ... any and all situations in your life where a solution has not been found, simply be compassionate with yourself first, compassionate with those involved second, and you will feel the world light up with new inspired solutions because, and to quote from The Power of Compassion: 7 Ways You Can Make A Difference Gift Book & DVD:

“Research about the brain reveals that compassionate thoughts literally light up the frontal lobe of a person's brain. (The frontal lobe is where the mind can access solutions.) When we are resentful or angry, there is no light in that part of the brain, and so we shut down and fail to function well. As soon as we deliberately think compassionate thoughts, this part of the brain lights up, and we can literally go from "impossible" to "possible" in an instant.

Whether you are devoutly religious or deeply spiritual, an atheist, an agnostic or a skeptic, when you simply decide to think compassionate thoughts, the power of the feeling that is ignited is palpable. The connection is instantly available and deeply real.”

Expect Miracles!

Mary Robinson Reynolds
Author & Founder of Heart Productions & Publishing

www.MakeADifference.com 

 ********

(Note: This post was not a paid endorsement. I just appreciate the work and wanted to share.)

Thank You for Reading and Sharing! The series: "Where is The Love?" will debut this week.

Stay Tuned and Please click "Follow" to the right top of the page to be alerted of new postings. 

Thanks in Advance!

Big Blessings to Each of You!

Proverbs, A Great Place to Start...And the beat goes ON!!! * THANK YOU READERS! You are AWESOME!

Thank you for joining us through the 2nd complete cycle of a "Walk through Proverbs." I hope you enjoyed it and grew from it like I did.

PRAISE REPORT...Our readership now includes:

Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Indonesia, Chile, Romania, Denmark, Kuwait, Pakistan, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Malaysia, Slovenia, Belarus, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bangladesh, India, Venezuela, Peru and Cambodia.  That's right! You are a part of a Global Family. 


Thanks to You we have surpassed some one thousand five hundred page views. How cool is that? I am extremely humbled, honored to be used and grateful to God for Each of You!


As promised, here is a link to free sample Bible lessons from Proverbs. The Scriptural Scholar Series is the name in which I copyrighted this material in 2005. In honor of my Grandfather, Eucolia Erby and father Alton Hicks, I created the pen name Erby Hicks.

Click here to for FREE SAMPLE LESSONS from all three books. Please let us know that you think! Thank You!!!

If you have a specific topic you'd like to discuss using God's Word or you have a story idea, please email me directly at:  Oneinabillion7@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

THANK YOU so much for Reading and Sharing! 

******* 

Big Blessings to You!!!

Proverbs 10 - You want ME to do what??? Overlook an insult? How does one do that?

Welcome to Day 10 of our study of Proverbs!

Scriptures highlighted in my own personal study (from the Children’s Living Bible) are bold and follow. The entire chapter is now listed here as well.  You are more than welcome (and encouraged) to add yours to the comment section - as always!

These are the proverbs of Solomon:

V1 Happy is the man with a level-headed son; sad the mother of a rebel.

V2 Ill gotten gain brings no lasting happiness; right living does.

V3 The LORD will not let a good man starve to death, nor will he let the wicked man's riches continue forever.

V4 Lazy men are soon poor; hard workers get rich. 

V5 A wise youth makes hay while the sun shines, but what a shame to see a lad who sleeps away his hour of opportunity.

V6 The good man is covered with blessings from head to foot, but an evil man inwardly curses his luck.

V7 We all have good memories of good men gone to their reward, but the names of wicked men stink after them.

V8 The wise man is glad to be instructed, but a self sufficient fool falls flat on his face.

V9 A good man has firm footing, but a crook will slip and fall.

V10 Winking at sin leads to sorrow; bold reproof leads to peace.


V11 There is living truth in what a good man says, but the mouth of the evil man is filled with curses.


V12 Hatred stirs old quarrels, but love overlooks insults.

V13 Men with common sense are admired as counselors, those without it are beaten as servants.

V14 A wise man holds his tongue. Only a fool blurts out everything he knows; that only leads to sorrow and trouble.

V15 The rich man's wealth is his only strength. The poor man's poverty is his only curse.

V16 The good man’s earnings advance the cause of righteousness. The evil man squanders his on sin.

V17 Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.

V18 To hate is to be a liar; to slander is to be a fool.

V19 Don’t talk so much. You keep putting your foot in your mouth. Be sensible and turn off the flow! 

V20 When a good man speaks, he is worth listening to, but the words of fools are a dime a dozen.

V21 A godly man gives good advice, but a rebel is destroyed by lack of common sense.

V22 The Lord’s blessing is our greatest wealth. All our work adds nothing to it.

V23 A fool's fun is being bad; a wise man's fun is being wise!

V24 The wicked man’s fears will all come true, and so will the good man’s hopes.

V25 Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are whirled away. But the good man has a strong anchor.

V26 A lazy fellow is a pain to his employers – like smoke in their eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.

V27 Reverence for God adds hours to each day, so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?

V28 The hope of good men is eternal happiness; the hopes of evil men are all in vain. 

V29 God protects the upright but destroys the wicked.

V30 The good shall never lose God’s blessings, but the wicked shall lose everything.

V31 The good man gives wise advice, but the liar’s counsel is shunned.

V32 The upright speak what is helpful; the wicked speak rebellion.

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 Hope enjoy this classic gospel jam from my childhood, "Call Him Up!"

*Answer to today's question is: L O V E...do it all in Love! Love your way through your day!*

Big Blessings to Each of You!!!

Welcome New Readers from Singapore Estonia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, The Cayman Islands, Greece, Italy, Chile, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Morocco, Maldives, Austria, Sweden and Germany! 

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 Just Look at God! 

Thanks for Reading and Sharing!!! Big Blessings to Each of You!