Tag: Attitude

  • “I will never forgive that man!”

    I stared at the red-faced man pounding the table. Always before, “Henry” struck me as a quiet, gentle man. Now the veins on his forehead bulged with emotion as he poured out his sad story.

    Some years before, he and his wife, “Louella,” invested most of their retirement savings with a trusted business acquaintance who “let them in” on what he promised would bring a great return on their investment .

    A few months and a lot of excuses later, the swindler skipped town. The shattered couple hired lawyers who tried for two years to bring the man to justice. Finally their attorneys told them it was hopeless. Henry and Louella ended up paying all court costs.

    With only a few years left before his retirement, Henry could not begin to make up their financial loss and Louella’s disability made it impossible for her to hold a job.

    Besides, in that small town, jobs were scarce.

    Their retirement dreams and plans had to be set aside 

    I had known this dear Christian couple for a year or so but had no inkling of this. All I could do now was tell him how sorry I was. After awhile I softly brought up Jesus’ call to forgive our enemies.

    Henry was having none of it. Once again he turned beet red and said, “No! It almost kills me that Louella and I have to live the way we do. That scoundrel stole the future we scrimped and saved for. People tell me I need to let it go, but I refuse to forgive him!”

    Then he got up and stomped away from the table. Clearly, the con man took their money, but Henry’s continuing enmity robbed these two of something much more valuable than dollars and cents.

    Their peace.

    The cost of maintaining a heart of stone

    Later that day I remembered the first time I glimpsed the fallout from unresolved anger. I was a high school freshman when my family moved to a new area and a new church. 

    One of the first things we observed was how every Sunday the same two families sat in the two front pews, one on the left and the other on the right. After the last hymn and the pastor’s benediction, both families marched out single file, each one staring straight ahead, never nodding or smiling to each other. 

    When I became good friends with one of the daughters I learned to know and love her parents, especially her smiling, always-had-a-joke-for-me father. But I sensed this was The Subject We Must Not Talk About.

    Over time the gist of the story came together. Each brother lived with his wife and children on farms along the same country road. One mile apart. Ten years or so earlier, for whatever reason, these two brothers had a falling-out. Apparently they had not spoken to each other since then. Neither had their family members.

    We also learned of the unspoken rule in that community: Invite only one brother (or his family members) to any birthday party or the like. A couple of times the hosts risked inviting both, but not telling either one beforehand. That never worked out well. Hardly anyone talked to anyone and the sense of celebration soon fizzled out. 

    You may wonder whether anyone tried to speak Bible truth and healing to these two. I know the answer is yes, but each brother answered, “No!”

    Their families, whatever they thought individually, were caught in the middle.

    The only balm for the pain

    I’ve always loved this quote by Lewis B. Smedes:

    “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

    All the individuals I described earlier went to church and heard clear Bible teaching every Sunday, but they lived as prisoners. They didn’t have to. Even in situations where the other person will not budge, the one who feels wronged can be free. It starts by giving all that pain to Jesus–then leaving it there. 

    Sometimes the hurt and heaviness remains , even when we’ve prayed. That signals we need to take the next step: Deliberately decide to let it go.(Repeat as often as necessary.)

    We may have every right to feel wronged, but to forgive means we give up that right. (I do not for one moment mean to imply that is easy to do!)

    Unless we relinquish “our rights,” even saying, “I forgive you,” will be meaningless.

    Healing that lasts

    Real healing, lasting healing, comes only through the work of Christ’s Spirit. Sometimes it takes awhile to get to the place of feeling free.

    Remember the message of Easter? 

    (Jesus said) “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”    –John 8:36

    “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”     –John 14:27

    Jesus took all our pain to the cross. We still live on earth and we’re still flawed human beings. But we are not alone. He walks with us through each day and our every question finds its deepest answer in Him.
     
    Dear reader, I wish you abiding peace in Jesus, every day of the year!
    Lovingly,
    Lenore

     

    Anger can poison a life. For life.

    Anger can poison a life. For life.

  • Let me pass on a lesson I learned along the way–and isn't that the way we all learn?   

    I'm making progress because awhile back a new friend said, "You always wear the hint of a  smile. What's Dreamstime_xs_40781191your secret?"

    I thanked her for that delightful compliment, of course. Right then I couldn't come up with anything better than a glib "Well, I guess I have a lot to smile about." 

    Later on an incident from years ago popped into my head and suddenly I knew the answer to that question.

    It sounds strange, but sometimes big truth comes from unlikely sources.

    On that ordinary, life-changing day I was so completely focused on my list I didn't really look at the other shoppers milling around me

    That is, not until one of them stopped me by tapping me on the shoulder. The tiny elderly lady looked concerned as she said, "'Excuse me, Honey, but you look so sad I had to stop. Is there anything I can do for you?"

    Sad? Me? Baffled, I said something like, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but what do you mean?"

    "Well, judging by the expression on your face, I figure you must be dealing with something really heavy. I'm so sorry! Just wanted to tell you things hardly ever are as bad as they seem. So cheer up, Dearie, and never, ever  give up hope!" 

    With that she smiled again, then patted my shoulder and scurried away.   

    I stood there speechless

    All I could think was, what on earth was she talking about?

    A few steps later I ran into my reflection on a mirrored pillar near me and took a hard look. I did look, well, grim. As much as I hated to admit it to myself that little lady wasn't exaggerating.

    I heard her words in my mind for days. So did the question that refused to be stilled: What do I communicate to others around me?

    Always before I thought of myself as a happy person. Now I couldn't escape the obvious: That's probably not the message the people around me picked up. 

    What could I do? 

    I decided to start with the way I deliberately set my lips, even when I was alone.  

    Just as importantly I would pay attention to the words coming out of my mouth. 

    Now I had a plan. From that moment on I would 

    • wear a happy expression
    • look for the good and
    • speak encouragement.

    I soon decided that wouldn't matter unless I lived it. If I wanted this to become a habit, my new behavior had to be all day, every day.

    So I paid careful attention to the expression I wore. To my surprise, before long I didn't need to remind myself so often.  

    I also concentrated on looking for and speaking the good. Soon that became more routine, too–but I still have to watch myself.

    Always, always it's easier to sink into a down mood than to stay in an up mood.

    Nothing changed, but everything changed

    Before long I realized I was more fun to be around, even for myself. My same old, same old life felt happier, too.

    Could it be this simple?

    All I know is that old song holds some real meaning:  

    "Put on a happy face…and you will be happy, too." 

    It's not the whole truth, for sure, but it's a beginning. 

    Like that tiresome saying, you can't journey a thousand miles if you never take that first step.

    Looking for Bible backup?

    For me, "thinking good thoughts" won't keep me going for long. Here's one specific verse that speaks to the subject. 

    A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.  –Proverbs 15:

    There's more, of course. Whatever our situation, we Christians always have reason to smile. 

    For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  -John 3:16

    But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  -Romans 5:8

    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.  -Romans 15:13

    With love and prayers,
    Lenore

    Found! A Simple Way to Improve Your Mood

  • Some often-told stories speak to every one of us. Like this one:

    Picture the new teacher who comes into Blog. teacher with student. 3.6.11 imagesCAY9N1M8 a new classroom. Truth is, even veteran teachers each year come into the unknown. Each one faces a sea of eager (or bored) students, mostly strangers to them. 

    Suppose the new teacher, for whatever reason, believes students assigned to his or her classroom are super-bright. What a privilege it will be to teach these high-achievers and give them the kind of instruction they deserve! 

    Those kids respond and blossom and turn in exceptionally good work. Teacher is happy and students are happy.

    Peace reigns, day after day. 

    Near the end of the school year this teacher discovers the truth 

    These kids were not "gifted." Just the opposite. Everyone from the principal on down considered them to be chronic behavior problems. "Somehow" they all ended up with the new teacher.  

    Long-time teachers secretly rejoiced that somebody else got stuck with these "troubled learners." They knew how these kids struggled in class and got sent to the principal's office on a regular basis. Every teacher and faculty member who tried to help ended up frustrated. None would admit it out loud, but these kids simply were being moved on through the system.

    Small wonder the old guard laughed when the newbie teacher treated these youngsters as if they were high-achievers. After awhile they stopped being amused. Wonder of wonders, those "loser" students began to live up to their teacher's expectations–and then some.

    In real life it never works out this neatly, of course.

    But what if it could? What if it did?

    Perhaps we need to take a fresh look at the people in our lives. Our spouses. Our children. Our friends and extended families. The people we work with and interact with in our everyday activities.

    Have we fitted them neatly into a box because we "know" their capabilities or lack of same?

    Have we given them labels based on the past instead of on who they are today?

    It's disturbingly easy to get stuck in what they–and we–used to be. It helps to pretend you've just met and ask yourself, "Who is this person?"

    You may be surprised at what you find.

    Sometimes we do the same thing with ourselves

    Every now and then it's good to ask ourselves, Who am I today?  

    If that sounds like a strange thing to do, just pause and think how often you say, "I never," or, "I always."

    Maybe that phrase once was true, but is it an accurate description today?

    Probably more than we realize, what we expect is what will happen, over and over–with others and with ourselves.

    We all know the saying, "What you see is what you get."

    The truth of those words apply in so many areas of living, especially in our relationships. People tend to live up to our expectations. So do you and I in our self-appraisal of who we are and what we can do. 

    The Apostle Paul tells us how to get a new outlook on ourselves and on other people–in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and in Ephesians 4:32:

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

    Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you.

    That's the Good News of the Christian faith if we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. That's true no matter how many times we failed. It's not about how great we are or all we've been able to accomplish. HE is the one who makes us new. All we need to do is believe this is true.

    Our outlook on other people changes, too. We're able to stop thinking they should live up to how we view them. Because of these same promises we can let go of old hurts and expectations. 

    As usual, it starts with the eyes of our heart and how we choose to see others and ourselves. Here's to looking–and seeing–with new eyes.

    Still learning, too,

    Lenore

    Keep Your Eyes Open Or You Might Miss What Matters Most

  • No matter who we are, whatever our age or life situation, the unpredictability of life can get us down. 

    Blog. Thoughful woman. 5.20The truth is that sometimes life is hard.

    That's true even for those of us who are Christians. I am and I trust God's many promises to be with us and to be our strength. Perhaps you do, too.

    When trouble comes knocking we cling to these Bible promises as a drowning person to a lifeline. We long to take God at his word and yet … sometimes we feel very alone and headed for disaster.

    Our desire is to be strong and immovable but we feel tossed around like driftwood.

    That's the time to turn to God's promises in the Bible. For example, one that's cherished by many believers is God's promise to the Israelites after they had been exiled in Babylon. It's from Jeremiah, Chapter 29:11 (NLT):

    "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

    To find our footing, grab onto these truths and refuse to let go

    Life often feels like too much to handle on our own. That's when it helps so much to share the load with our best Friend, Jesus, and turn over our fears and doubts to him. Prayer is nothing more than talking to him as we would to a friend we can trust.

    It's good to remind ourselves that all through life our attitude–our mindset–determines how we react and how we deal with whatever life hands out.

    It's exactly as the writer of Proverbs said in 23:7a:

    As he thinks in his heart, so is he.  –NKJV

    This verse applies to every one of us: As we think in our minds, so we are. When we truly absorb that into our minds and hearts it's not long before we become more aware of how consistently that principle works. 

    Is this easy to do? No. We first need to set aside our "logical thinking" and acquired theories and be ready to trust as simply as small children do. Only then will we be ready to put our hand into our loving Heavenly Father's hand and walk in faith.

    It's often helpful to make lists and write down what we know is true with a pen and paper. There's something about the act of writing our thoughts down on paper that helps us clarify patterns and shows us when we're chasing our tail rather than getting closer to finding answers.

    The bottom line: How we react to what comes can strengthen us in our struggles or ramp up our fears.  

    No one can take away our power to choose how we think

    That's been true from the beginning because God creates only one-of-a-kind human beings. No one else makes us think a certain way. That freedom belongs to each of us alone.

    Chuck Swindoll, well-known Christian pastor and writer, wrote a lot about attitude in one of his most-loved books, Strengthening Your Grip.

    Here are some quotes–and paraphrases–taken from that book:

    The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past. More important than education."

    More important than how much money we have–or don't have.

    More important than failures or successes.

    More important than what other people think or say or do.

    It is more important than our age or the state of our health.

    Attitude will make or break a company. A church. A marriage. A family.

    I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. 

    Every day we choose the outlook we will put on for the day

    Chuck's conclusions are true for you and me. Every day of our lives we choose our attitude and then our attitudes rule our lives.

    Our perspective on any situation rules how we think about it. 

    If you doubt that, consider a common "for instance" like this. Picture yourself dragging around and feeling depressed–and maybe not knowing why. Then comes an unexpected phone call, a text or an email that lifts your heart. In an instant your gloom and sadness turn into smiles.

    Often nothing has changed except the way we look at our life. 

    Putting it into practice day by day

    Over the years I've learned that what I say to myself just after I wake up makes a difference all day long. Those first thoughts set the tone for my waking hours. 

    During those waking-up moments I often take a mental inventory. I can say to myself, Oh, I wish I could stay in bed all day! I am not looking forward to the same old, same old of my life. I need a break! 

    Or I can think, This is the day the Lord has given me as a gift. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

    Thanking God for being able to breathe and walk and talk doesn't take away any aches or morning stiffness I might experience. What it does is shift my perspective just a little bit. It reminds me that every day of my life is God's gift and in Him I live and move and have my being. (Acts 17:28) 

    This slight twist to how I start off my day shifts my thoughts to a more positive track and makes the whole day better.  

    Moment-by-moment, we choose where we park our minds

    I don't know about you, but this is the lesson I seem to need to relearn, over and over.

    As I think in my heart, so I am–and so is my life.

    Here's to all of us being teachable. All. Our. Days.

    Lenore

    Is it time to do an attitude adjustment?

  • It's the time of year when flags and fireworks and patriotic songs remind us we live in a free country. 

    It's a good time to ask: How about you and me? Are we living free?Blog. Boy w. flag. 7.18

    Each of us will answer that question differently. 

    And real freedom has very little to do with the circumstances of our lives. Keep that in mind as you read these words from a man diagnosed with cancer:  

        "I'm a forward-looking person but also a living-in-the-moment     person So I wake up every day expecting to have a good day. It     may sound trite … but life as you get older is about 20 percent of     what happens to you and about 80 percent how you react to it."                                                                                   –Nick Charles

    You've probably heard that sort of thing said before. I have, too, but never with more power. 

    Nick Charles said it when he was close to death–and knew it

    Whether he was a Christian I don't know, but he spoke truth that applies to every one of us:

    How we react to what happens to us determines our lives.

    It's like that old advertising slogan: "It's what inside that counts." How we react and respond flows out of what's inside us, in the core of our being. 

    I confess it took me way too long to really grasp this truth, but I gained a new understanding when I read an old book, Man's Search for Meaning, by the late Viktor Frankl, M.D., Ph.D.

    Before World War II, Frankl, his wife and his parents lived the good life in Vienna, Austria. Then the Nazis invaded and like almost six million other Jews, they were sent to a Nazi concentration camp and immediately separated.

    Viktor Frankl never saw any of them again

    Right away the Nazis took away everyone he loved and all Frankl's possessions, even his wedding ring. At losing that precious reminder of his "before" life, he thought for awhile he could not go on.

    Then as if a light bulb went on in his mind (a gift he later felt came from God) a great truth became clear to him and from that moment on, Viktor Frankl knew he would survive Auschwitz.  

    Although he remained a prisoner, Frankl realized that no matter how the cruel guards mistreated him, only he possessed–and would possess as long as he breathed–the power to control his thoughts.  

    He summed it up in this statement 

    "Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."    

    Viktor Frankl in a death camp. Nick Charles close to death from cancer. Both of them very much in crisis mode, yet both expressed the same point:

    We cannot control everything in our lives, but we do control what we think about it.

    What we think about the circumstances of our lives dictates how we respond to what comes our way and to the people in our lives.

    Knowing that gave them new courage to face what came next.

    As usual, the Bible said it first 

    For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he ….   Proverbs 23:7  KJV

    You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.    Isaiah 26:3  ESV

    For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.       2 Timothy 1:7  ESV       

    Reread those verses and think what God gives to each believer to empower them to live fully and live free. 

    It's a bit sobering to realize what that means

    It takes just three words to sum up this principle: It's our choice. 

    WE hang the labels on what happens to us.

    WE choose to park our minds in a lousy place or in a good place.

    WE decide how we will respond to what comes into our lives and to the people in our lives.

    It doesn't matter whether we are young or old, rich or poor, in or out of crisis. Once we know this and really believe it is true, it can change our life.

    As Viktor Frankl put it, it's the one freedom no one can take from us. It's the way each of us can "live free," unhampered by the idea that we are prisoners of circumstance.

    And for those of us blessed to be living in the Land of the Free it's like the icing on the cake.

    May God bless America, our beloved Country, now and in the future!

    Praying, always,

    Lenore

    You can find real freedom in any situation

  • Perhaps the better question is, "How are you treating life?"

    That is, what label do we paste on our days?

    Blog. pensive%20woman%20resized. 7.23.10We seldom realize that's what we're doing, but it's true–and it becomes a habit.

    A bad habit, because it gets easier and easier to fixate on what's "wrong" and subsequently miss what's right. (Or am I the only one who ever does that?)

    This colors how we look at everything, maybe most of all, the people in our lives.

    Finding fault and complaining starts early. Think how siblings squabble and wail, "It's my turn." 

    Nobody has to teach kids that annoying practice. Isn't it odd how that kind of attitude seems to lurk within each of us? 

    The angst of the younger generation ramps up in the teenage years, with endless complaints to parents: "You always …" or "You never … "

    During those years children and teens could not fathom the internal struggles a mother or father feels. All along they live with uncertainty, nobody ever certain they are "doing it right."

    Labeling saves time

    Think about it. Once we label a person we don't have to think. We just plug in what we always "knew" about them–or thought we did.

    Those old impressions lodge in our minds and too often we won't let go. It's more comfortable to hang onto old thinking than to take a fresh look. At ourselves.

    This same pitfall dogs married couples. The person we fell in love with and married turns out to have a few faults. Yet that's the one who stays and keeps on loving us through all the highs and lows, the good times and the hard times–which happen to everyone, by the way.

    Even those we judge to "have it all together."

    Cause for celebration  

    If we're honest, at times any one of us is not that easy to live with–even in a strong marriage. True?

    But do we celebrate? Nope. More often we nag and nit-pick about small habits that bug us. We whine that we don't feel appreciated for who we are and how much we give and we are the ones who deserve to be celebrated. 

    (How do I know this? Do you need to ask?)

    We may exhibit selective sight with our adult children, as well. We focus on all the ways they need to change but remain blind to their strengths and good points. As for praise, forget about it, because we know they could do better. 

    Often our Inner Critic carries that over into all of life  

    We pick out things we wish were different and easily ignore what's good. We look "over there" for happiness and forget to look at what and who is right there in front of us.

    Most of all we forget to look within ourselves.

    Too often I would have to plead guilty. How about you?

    But hey, old habits are hard to break. Right?

    Time for a change

    I've never forgotten one sermon that jolted me out of that rut.

    Our pastor had the ushers hand out index cards and told us that he had found a short formula to be helpful in his life because it opened the eyes of his heart. That Sunday he decided to pass it on to us.

    He suggested an experiment. Starting that day each of us was to promise ourselves to make this our personal practice. No questions would be asked. No reports of progress or lack thereof. This was to be personal.

    His "formula" stuck in my memory because it's uncomplicated and short. I wrote it on an index card and taped it to my bathroom mirror as a reminder.

    Did it bless my life? Yes it did, although I confess sometimes I slipped up often and some days didn't remember to try. 

    Here's the simple formula:

    1.  Leave the past at the cross of Jesus Christ, once and for all.

    2.  See the good.

    3.  Speak the good.

    4. Ask God to develop this attitude within me.

    U-turn required

    Whatever the date and time or stage of life we're in right now, it's worth giving it a fair trial, don't you think? 

    According to the news and the "experts" it sounds as if everything is up for grabs. Some of us feel we're floundering and just hanging on from day to day.

    This simple formula sorts out what matters most in making a good life. It reveals the emptiness of the flotsam we're flooded with every day, on every side. It reminds us to stay on track by fixing our attention on what we as individuals can control.

    This list serves us in the same way a level serves a carpenter: It helps us stay balanced, today and in the future.

    You and I cannot change the world, but we change our world

    Living by that pastor's formula takes us a long way toward that goal.

    For specifics, many people hold up the Proverbs 31 woman as an example of how we should live. I believe most of those principles apply to both sexes in a general way. 

    If the criteria in that chapter sound too daunting, focus on verse 26 for starters. 

    She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

    Doesn't that make a worthy checklist for both women and men?  

    It's not hard to see how speaking kindness and appreciation would add life and light to our lives–and the lives of our spouse, our children and the people around us. This is doable for any of us. 

    Whatever our age or life situation, one truth applies to every one of us: 

    God gives us life. It's up to us how we live it.

    Here's to being good learners,

    Lenore

    A question only you can answer: How is Life Treating You?

  • It's a line we hear a lot, especially on talk shows and newscasts, "He/she never really had a chance."

    Oh, yeah?Blog. Anthony Robles 2 . 3.21.11 imagesCAP4NL6U

    Meet Anthony Robles, a senior at Arizona State. In March, 2011, he captured the PAC 10 NCAA Wrestling Championship in the 125 lb. class. This came after a season in which he scored 36 wins and 0 losses. 

    Imagine the shock his 16-year old mother felt as she gazed at her son for the first time. Their problems looked to be insurmountable. 

    Not necessarily.

    "My mom always told me when I was younger that God made me this way for a reason and I didn't understand what that meant," Anthony says.

    He told one interviewer he can't remember ever feeling sorry for himself. His mother and stepfather raised him to believe he could do anything he set his mind to.

    "I grew up thinking that way. I didn't think of my condition as something that could hold me back. I just thought this is how God made me and I'm going to make the best of it . . . . "

    So seven-year old Anthony decided it took too long to put on his prosthesis and abandoned it for crutches. Nobody thought he could do it, but he rode a bike at age five and later played football. A few years ago in the fall he covered the ASU one-mile track in ten minutes. By spring he did it in eight. Regulars got used to seeing Anthony lifting weights, "running" mile-after-mile on the track and climbing the Stadium stairs as part of his training. He even climbed rocky Squaw Peak with his team, making it to the top in half an hour.

    "My parents raised me to believe there was nothing I couldn't do," he says.

    Coach Thom Ortiz says Anthony never asked for nor expected any special treatment. That reflects his mother's attitude. She told an interviewer. "He is a blessing. Don't treat him like he's something, but don't treat him like he's nothing, either. Just treat him like Anthony."

    After college he plans a speaking career. This young man won't need any visual aids, because he is one. He has a powerful message about living with challenges. "It doesn't have to be a missing leg. You could have any obstacle in your life . . . Don't stay concerned with the negatives–what can hold me back, what my disadvantages are. I stay focused on the positive thing–what I have, what I can do."

    Judy Robles fascinates me as much as her son. What enabled her to stay instead of walking away from her one-legged son? What kept her from becoming an alcoholic or getting strung out on drugs? Where did she find the strength to go on as she watched her little boy struggle and fall down, again and again?

    She could have handled it by saying, "Oh, you poor thing. Here, let Mommy do that for you." Instead, she taught Anthony that God made him the way he is for a reason and if he set his mind to it, he could do anything.

    Two kinds of mother love. Two kinds of motivation.

    Since we know Judy Robles is a Christian, it seems reasonable to think she depended on God and on Bible verses like this for comfort and to keep her going.

    I can do everything through him who gives who gives me strength.                                                                                –Philippians 4:8

    You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book 

                                                                                  –Psalm 56:8 (New Living Translation)

    So what do you think, does faith in God make a difference in how we face obstacles?

    You tell me. 

    Lovingly,

    Lenore

    Note: Quotes come from the numerous newspaper and magazine articles I found when I Googled "Anthony Robles."

    Does faith in God make a difference when we face obstacles?

  • How do you see the glass of your life? Is it half-full or half-empty?                                   Blog. glass_of_water half full. 1.23

    Every day of our lives, we choose. 

    We can focus on what have or on what we lack. Give thanks for what is or wail about what is not.

    Truth is, we decide what kind of life we're living.

    That makes no sense, especially in the middle of a hard time, right?

    Wrong. It makes perfect sense. Why make a bad situation worse by holding a never-ending pity party?

    I know a woman who as a teenage girl heard her doctor announce, "You have Muscular Dystrophy. I'm sorry, but there is no treatment and there is no cure."

    That was more than forty years ago. Since that dark day "Mary" has experienced the progressive weakening of her body. She and one of our daughters have been friends since both were in their twenties. Whenever I go to visit that daughter I also see Mary and I've observed the progression of her M. D. At this point she astounds her doctors just by being alive. In order to remain in her home she depends absolutely on the help of caregivers, family and friends.

    They all love her. So do the paramedics who sometimes rush her to the hospital, as well as her doctors and nurses.

    Why wouldn't they? Mary accepts the facts of her life without bemoaning her fate. Her smile is as wide as a house and her sense of humor never fails. Through it all, she maintains her feisty spirit and exudes life.

    I never heard Mary complain. Her faith in a loving God remains strong and her eyes reveal the peace within her.

    Mary spends her days in a motorized wheelchair and accepts various physical indignities calmly. Does she ever give in to frustration? Of course. She's no plaster saint. Does she take it out on caregivers and people who love her? Not by all accounts. Despair may come knocking, but if so, she apparently refuses to answer the door.

    Her horizons broadened some years ago when friends installed a user-friendly E-mail program she could manage. She promptly became an E-mail champ, exchanging messages with people all over the country. Since she had unlimited time, she became the go-to person for Google research.

    When holding books and newspapers on her own became impossible TV viewing seemed the only way to fill her days. Kindle changed all that. Once again the wider world opened up to her. Mary quickly became the authority on which new book(s) to read.

    This past year her increasing weakness threatened to cut all this short. Then came the I-Pad. Now once someone places a stylus in each of her hands she can E-mail, watch movies or read a wide assortment of books, plus several newspapers.

    Nevertheless, most of us would consider her glass half-empty. 

    Not Mary. She focuses on the fullness of her life, the gift of modern technology and on friends and family who take her places and treat her with love. Mary would say she knows a blessing when she sees one.

    Each of us deals with our own set of challenges and our own testings every day. Yet the question for us is the same as for Mary: How will we choose to perceive our lives?

    One thing more. Mary calls on God to get her through her days. We can, too.

    God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble . . . I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

    –Psalm 46:1; Philippians 4:13

    What do you think? Comments, please.

    Here's to having eyes that see the fullness in our lives,

    Lenore


    Half-full or half-empty?

  • Once in awhile we all need a word to lift our hearts. Maybe we get stuck in the past…all the times we coulda', shoulda', woulda', but didn't. Maybe we feel overwhelmed with the present. And then there's the future, full of "what ifs?"

    Take heart. Others have been here before us–and lived through it. Sometimes it's good to hear from them…

     

    The Good Old Days were neither better nor worse than the ones we're living through right now.  

    —Artie Shaw

    One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magic rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.      –Dale Carnegie

     

    Two men looked out through prison bars, One saw mud, the other saw stars.

     

    When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider:

    God has made the one as well as the other.   

      

    Ecclesiastes 7:14

     

    God has been so good to me! He never left me alone for a minute. 

    –My grandmother at age 99

     

    Jesus, please teach me to appreciate what I have

    before time forces me to appreciate what I had.

    –Susan L. Lenzkes

     

    This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  

    –Psalm 118:24

     

    Here's to making this day–and every day–a good day!

    Blessings,

    Lenore

     

    Past, present, future…What do we do with it?