Successful thinking

"This is just my bad day."
::what my precious 3 year old says if things aren't going her way::

That was yesterday. Hubs & I were having lots of deep conversations about different things, mostly about me & how he perceives that I respond to stressful situations and people that rub me the wrong way. One of these such people is a family member. We discussed boundary setting, which hubs doesn't seem to get. "Just let it roll off your back," he'd say. Um, yeah. Not so easy. I was just in a bad place mentally......fast forward a few hours to a conversation with world's-best-sister-in-law {sorry if you think YOURS is the best}. She was sharing something that her pastor had taught her:

It all starts with your thoughts. Then your feelings come from those thoughts, then your actions will come from those feelings.

I think that's why God tells us to:

...pray for those who persecute you...
{Matthew 5:44}

Because once you really pray for those people, then you will feel differently about them and then, as a result, act differently towards them. So I am changing my thinking. When I am feeling annoyed or some other negative emotion, I will tell myself that "this person needs Jesus" or "God loves this person" or "we are all sinners". Hopefully that new thought will trickle down into my feelings & actions. So I will be working on thinking my way to success.

I'd love to hear some encouraging words or to know if this will change how you think too.

One.

When the calendar turns over, we start thinking about what we can do differently. Or what we need to do. Period. I usually lean towards more open-ended resolutions that allow me to consider them complete, as long as progress was made. For several years, my resolution was simply to not put undue burden on the family budget. So to consider that a success, I could clip coupons, shop at thrift stores, find ways to earn extra money, go without, look for sales, reuse and so on. This year, however, I am straying from my past tendency and chose something much more finite.

I have just one resolution for 2010: to finish my Hope devotional. 

Oh, there are other things I hope to accomplish. Getting my recipes and my basement in order for starters. But I don't think any one thing can really impact my life as much as spending more time in God's Word. I heard a sermon recently that said if we place our time with God in a position of high priority in our lives, that will activate all the other areas in which we need help (or blessing)! The filling up of my spiritual cup will overflow into the rest of my life.

At least, I hope it will.

I have 35 weeks left of devotions in the Hope book. Each day there are additional Scripture readings as well. I have also been memorizing Scripture to build my reservoir. Even plugging along without missing a day will take me through 3/4 of the year. I'm not going to be legalistic about my schedule or beat myself up about skipping a day, but I am going to just try to stay focused.

So, I'm keeping it simple by just making one single resolution. I think it's the most important one I could make.

Got goals?

He listens!

I had a rough couple of days last week. Hubby and I were both feeling down about our work situation and it's just no good when we're both feeling that way at the same time! I attended my Tuesday night Beth Moore Bible study, where she said in the video:

You'll never have anything more contagious than your joy.

It stopped me dead in my tracks. I felt, at the moment, that surely no one would be "catching" anything from me because I really felt less than joyful. I cried nearly the whole way home feeling like God is not listening to me. {Notice all the "feeling" I was doing. Certainly not thinking my way to success!} I cry out to Him & wonder if He hears me up there. I just kept saying, "He's not listening. He's NOT listening."

Wednesday comes & Hubs goes to do some truck driving practice. As he finishes up, he pops into the trucking office and lo-and-behold, there was some work that came up that he could do! He hopped back into that truck lickety-split! And when he called to tell me, I was...dumbfounded? I don't even know the feeling word to describe it. All I could do was imagine the look on God's face {compassionate & satisfied} for sending the message to me that He does indeed hear my prayers AND answers them.

And then on Thursday, during my quiet time, to further solidify the message I needed to hear, He sent me this verse:

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (Jer. 29:12)

He WILL listen to me. He DOES hear me. I just broke down in tears being reminded of that fact. {Besides, at that exact moment the song "Hope Now" starting playing on the radio!} It's fascinating to me because I've had Jer. 29:11 memorized for quite some time {"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord....} and had overlooked the verse(s) following. I am now clinging to that promise: He will listen to me!

And for whatever your need is today, my friend, He's listening....