For this day...

For this day, I pray for peace and contentment.

For this day, I pray for love and comfort.

For this day, I pray for health and prosperity.

For this day, I pray for joy and laughter.

For this day, I pray for family and friends.

For this day, I pray for satisfaction in a job well done.

For this day, I pray.

Amen

Challenges

I have a gentleman who is a dear friend, who posts a question of the day on Facebook everyday. These questions are always thought provoking and challenging. He asks questions that make us really stop and think. Questions that make us look deep inside to find the answers. Through his questions, he is guiding each of us on a quest to make the best of our lives, No Matter What!

We are not only learning what makes each other tick, but what makes ourselves tick. I have learned more about myself and my beliefs through these morning sessions than I have on anything else I have ever studied.

One thing I have found is a sheer joy in challenging myself to really think about the questions and to be honest with myself, no matter what others may think.

It has been a mind-opening experience. I have started looking for ways to challenge myself...to be a better person, a more open person....to strive harder to reach my goals...to become passionate about every facet of my life. We do not have these sessions on the weekend and I miss them so much that I have started asking myself difficult questions to challenge me on the weekend.

Through these sessions, I feel like I have become a better person, developed a more open mindset and learned to look at my struggles as obstacles to overcome and conquer and not as stumbling blocks.

So I urge each of you to face the roadblocks in your life and dig deep inside to challenge your inner self to find a way to conquer the obstacles. I recommend you read his book, No Matter What!

Getting Organized

I don't know what it is about fresh air and warmer temperatures that makes us want to do some spring cleaning. When I went to my daughter's house Sunday, she had spent Saturday evening organizing closets. She had cleaned, tossed, thrown out, moved around, and boxed up until I was afraid to touch anything for fear of messing it up. Yesterday, with such a beautiful day, I could see why her mind would turn to spring cleaning in January. I have this one room that is our multi-purpose room. It serves as my home office, a library, my craft room and a family room with a sofa bed to make it a guest room when family comes to visit. The closet is very neat, very organized and very full. Every January, I get in my craft mode and want to start new projects. One thing I'm ready to do is my Camp Grandma scrapbook. I've been pulling my pictures all to one place so I can take them to Walmart to print. When I started looking into my craft drawers and containers, I realized that as I purchased the materials for the scrapbook, I have placed various things in different places. I guess I'll have to take a page from my daughters book and get organized first. How many projects do we each have laying around that are half finished because we didn't take the time to get organized first? How many things do we start only to decide, "Think I'll finish this later.". Sometimes we get overwhelmed when we get too much going on and then we don't get anything done. I have a habit of getting so excited about the finished project that I lose patience with the details that get me there. So I'm going to take the scrapbook in baby steps. I'll worry about getting my pictures printed first, then take it from there. Guess it's a good thing she organized her closets and got me motivated to bring some organization to my life.

The View

How do you view the obstacles in your life? Do you see them as challenges to overcome or do you see them as problems that lie in your path. Do you see them as something that is holding you back, a stumbling block to your success? Or are they simply one more achievement that you can say, "I did it!" when you have reached your goal. It's all about perception. Your view on what lies ahead can determine the road you take and can cause you to succeed or to fail. It's the old "glass half full or half empty". Your view of a situation can cause you to take the bull by the horns and plunge ahead, take that leap of faith that will get you the results you want. Or you can be so intimidated by the thought of tackling the situation that you bring about your own failure. What is the view from your window? How will you face the storms that come your way? Faith plays an important part in my life. I know that is why I can face things with such a positive mental attitude. It may be presumptuous of me, but when I need God's help, I just assume I'll get it. I guess that is what faith is all about. He may not answer how I want it answered, He may not give me the answer in the time I want it, but I know that He will lead me down the path he wants me to go. The grass is sometimes greener on the other side, but if you allow God to lead you and guide you in the path He wants you to take, YOUR yard can be the one with the green grass.

If I could just touch the hem of His garment

Have you ever had an issue you are dealing with and don't know which way to turn? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you weren't sure what steps to take. How many times in our lives do we face uncertainty, whether it be a personal situation, a health problem, concerns about family or friends, the loss of a loved one. The obstacles we face in our daily lives are many and sometimes they seem like they are insurmountable. You don't know which way to turn or what to do.

As Christians, we profess our faith and talk about God's goodness and grace. But how do we react when we are put to the test? Do we stand strong, firmly holding on to God's unchanging hand? Or do we fall apart with stress and worry. I've heard it said so many times, "Let go and let God." But do we heed this advice.

No, we struggle and worry. We contemplate the situation and try to come up with our own answers. We need to be more like the woman with the issue of blood. She had such great faith that she believed if she could just touch the hem of Jesus's garment, she would be healed. Such a short story in the bible, such a large lesson in faith. She did not worry about what she should do. She didn't contemplate the alternatives and look for her own solution. She KNEW that one touch of our precious Savior would heal her affliction and make us whole. With all the people crowded around and all the commotion going on, she took that one step of faith. She reached down and touched His robe. With all the distractions, one would think He wouldn't even know she was there. But he immediately said, "Who touched me?" That one simple act changed her life. Her faith made her whole.

As we go into this new year, I pray that God will bring this story to my mind many times. I want to develop a faith so strong that no matter what I face, I know I just have to touch the hem of His garment and He will provide a way.

God is great, God is good

God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. How basic, how simple, how forgotten. I don't know about you, but I feel like my God is always there to listen to my small requests, my simple thanks. It doesn't take words of granduer, eloguently spoken in a crisp, beautiful voice. It just takes a little child-like belief and a little thank you to have him help in your daily lives. My favorite bible verse will always be, Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." It doesn't get any simpler than that. May He watch over you and bless you today and always.

Make mine motivational

Coffee, espresso, lattes. They are all the rage. Everyone is drinking Red Bull and Shotz Energy. At any given coffee house or restaurant, you will hear "Make mine black" "Cream and sugar please" "A vanilla cafe latte, please." Everyone is wanting that daily boost, that spurt of adrenaline to get them going. That extra "oomph" to make it through the day. Never having been a coffee drinker and staying clear of caffiene, I'm not sure what the hype is all about. Personally, I would rather read something inspirational or talk to people who are high on life to get my day going. Or simply look at a lovely photo. This is one I took yesterday when the sun came out. It is standing in my yard looking up the road.

I love starting my day with a positive attitude and a reflection on how good life is. Billy Graham said it best, “I can tell you that God is alive because I talked to him this morning.”

What a much better way to start the day!