Wishing you an abundance of Joy.....

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."-Eph.4:1-2NIV

"Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later."-Ecc.11:1NLT

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."-Matt.5:9KJV

"The fountain of beauty is the heart, and every generous thought illustrates the walls of your chamber."-Francis Quarles

"The surest way to be happy, is to seek happiness for others."-M.L.K. Jr.

"Try to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three-thousand-six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."-Sydney Smith

"She has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much."-Bessie Anderson Stanley

If we ourselves strive to be happy...what is our happiness worth in a miserable world? How can you enjoy life if everything/everyone around you is miserable? You can't. God did not intend for us to be selfish, even with joy. We must seek happiness for others, if for no other reason than to be free to enjoy our own happiness. Help someone else feel happy. Not just today, but every day. Make it a point to brighten someone else's day and you can be sure that your own level of happiness will increase dramatically. We are not in this world alone, so it is not enough for us to simply focus on ourselves and our own happiness. To improve the world, you must help others to grow and be happy as well. Acknowledge the importance of others just as you want your own importance to be acknowledged. Pour out love abundantly and you will never be without it.

God Bless and Be a Blessing to Others:)

NO FEAR.....

"Fear not: for I am with thee:"-Isaiah43:5a

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid...."-Psalm56:3-4NIV

"What has fear ever accomplished?? Only one thing...and that is...a lack of accomplishment."-Angelface

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand."-Isaiah41:10

"Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced for you will not be put to shame;"-Isaiah54:4a

Fear...such a small, yet powerful word. It is the reason for so many things undone, the culprit behind so many walls put up, both literally and figuratively. If only we could understand and believe that fear is the only true thing worth fearing. We are children of God, what is there that we won't get beyond? What is there that we can not endure? NOTHING. We are conquerors! Everywhere we go, every obstacle that we face, God says, "Fear not: for I am with thee:" Fear stops us from achieving our goals. It convinces us were are not good enough. It stops us from being adventurous, it prevents us from taking a chance, it prevents us from loving fully, it prevents us from letting people get "too close", it prevents us from being ourselves boldly, it prevents some even from getting to know the Lord. Fear can take away laughter and joy,...that natural, free medicine of life... Why would we let something take away our ability to laugh?? Fear can rob us of appreciation. We can be so worried about tomorrow that we fail to appreciate today...the now, the here, the moment. Fear can make us go through traumatic experiences over and over again....long before anything traumatic ever even happens in reality. We'll be so busy being fearful of it happening, that we go through all the emotions anyway! Some animals won't even attack unless they sense your fear. It's how they determine who's weak. The devil plays off of our fears...it's his tool to break us down and try to separate us from God. Evil rulers control with fear; the second that fear is broken...they lose all control, their kingdoms crumble...because fear is not a true foundation. Fear is an illusion. Fear is simply ignorance. There is nothing of this World to be feared. We are only to fear the Lord, and he is not of this World. Today, release your fears. They keep you in bondage. Why be a prisoner when God has set you free from bondage? Trust in God, trust in his plan. Realize that your fear is not going to make or break his plan anyway. You have no control over what is going to happen, or what isn't going to happen...so just LIVE. LOVE. DO. Be wise in all things, not foolish. But realize that knowledge and caution are so very different from fear. Make a list of at least 5 things that fear has stopped you from doing, and before the year is out...do them all. You'll see that it wasn't so bad after all. Live a fear-free life and live it to the fullest, all actions pleasing God. Faith pleases God, because it shows that you trust him and you love him. "There is not fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."-I John4:18

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing to Others:)

Recognize Beauty

"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."-Numbers6:24-26KJV

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."-john Lubbock

"Life is a splendid gift-there is nothing small about it."-Florence Nightingale.

It's good to get things accomplished and to be on the move, but sometimes it's so much better to just sit back, relax, and take in the beauty that God has provided. There are so many beautiful things all around us: The sky, the clouds, the birds, the trees, flowers, the grass, even the rain when it comes and those beautiful strikes of lightening...lighting up the whole sky!! Doesn't it make you feel good inside, when you recognize beauty? "The beauty seen is partly in him who sees it."-Christian Bovee. I love the days that I can see beauty and when I have the time to appreciate it!:) Today, look around you, take it all in; use all of your senses to enjoy the artwork that God has crafted for you!!:)

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever!"-Mahatma Gandhi

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing to Others:)