I am … the more I sense YOUR presence. The more I HEAR others… I want
to LEARN things of VALUE… Teach me… I am LISTENING for your voice.
God give me grace to speak only useful stuff. Sometimes… The quieter
I am … the more I sense YOUR presence. The more I HEAR others… I want to LEARN things of VALUE… Teach me… I am LISTENING for your voice.
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Self Will verses Thy will. Hmmm....
When “I” try to run my life… Yikes…talk about a man made riot. However… When I “surrender” to Him and let “THY WILL-HIS WILL- BE DONE”…. It is a BEAUTIFUL THANG.... sweet liberty, freedom and Victory come to me... Self Will = Tension-Bondage= A lot of pressure. They Will= His Perfect Peace-Freedom = Serenity. Hey -Ever heard of the 12 STEPS? They are the steps introduced when one is ready to “recover”-from… really …anything you are hung up on. As I reflect on the 12 steps in “One day at a Time”… I see that they are TOTALLYYYY universal. You just fill in the blank-as to what YOUR hang up is. I personally came across this blue book w the 12 steps about a decade ago. I had bought it to give away as a gift to a dear friend and thennnnn I realized how much great insight was in it…soooo I kept it. (Of course I eventually bought her a copy as well)...Regardless THIS BOOK has been like a 2nd bible to me. WOW. Not “everything” applies to me – but the majority of the book sure speaks to my heart. I have found that if you follow these 12 steps below you find peace and sanity in your day to day and live in a RICHER state of mental health…. See if the steps below are something you could follow to live better… Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - (THIS could be food, shopping, gambling, smoking, drinking, eating, etc- you name your addiction) AND that our lives had become unmanageable Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God. (THY WILL BE DONE) Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (BE HONEST W YOURSELF) Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings. Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. (Yep – Daily inventory if you want to keep your sanity). Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out. Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts (with our same addiction), and to practice these principles in all our affairs. (OUR INSURANCE POLICY TO KEEP US SANE) THINK OF IT LIKE THIS…. If someone said to you …"Here is a medicine that can change your whole life for the better, it will put you in a state of relaxed serenity…. Help u overcome the nagging undercurrent of guilt for past errors, give you new insight into yourself and add value to your life…. ANDDDD let you meet your life's challenges w confidence and courage- Would you take it? Well… “One day at a time” prescribes the medicine above. No co-pay either…. How cool is THAT. Maybe this script above will work for you…. It sure has worked wonders in my life. Do not cling to your burdens today. … Sometimes I get ready to leave the house for work in the morning and I turn around and walk back into my bedroom and walk over to my nightstand and lift my bible up to my chest and take in a deep breath… I ask God to put alllll of the truth in that little holy book into my heart so I can be an instrument for Him… YEP- I inhale the bible… thennnn I do my best to exxxxhale all of the junk that I need to let go of…. Try it… It is a invigorating way to start the day. I am so corny that I almost like hug my bible too… I embrace it with my hands and arms – I am a hugger though –so that might not work for you. Laugh out loud…
Another thing I do w my bible is this… When something is heavy on mind (which is hardly ever) ... (a lil' sarcasm there) .... I walk over to my bible and lay my hand on it and smile and shake my head up and down… ha.. Kinda like an agreement – ya know? Like I am owning and standing on all of His promises. .. Anybody with me? His word is crystal clear that we are to not get all wound up in this world. Sooo… Go pick up your bible and find a verse you can just HANG ON to… Doctor Appt. coming up? Take your bible with you. Anxiety pressing in? Lift your bible up to your chest… and breath in the comfort of the truth. Don’t have a bible – call me. That is THE BEST gift you could ever give… me. J I am serious about that. No bible? Call Lori. We getcha one… Gotta run and go get my weekend on – Be well. As you recall I sent out the wellness blog "below" about the little engine that could. The engine basically talked himself into getting up over the hill by repeating the mantra - I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN. Do you remember he was pulling someone UP with him. (The stranded train)
Sooo let's take a look at that OTHER character in the story... -"THE STRANDED TRAIN"... I can identify w/ that character at times as well.. Kind of out of steam -sitting on the tracks - just whooped. When someone comes along and takes my hand and says... "Allow me to help you get going again".... "Allow me to SHOW You how you can refire up your pistons" ... and before I know it I am BACK AT IT - moving right along on the tracks -making some good timeeee and enjoying the journey. I can not stress enough how important this is (as leaders) - to keep filling up your employees, friends, and families fuel tanks. IF YOU see someone TODAY (LIKE THE STRANDED TRAIN) go over and help them get back up-Get moving - get some momentum back. Give em' some fuel (words of encouragement, a blessing, some motivation, buy em' lunch) Anything.... I always ask myself this... "Man... if that was me -stuck on the tracks- what would I need today? What would encourage me?" Now - the easy part.... go do it. Full steam ahead... We are in this together.... Your wellness conductor. PS- I AM NOT A FAILURE b/c I dont do it... I am a success b/c I tried... You are okay and on YOUR WAY. Remember the childhood story of the little engine that could…The
story of the little engine has been told and retold many times. The underlying theme though is the same — a stranded train is unable to find an engine willing to take it on over difficult terrain to its destination. Only the little blue engine is WILLING to TRY and, while repeating the mantra "I think I can, I think I can," overcomes a seemingly impossible task. Do you have a seemingly impossible task ahead? You running out of steam? Are YOU WILLING to TRY? Welll... Today I want to focus on the little blue engine… I think he was on to something... As the little blue engine neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it STILL KEPT SAYING, "I—think—I—can, I—think—I—can."(NEVER GIVING UP)… It reached the top by DRAWING ON BRAVERY and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could." … WE need to APPLY THIS simple mentality as we come up against OUR own hurdles… We gotta Pump ourselves up in the KNOWING WE CAN. THENNNN KEEP OURSELVES GOING and FUELED with the positive self talk… I have learned that no matter what I am up against I CAN TALK MYSELF right into or right out of succeeding or finishing well by what comes out of my mouth. As I grow ...up... I chose my words more wisely b/c they are like premium fuel to help me reach my ultimate destination… in which I KNOW I CAN May the words “I can’t” vanish from your vocabulary today…. ABANDON doubt and EMBRACE you some COURAGE. Remember … Jesus WAS and IS always calling us to courage.... 2 words. YOU CAN. I have this reminder taped to my front door at my home … It says...
WHAT IS POURING OUT OF ME? IS IT MY BEST? AM I WILLING TO POUR OUT ALL THAT I HAVE? WHAT AM I HOLDING BACK? It is a reminder to me each day me before I leave the house to ask myself those four questions before I enter into the different places in which I do life. As you start your day... let me ask you this… What is pouring out of you today? Is it your best? Are you WILLING to pour out ALL that you have? anddddddddd.... What are you holding back? Get your scotch tape out.... and plant yourself a reminder on your front door.... Maybe like me - you need a gentle reminder each day to be your BEST! Try it and see if it benefits your love walk and how you do life today…. GO GET YOUR GOODNESS ON! POUR OUT YOUR BEST! DON’T HOLD BACK! YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY – REMEMBER THAT! IN HIS GRIP ….LORI In Joshua 3:5 he told the people “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”
Isn’t it encouraging knowing men and women of faith have walked this road before us? They have so much teach us. Refocus your attention TODAY on the ONE who HAS walked before us and the ones who have been through something similar that you may be going through today. Learn from them, draw strength from them, cry with them laugh with them and most importantly heal with them. I will share w you that when I am faced w a challenge or trial… I look the people around me and pump myself up…often thinking “If she can do it … I can do it”…. I sure do… Yep…“If he got through that… I know I can”…It reinforces the “never give up” mentality and lets my tenacity and faith take over to chart the course ahead that provides God's divine intervention (which is many times through people-just like you and me)… I have seen time and time again how he uses others to help us go through similar circumstances until we find healing. Turn from your fear today and call upon someone who has went through what you are going through. If you admire the way they live their life…. Then call on them. Draw strength from the ones that have went before us… Lord is going to be doing wonders among us today and every day…I just know it... RISE UP... Believe…. God works in mysterious ways, calls unlikely people, and puts His trust on them as His instrument of salvation. You go be an instrument today … the Melody will be HIS MIRACLES… BE POISED to RECEIVE the MIRACLES GOD has PLANNED for YOU today! |
AuthorLori Beth Mason Archives
December 2015
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