Wednesday, July 29, 2009

It Really is Your Choice

This world is full of choices we have to make on a daily basis. The choices that we make in life can lead us to many different paths. You are the only person in charge of your decisions so therefore you are the ones that drives your car on the path of life. Along with this theory comes influence from the outside world and from others. The circumstances that life throws at us will determine what decisions we make and how we make those choices.

We must remember to pray for direction and what direction the Lord wants us to take in this life. Without guidance from above, we carve our own way and sometimes that isn't the way we should have taken. Or sometimes it is the way we should have taken so we can come to something greater down the road. The bottom line is we must always do what we think is right and go which direction we think God has pointed us towards.

Let's take a walk for a moment. Pretend it's a nice pretty day outside. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the weather is perfect and the sun rays are beaming down through the clouds from above. It's one of those days that all is well in the world and you are happy. There are no worries, just happy thoughts and good memories. Now picture a favorite place that you like to get away to or enjoy being at. In this location is a little box that has a note on the outside that says "Open." So you stop to think for a moment. This is a happy day, you are in your favorite spot and there is a box just sitting there waiting to be opened; the contents are yet a mystery. So your curiosity is peaked and you decide to open this little box. As the lid is unveiled to the world, you find a small piece of paper inside. As you unfold it you wonder who would have left a note in this box and if you were supposed to be the recipient of it. Then you look at the piece of paper that has these words written on it:

"Leave your worries here. Take your troubles and let them disappear. As you close this box, forget about the past and focus on the future. When you shut this box, you are letting go of your worries and putting your trust and faith in me. From this point on, let things happen as they should. Live life each day as if it was your last. And never forget that I am here for you ALWAYS."

Now after reading this note, there is no signature at the bottom. It is left up to you to decide who wrote the note. It could have been a friend, a loved one, a stranger, or... God himself. You don't know who wrote the note, all you know is that you have read it and now you must make a choice. You can pretend you never saw it and place it back where you found it. Or you can do as it instructs and let go of all your worries and place them in the box as directed. So now you must choose which direction to go. I cannot make the decision for you; only YOU can do that.

If this were me and I came upon this box, the first thing I would do is thank God for giving me this opportunity. I would then mentally gather all of my negative thoughts, worries, concerns, and troubles and shake them from my head and pour them into the box. Just like that. Gone. Done. Shut the lid! Now all of my worries and fears would be out of my mind and my head would be refreshed and cleansed once again.

So after reading that little scenario and thinking about it in your mind, what would you choose? The good thing is that exact scenario is REAL LIFE. We all have worries and concerns about what to do or how something will work out or where we will be in 10 years. But the nice thing about life is that we do not have to worry about all that stuff. Give all your worries to the Lord and He will take care of them for you. He will make them disappear and give you a clean start. Right Now. All you have to do is ask Him to take your pain, concerns, troubles, and fears and He will. God is good and He will never steer us wrong if we continue to pray and ask for guidance on a daily basis. We cannot ask for guidance and then stop listening. We must continue to pray everyday for what the Lord wants us to do and where He wants us to be. I thank God for the blessings I have been given and you should to. Until next time, Live and Love Happy because we only have ONE life to live!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Just a Reminder

I think we all need a daily reminder that life is what we make of it with the choices we make and God's guidance in making those decisions in life. We don't always understand the reason things happen, but there is always a purpose for whatever happens in life. We sometimes may not understand the purpose as to why some things happen the way they do, but the man upstairs will never steer us wrong. If we are supposed to be somewhere at a certain moment in time, He will make sure we are there. Sometimes things happen that change our direction we think we are supposed to be going. No matter what happens in life, know that there is always a reason for everything. We need to remember to continue to pray on a daily basis for guidance and thank God for our blessings He has given us on this earth!

Isn't it wonderful how we can look back on things we have been through in the past and learn from those actions? Isn't it wonderful how we can be grateful for something we have now that we did not have then? Isn't it amazing how God will bless us in time when we allow it? Isn't it wonderful how prayer along with time and patience will bring us to where we need to be? Isn't it fabulous how good the Lord is to all of us when we let him in?

The answer to all of the above questions is... YES! It is wonderful, amazing, and fabulous how good our Lord is to us when we follow his word. So this is just a little reminder we need to stay on the right path looking forward and pray for his guidance and He will bless us each and everyday. Sometimes it might take a little time to get where we are going, but when we get there, He will let us know we are where we are supposed to be. So go now, pray and thank the Lord for your blessings in this world!