A passionate approach to life!

Blessings from the sun porch 3/30/11

Today's memory verse:

"You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 1:6

A passionate approach to life

After my husband's accident in February, a friend asked me how I got through all if that with such a positive outlook. I have written about this before, and now I think about it again. I am struggling with a few issues right now and am TRYING to remain positive. It seems I go through these little down times every now and then, so even positive me has to work at being positive. I think the thing that gets me through is the fact that I KNOW I will get through it. I have that hope. Where does that hope come from? I have allowed God's spirit to live in me and develop a passion for life that sustains me through the difficult times.

You can develop that passion for life too! In the movie "Joe vs. the Volcano" Meg Ryan says to Tom Hanks..."You know my daddy says 'Almost the whole world is asleep. Only a handful of people are awake and they live in a constant state of amazement.' " What a great statement! I want to be wide-awake in my life, don't you? Let's look at how we can get that way...passionate about life!

Passionate people embrace the idea that there is far more to this life. Life is a mystery...we don't understand things, but we can embrace the fact there is a God and he has big plans for us! We can latch on to that fact and live in wonder and hope for better things to come!

We need to be responsible. I don't want to live like a victim. When I am worried about money...I need to realize that I got myself into this mess, and it will take WORK AND SACRIFICE to get out of it. We need to look at our problems like challenges that we can overcome and not blame others for. With God's help and our own hard work, we can work toward solutions. Surrender and let God take control of these tough things. He WILL help us when we let go and are willing to take responsibility for it!

Then, we need to let it go! Live in the present and not in the past or worry about things to come. NOW is what we need to be concerned with. I need to pay attention to what is going on now and take care of those issues, without opening up the baggage I have held on to from the past. That old stuff just clutters up what's going on right now.

Because we are living in the present with hope, we can look at life as an adventure and not be afraid to stroking of our box and take some risks every now and then. They don't have to be major life changes, but be adventurous with our lives!

Above all, to find the joy, peace, passion and hope we are looking for, we need to be grateful and thankful for what we have. I want to remember that I deserve nothing, and that all the good things I have are a gift from God. That way, I can live in a state of surprise and gratefulness to God, and not take the blessings in my life for granted.

Incorporating these things into my daily life will help me learn to live a passionate, positive life that will get me through these struggling times. It looks like an exciting path to be on! Do you want to come with me? I love company! So wake up! Enjoy life through the grace that God gives you when you ask him!