Tag Archives: Living

Life is Precious

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When I wrote my book “My Precious Life” in 2014 I had heard this expression many times but didn’t pay much attention to its meaning. Now, as I watch what’s happening the world over, millions of people dying of the coronavirus, others succumbing to life’s natural cycle, it is hitting home just how precious life is.

Are we really living on a daily basis? Are we making the most of our days? Are we looking out for our friends, family, neighbor? Are we saying, “I love you” and then showing that love?

There is more to life than eating, sleeping, working and playing, and because life is precious we need to make sure we are truly living.

Today I am going to make a concentrated effort to really live. I don’t know what that will look like but will let God handle the details. Carpe diem!

Born Free

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Do you ever feel that you are a slave to a life of busyness, illness, pain, commercialism…all the things that prevent us from enjoying the life we were meant to live? Sometimes just hearing a lovely peace of music can remind us that through it all we were born free and one day we will be free again.

 

 

It’s All In Your Mind

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How many of us have had this sentence pronounced on us after disclosing a thought or ailment. Well, it turns out it is true, whatever it is is all in our mind.

Many books convey information on the subconscious mind and I, for one, find it fascinating. More than once I have read that the subconscious mind is an obedient servant and whatever we tell it, it obeys. I gleaned this from a book in 1984 “…the subconscious mind has no sense of humor. It cannot take a joke. It does not chuckle in amusement if we make such statements as , ‘That’s a real pain in the neck!’ On the contrary, to the subconscious mind, an order has been given and, like any good servant, it goes about its business to achieve the goal to which it has been assigned…in this case, a pain in the neck.”

My late husband constantly complained about everything being a pain in the neck and he suffered from chronic neck pain. I read the above passage to him one evening and suggested he try to stop telling himself that everything was a pain in the neck.

Well, he really tried to heed this advice and it took some time but his neck pain was gone.

Someone else constantly complained that everything was a pain in the — (backside). This person died of painful colorectal cancer.

Our minds are truly an amazing part of our being, and learning more about our subconscious mind can be extremely helpful in living life to a fuller extent.

 

 

 

Praise the Lord and Ride Your Bike

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This is a tribute to yet another of our St. Andrew’s members who took up residence in Heaven a week ago today.

Barbara was a quiet, unassuming lady in her early seventies who loved to praise the Lord and ride her bike. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall would see her pedaling away whether to Church, Bible study, supermarket, or wherever a need would take her.

Barbara loved her Lord with all her heart and would never let an opportunity go by without striking up a conversation about Him with someone, stranger or not. She was not eloquent by any means but humbly shared the Gospel with whoever would take time to lend her an ear…and many did. And she knew her stuff. Her Bible was a well-worn Gideon of years gone by and I’m sure she knew most of it by heart.

What we’ll miss mostly about Barbara is her fervent, “Praise The Lord” whenever our choir closed the final chords of a Sunday anthem. Some were not in favor of her outbursts but most of us considered where they came from…a heart filled with passion for her Jesus. I for one was happy that our anthems could move her to render outspoken praise. But perhaps she was moved even more by Psalm 134:2 – Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. 

Whether or not Barbara is pedaling away on Heaven’s gold-paved streets or resting in the arms of her dearly departed husband, George, I just want to say, “Barbara, continue to Praise the Lord and ride your bike.” And have a happy Saturday.

Living With a Capital “L”

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Here is what I learned from Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, on February 19th. He said, “You’re young and useful at any age if you’re still planning for tomorrow.”

Some of the ways to plan for tomorrow begin with a capital L. 

Learning…learn something new every day; I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; Psalm 32:8

Loving…love is the best feeling in the world; 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 says it all.

Laughing…laughter is having an internal massage; A cheerful heart is good medicine…Proverbs 17:22

Leaving…your past behind. Don’t live with your junk. (Dr. Stanley)

Longing…long to know your purpose in life and then fulfill it. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)

Looking…your best. You feel your best and do your best when you look your best. (Dr. Stanley)

Labouring…working…You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Psalm 128:2 NIV

Leaning…on the Lord…Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

Listening…to God…Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 11:15 (NIV)

These are just a few of the ways we can live with a capital L. It’s what I learned on February 19th.

 

 

 

Creating Memories

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Re-blogged from Wordsmith’s Desk

Wordsmith's Desk

Each day of our lives, we are creating memories for tomorrow. In the daily routine, we don’t often look at it this way. More times than not, we don’t see it until it’s too late; a memory that you’d just as soon forget has been made.

We live our lives together each day, acting and interacting in each other’s lives. Then comes a day when one or the other is no longer here. Death has taken someone from our lives. The memories are as good as their going to get and there will be no more.

Maybe a bad memory was made, but now it’s too late to erase it with apologies and amends. Death has sealed forever a lifetime of memories. We live with what we created…we reap what we sow…we regret the rest of our life, a memory we could have changed, but didn’t.

Memories are all that…

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Easy Living

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Do Not Worry – Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Reading the above scripture led me to repost the following formula for easy living. Happy Sunday.

Drink the living water – (John 4:10)

Eat the bread of life – (John 6:35)

Wear the full armor of God – (Ephesians 6:11)

Rest in Jesus – (Matthew 11:28)

Breathe in the Holy Spirit – (John 20:22)

Give up the worry habit – (Matthew 6:25) (This one really taught me a lot!)

Laugh often – (Proverbs 17:22)

In the Moment

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“Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment.”  So says Sidney Poitier in his book, The Measure of a Man.

What does it mean to be genuine; to listen and respond to others honestly and openly; to be in the moment?

It is enough to just ponder these words and glean something from them. It is more than enough to act upon them. There are people waiting to be heard, to have their concerns responded to honestly and openly, to know that someone is in their moment.

Living consciously is being aware; not just going through the motions of day-to-day life. Living consciously is also a responsibility, not only to ourselves but to those who inhabit our world, both our own little world and the world at large. By living consciously we can make a difference in someone else’s life. Maybe we should take a page from Sidney Poitier’s book and take a moment to be in the moment.

 

 

Life is for Learning

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Here is something I found in one of my journals. Unfortunately I didn’t make note of the source, but think it is worth sharing.

Your life is a learning process–you can become wiser only by learning. Sometimes you might have to attract making a painful mistake to learn something important, but after the mistake, you have far greater wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought with money–it can only be acquired by living life. With wisdom comes strength, courage, knowing, and an ever increasing peace.

This post is a duplicate of one titled About Wisdom posted on August 19, 2014. I didn’t do this intentionally, but I think I’ll let it stand, mainly because Solomon’s wisdom has been a recent topic.