happiness

Memory loss is a major concern in our society. Why, there are pills boasting improved focus & mental faculty. Medicines to improve short term & long term memory loss are in abundance. Remembering how to complete daily tasks is essential in life. When you are having a conversation with someone, it’s especially helpful if you can remember what the subject is. Just the other night my husband & I were talking. Our Miss Neenee came in the living room, where we were. She asked a question, then went back to her room. We looked at each other for a moment. Then, my honey said,

“What were we talking about?”

I paused for a moment & said, “ I haven’t got a clue.”

Those are probably times you want to be able to recall what’s a goin’ on. Other things that I do, that are a smidge aggravating, which is caused by lapses in memory, are:

Losing my keys. Which are always in the last place I look. Funny how that works out.
Forgetting to put in my contacts. On my drive in to work: “Is that a police car? Are those lights on top of that car? No, that’s a luggage rack. Whew.”
Forgetting to take my hormone replacement. Which is specifically only good for no one around me.
Misplacing bills. Not just your regular ol’ I can pay any time in the month bill. The water bill is my most popular misplaced bill. Luckily, I have made friends with a lady in the office, at the water department. Bless my heart.
Losing my phone. More often than not, Miss Neenee gently says, “Mama, it’s in your hand.” Hey, those things can sneak up on you.
Forgetting what I am doing. I’m making a sandwich. I go to the pantry to get the bread. I look into the laundry room. I forgot to put the clothes in the dryer. I go to putting the clothes in the dryer & I pick through the clothes to leave out some things that need to be hung up to dry. I don’t have a hanger. So, I go back to my closet to get one. On the way, I walk through my bedroom. There’s that bill I was looking for. I go back to the kitchen to get an envelope to put it in. Wait, why is there lunch meat sitting on the bar? Oh yeah, I’m making a sandwich. Sheesh.

As much as I need to remember things, the apostle Paul says there are some things we need to not remember at all.

Phillipians 3:13 …but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, (NKJV)

Things that have happened to us in a negative way, are not worth remembering. We need to forget how rude, stubborn, & hateful people can be. Sunday, our preacher, Bro. Brad said that people who are know it alls, hard headed, & can’t get along with types will experience much heartache & difficulty in life. They don’t think they have anything to learn. They don’t see themselves as needing any improvement in their lives. They never really realize how their ways keep them from healthy relationships. They are never ready to accept their own part of their issues. Because hey, how could anything ever be their fault? The situation is always somebody else’s doing. They miss out on the happiness, that being around others, can bring. They miss out on all the richness God would add to their lives, only if they would humble themselves. All because being judgmental, hard headed, & above their fellow man, are qualities they practice frequently.

We must strive to be humble, gracious folks. We have to know that we can just as easily not have enough – than have plenty.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (NKJV)

What if the Lord only blessed you with what you were thankful for? What if you were the only thing that was holding you back from true blessings & riches from the Lord? According to James, first you do your part, then the Lord will do His. So, you kinda are. Let’s make sure we forget to be stubborn.

Not a real good way to be humble.

You never know what life is going to throw at you. We must understand we must react with love & concern for others. And always be mindful that God doesn’t owe us anything. He gives good to us, however, can take it away, as well.

Job 1:21 And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

We need to forget to have a hard heart. No matter how people treat us. We have to be what God wants us to be regardless. We need to forget to be resentful. We need to forget to have hatred in our hearts. It’s just not worth the blessings you will miss- without all that there.

I am so very glad you came by to visit today. I got an exciting call from my aunt today. She said she had picked a big bucket of okra for me! All I have to do is go get it after work. I sure hope I don’t forget it. 😉 Until then, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo creds: michaelkonick.com, zazzle,

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

Faces that make me happy.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m just not happy.” Have you ever heard someone say “I’m just not happy because of….” (my husband, my wife, my boyfriend, my girlfriend, my job, my dog, my cat, the president, the boy that mashed my bread, when he was sacking my groceries,) It’s always about putting the blame on someone or something else besides themselves. Or the one that gets me every time,

“God wants me to be happy.”

This is normally followed by a decision to do something that person probably doesn’t need to be doing in the first place. Let me just tell you something. Life is not fair. Life is hard. I went to a graduation recently, where some elementary school students wrote advice to the graduating class. One of the comments was-

“College is tougher than high school, yes, but you are advancing into life and life is harder than college.”

Well one of those babies understood reality better than some adults!

The other day I came across something, I knew to be true. It was just a reminder. It was on a Mental Health Month calendar by Mental Health America. It gave tips on things you could do every day to help you keep your mental health, well, healthy. On day 24 it said,

“Call or email a good friend. Studies have found that the difference between happy individuals & unhappy individuals comes in the form of good relationships.”

Jesus taught about how important relationships are.

Mark 12:31 – And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”(NKJV)

By God’s inspiration the apostle Paul penned these instructions to the church at Rome:

Romans 13:9 – For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(NKJV)

Sometimes what we think happiness is, really isn’t what happiness is all about after all. You see a lot of times I think we try to put our cause for happiness into something tangible. Money & possessions are one of the big things that comes to mind. Many think if they had more money, a bigger house, a nicer car, more land, that their world would be a brighter, happier place. Those people will never find happiness in those things. Do you know why? Because Jesus wanted us to understand how we treat each other is an important factor to how happy we will be.

Jesus did not say,“ Love thy house.” He said, “Love thy neighbor.”

It’s these sins of the heart that get a person every time. Greed, pride, & jealousy- people with those qualities will never see the kingdom of heaven. (Galatians 5:21)

So, what do you do? Remember what our purpose is in this ol’ world. (To seek and save the lost.) First we have to understand & obey the gospel. Next we have to study the Bible & grow ourselves in faith. We are then able to go tell others the Good news about Jesus & what He’s done for us. If you do these things, kind friend, you will learn happiness that you never knew existed. You will be more worried about helping people, than hurting them. The desires of your heart will turn to what Jesus wants you to do. Remember that happiness is an inside job. If you change what’s inside your heart, everything else will fall into place.

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit with me today. I love it when you stop in. We have had some glorious weather, here in northeast Mississippi (sign me up for some more of that!). Just the right weather to sit out on my deck. I hope you have a great week. As for me, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.