Do Not Worry

““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? Look 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV

          Do not worry about tomorrow. Instead put your faith in our Heavenly Father and trust in his plans for you. For he will never forsake you.

Never Settle

“Make the most of the best and the best of the worst, and keep your standards high. Never settle for anything less than you deserve or are capable of achieving.”

― Roy T. Bennett

         Things aren’t going to always go your way. So, you must learn to do the best with whatever hand you’re dealt…no matter how crappy. But remember, you don’t have to settle because you’re dealt a bad hand. Know what you want and go after it…no matter how hard the wind blows against you.

Live Your Life

“I want to live the rest of my life, however long or short, with as much sweetness as I can decently manage, loving all the people I love, and doing as much as I can of the work I still have to do. I am going to write fire until it comes out of my ears, my eyes, my noseholes–everywhere. Until it’s every breath I breathe. I’m going to go out like a fucking meteor!”

― Audre Lorde

       Life is not meant to be lived by halves…no, you must give it your all or what’s the point. You get but one shot at this thing called life, so go all out and shine like a freaking supernova!

Your Struggles

“One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. “You’d be destroying what makes it special,” she said. “It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty.”

― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

           Never forget that the person staring back at you in the mirror was forged from the struggles you have endured. Every crack, scrape, bruise and scar is an important part of your story – a story that is uniquely your own. So, never wish away a part of who you are.

The Winding Road

“Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

― John Piper

          Life is a winding road filled with many ups and downs. It’s not meant to be easy or even to make sense. It’s about having faith that everything will work out in the end.

Choices

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them”

― Denis Waitley

         If you’re unhappy with your situation or with the world, then either accept the way things are or work to change your circumstances. Will it be easy? No, but sitting around and complaining about the unfairness of life accomplishes nothing aside from making you more miserable.

Open Your Eyes

“The strongest people find the courage and caring to help others, even if they are going through their own storm.”

― Roy T. Bennett

          No matter how bad and stressful things are in your life, don’t forget that there is a whole world that is still spinning around you. Be aware that others around you are going through their own storms and could use a smile or support. Don’t allow your own pain to blind you from seeing your neighbor’s struggles.

Count Your Bless

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”

― Og Mandino

         Sometimes it is so hard to see the good around you when it seems like your world is falling apart and nothing is going right. But, it is at these moments when you are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated that you need to stop, take a deep breath and count your blessings. Remind yourself of what is still good in your life. And the rest will work itself out.