Tag: Faith

From Within

“Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

― Og Mandino

       Don’t look outside yourself for happiness and fulfillment because this can only be found within. Happiness and fulfillment doesn’t come from material things, for life is not about what you get; rather, life is all about what you give.

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.

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.

Take Your Time

“I’m going to enjoy every second, and I’m going to know I’m enjoying it while I’m enjoying it. Most people don’t live; they just race. They are trying to reach some goal far away on the horizon, and in the heat of the going they get so breathless and panting that they lose sight of the beautiful, tranquil country they are passing through; and then the first thing they know, they are old and worn out, and it doesn’t make any difference whether they’ve reached the goal or not.”

― Jean Webster

     Life is not about reaching your destination; rather, it’s about the journey. It’s about the bumps, twists and turns you encounter and how you respond. It’s about growth and discovery. So, don’t sprint to the finish line. Instead, take your time getting to the end goal…take detours and stop to smell the roses.

Live Simply

“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.”

― Lao Tzu

         Be authentic and genuine in all that you do. Live simply. Life is about being present and enjoying every moment you’re given, for it can be gone in an instant.

Blank Page

“Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.”

― Douglas Pagels

         Your past may have already been written, but the lines of your future have yet to be penned. The next moments of your life are a blank page waiting for you to write it. So, why not make it a good read, for there is nothing more important than the story of your life.

Believe in Yourself

“You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.”

― Richelle E. Goodrich

      As you begin a new week, allow yourself to believe in new possibilities. Have faith in yourself and all that you do. For where there is a will, there is a way. And you alone possess the tools to build the life you crave.

Be An Overcomer

“I want to encourage you by letting you know that there’s hope for you and your situation whatever you are dealing with. God is intimately involved with every detail of your future and His desire is for you to be an overcomer.”

― Sue Augustine

         Let go and let God. Trust that He is in control of weaving the tapestry of your life. And He sends no storm your way that you can’t conquer and emerge on the other side…perhaps battered but never defeated. So, when the night becomes long and cold, bundle up and hunker down until the Sun comes out again.