day #55

~be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.~

1 thessalonians 5:16-18

it's been a busy/tough past 2 weeks,

at least 4 days of which were spent sprawled on the couch in pain from a toothache.

but there was still joy in the pain, and passion to be celebrated.

the thing i'm learning this month about passion is that it comes from unexpected places & at unexpected times.

passion doesn't like to be predictable or controlled.

and it doesn't like to be ignored.

ignoring & not appreciating it causes it to go in search of another.

that was why the verses at the start of this entry appealed to me.

they're an invitation to gratitude even when things seems off/odd/wrong.

i'm coming to recognize that it's when things are o/o/w that passion is a breath away.

that unpredictable, uncontrollable creativity is being dislodged.

today, i'm appreciative of the interruption that breaks my routine,

the uncomfortable challenge that introduces me to new people,

the rote homework assignment that goes tangential into a new area of discovery.

today, i am praying to be perpetually, sincerely thankful.

first morning

i awoke today refreshed & excited to get started on the next 52 weeks.

first question to myself:

"how can i be more passionate today?"

and i found this is harder to answer than i thought.

great idea, frustratingly nebulous execution.

so i'm trying something i don't usually do, just to stir things up.

i'm listing 5 things i'm grateful for this morning.

1. sunshine, bright & warm with a promise of high 60-degree temps today. i missed out on this for the first 3 decades of my life; i won't take it for granted.

2. mountains that interrupt the horizon & display drastic textures that mess with the resulting shadows.

3. colors that clash & blend & harmonize.

4. the potential of the next 24 hours. with no school & no work on my schedule, i can make this day whatever i want.

5. hugs from 1 husband & 2 cats. and i won't complain about the cat hair today.

i'm already feeling more energized.

good morning, 2010.

the mouth trap

as i read through proverbs,
there is a lot of attention paid to the mess our mouths can get us in.

gossip, complaining, breaking confidences, & just being stupid,
it's all mentioned on the "avoid" list.

but, gosh, it's so hard to break those habits!

i've been trying to cut down on my negative word quota,
and i'm finding it would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for having other people around.
instant popularity is not found in saying,
"no thanks, i'm not into talking about other people in a slanderous manner."

however, my outlook is improving as i pipe up with thankfulness.
at the risk of sounding pollyannaish,
i'm looking on the brightside because it's a heck of a lot more attractive.

God rewards those who follow His advice.
i'm working to make my words more attractive to Him.
who wants to join me?

the myth of achieving happiness

when i would ask my clients what they wished to accomplish through therapy,
many shrugged & said half-jokingly,
"to be happy."
it was hard to share in the joke;
happiness doesn't really lend itself to creating a clinical treatment plan.

this is why:
happiness is a byproduct of other things, not an end result in itself.

people want it, but we cannot achieve it if it's what we're pursuing.

i heard a pastor on the radio yesterday remind us of what we should pursue:
a life of gratefulness.
giving thanks at all times,
not just in the good ones.

if we are followers of Jesus,
our lives should show a steady stream of thanksgiving.
bitterness & complaining are not becoming characteristics for His kids.

sure, there are times when things suck,
just like i mentioned a few posts ago.
and we don't have to pretend that everything is rosy when it isn't.
God didn't ask us to be blind, naive, or inept.
but as we pray on our circumstances let's give thanks for what IS working right now & what may come as a result of tough times.

happiness will escape our grasp when we reach for it,
but thankfulness leads us into joy & peace by its very nature.

giving thanks when things suck

~be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. this is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.~
1 thessalonians 5:16-18


it isn't easy to be grateful all the time.
my default mode is set to "brood, worry, & complain".
switching out of that mode takes considerable effort.
i mention this because i've been working against my default a lot lately.
we're trying to sell our house back in detroit with a nasty economy,
and we're working our way out of an equally nasty financial situation.

so let's get thankful, eh?
well, if that's what you want, God, i'll give it my best shot.

the first step for me to get there was to realize that,
when faced with a problem,
i shook my puny fist at God & declared loudly,
"this sucks!"
and, of course, i went through the ick & guck & was better for it.
so i started to see a problem & think,
"this sucks, but not really because something cool will come from it."

note: this was not because i was becoming a better person;
it was totally because God was taking over.
left to myself, i would still be shaking my fist & complaining about my rotator cuff.

so He got me thinking about giving thanks.
and i started doing it each time i felt beat down.
"this sucks" ---> "...so thank You!"

it's getting easier with practice,
and i can tell God's claimed more parts of me as a result.
that in itself is something i can give thanks for...
amidst the suckiness...
which probably isn't that sucky after all.