This is one of my most straight-to-the-heart chats that cuts to the core of the happiness we experience, or lack thereof, in life.
I’ve been working through a 30 day personal improvement self-created challenge to really get myself to a better place physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Because I know we were created for more.
You are. I am. He is. She is.
They are. We are.
So why are so many of us roaming through life with constant dissatisfaction and to put it plainly, unhappiness?
God has created us with the ability to think, learn, grow, change, move, reason and love. If you find yourself unhappy in ANY circumstance or area of your life, it’s time to take action TODAY to make a change.
You’re fully capable, it’s just a choice. You can choose any time. Why not right now?
Stay and sulk the way things are, or create a change (internally and externally) and begin removing the gunk and negativity around you, revealing the beauty that is apparent everywhere you look!
If you open your eyes to see it.
And the beautiful thing is, you can do that RIGHT NOW. Click the video to hear my full message. Your happiness depends on it!
This is from Day 17 of my personal 30 day challenge and it’s been an incredible ride.
If you make the commitment to start changing areas of your life for the positive, I’d love to meet, encourage and support you. Join me at my free Facebook group: Worth To Be Me.
See you there!
~Melody
I love technology. I love books. I love my Kindle. I love my phone apps. But above all else, I love my Bible.
Ever heard this children’s song?
The B-I-B-L-E. Yes that’s the book for me!
I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!
So funny to reminisce when that song just popped into my head! But as much as technology has advanced with e-readers, reading articles on your computer or with apps on your phone, there’s just nothing like a good printed book…especially THE “Good Book.”
Over the years I’ve lost touch with reading my physical Bible, and although I see it almost every day on my nightstand next to my bed, picking it up and reading in it instead of my Bible app on my phone, is almost foreign!
Btw, I LOVE my Bible app, and if you don’t have one, I recommend the YouVersion app. It’s so incredible with countless translations and reading plans and so easy to use. (just a little side endorsement for a second) 😉
But something feels like it’s missing when you can’t run your fingers over a page. Bibles seems to have the thinnest, most unique paper. I wonder what the weight is…but I digress. I’m sure it has to be thin to fit over 2500 pages in one manageable size, but there’s just nothing like it.
When I picked up my Bible tonight (confession: haven’t physically opened it for over a year maybe?) and flipped it open, it’s like 15 years of memories came flooding back across the pages.
Actually, I’ve had this Bible for almost exactly 15 years, as this one was a High School graduation gift from my church. In the picture, notice the engraved name…my maiden name now. Lol
I’ve had this beauty through my college years at Point Loma Nazarene Univ. in San Diego, through getting married and moving all over southern California, through grad school and eventually moving back to San Diego to open my own business.
I might not pick it up and read from it on a daily basis like I might like, but it’s always been there. A steadfast reminder of God’s presence in my daily life – all of ours.
As I leaf through it’s a crazy time warp with highlights and notes from various speakers, sermons, teachers, events, classes and personal insights. What a treasure and a special trip down memory lane!
If you don’t have a physical paperback or hard cover version of a Bible in your possession, then treat yourself ASAP! There are so many themed Bible’s nowadays for any age group, gender specific, study Bible’s, commentaries, various translations to suit your reading style and the list goes on.
Why not grab a piece of 2000+ year old history to have in your home. Let alone the only book that lives and breaths truth into our lives even to this day, and all the days to come until Jesus returns.
But if you don’t have an actual Bible in possession, then a Bible app on your phone or tablet is the next best thing. 🙂
Whatever way works best for you to start digging in, learning, reading, questioning, growing and LIVING daily in the Word of God. Get to it! 😉
~Melody
It’s so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life and we’re running at break-neck speed all hours of the day and we barely have a second to stop and breath, let alone cultivate a deeper relationship with God.
That’s just supposed to go without saying, right? God knows we love Him, so even if we’re not outwardly praising Him every hour of the day, He still knows how we feel on the inside.
So it’s all good, right?
But what about when we start to get stressed, and life begins to overwhelm us.
Who or what do you turn to first?
Stop and think about that for a second, and be really honest with yourself.
It can be really easy to turn to 100 other sources before finally turning to God in our hour of need or desperation.
I know I’ve certainly done the same, so I wanted to share two quick points on how to find God in our daily lives.
-
Make small changes to create quiet time on a daily basis.
This can be as simple as not putting the radio or ipod on when you’re going to work. Instead, begin to take that commuting time as a special time to talk with God. Showing Him you want to have a deeper and more meaningful relationship by creating the time.
-
Listen to that still, small, voice.
Once you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior and the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart, the communication is more like a heightened “intuition” or “conscience.” It’s a silly reference, but if you’ve ever watched Disney’s Pinocchio, then recall Jiminy Cricket’s song, “Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide.” This actually is a great way to look at it! The Holy Spirit helps us to determine right from wrong, but you have to begin to listen to those inklings and inner “pullings” or “callings” and your confidence in trusting it will build your faith and your bond with God.
These simple changes, when made deliberately and regularly, can really begin to help you see God in your daily activities. You will begin to feel more confident that He has always been a part of your life, every day, if you just take the time to begin to recognize it. 🙂
Your Sister in Christ,
Melody
