The Good, Bad, and Ugly Remixed

TODAY….I don’t want to write about the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to take the good, the bad, and the ugly and simply write about only the concepts. Life is full of all of the above. Let’s take what we are given and multiply it, nurture it, take advantage of it, accept it, change, rearrange it. In all we can’t give back what we are given and we will always be held accountable for our actions, for actions have consequences.  So right now, while you have time make the best of it. We all have some bad stuff in our lives now or in the past that we wish would go away. We have ugly stuff that we want to forget and maybe even hide from. Nonetheless, we also have the good stuff. Why not take the good stuff and capitalize on that.

Let’s stop focusing on the negative and complaining about what we can not change. Let’s no longer be paralyzed with inaction. Take the good and change what we can about the bad and the ugly. If we can’t then let us just dwell on the beautiful, peaceful aspects of our lives. We are alive! Someone is no longer alive today. Do not waste the time you are given; it is a precious and valuable commodity. Maybe you need to become more alive in spirit and wake-up from the monotonous rut you are in. Possibly you should take better care of you and not just everyone else.

We should not be concerned about conforming and fitting in with others but we should care what they say in this sense…. What will people say at your funeral? How will be said as your eulogy? How many lives have you touched? How many souls have you encouraged or helped save? How many people have you cursed out? How many nasty remarks & looks have you given? What will people say about you in connection to God?

We only have one life to give and to live…. There is nothing wrong with doing both. Those, such as myself, who have a strong need to give often tend to neglect themselves along the way. However, let’s not forget that we can only give what we have. We should give out of an abundance or overflow. When we give out of a lack then we are short-changing both ourselves and the receiver. Vessels are not valuable empty, let God fill you so He can use you. Never deplete yourself to the point of empty. Those of you who have that special gift of giving of their time and spirit, often times to temporary depletion, I need you to repeat this:

"I promise to love God, myself, and others enough to take care of me. I will not ignore signs of fatigue or burnout. I will take time regularly to replenish myself spiritually, mentally, and physically so that I do not become depleted and can give out of an abundance. I will designate God, and at least one person, that I will talk to with transparency so that my bad and ugly stuff do not begin to overshadow my good."

I love you enough to tell you, love Yourself First.

God's love & peace to you. ~Beautiful Thought 
www.mybeautifulthoughts.net 

(August blog sponsored by jewelrybyjaz)

Journey of Life

As I lie here half sitting, typing, and thinking, my mind reflects on what is important in life which is those who you care about and care about you. I have been forced recently, with my hands behind my back, to face and deal with concepts of death and dying. I met a middle-aged woman at work whose mother had passed away two weeks prior. She would cry off and on having buried her only a week ago; it was still a fresh wound. I had almost tried to turn her away because she was not in our zip code catchment area. However, by default I had to service her anyway. Now I was in a funky mood to start with but once she began to unravel and uncover her layers to me through her tears I shed those feelings. I began to no longer focus on myself, and my positive energies shifted toward encouraging her and lifting her spirits.

I joked with the woman about her mother’s ways which had similarities to Madea. The woman told me it was the first time she had laughed in two weeks. Whenever she began to cry she would apologize. I told her not to apologize and not let anyway make her feel like she should be sorry for grieving her loss. She asked what advice I had for her. I told her to surround herself with positive people who understand or even just will listen to her talk about how she feels. She stated that her boyfriend told her she was getting on his nerves. I encouraged her to take time for herself and that sometimes we need space apart from those who can not support us and give us what we need at that moment. It is our responsibility to “demand”, and I use that loosely, what we need from others. When we realize that they will not, or are not capable to, fulfill our needs we then become responsible for our happiness out of the relationship.

She called out to God during our meeting to help her with her grief. She shared that she had even considered suicide due to her depression. She had all the necessary resources and I encouraged her to be sure to call the crisis center again if those feelings revisited. I confirmed that the devil will use our moments of despair and frustration to attempt to push us further into the valley. We all will be in a valley at some point in our lives, and if we reflect back, we will see we have been in one before. Realize that the fact you can reflect on a prior valley means you are still standing, likely stronger then you were before. Reach out to God and grow closer to Him in prayer, study, song, and worship. Even fast if you feel it is necessary. God may not move the mountain but He will sustain you through a renewed perseverance and increased strength. Be encouraged.

The journey of life is full of valleys, but it is full of mountains too.

We go down low but we don’t sink.

We climb and goals we reach.

We celebrate each victory

We reflect back & see

WE SURVIVED.

God's love & peace to you. ~Beautiful Thought
www.mybeautifulthoughts.net