It is the time of year when we will be celebrating Thanksgiving — a time to be thankful for this country that God has given us to live in, a country where we are still free to worship the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a time to reflect on what we have.

Learning to be thankful:

We need to learn to relish what we have rather than resent what we are missing. If you have health, be thankful for that. Be thankful for family, a job, a roof over your head, heat for the winter, etc. We need to learn to be thankful even for the littlest things in our lives, thankful for true friendships because they are hard to come by.

Complaining:

It’s easy to be a complainer, to complain about what is wrong in our lives, to find fault with this life, to feel somehow we’ve have been left out or life isn’t fair. All that only works to make us bitter and ungrateful. It will make us miserable. When we decide to relish, be thankful for, what we have and not worry about what we think we are missing, it will lead to peace of mind, a more grateful spirit or attitude — one that will cause us to be happier in and with life.

Nobody is perfect: others aren’t; you aren’t. So let’s meditate on the things we can be thankful about. It will change our perspective on the gift of life God Himself has given us.

Just a thought,

PSS

Each day in South Africa, the gazelles and the lions awake — the gazelles knowing they must outrun the fastest lion to survive, and the lions knowing they must run faster than the slowest gazelles or they will starve to death. It makes no difference if you are a gazelle or a lion. When the sun comes up, you had better be running.

Seek first:

When we awake, whether we go to work or perhaps are a stay-at-home parent, we should all get up ready for the day. Psalm 119:147 says, I rise up early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your word. We need to get up every morning running to the Lord — even if it is only five minutes we spend with Him. We need to rise and make an appointment with God to: 1) read His word, 2) pray for God’s guidance throughout our day, and 3) get up and acknowledge Him in our lives and believe He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). That’s how as Christians we can wake up running each and every day — getting up spending at least the first five minutes of our day with Him.

It has been said if you are going to have a creative-type meeting at your work, you should have it in the morning. People are fresh and tend to be more creative then. I believe getting up a few minutes early every day to read and pray will cause us to start our day running.

Just a thought,

PSS

Self-esteem:

Self-esteem is about what — and whom — we identify with. It’s about how we feel about ourselves, and not what others think about us. Self-esteem is defined as a belief in oneself, or self-respect. Another definition says it is proper respect for oneself and one’s worth as a person.

Self-perception:

How we view ourselves is important, and it will determine how we treat others as well. We are taught that we shouldn’t think too highly of ourselves, and we definitely don’t want to become conceited; but, on the other hand, we don’t want to demean ourselves to the point of self-loathing, either. We need to see ourselves as God’s creation — fearfully and wonderfully made.

Self-improvement:

We will make mistakes, but it’s healthy for us to like ourselves. We’re not perfect, and still need to work on things; but we shouldn’t allow the actions and speech of others to blind us to our own value and worth. Self-esteem is about how we view ourselves, so let’s begin to see ourselves in a better light, and not worry about our shortcomings — work on them, and acknowledge that we were created to be incredible!

Just a thought,

PSS

Managing:

Managing our time wisely is a key to being successful. If we don’t manage our schedule, our schedule will manage us. In other words, if we don’t prioritize what’s important to us, and for us to do, our time won’t be used to maximize our efforts. We should have schedules — schedules can help us stay focused. Without a schedule, we will waste so much time. 

Prioritizing: 

Some things we hear people say are: “I don’t have enough time,” or “There isn’t enough time in the day.” But there is enough time if we prioritize what are the next important things we need to do. It was important for me to watch my kids participate in sports. So, I would schedule their games on my calendar. It was an appointment. When other things would come up, I would have to decline if they conflicted with that appointment.

Scheduling:

Scheduling our time, properly managing our time, will help us get more done in a day. We allot time for everything — 30 minutes for this, an hour for that. It will increase our productivity as we schedule our time.

Time is so precious, so let’s begin to manage it more efficiently. If we do it right, it will also help alleviate stress and running ourselves ragged.

Just a thought,

PSS

Focus is a word that gets thrown around a lot. But I think at times it is difficult for people to do.

Clarity:

Focus! It is a real desire to find something. Clarity comes from focus. Focus doesn’t have a deadline. Aristotle said, “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

Commitment:

When we are focused — really focused — we commit to the work; we commit to the direction. Focus takes time and a commitment towards the goal. So, let’s begin to be committed to focus on God and His word. He did say, “All things are possible to them that believe” (Mark 9:23). 

Attitude: 

What we focus on could determine our attitude. If we focus on all the inequities in life, we will tend to be cynical, disillusioned. But if we focus on that which is good, true, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, we will tend to have a better outlook on life (Phil. 4:8). If we focus on God and His word, our attitudes will be so much healthier. We will begin to see what is possible instead of seeing only the road blocks. We will experience greater hope for all of our tomorrows instead of hopelessness. What we focus on, give our attention to, does determine our outlook on life.  

It’s our choice what we choose to focus on. So, let’s choose God.

Just a thought,

PSS