Thoughts

21 ATTITUDES

/ seekproverbs31 / 2 Comments

As I am reaching the age that I can remember my grand parents being, I’m finding that I enjoy life more. Worry less, dream more. But I also find that not everyone that ages, ages well. So I encourage you to age well.
Action plan: Live by these 21 attitudes:

01 – It’s time to use the money you saved up . Use it and enjoy it . Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet .

02 – Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren , and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself . You’ve taken care of them for many years and you’ve taught them what you could. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money .

03 – Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise ( like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick and it gets harder to remain healthy . That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Stay informed .

04 – Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together .

05 – Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten .

06 – Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember : A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.

07 – Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber , do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong .

08 – Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are .

09 – Always stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.

10 – Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today .

11 – Never use the phrase In my time. Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life .

12 – Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around .

13 – Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren ( if you have a financial choice , that is ) . Sure , being surrounded by family sounds great , but we all need our privacy . They need theirs and you need yours . If you’ve lost your partner ( our deepest condolences ) , then find a person to move in with you and help out . Even then , do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone .

14 – Don’t abandon your hobbies . If you don’t have any , make new ones . You can travel , hike , cook , read , dance . You can adopt a cat or a dog , grow a garden , play cards , checkers , chess , dominoes , golf . You can paint , volunteer or just collect certain items . Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it .

15 – Even if you don’t feel like it , try to accept invitations . Baptisms , graduations , birthdays , weddings , conferences . Try to go . Get out of the house , meet people you haven’t seen in a while , experience something new ( or something old ) . But don’t get upset when you’re not invited . Some events are limited by resources , and not everyone can be hosted . The important thing is to leave the house from time to time . Go to museums , go walk through a field . Get out there .

16 – Be a conversationalist . Talk less and listen more . Some people go on and on about the past , not caring if their listeners are really interested . That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you . Listen first and answer questions , but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to . Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to . Try to accept situations as they are . Everyone is going through the same things and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints . Always find some good things to say as well .

17 – Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older . Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through . Try to minimize them in your mind . They are not who you are , they are something that life added to you . If they become your entire focus , you lose sight of the person you used to be .

18 – If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them . If you’ve offended someone – apologize . Don’t drag around resentment with you . It only serves to make you sad and bitter . It doesn’t matter who was right . Someone once said : Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die . Don’t take that poison . Forgive , forget and move on with your life .

19 – If you have a strong belief , savor it . But don’t waste your time trying to convince others . They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them , and it will only bring you frustration . Live your faith and set an example . Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them .

20 – Laugh A Lot . Laugh at everything . Remember , you are one of the lucky ones . You managed to have a life , a long one . Many never get to this age , never get to experience a full life . But you did . So what’s not to laugh about ? Find the humor in your situation .

21 – Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking . They’ll do it anyway , and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved . Let them talk and don’t worry . They have no idea about your history , your memories and the life you’ve lived so far . There’s still much to be written , so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think . Now is the time to be at rest , at peace and as happy as you can be !
UNKNOWN ORIGINAL PUBLISHER

What will you do to change so that as you age, your life will be joy filled?

Middle

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Writing from the heart is hard. Being vulnerable is hard. Being honest about your most inner being is hard. Being brave is hard. Yet doing these things make life so much easier. Brings so much peace in your world. Stops loneliness and depression. Opens up a part of you that has been held captive.

I’m going to do that right now with you.

Life for me has not been easy. In some ways, still isn’t. There have been traumas that have over shadowed my value. There has been pain caused by others that has covered me in shame and guilt. There has been rejection and betrayal. There has been poor choices on my part and at times still are. But what I’ve come to realize is that even though those things are part of my middle, the end has already been determined. Jesus was the beginning that determined my end.

Revelation 21:3  (ESV) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Revelation 22:4-5  (ESV) They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

I had to come to a place in my heart where regardless of all the external circumstances around me, the internal trusted in my end while I lived in the middle. To trust that if I live in the middle as He would want me to live then the plan He has for me in the end will be with Him. I do not carry shame & guilt of the past around any longer. I do not fear the future. I trust in His word and I will reign with Him forever and ever.

I am walking a path that He has had me on for some time now. Excited to see where He is leading me. Does the devil want to rip that out of my soul? Yes he does! But I won’t let him because Jesus has great plans.

How are you living in the middle?

If you don’t know how to move forward out of your own set of traumas. If you feel stuck and unsure what God has planned for you. If you’re ready to explore a new brighter horizon. Join me and let’s walk that path together. You can contact me on the link at rhondagouldonline.com.

You may be in the middle and He is asking you to make the most of it for Him!

Thank you Lord for always always always walking me through it. Amen!

Other

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Other………… what does that bring to mind?

Immediately for me I think of the other person. The one standing in front of me. The sinner just like me. The over achiever. The shamed. The abused. The champion. The elite. The lazy. The known. The unknown.

it doesn’t matter what the other is. All that matters is how does God expect me to love the other.

I recently have been reintroduced to a scripture that honestly never quite caught my attention.

But this one verse says so much about who I am. About my heart. About who HE wants me to be. How he wants me to look at the other.

Ephesians 3:2  (ESV) assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

God has really been patient with me through out my life. Most of it, I didn’t even realize He was watching. The rest, I was more focused on me than the other. Then Ephesians 3:2 showed up in my life.

The understanding of the stewardship of God’s grace for me, was given to me so that I would give it to the other.

Now with each new day, I wake, grateful for His grace so I can give it away. Always remembering that I didn’t, don’t, deserve it either. Yet He still gives it.

So today, in my world, the other standing in front of me will receive the stewardship of God’s grace.

Lord, I ask you to use me daily. To show me who the other is that needs to feel your love and unconditional grace. Amen!

Life Application Study Bible

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Hello friends! I’m excited to have the opportunity through Bible Gateway and as a Gateway Blog member to share with you a resource that will enhance your study experience and aid in bringing you closer to understanding how the past (before Christ) leads you straight to now (after Christ).

Right at the very beginning of this study bible it has a section on Application. Why is application so important? We can read and memorize the scriptures all we want but if we do not apply it to our life and change our ways so we align with who God would want us to be, then we’ve missed the boat.

Of course then comes each book of the Old & New Testament. I love at the beginning of each book it gives you the Vital stats of that book. The “low down” if you will. That way you know who they are talking about and why this book is important to us.

I get excited about this next feature. Each book gives you a description of some of the most important characters that played a role in that book. Why is this so exciting? Because I can get to know them a bit better. I might see characteristics in them that I see in myself and be able to learn from them. The bible gives such information as: strengths/accomplishments, weakness/mistakes, lessons they learned, a few vital stats and key verses pertaining to that character. Makes it a little more personal for me and therefore a bit easier to APPLY it to my life.

I’m attaching a picture of another section of each book called the Blue Print. This information is simply a snap shot of what you’re gonna find in that particular book.

See the link below to be able to order this great study bible. There are many places where you can find this bible for purchase. This is just 1 suggested resource.

https://www.amazon.com/Application-Study-Bible-Leathersoft-Letter/dp/0310452821/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3M1HERNX8VYO1&keywords=life+application+study+bible+niv&qid=1573844700&sprefix=life+application%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-6

Well speaking of resources. The bible has in the back of the book just boo-coos of resources for you to pull from. These are a few that I found helpful! * How to become a Christian , * How to follow up with a new believer and *Hard questions with scripture references. These are just a few of the wonderful resources built right into this one Bible.

I also want to encourage you to use a very handy tool @ https://www.biblegateway.com/

Through this resource, you can have reading plans, daily scriptures and the full bible in many difference versions so that you are able to compare with each other to make sure you understand what God is trying to say to you specifically through scripture. All at your finger tips, 24/7. Hope you find it to be a useful tool.

I hope that you will take advantage of all the tools you have to seek a closer walk with Jesus and grow so that you become all who God created you to be. So tomorrow when you wake, you’ll be ready to make disciples that make disciples.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Lord thank you for providing me with avenues to bring you the glory!

Join me at http://www.rhondagouldonline or https://www.facebook.com/rhondagouldcoaching/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Settle

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What do you think of when you hear the word Settle?

Me……… my immediate thought is negative.

What does that say about me? Mainly, what does that say about my past?

If you look at the picture of the brick cracking. It is doing that because it’s foundation has started to settle. When it’s footing and the firm ground underneath it gives way, the seams that held it together also give way.

There has been many times that I have felt my life giving way because what I had built my home, my life on, the firm ground, was giving way. My footing was slipping out from under me and my home, my life, was crumbling before me.

We don’t always have control of the atmosphere around us, the rain, the cold, the heat effects our ground just as the people around us do. I had settled for something and someone that I believed was firm and sure footed. But it wasn’t!

I had settled into a routine, building my own dream home, until one day, I finally heard him say clearly, “Behold, I am doing a new thing”.

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The things that I had settled so comfortably in did not have a firm foundation. Did not have solid ground. The atmosphere was unstable and the cracks became clear all around me.

I do not have to settle. God has given me everything I need. Jesus gave up everything for me. He is my firm footing. His word holds strong under the pressures of the greatest storms. As long as I stand straight on His truths, the people and atmosphere that wants to surround me can not make the ground underneath me give way. The seams of my soul will stay in tact and I will make a way in the wilderness and there will be rivers in the desert.

Do not settle because Jesus made a way to move forward.

Why?

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#fmf

If you have never asked God, Why?. Then you are probably one of the very few people on this earth, who have at least a small belief in God, who hasn’t. I know I have many times but not lately.

How could there be a God and allow a child to die or suffer? Why?

That person was so good and did so much for others, why would God allow them to suffer in that way?

I’ve tried so hard to train my child up knowing you Lord, how could you have taken him away from me through drugs?

Why would you allow such a bad person to live Lord, yet take the life of one of your workers?

So many questions.

I too have had experience in my life that I wonder why God would have allowed that to happen. Childhood experiences, divorce, sick child just to name a few. Yes, I would ask, why?

Then I realized, those questions are only questions because the thing that God allowed to happen effected me or someone I loved. So then I had to ask myself, why not me? I’m no one special, so why should my pain be spared and someone else be riddled with it?

I may not understand everything that happens to me in my life. I may think it was unfair, painful and sometimes hard to forgive. But those things in my life, in your life, have a purpose. Can be used to bring glory to God and show others how His mercy and grace works. If we allow it!

John 9:3  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

And if I’m gonna ask Why on every painful and hard thing, then I need to ask Why on the joyous and blessed too.

Free will and choice are the true culprits in the tragedies of our lives but God can and will make good out of them if we ask Him to. And that good will bring multitudes of joy to us.

So don’t ask Why, ask Why not, and seek to find what you can learn from that experience, who you can bless through it and how you can bring glory to Him in it.

Thank you Lord for loving me enough to walk through it all with me! Amen

Help Others out of the Pit

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Sherri Clem: She’s a beauty. Holds herself up strong and if you look deep, you see that she understands the strength only comes from God. She is very aware of the grace that Jesus gave her and is willing to share that understanding with any one who will listen. Although she holds herself strong, she also is weak in need of love. Weary from past and holding on to future. Sherri is finding that love in the people that God has placed in her life. Some recent and some have been there all along but she is just now grabbing hold. She will love you, extend grace to you and feel deep compassion for you from the first minute of your interaction with her. Take some time to learn a little more about her.


My name is Sherri Clem I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ who is celebrating my sobriety in chemical dependency since April 20th, 2006. I knew right away that I wanted to help others out of the same pit that the Lord pulled me out of when I gave my life to Jesus Christ and He set me free and broke me from the bondage of shame and guilt, that kept me in addiction for so many years. Celebrate Recovery was a wonderful faith based program that gave me the tools to be able to live a Christ like life and walk through my hurts, habits and hangs ups. As I got better I learned the power of forgiveness of myself, God and others. I realized my addiction had taken me down a road I never wanted to go and kept me a lot longer than I wanted to stay. I was addicted to stadol nasal spray for 7 years and almost took my life because I wasn’t in my right mind one night. From that night I never took it again but I picked up 7 more demons, a drug called fentanyl and the next 5 1/2 years along with about 40 pills a day my stomach began to shut down and I no longer could eat anything without it coming straight back up. I had what they called gastroparesis. My stomach became paralyzed. Not even that stopped me from doing drugs. My bottom came when I drove around Tennessee for 6 hours trying to get to my sons baseball tournament and could not remember where I was, who I was, I mean nothing my mind was blank. It was only Gods Grace that kept me from hitting someone or me wrecking. I found out when I got admitted to the hospital I had a T. I. A. It was a pre stroke plus I was having right lower temporal seizures. That was my bottom. My husband asked me at the hospital “Did I want To Die?”. Or Was I trying to kill myself? And I said no to both. I was scared. I was not ready to die, I was ready to live and I didn’t want to loose my son. My son was what inspired me to get clean. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ healed me when I turned my life over to Him and took my last drug in April 20, 2006. From that time the Lord has restored me, my marriage and my children.

I went to College and got my degree in Cosmetology and soon there after bought a Salon, and named it Amazing Grace Hair Salon because it was only God’s Grace that all this was possible. My husband and I have a ministry truck called the Gospel Train where we go out and feed others who were just like us. We share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and let them know He loves them and there is another way. I am a Recovery Pastor, a Peer Support Specialists and a Leader at Celebrate Recovery. I love the gift of life the Lord has given to me and I don’t ever want to take it for granted. I also love that I can share with others there is way out of there struggles also. His name is Jesus. #WITHGODALLTHINGSAREPOSSIBLE #WEDORECOVER #A. R. T. #DREAMSDOCOMETRUE

Thank you Lord for the grace that you showered on Sherry. Thank you for protecting her family and restoring her marriage. Please allow her to have many more opportunities to bring others to you. Amen!