Love is a universal language. When we embrace kindness and
extend it to our fellow man, it speaks to our hearts and lifts our spirits, but
only if we give— without expecting anything in return. If we constantly take, however,
and have impossible expectations of others, we lose focus on the amazing gift
of love.
Suddenly, our happiness consumes everything! We become
self-centered and selfish. In that mindset, we only think about ourselves.
Friendship, parenthood, marriage, our career, and relationship with God
are obscured by our thoughts and desires for our life.
If we shift the focus, however, to the well-being of others,
we invite the joy of true happiness into our lives. When I stop thinking about
me, then I’m able to center my life in my Lord. By seeking Him, my life has
purpose. It stops being just about me. God did not create
me for my own glory and honor. He formed me from my mother’s womb to serve Him.
We should never make ourselves greater than what we are. I’m
nothing! I don’t deserve any honor or glory. The only thing I have to glory in
is my Lord and His goodness. Everything else is meaningless.
When we stop to think about it, we are the most selfish with
our time.
In the days past, people helped one another. Our ancestors
didn’t just think about their children, but they watched out for their
neighbors children as well. People didn’t stay home on Sunday mornings and
serve God from their homes, but they went to church. They were there to do
their part and to give their part to the Lord.
My goal is to work on being more selfless.
Jesus gave us the greatest example of selflessness and true
love. He stood in front of me and took my punishment on the cross. His life
became the ransom for my sins. It was not His sins that condemned Him, but
ours. He could have called for angels to rescue Him, but He was thinking of us.
I desire to be more like my Lord.
I want to live everyday inspired! Wake up each morning with
purpose and live as if my life is valued. After all, God paid a mighty price
for me. Complaining about our heartaches and always being in a bad mood is a
dishonor to our God. When I think about His grace and mercy for my life every
single day, I realize there is absolutely nothing to complain about. Sometimes
we have a tough day because we make bad choices, and make our life just about
us. Things don’t always go our way, but we have to be willing to adjust and
modify accordingly.
Every day I tell myself: It’s not just about you!
If we’re not careful we will put our blessings into the same
category as our heartaches and whine when we should be praising God. Instead of
always dwelling on my problems or praying for myself, I’ve learned to pray for
others. Every once in awhile God gives me a glimpse of their struggles and I
realize mine are small in comparison.
Once I was crying at work because my rib was out of place
and I struggled to breathe. I was having a pity-party. Then a patient on oxygen
opened the door and truly labored to breathe. Right then my self-pity turned to
compassion, and I forgot about my own problems as I helped him. Without my own
struggles, I wouldn’t have been as compassionate. Helping others is the
greatest feeling. After all, how we treat others is how we treat God!
Praying is wonderful, but sometimes we need to be silent so
we can hear God’s voice. Listening for
His guidance and instructions comforts me and makes life easier. Often times we
need to ponder our situation and put it in perspective. Nothing is ever as bad
as it seems!
Once upon a time, I hate going to the grocery store. I
whined about it and let it ruin my whole day. Then one day it occurred to me
that every time I walk through the doors, with enough money to buy food for my
children, I am blessed. The attitude of gratitude is absolutely wonderful.
Finally, I’m thankful God has patience with me, and that He
doesn’t always give me what I ask for. This may seem strange, but I’ve asked
Him for ridiculous things and gotten upset with Him when my prayer wasn’t
answered.
Remember my nightly prayers as a child for God to heal my
scars? All I wanted was to be unscarred and God gave me more than I dreamed
possible. He gave me the gift of helping others! I am truly the happiest when I
am serving others!
May God bless you!
Candida
