November 1: We Did Nothing To Earn This Life. All We Can Do In Exchange Is To Give It Away.

Affirmation: I am kind to myself. I allow myself to slow down and enjoy life.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬~~~~~Happy 18th Birthday to our oldest granddaughter! 🥰 🥰 love you!

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Continue to personalize this verse…practice joyful hope(read Wholehearted Guidepost #4 below), patience in difficulties and pray faithfully. Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (read Matering the 7 Decisions below).
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Wholehearted Guidepost #4 from Brené Brown

Cultivate Gratitude and Joy. Let go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark.

Gratitude provides a clear pathway to experiencing more of this joy. By practicing gratitude for the opportunities you have to experience joy, you can be with it fully, even though it’s impermanent. And when the experience ends, you can be grateful that it happened at all!

The quickest way to eliminate joyful experiences from your life is to hold yourself back from feeling joy in the first place.

Start practicing:

Reframe your expectations about the level of joy you’re capable of experiencing in life. What if you expected to bring joy into each day?

Make noticing what you’re grateful for a part of your daily life. (Like keeping a gratitude journal.) There’s always something you can be grateful for. And therefore, always a reason to feel joy.

When you feel fear or scarcity, use it as an opportunity to practice gratitude. For example, if you fear losing something, connect with the reasons you’re grateful to have that thing/person/opportunity in your life in this moment.

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

2. Guided Decision

I will seek wisdom

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and lis- ten only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

I will seek wisdom. I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire. If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights. I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly.

“Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matt 7:7

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will guide your steps.” Prov. 3:5,6

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

November 1

We Did Nothing To Earn This Life. All We Can Do In Exchange Is To Give It Away.

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14.

Most of us have gone on vacation before and asked a college student or friend to house sit while we’re away. The house sitters know they don’t own the place.

How wild would it be if we return to our house to find they had knocked out a wall to begin renovations? We might not have explicitly told them not to renovate or throw block parties, but we bring them in with the understanding that the house isn’t their playground. They didn’t buy it and it’s not their place to do whatever they wish. They are overseers until the owners come back, that’s all.

I like to think of our lives the same way. We didn’t earn this life. We don’t own our bodies or the world in which we find ourselves. Out of the overflow of God’s love, He created us, and gave us the opportunity to take care of a small space in the world for a while. He gave us gifts and bodies and belongings, all entrusted to us for a time so we could give love to more people. It’s actually a huge responsibility when you think about it, we were entrusted with God’s precious creation so we could preserve what’s beautiful and welcome more people into the life of abundance.

If you find yourself, giving in to a sense of greed and entitlement, remember, the worldisn't ours for the taking. We are just stewards meant to pass it on better than we found it. We’ve been given a gift to be built upon and shared. All we can do in exchange is to give it away.
What can you do today to leave something better than you found it?