Look On The Bright Side

Sometimes things in life go wrong. We can't control it. But we can control how we handle it. It's all about your perspective.




Perspective is defined as a particular attitude towards or way regarding something; a point of view. Your perspective on a situation has the power to effect the outcome of how you decide to handle it. Will you let it ruin your day or will you "look at the bright side" ?

      I can definitely say my day started off crazy. I was getting ready to go to work. Earlier I had put my work clothes in some water that was sitting in the washing machine. I continue getting dressed and 10 minutes before it's time for me to go, I take my clothes out of the dryer and you will never guess what happened! ALL OF MY WORK CLOTHES WERE BLEACHED AND HAD TURNED A WHOLE DIFFERENT COLOR! I'm talking about ruined. Turns out the water that was sitting in the washing machine had bleach in it. I immediately begin to panic because I didn't have anything to wear to work and I had less than 5 minutes before I had to leave. Thank God I had another pharmacy smock and a blue shirt that wasn't in the washing machine.
       While I was in the car, I spent the ride to work thinking about my perspective on the situation. I said I can either have a pity party and let this situation ruin my day or I can look at the BRIGHT SIDE. Things could have definitely been worse. I had the intentions of putting all of my colored clothes in that water BUT GOD! Instead of me whining over a couple of work shirts that were ruined, what if I had to try to replace the majority of my colored clothes?  A lot of my favorite pieces was in that pile. As I prayed on the way to work, I was very thankful that I had a uniform to wear to work and that none of my other clothes were ruined. Suddenly, my attitude had lifted and my perspective was changed.
        When difficult situations arise, it is a must that you stay POSITIVE. You cannot produce positivity with a negative mindset. A negative mindset will cause you to have a very mean and bitter spirit. When you take that spirit around others, it causes them to not want to be around you. What if I would have taken a negative attitude to work? My pharmacist and co-workers would not want to be around me. I probably would not have been very nice to the customers due to me not wanting to be bothered. That would have definitely dropped our customer service score. Due to that, I would probably have to be written up or coached about my attitude. I probably wouldn't be as focused and would have made a mistake on someone's prescription. You see how this became a chain reaction due to my negative perspective on a situation?
         That's why it's very important to keep a positive mindset at all times. We should spend more time with God. When you spend time with God, life is put into perspective. God gives you the strength to deal with certain situations. He will not put more on you than you can bear. When you feel like you're going to lose your mind or you want to give into that negativity:



Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

God will give you peace beyond all understanding! You'll be like "Where is this calm coming from in the mist of my situation or storm?" Send your prayers unto the Lord. Tell him to help you see situations like He sees situations. Ask him to change your perspective about the situations in your life. Ask God to keep your mind and to give you peace.





                                      10 Benefits Of Looking on The Bright Side

1.) Worry less
2.) Balanced stress level
3.) Increased faith in God

4.) You will ooze positivity

5.) Growth and maturity

6.) You come off more loving because of a positive attitude

7.) You smile more

8.) More productive

9.) You show more gratitude

10.) You will live a more happier and peaceful life.


Remember

2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
Acknowledge. Fix. Keep it Moving...






Send the Past To the Voicemail

From time to time, I would get a text, call, or Facebook message from people who were a part of my past, mostly males. You may ask well “Why do they still have you number?” or “Why haven’t you changed your number?” Honey, I’ve had my number since 2006 so it’s definitely not going to change. I do this thing called “ignoring” or mentally sending you to the voicemail.

In the literal sense, we send people to voicemail because we don’t feel like talking to them or we are not available to talk to them. For example, bill collectors. Nobody wants to talk to bill collectors.  Just leave it on the voicemail.

Everyone has a past. Everyone has associates, ex- friends, ex-boyfriends/ girlfriends, etc. who played a part of their past lives but in the present, don’t associate with these people anymore.  A lot of the people who I don’t associate with anymore are due to that was a part of my life that I’m not in anymore. I’m not that person that I used to be. If I was to still associate with the people I used to hang out with back then, being the person I am now, it wouldn’t benefit my life in any way.

2 Corinth 6:14a (KJV) says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness have with unrighteousness?"

So do you get a “sympathetic feeling” when you get a text or Facebook message from someone in your past and you feel “THE NEED” to respond to this person? Or the “well..I don’t want to be rude so…..” How are you being rude when you cut this relationship or friendship off so long ago? Everybody couldn’t go to where you were going.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (KJV) says, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”

How can we expect God to do something new in our lives if we are still holding on to the things and people of the past? How can we expect Him to bless us with our one day future husband/wife if we are still holding on to ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, randoms, boos, baes, or whatever else you have laying around? You have to let go of the past. You can’t move forward if you are still “reconnecting” with the past.  Clip that connection. God is ready to release his best for your life. You have to focus on what’s ahead of you and reach for it.

Sometimes we need to even send our thoughts about people of our past to voicemail.

2 Corinth 10:5 (KJV) says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itelf against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God." 

Why would you constantly think about someone who constantly pressured you to have sex with them? Someone who pushed you towards sin? That's still a connection to the past. That's a thought that goes against the knowledge of God. God said in His word to flee fornication and that your body is a temple (I Corith 18 and I Corith 19-20). Oh but you miss him/her right? Was that relationship glorifying God? Who are you serving? God or them? Send those thoughts to voicemail and let it go.

What we have to understand in life, we have different seasons. Some people will only stick around for a season. Have you noticed that some of the people you hung around back in 2004 are not the same people you have around you now in 2014? Your friends, relationships and acquaintances change due to a change in towns, schools, jobs, churches, etc. Only the people that were meant to stay in your life long term will stick with you through the changes of seasons and circumstances. So understanding this, you can't keep connecting with the ones that "didn't make the cut" for the next season of your life. You can't even feel guilty about it. God puts people in your life where He sees fit. He puts people in your life that are going to build you up and benefit your life. Those are the people that will continually keep making the cut. So stop trying to take people from your past with you. They can't go. Stop responding to the "out of the blue" text messages, calls, Facebook messages, or how ever else they are trying to contact you. So what if they miss you? Let them miss you. Where you are in life now, they can't do anything for you anymore. It's over.  SEND THE PAST STRAIGHT TO VOICEMAIL BECAUSE THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEW TO SAY.

"Sometimes there's a GOOD in goodbye"

Acknowledge. Fix. Keep it Moving. 

Other reference scriptures on letting go of the past

Philippians 3:13-14 (Moving toward the mark of Christ)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (You are a new creature)

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (the strength to let go of the past)

Philippians 4:11 (You're content so you don't need to go backwards)

1 John 1:9 (You are forgiven from your past so leave it be)

No Fear In Love

I hear a lot of people say that they don't believe in love after they've been hurt or "love hurts". I used to be that way too. My faith in love was completely shot. Now mind you, I've never been in love. I can't say that I have in any of my relationships when I look back. It was more of an infatuation feeling. Trust me, when you're in love, you will know it.


The bible talks a lot about love, but the scripture that stood out to me the most was




I John4:18 (KJV), which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."




Love is described as "the bond of perfectness" (Colossians 3:14, KJV)


First, you have to be in Jesus to understand love. God showed us the ultimate act of love when He sent His only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins so that we shall be saved. (John 3:16, KJV). God loved us before we even knew it.


"We love Him, because he first loved us" I John 4:19

Now I can't compare my earthly relationships to this act of love but it definitely opened my eyes that I was not in love with the person I was in a relationship with. Talking in the earthly sense, what are some ways that you can tell if someone truly loves or care for you?


It's more than just somebody saying "I love you". It's all about ACTIONS. Their actions have to line up with what they are saying. If not, then they are "testi-lying" honey.




One way that you can tell if  the person you are in a relationship with loves you is if they are pushing you closer to God. Your significant other should care more about your soul than anything. They will hold you accountable, pray for you, bring out the best in you, support you, keep their hands off of you until marriage, respect you....can I say that again? RESPECT YOU.




I didn't get NONE of that from any of the relationships I was in. Just because some buys you something on valentines day or take you to the movies every now and then does not mean it's love. Are they pushing you to sin? Are they constantly putting their hands on you? Are they constantly flirting with other people?  Do they always seem to have a bad temper towards you? Are they calling you out of your name? Do they go to church with you?




So no, I was not in love. It was all infatuation from the "cuteness" of being in a relationship. From receiving gifts. From going on dates. Those relationships weren't producing any fruit towards my future. But don't feel like you've wasted your time. If the relationship you were in didn't bring you what you wanted, it surely taught you what you DON'T want.


We have to stop going by how the world describes love because it is twisted. "He popped me in my eye, but I know it's because he loves me." Whaaaaat? Come on. LOVE IS NOT SUPPOSE TO HURT. Oh wait, here's another one. "If you love me, then you would give me some". "I have to test you out before we can start this relationship" You're not suppose to ever compromise your values to find love either.


I encourage everyone to read I Corinthians 13 also know as the chapter of love. This will give you a very CLEAR understanding of what TRUE LOVE really is.


So the next time you feel as if you will "never love again" or you're scared to love again because of a past relationship, read these scriptures and gain you're faith back. GOD CREATED LOVE. IT NEVER FAILS!
Acknowledge. Fix. Keep it Moving.

Other Scriptures on Love
John 15:13
Colossians 3:14
Proverbs 10:12
I John 4:8

Anger, Wrath, and Self-Control

I have to admit, we live in a very angry and impatient society. You either turn on the television and see the violence that is happening around the world or you stroll down your newsfeed on Facebook and see the various videos being shared of people fighting. But where does it all stem from? ANGER AND WRATH. People are lacking self-control and patience. Do you know that in the bible, these two traits are listed as "fruit of the spirit"?


Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) says, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these sayings."


I can definitely say that I was one that lacked patience most of the time. I would tell someone in a minute, I don't have a patience and I get annoyed very easily. Yes, I sometimes let my anger get the best of me. Still it's a trait that is a work in process. We're human and sometimes our emotions will get the best of us. But we need to pray and shut that spirit down as soon as we feel it coming on. 
With me? It stemmed from my past. I used to let a lot of people run over me ever since I could remember. It lasted all the way through my college years. I was viewed as weak. This definitely caused a difference in my character. I developed an angry spirit and became very impatient with people. I didn't let disrespect fly over with me. I would even cuss someone out for looking at me sideways. I had developed road rage. I was always seeking revenge. I didn't let anyone get over on me and if they did, they were definitely going to pay. 



But is this the spirit that we should have as believers? Does this trait reflect the heart of Christ?
ABSOLUTELY NOT

 The bible described the character of Jesus Christ as meek and humble. What is meekness you may ask?
TheFreeDictionary.com defines meek as (1) showing patience and humility; gentle
Webster defines meek as (1) enduring injury with patience and without resentment : mild (2) deficient in spirit and courage: submissive (3) not violent or strong: moderate

Society likes to associate meekness with weakness. Not the case at all. Being meek as you can see from the previous definitions is revolving closely around patience. Being meek means in any hot or pressured situation, you have self-control and are able to endure what has come against you without resulting to anger or wrath. EVERY SITUATION DOESN'T REQUIRE A REACTION.  Now I'm not saying that you should just let people disrespect you, but it's a loving way to go about it.

Proverbs 15:1 (NLT) says, "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare."

Anger is dangerous thing to play with. What if you lose your life responding to a situation with wrath? For example, was cussing that person out worth you getting in a fight and/or getting killed? You don't always have to seek revenge or pay someone back with the same thing they did to you.

Proverbs 24:29 (KJV) says, "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work." 

Romans 12:17,19 (NLT) says, "Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. (19) Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the scriptures say, I will take revenge; I will pay them back says The Lord." 

We have to understand as children of God, that we are to love everyone. This is what God has commanded of us. We should show mercy to all people.  (What if God treated us with impatience? Would you still be here?) God has our back 24/7. Evil doers cannot get over on you. They will be cut off. We don't have to be angry or seek revenge. We really need to have wisdom when it comes to anger and self-control. (Check out proverbs) Sometimes you have to just be quiet. Sometimes you have to just let things blow over your shoulder. You have to become meek and show that you have self-control. Expressing anger or wrath is not worth losing your a friendship, job, your sanity, respect, you not being able to go to your favorite restaurant or business or even your life. The next time you feel like you wanna go off on somebody, just take a breath, pray, and ask yourself is it really worth it?

Here are some other reference scriptures on anger and self control: 
Proverbs 13:3
Proverbs 14:29
Proverbs 15:18
Proverbs 16:32
Proverbs 18:13
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 19:19
Proverbs 21:23
Proverbs 22:24-25
Proverbs 25:28
Proverbs 29:11
Proverbs 29:22
Proverbs 30:33
Psalms 37:8-9
Eccles 7:9
Ephes 4:26
Ephes 4:29-32

Acknowledge (the problem)  Fix (the problem) Keep it moving