Thursday, January 2, 2014

Hope for the New Year


Happy New Year!  I hope this finds you happy and healthy as we begin 2014! Have you made a New Year's resolution?  I have never really made resolutions other than the vague “lose weight” or “eat healthier” ; however,  for a few years I chose a hymn as my words to live by for the upcoming year. It is truly wonderful what you can learn by studying the words of hymns.  You may read those posts here and here.  Last week my husband, Jon, sent me a message with a quote from Charles Swindoll.  He said, “This needs to be our view of whatever may come in 2014.”  The quote was: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.   I immediately agreed with him!  I am not proud to admit that 
sometimes I dwell in the “if onlys” of life: (“If only my mom had not gotten cancer”, “If only I hadn't had a miscarriage”, etc.) This is not a good thing to do.  Dwelling on things that happened in the past rob us of the joy to be found in our present circumstances.  As we begin 2014, I am determined to choose my attitude about things that happen very carefully.  I am going to strive to be positive and hopeful about the future!  I know that whatever happens in my life is part of God’s plan for me.  I know I will have to make a conscious decision each and every day to trust and believe that everything is going to be fine – better than fine!   I will choose an attitude of happiness, contentment, thankfulness, forgiveness, hope, and joy.  I will also remember Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord,  to those who are the called according to His purpose. Even things we do not understand are used for OUR good.  I know this in my heart to be true! Yes, even losing my mother and other experiences that were devastating at the time, were all working together for good. Looking back I know that God used those times to draw me closer to Him. 

Here are several other pearls of wisdom from Charles Swindoll that resonated with me.  I hope they may help you too!

 “If you allow it, suffering can be the means by which God brings you His greatest blessings.”

“Joy is a deeply felt contentment that transcends difficult circumstances and derives maximum enjoyment from every good experience.”

“We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.”

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we choose to express. It is not a gift delivered to our door each morning, nor does it come through the window. And it is certain that our circumstances are not the things that make us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never laugh again.”

Happy New Year!

Blessings from Buttercup Bliss

Lisa

5 comments:

  1. I am taking time each day to embrace silence and be quiet. I find that is the time that I can hear all my blessings out loud. I wish you a happy New Year. Thanks for your kind compliments about my artwork on "pretty pink tulips" blog.
    Happy January~
    pve

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  2. Dear Lisa,

    We change our lives by one thought at a time. Just one thought per day, that is outside the normal "tape" each of us plays inside our head -- you know, that little internal voice -- and at the end of one year, you will see how wonderfully that one thought a day can add up! I don't often comment at people's blogs even though I have my favorites and enjoy visiting them often, like yours. But a long long time ago I was in a very dark place. Full of self-doubt and despair. And then one day, I happened to pick up a magazine and read an article about how to change one's thought patterns. I thought it was baloney, but I thought, what do I have to lose? And so I tried it. One thought a day. It was tough at first, because you need to start forging a chain of different thoughts, so you need to remember what you thought the day before that was "outside your box" and add it to a new thought the next day, and the next, and the next. Soon I had a spring back in my step and I could look people in the eye again, and I did not feel like a phoney when I smiled. It changed my life, and I've never been back to that dark place since. Like I said, that was a long long LONG time ago. I think so many women tend to be too hard on themselves, and do not appreciate the unique and precious gifts they bring to this life and to others. Learning how to re-think about yourself and your life, that is the most precious gift you can give to yourself. I have confidence that a person who knows how to create such beauty will be able to get past those 'if onlys" sooner rather than later. I don't that suffering is something God sends any of us to endure. God loves us too much to ever do that.

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    1. Jan, thank you so much for your sweet words of encouragement!! Your message meant so much to me!! Lisa

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  3. Good thoughts! Now, start blogging more, because I enjoy your writing!

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    1. Thank you!! That means a lot to me because I think your writing is awesome!!! You always make me laugh!!

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Thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss! Your messages mean so much to me! Lisa