Looking at life in a more positive view

LOOKING AT LIFE IN A MORE POSITIVE VIEW...

I get frustrated by constant negativity. 

My life view is mostly focused on the positive.

I like to find positive things about people, then try to understand the reasons for the negative side.

Things in our world look bad at times. 

But if we stop and remember that, regardless of the negative things, we have a positive God who makes the difference. 

God wants us to think on things that will point us to Him.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."

That is what God wants us to think about. He wants us to be prepared, but to also remember to prepare our hearts for eternity with Him. You can have everything prepared for your physical life, but if you are not prepared for eternity, then you aren't really prepared.

Our thoughts need to be on things that are...

Filled with truth and honesty. Things that follow God's word and what he wants from us and for us.

Our thoughts need to be on things that are pure, those thoughts that only point us to a deeper, closer relationship with our Heavenly Father. The thoughts that are so full of God that sinful ones are pushed aside.

Thoughts of lovely things, like all the beauty around us that God created. Lovely thoughts of babies, and sunsets, and blessings. Things that only point to Him and His Wonderful Love for us. He wants so focused on Him that the burdens of this world fade away and only He is in focus. 

He wants us to think about admirable things. Like helping others to find Him. Tending every day things with his love and care, as tho we were doing them just for Him. 

Our focus should be on how excellent He is, how Wonderful He is, how much he loves us regardless of our sin. How much he wants a deeper personal relationship with Him. And on the peace he gives us in the turmoil of life. He wants our focus so much on him that he sent his only son to die on the cross so we would have a way to forever be with him.

God wants to give us Peace that passes all understanding, Love that knows no bounds, Faith that may start as a mustard seed, but grows in him with NO limits.

If our focus is so stuck on things of this world, we stress, we worry, we fret, we have health issues from it, and a long list of things that aren't pleasing. He wants our peace to be found only in him.

As I get closer to being the big 40, I reflect back on my life and see times of stress, worry, fretting, and so many other negative things. And I see more of the moments that I leaned on his power, his love, his peace, his grace. He has brought many people and situations in my life that have pointed me right back to him. Things that have reminded me that ultimately this world is not my home, I am just passing through. I am bound for a home in heaven that is much better than anything on earth. 

Memories of a generation that has left us for home...

 As I sit here reflecting on 44 years of life, many who were here when I was born have left for heaven.

That is the sad reality of life. 

I think of my grandparents, both Ducommun and Haynes.

The way their life choices shaped my parents, and the way my parents' life choices shaped my own.

What if generations before me had not chosen a life lived for Christ?

What if they had not chosen to stay married when things were hard?

The fact is, they chose Christ. They chose to stay and love even when it wasnt always easy.

They chose to live lives in adoration of our Heavenly Father. They chose to raise their families in the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

God blessed our family in that we have had, since birth, the opportunity and the freedom to choose to live for Him. Each generation past has made the firm choice to live for Christ.

Our lives going forward depend on us, the new middle generation, to keep the legacy that the older generations have built. To instill in the younger generations the Love of Christ, to work through the hard times in marriage, to raise our children and future grandchildren to love Jesus and love others.

If we don't teach them ways of the Lord not only with words, but by example, this legacy will be lost.

I strive to keep the legacy they have built going in my home and family. 

Both sides taught us that our relationship with God comes first, then our relationship with our spouse, and then our family. Its is vitaly important that we continue to keep that order going forward. If we don't, the world will take over, and our most precious ones will not follow us to heaven's gates. We can't take material possessions with us, but we can train up our children and share with our grandchildren the saving knowledge ot Jesus Christ, and then they too can choose to follow Christ.