Don't Sweat The Small Stuff ~ With Image 72

Don't sweat the small stuff. But what's the small stuff? When in the middle of a situation that feels overwhelming or disatrous, everything around me appears big through the magic magnifier in my mind. But the truth is most things simply aren't that big or important. I can live without a lot of the things that seem important to me. Luxuries such as the computer I am typing on are not truly life or death essential or "big stuff." What is going to matter in the eternal scheme of things? My relationship with God, and my relationships with those He has blessed me with. These are the big things. These are the areas I need to sweat and take action to preserve and improve. If something goes wrong in relationship with my Creator, I need to sweat it. I need to make sure I react in love and care for others. Everything else....yes, everything else is the small stuff I need to remember to accept whatever comes and not stress over, worry about, and most definitely not damage the important things over. When I remember and live this simple truth, I find more blessings and serenity in my life than I can number.

Dreaming

God gives us dreams and goals so that we have something to live for, something to aim for, and most of all, something to work for. But anything worth dreaming of requires work to bring it about. It also requires an engineer. Since it is impossible for me to manage my own life, or anyone else's for that matter, any dreams, goals and plans that God puts in my heart are also there to provide me with opportunities to exercise both faith and submission. He gives me a chance to build faith in the idea that He has placed desires in my heart that He wants me to have as He takes me to a place where I am happy, joyous and free. And also these dreams give me a chance to remember and exercise faith that what the engineer of my life has begun He will complete. But faith without works is dead, and faith without submission is meaningless. When I take the action to turn my will and my life completely over to my Creator, I find the guidance and wisdom necessary to make my dreams come true. When I simply take my dreams and run with them without waiting for God's guidance, I destroy them, and even those dreams given to me by God turn either to insubstantial wisps of wish or, worse yet, nightmares.

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Image 68 ~ Blessed Day

God is good. It always amazes me when I receive blessings I did not expect, do not deserve, or had given up on. Today I got a blessing I hadn't expected to receive anytime soon. I found out yesterday that my sister-in-law, who I had not seen in a long time, is in Texas. Actually she is about 30 or so miles away. This afternoon I got the treat of being able to talk to her over coffee for a few hours. We laughed and talked, I nearly cried a few times, but hey I felt like it was kinda a Hallmark moment. I also was able to introduce her to my significant other, which I am especially grateful for. I have missed my family and prayed for an opportunity such as this. But only when I relaxed and stopped fretting about when it would happen did God give me the desire of my heart. This is a theme I am seeing a lot of lately. Seek relationship with Him first, and all these other things will be added to me. Seek the things, relationships, blessings, etc. and my life becomes a train wreck where I don't much of anything good. I hope that I am able to remember this always and not get off track again any time soon. It's been a good day, and I feel truly blessed. Are all my problems solved? No. Is everything perfect in every relationship and situation? Not even close. But things are better today than yesterday, and after all it's about progress, not perfection.

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Spent some time today with my cousin Scott, who is visiting from Virginia.

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Celebrated Christmas in July today with the family and had a seriously wonderful day.....made out like a bandit too :) Texas Tech throw (handmade <3 ), Tinkerbell plate, jugling balls, an Astros stuffed animal, and a Texas Tech travel mug.....c'mon football season!