(my) Secret to Happiness

Well folks I finally did it! Discovered (my) secret to happiness... Took a long, long time, many years in fact but it has finally happened. Not sure what brought it all together but no matter that is a thought for another day.

Guessing your thinking be quiet already and share...ok I will....

Its quite simple actually and the word SIMPLE is important here. Its all about SIMPLICITY! Yes, that's correct.  Let me explain further.

First off for me: Being at peace with God.

Very important! If I am at peace with God then that lays the foundation for me to be able to ACCEPT the other elements of my happiness. If I am at peace with God then "all is right" in my world no matter what that world may consist of. Yes, I have chosen my words very carefully so think about them.

Second of all: Reduce the "clutter" in your life. Think about that one too...Ponder what that might mean to you. For me it was more than I realized. Being forced by circumstance to "declutter" my life more than I wanted I was actually "freed" from more than I realized held me in bondage.  I am still "decluttering" almost daily. I actually pray and ask God to show me what else I can get rid of....He is slowly showing me more and more things to get rid of, some things I didn't think I could let go of. But I did.   I have had my life reduced down to what some would find impossible, no TV been 7 years anyway-don't miss it,  I am living in a very small home-rather like that which doesn't allow for alot of things unless we want to live in "box city", no thanks! So I have been giving away so many
things for others to enjoy. Others that don't know my secret yet so they are more than willing to take stuff from me...that makes it easier for me to share it because I don't have to toss it when its good stuff and seeing someone else enjoy them is nice. Sometimes clutter is not something you can put your physical hands on.it might be TV, internet, cell phone, regular phone, it might be working too much, too many hours, it might be other things that take away your time, your peace... Stuff can drain us of our energy, it can and does distract us to the point we don't even realize how "busy" our lives are.  Not meaning only physical busy here either folks! Are we ever still enough to (think quietly) and enjoy it?

The next thing on my list is well most will find this boring but its not actually, taking the time to enjoy the SIMPLE things in life and to GIVE THANKS for them also! Wow that was a mouthful. Not something I ever thought about before or really took the time to do regularly either.  Without close friends, no TV, find surfing the web rather dull after so long without that chance except when needed, we have discovered books from the local library which are free and plentiful. We have discovered movies from the library too for when we just feel the desire to see one.  We have discovered raking leaves together for a common cause, giving our dogs someplace to romp without mud, we have had leaf fights! We like to just sit outside and enjoy nature or go for a walk. We talk sometimes just because. We eat simple meals and enjoy the fact that we have decent food to eat that doesn't even taste too bad!  We are grateful for the clothing we have that fits and isn't the latest fashion... We enjoy WHAT we have without desiring more. We don't envy others for what they have and we don't. We certainly have something most do not, peace. We just enjoy each day for what it is without stressing over the next day. We are ALIVE today and we are finally noticing that in a positive way by being grateful. We are not rushing to get to tomorrow hence missing out on today. We are living a slower paced life and its soothing.  I never really noticed the little things before like I do now. I never really gave thanks for those same little things before like I do now...It has made ALL the difference for me. And when I am calmer those around me are also calmer...

I have finally learned that I don't need ANYTHING in particular to make me happy, just being at peace with MY GOD, appreciating ALL the little gifts He sends my way everyday. Trusting in Him to continue to love and protect me and those I'm responsible for. Being in the moment no matter how slow that moment may seem to some, being aware of that moment and acknowledging things around me during that time like a soft breeze, the sunlight, a bird singing, a feeling of satisfaction and peace, savoring it all.  Having dreams for the future that aren't set in stone but fluid just in case something better presents itself. If I get set in my ways and dreams must be a certain way I am rigid and dreams can change and expand. Learning to be more fluid has been a gift as well. Life is to be lived by moments...This my friends is my version of true happiness.  IF ever something happens that takes my peace away I am learning to pray and ask God to restore my peace because the disruption is not from Him.  So far He keeps answering that prayer. On my own I am weak but united to Him nothing is impossible!

My prayer for you is that someone, somewhere will read this and perhaps it will give them a road map to help them find their version of true peace...I suspect if they do it won't be that far off from the one I've found for myself...

Peace.

GG













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Feels Like War...

Is it just me or does it seem that there is so much more suffering among our families and friends? So many people I talk to keep telling me story after story about either themselves or someone close having some tragedy in their lives.  Some have gotten a serious illness, others both husband and wife are laid off and losing their home. Another can't seem to find a job and therefore find a place to live so they are living with a friend in a very unhealthy environment...Some are under emotional attack and can't bear to live anymore. So like me are such magnets for one trouble after another...Its unlike anything I have ever seen. There has to be a reason to all of this. My theory is that we are in the end times. I've read some religious revelations that are well known stating just that. Its funny but seems I keep running into that also from different sites. So maybe its not anyone's imagination after all...Maybe the good people really are under attack to try to bring them down before the great deceiver gets thrown down for good. Maybe its a free for all try to grab as many souls as you can before its too late, like a feeding frenzy! Its war! What are we going to do about it? Are we going to be passive under the enemies attacks or are we going to armor up and fight back? If we truly are in the end times then things are going to get alot tougher...We must not lose sight of our beautiful, forever home...I love the sound of that, our beautiful FOREVER home...I so want to be in a home that is safe and secure for once. Its been a long time, the sound of a beautiful resting place is so enticing...I don't want to miss out. What about you? Is heaven worth it to you? If you say no then you have NO IDEA what your passing up....Think about it! There are only two sides to this battle. One is very Good, the other horrifically evil.... Again I say:which will you choose ? Its for an eternity, may you make the right choice...

Trying to decide WHO is telling the truth...

Have you ever been there where you just can't in your mind figure out who is telling the truth about something...Boy have I and you most likely have too..

Well I'm there again and thought maybe you might benefit from this "argument" also.

Guess having a sort of crisis of faith if you will... Life has been really tough for at least past 25 years due to hooking up with the wrong fellow...6.5 years of dating then 16 years of "marriage"...and now 3.5 years of getting out of a bad situation...Thought things would improve and in some ways they have but in other ways things have not. Like financially things are horrific but no different really than when I was married...he went through money like a drunken sailor yet never had any for things I needed spare you the nasty details. Anyways through it all I kept the faith inspite of dark, dark times. Lately it has become very hard to keep that torch lite due to sheer exhaustion. I have found myself wondering if all I've believed was a farce and sweet lie...I have found myself comparing sides wondering which one is the truth. Its been interesting to look at this. On the one side I see from the Bible what a gentle lamb Jesus was...How He healed and comforted. How He raised the widow's only child. How He multiplied the food on the mount for the hungry. How He gave His life innocent though He was for us... The on the other side I see the men who had demons in them who were uncouth, wild living like animals not humans. The fellow that cursed David and threw stones at him. I remember the human sacrifices mentioned to different historical gods. Even child sacrifice. Could the same God who said let the little ones come to me be a bad God? Or is it more like the one who demands the life blood of the most innocent who might be the one who is evil? Might not the one who deceived us in the garden out of jealousy be the evil one, the one not to be trusted and believed? Might the one who today is still seeking the blood of those who follow the Lamb be the one who is the liar? Could it be that even though so much evil and pain seem to follow those who love the Lamb be coming not from God but from the great deceiver who is trying to get us to lose hope because we have believed the lie about who sent the suffering? Could it be that for reasons we cannot understand the Lamb the gentle one be allowing this to pass for some reason that He alone knows and plans on bringing great good from? Is it perhaps simply to test our faith, to purge it in fire, to make us so strong that we persevere till Heaven calls us? These are the questions I have been asking myself. I know in my heart what the correct answers are but in my emotions I struggle. I don't  think that a good God would drag a child from its mothers arms to brutally kill it in front of her...I don't think that a good God wants war, hunger, disease, etc.  I  believe that the great deceiver out of pure jealousy came into this beautiful world with destruction on his mind. How he has succeeded. This world is a very sad and tragic place. Nothing like God envisioned when he created it. It reminds me for those who know Tolkien's work of  Melkor  the great deceiver in the Sil who in the beginning when there was this beautiful symphony caused this great discord due to his interior discord. He out of jealousy created havoc in a beautiful place. I believe it is out of pure jealousy for the promise that awaits all of us but that he walked away from. He doesn't want us to have that promise and he will do whatever he can to keep us from it. It is interesting because the last laugh will be on him when Jesus comes again and reclaims what is rightfully His, the earth. I also know that God will destroy this earth and then recreate it in perfect beauty with no taint of evil ever again...It will be restored to its primal beauty and then some...So while I struggle through this very difficult time I keep the comparisons going because I need to. I need to keep reminding myself who is whispering in my ear. I need to be reminded of what the truth is so that I don't fall into despair. Its not easy I will be honest. I am weary and very vulnerable and yet the Lamb who has compassion will at least be there to hold my hand if not more should I but ask...I must not listen to the great deceiver lest I be lost...I'm sorry but I have every right and desire to spend my eternity with the gentle Lamb. I have no desire to spend my eternity with the vicious, cruel, hateful, angry, deceiver who would spend eternity mocking me for believing his lies...No thanks.

GG

White Martyrs

Everyone knows about "normal" martrys, those who shed their blood for love of the Lord and their faith...We all know what incredible courage this takes...How difficult it must have been for those who gave all in order to gain all even though they had never seen it with their own eyes.  We have the current situation going on now where there are many martyrs...How brave they are...

There is another type of martyr though, one you rarely hear about...They are called white martyrs. They don't shed their life blood for Christ and yet they suffer a slow, quiet martyrdom nonetheless...Most aren't even noticed by those around them. And yet silently they suffer, giving it all for love of their Lord. Over the years they accumulate quite a storehouse of heavenly goods.  It might be the person with a disability that keeps them from having a full and regular life and yet they are joyful in the Lord. Quietly they suffer and wait for the Lord...Patiently they wait.  They may be others that suffer at their job for their strong christian values, mocked and left out because they don't condone the accepted behavior of their coworkers. Silently they suffer choosing to stand their ground inspite of the isolation. Others are riduculed at school for their beliefs and yet they stand their ground.
Others suffer one form of suffering after another for years, wondering why and yet silently they persevere in their faith inspite of the tempation to just despair and give up. Others suffer doubts about their faith  by the enemy who is trying to find a way to steal their souls and yet silently they endure and strive hard to finish the race. All these and so many more are all around us everyday...These silent martyrs many unknown to any but God are quietly offering up so much suffering like a sweet bouquet to our God...Rich and plentiful is their reward in heaven... For those who suffer from want, they will have all they need and more from the bounty of God. To those who are broken hearted and lonely and yet persevere they will also be filled, filled to deep capacity by the only One who can truly mend and fill a broken, hungry heart. To those who have suffered physically so patiently how they will leap and run with joy, filled with energy and enthusiasm like no one on this earth has ever seen! To those who suffer in spirit and mind they will be enlightened and filled with knowledge that brings such incredible joy and peace...Their darkness will become light and all their tears and doubts turned into joyous songs of praise! To all who suffer silently, patiently and perseveringly waiting on God they shall ALL be richly rewarded for their loyalty, for their belief inspite of not seeing and yet trusting His Word to be true, HOW they SHALL be REWARDED....it makes my heart leap with hope just thinking about the promises fulfilled that are coming to those who can just somehow finish the race...

To clarify, I do not speak of those who suffer because they have made bad choices and now suffer the consequences of walking down the road of darkness but of those who LOVE the Lord and suffer because of it.  To suffer for the Lord does not always mean publicly defending your faith, it can also mean private suffering that no one except you and God know about. It means accepting even though sometimes uttering a complaint now and then...It means trusting that God whom you love knows what He's about and that He brings good out of all things for those who love HIM....it means accepting the fact that the dark one knows that you love the Lord is looking for any and all means to steal your soul whether through doubts of faith, through illnesses, through sorrows of the heart, or so many other ways. It means being a target for suffering when you love the Lord...But to those who persevere in love ALL will be obtained. Nothing will be refused to those who truly love the Lord, great is their reward in Heaven...How they are tenderly held and loved even on this earth.... So to anyone to whom this somehow rings true for you take courage...Be at peace and know that great is your reward...Looking back from Heaven all here that was suffered will seem as naught compared to the joy you will feel for eternity...

Peace,
GG

In Honor of Those Dying in Middle East...

Heaven is being bombarded with new residents...So many beautiful children and innocent people being sent there right now...Its so heartbreaking to see and hear....And yet I KNOW Jesus was right there waiting for them just on the other side with arms WIDE OPEN to receive them with a huge hug and kiss!!!! So many beautiful martyrs....Its a human tragdy, its gut wrenching and yet through the eyes of faith they are NOW IN HEAVEN! They are whole, they are safe, they are forever and ever happy! NO more tears, fears or pain....I love the one story of the little three year old boy who just before he died said " I'm going to tell Jesus what your doing!"  I'm sure he did! And I know Jesus listened to him! What a brave little saint he is!  May God have mercy on these perpetrators and may God come soon to save this world from its head on collision to self destruction!  May these new heavenly residents pray for our devastated world and through their prayers may our world once again find peace and the ability to love one another as God intended.

Dear New Martyrs for Jesus, pray for us! Inspire us! Give us some of your courage to also not be afraid to profess our faith to those around us with or without threat of reprisal.

9/23 update Just got an email from a prayer chain with a request to pray for this woman's brother who is a missionery in Syria.  He said that the horrific group going around killing had just entered the town where he and other missioneries were and had stayed to boost moral even after the UN had run away...He said that he was fearful because they were going house to house looking for Christians and were asking the children if they would denounce Jesus, if they said no they were killed. Not the parents only the children. He said so far no children had survived, they all chose Jesus! Wow! What incredible faith... May God quickly bring an end to this horrific suffering of these innocent peoples. In Jesus Name, AMEN.

King In Disguise...

Recently we have been listening to this local radio station and there is this interesting song. Not sure of the title but the refrain keeps singing "Jesus in disguise..." it hit me tonight when I heard it again how earthly kings really like the pomp and circumstance. They like to let everyone know THEY are king! don't you dare forget it or step out of line. You will be quickly reprimanded. And they it also quietly hit me how when Jesus came to the earth, the king of ALL creation, it was quiet, like a whisper in the night...No royal throne, no royal robes or kingly palace. It was to all eyes the most abject of poverty. How is it that the greatest king that ever existed would choose to be so humble, so hidden? Is it because He was so sure of His rightful dominion that He didn't need to lord it over us as human rulers do? Is it because He knew that such frivolous things truly hold no value except to those who cannot see? Is because He knew that He already had everything under His dominion, it was all His already? Is it because He knew that such things could not enhance His glory? All thoughts for me to ponder. I already  know the answers but still... Then it also hit me that in Heaven that is WHERE His true glory will be revealed to all of us. No longer will our eyes be blinded by the bling of this world. We will see like Him the true value and glory of things. There we shall be like Him, pure, clean, innocent once more. We shall value things in the proper perspective, we shall see Him as He truly is in ALL His magnificent glory. But even there I don't believe He will be as earthly kings. Even there I believe He will be as He was here, kind, gentle, loving, approachable, desired by us like nothing else and there we will go to Him as a deer to the running waters of life to be filled and quenched like we have never experienced before. We will at that time understand truly His awe, His authority, His Godliness. We will give Him all not out of fear but out of LOVE and GRATITUDE...We will be so deeply grateful for all He has done for each of us. There will be no "you gave him more than me" no we will all love Him for His magnanimity to each of us as undeserving as we have been. There will the true mystery of His glory and love be forever revealed to us. I believe we will spend eternity contemplating the glories of Him and all His incredible creations. And I believe we will spend it glorifying Him, we won't be able to contain ourselves...Think of this, when you really sing out loud whether at church or in the car or wherever, do you feel happy? I think the answer is usually yes. We are made to sing with joy. There is something about singing that expresses so much emotion that speaking doesn't. I believe in Heaven there will be alot of belting out going on for sheer joy! We will be so happy and grateful that we will just sing our hearts out with joyful praise and we won't weary of it either like you sometimes do here when singing too many Christmas carols or such...Personally I can't wait! I love to sing and can't wait to meet my humble, hidden King!

Change the World

Sometimes life is just so mundane and long, ever notice? Why we wonder...or I do anyway...its because this isn't our home, we are pilgrims for sure on a long or short journey no matter...Someday we will finally be HOME...then no more mundane or dryness. We must simply take one day at a time tying hard to love those around us in whatever capacity we have. We must try to alleviate the pain of those around us. We must try to give hope to those who falter and struggle. We must try hard to leave a trail of goodness and kindness behind, a pathway for others to follow us home to Heaven... This life is simply a test to see what we are made of, to find our strengths and weaknesses so that we may better perfect ourselves for that final trip over the waters to eternal life...It will come sooner that we expect are we ready? I believe that no matter how small you may feel you can do this. You have the strength inside to make the world a better place just one person at time. Little things like a smile or small gift even if it secretly hurts, a phone call to someone who needs to hear a kind voice...these things change the world believe it or not. Like a ripple on the still waters...Send out lots of good ripples...When you finally arrive at Heaven all those ripples will  become a loud wonderful welcoming symphony for you!  Don't believe me? Try it...Another way to look at it, life is like a boomerang what you throw out there will come back to you...Or others call it karma, whatever name you call it what you give out WILL come back to you...If not here definitely in the next go round, remember that...isn't it worth whatever sacrifice you need to make to stock up on that "eternal reward"? I truly believe it is...This life is passing quickly no matter how long you stay here...A relative of mine is 103 yes that's right, but I know she still thinks its gone quickly...Even if we lived a 1000 years it would be as naught compared to eternity...

GG

See you there???