What Inspires You?

When life is too full and the days too short, What Inspires You to keep motivated?  Do you have a favorite song you listen to, to get back in the groove?  Do you have a favorite movie that helps you relax and be ready to take on the world again?  Is it a devotion that recharges your batteries when you spend time with God?

It's worth looking at What Inspires Us?  What do we run to when we need motivation and focus back in our busy lives. We look for things to try to fill our need of setting our minds back on the right course.  

God uses many things to help us come back to His purpose and will in our lives.  Of course, He uses the Scriptures to give us insight into what is happening in our lives and how we can continue on the right path and keep our sanity.  Music is often used to help our busy minds relax and think of the most important things leaving the small worries behind.  Prayer can bring us peace reminding us that it's not all about the situations going on and the immediate things we see.  It shows us that there is more....more to the world and our life...more purpose and meaning, because there is a God who is active in our lives and working for our good.  We find peace when we understand that we are not alone and we don't have to do this thing called...life...on our own.

There are many ways to spend time with God and gain inspiration during our normal daily lives.  Of course music is easy to experience in the car.  Devotional CD's with short devotions can bring comfort on daily commutes.  One of my favorite things to do is to scrapbook and make cards.  I find that this is a perfect time to gain inspiration from God's Word.  As I scrapbook or create cards, I listen to an audio Bible from my Church website.   www.aberdeenbaptist.com  under Info Center, Study Tools.   As I am making things with my hands, my mind allows God's Word to sink in.

There are opportunities to find inspiration all around us.  Look for these jewels and squeeze them into your day and you will find motivation, peace and inspiration to live the life God has given you in a pleasing way.

What Makes Your Eyes Light Up?

Do you remember as a child, when something so great happened that you jumped up and down?  Maybe your best friend was staying the night with you or your Mom came home early from work with a surprise for you.  As children, it was natural to show excitement and emotions when we were happy about something.  Even the smallest of things could bring delight and enjoyment for hours.  The old saying is that children would rather have the boxes to play with than the presents inside.  Being young meant we had not seen very much, experienced very much and everything was still new and fresh to us.  All things, big or small brought us joy. 

What things bring you joy now as an adult?  If you were to allow the inner child to come through and throw off all abandon and really get excited.  I mean, just jump up and down.  What would be the cause of your excitement?  What would trigger that emotion deep down that made you thrilled.  The pure knowing that life was worth living because of just that moment?  Can you think of it?

Another way to look at this topic is to ask...What makes your eyes light up when you talk about it or think about it.  What do you spend your time planning?  When you are at work or cleaning the house (boo hoo)  what do you wish you were doing?  The one thing that pops in your mind, is probably what makes your eyes light up. 

There are many who have lost the shine in the eyes.  Life has clouded their view of a beautiful world and they cannot see things in an exciting way anymore.  They don't get very happy and absolutely never jump up and down.  Do you know someone who's eyes never shine?  The outlook we have on life brings us much joy and lessens much pain.  Look at your field of influence...your family...your co-workers...your neighbors...Church family and begin working to brighten their day, with small gestures.  The brightening of their day will lead to brightening their week and soon they may begin to see a beautiful friend that cares about them.   

Take opportunities to find someone who needs the light in their eyes lit again.  Help them to see that life is worth living.  Remember what causes your eyes to light up.  Guard this moment, tuck it away and never let it go.  You have an area of influence on others...to make a difference.  Life is more beautiful because of the happiness you have and it shows when your eyes light up! 

Have Time if You Make Time

How often do we say, I just don't have the time?  In many cases, this is so true.  Daily demands can drain our time and energy.  How do we handle the constraints that life puts on us?  You have time if you make time!  Making time for life's little treasures will ensure that you never feel so distraught and pulled and about to break, because....in the middle of the hustle & bustle, you know that you have already made time for the important things.  It makes the hurried pace a little less stressful, since you have those moments of little treasures that make you smile.

It's all about making time for the important things...the things that you will treasure in your memories later.  Things that you could do without and probably things that don't even make it to your official To Do List.  Are these things that would make your life less rich if you didn't do them?  Little treasures become the best memories.  

What do you remember most about a loved one?  A favorite teacher?  Your best friend?  Is it the big elaborate things they do or is the small things that they probably don't even realize they do.  Take time to thank them for the small things they do that makes their friendship a treasure to you. 

During this busy season, make time for the small things.  They will have the best opportunity to be the biggest most treasured memories!

Looking Forward With Anticipation

Children look forward to many things.  Birthdays, school starting, summer vacation, etc., but most of all...Christmas.  If you ask most children about their favorite holiday, it's usually Christmas.  What do they look forward to?  Gifts, time off from school, time with family, cookies & fudge.  Children enjoy just the thought of Christmas.  Everything about it lights up the face with a smile. 

You may enjoy Christmas and look forward to it.  I certainly do, but what do you look forward to the most?  Is it the weekend or vacation time?  If you could do anything you wanted to do tomorrow, what would it be?  Sometimes, we lose our childlike qualities that allow us to look forward to something with such anticipation that we just can't hardly stand to wait any longer. 

There are many things to look forward to that can brighten our days and give us hope and strength, which is something we all need a little more of.  Anticipating time with family and relaxing together at the dinner table.  Time with grandchildren or grandparents remembering precious memories of the past and making new memories for the future.  Maybe, it's time off from work, giving you a much needed break. 

Whatever you look forward to the most, may it be honoring to God and please Him when he looks upon you, as His child.  He enjoys seeing our face light up and enjoying the people He has put in our lives.  Remember to thank Him for all of these blessings.  You hear the phrase, Like a Kid in a Candy Store, well, we can have that same excitement about the blessings in our lives that we miss and take for granted.

This Thanksgiving season, anticipate good things and good times, thanking God for them all.

Have To's & Want To's

It has been said that Life is Made Up of Have To's & Want To's and we should choose to complete some of each everyday.  During this Thanksgiving season, we find many things we have to do.  So many things, in fact, that we find ourselves in long lines and ready to fight over the last turkey on sale.  We are so desperate to accomplish the things we have to do, in hopes that we will get some peace, at the end of the day, to enjoy a few things we want to do. 

It would be great if we could just throw away our to do list and just have fun; however, that would carry with it some pretty hefty consequences.  Bills wouldn't get paid, family would go hungry and the dog would find something else to chew on, if it didn't have bones.  One key to sanity, during this season, is to carve out time for the things we have to do,  that life dictates are a must, but to choose to do some things we want to do. 

Allowing ourselves time for the want to's, will give us quiet rest in the middle of holiday chaos.  It will brighten our day, adding a little smile and adding joy to our hearts.  It's not about all the things we get done and cross off our list.  The happiness we have as we go throughout our busy days make it all worthwhile.

New Blog on the Corner

Mud Pie Reality is a blog about real life.  It's about the days you are grocery shopping, in the rain, and step in the biggest water puddle on the way to the car and have to rush home, unload groceries, cook supper and manage to wear a smile until bedtime. 

Thankfully, the sun eventually comes out and dries the water and mud and warms our tired bodies, reminding us that amongst the dirt & mud of life, comes some sunshine, hope and strength for another day.

So, if you've ever had one of those days and need some encouragement to lean on the brighter side, finding some peace, humor and sanity along the way....then this is the blog for you.  Follow Mud Pie Reality to add a little spark of sunshine on the rainy days.