Don't worry, be happy

I'm in a good mood. Why you might ask?? Well, because we are supposed to be in a good mood. We have Jesus living within us. This morning I got to go into the Adult Sunday school class b/c all my little kiddies were gone. Rob H. was preaching for us today, and if any of you know him, you know how encouraged you feel after listening to his sermons. His Sunday school class today was no exception. In fact, that was the most encouraged I've felt in a long time.

The basic point to his lessons, and the lessons of encouragement in the Bible, was that we as Christians need to have the mindset that we can overcome the hardships and the depressions in this life if we realize that God is truly in control of our lives and we give Him the power to work in us. Too often we say we can't do it, or we can't make it through something. If we stop and think about that, we are basically saying, "Sorry God, we don't have faith in you."

There are many ways to keep encouraged even when it seems impossible. We need to pray for it. We need to sing our praises to God. We need to surround ourselves with positive things. We also need to be an encouragement to those around us, whether it be at home, work, school or even at Walmart. We are out in this world representing Christ. It is so important how we present ourselves to those who may not know Him.

All in all, we should try our hardest to see the positive in everything and everybody, because that is what Christ would do. Then we must trust and have the faith that God will see us through everything, if we but give it all to Him and let Him work in us.

"Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be happy." -Proverbs 16:20

The Blessing of Friends

There is much that can be said about good friends. I have been extremely blessed with some great friends in my life. Some have gone out of my life as quickly as they came in, while others have put up with me for years and years. I am truly thankful for all them. It is so cool that God places people in your life who you can count on, talk to, and just be plain silly with. And it's truly amazing how he knows just when you need one of those people to talk to, or to call you and cheer you up, or to stop by and bring you a smile.

Working with the elderly so much, I have seen how important friends remain to people over the years and how hard it is to lose them later in life.

The Bible says, "A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." Prov. 17:17. Being a real friend means imitating Christ in your relationships. We need to love and be there for each other, just as Jesus loves us and is there for us. Sometimes, the best example of having Christ in our lives is the example we portray to our friends. I truly believe that God provides us with friends as a way of spreading the news of His love for us. What kind of friend are you?

"There is no distance too far between friends, for
friendship gives wings to the heart." -Kathy Kay Benudiz