Thought Life Archives • Page 3 of 6 • The Littlest Way

Book Club Time: Called to Life

I was recently asked for a couple of book recommendations and after the Bible, The 4:8 Principle and Searching for and Maintaining Peace, I mentioned Called to Life. I had forgotten how much I gleaned from this book until it came to my mind the other day. So, Called to Life is the next book I want to share with you in Book Club Time. Direct quotes are in bold and my notes follow.

Book Club Time: Called to Life

God is the God of the living, not the dead. He reaches out to us continually, mysteriously but certainly, infusing our lives with value, beauty and fruitfulness beyond our imagining. I just posted the other day in Bible Quotes: The Armor of Light, that “…your worth is based more on Who He is, than who you are.” So this idea that God is the one continually reaching toward us–ready to infuse us beyond our imagination is incredibly comforting.

I shall insist that any call from God is a call to life. Our first vocation is to live, and a call cannot be from God unless it leads us to live in a more intense and beautiful way, engaging human life as it is with more confidence, in all its aspects: physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. A couple of years ago when I started blogging publicly, I used part of that quote as the tag line. At the time I was struggling with my mind and to repeat to myself, that my first vocation was to live was powerful. To meditate on the fact that not did God know where I was physically, mentally and emotionally–He was calling me to this place to live with more confidence in Him.

Often though, the calls we receive from God bear upon smaller, everyday things: an invitation to pardon, an act of confidence in a difficult situation, a service to render to someone, a moment of prayer…I think, and maybe it’s just me, but I think sometimes it’s easier to perform a harder work of charity for a neighbor than the simpler act of just being kind in our own home. Notice I said simpler, not easier. I wrote about this in, Who is My Neighbor?

Every “yes” to God’s call, even in the least matter, brings an increase of life and strength and encouragement, for God gives Himself to those who are open to His calls and confers even more freedom upon them. It’s difficult to realize, but sometimes when we refuse to do something, we are refusing God. And this “something” can be the very least of things: refusing to sit down with a toddler to read that picture book when we’d rather check Facebook, refusing our husband late at night because…well it’s late at night-we’re tired-overtouched-really tired.

Openness to God’s calls frees us from pride…Openness to God’s calls helps us to escape the pitfalls of desire…And this openness frees us from fear. By being open to God’s calls, the believer receives encouragement and strength that empowers him to rise above his fears and break out of the narrow circle of inadequate coping strategies by which people too often attempt to handle with fear. The line or phrase that struck me here–“the believer” I used to call myself a “worrier.” I would much rather refer to myself as a “believer” even if at first it’s only to try to convince myself. And “inadequate coping strategies”–lived lots and lots of them, how about you?

Sometimes one is called to take just a single little step–“Nothing except for today,” as St. Therese of Lisieux said. But it is enough to live and advance a day at a time, finding meaning in existence and persevering until one receives the grace to see more. I know there were days when I thought “always,” I am always going to feel like this–or I am always not going to feel anything. Always is a trap–good or bad. We always think we are going to have the same fervent love for our quiet time with God, and we may start to take it for granted and then the habit of “always” slowly slips away.

The most fundamental call addressed to us is the call to live.

God’s first gift to us is the gift of life, and this gift is already a vocation.

Click To Tweet

That is one of my all time favorite quotes, not just from the book but period.

“Live! I want you to live! (Ezekiel 16:6) Here is the first and most fundamental call to us from God. When life seems too hard to bear we must hold tight to this word, will to respond to the call, choose to live and welcome life as it is, with all its burdens and sorrows. In the end, this confident acceptance will bring us to see life as an immense gift.

Life is beautiful and full of meaning in its absurdity if you know how to take it as a whole. So key in those hard days to realize that a day not does not make a life.

Let us love and accept our lives–not imaginary lives–but the ones God offers us day by day, uncovering hidden riches for us as He does. I think so often we get stuck emotionally, mentally, spiritually, because we fight too hard against God. We don’t love and accept–we fight. And in that battle, we lose our peace and our ability to uncover the hidden riches of this life.

That’s only my notes from half the book. So I’ll finish the other half in another post.

Each day there is more encouragement and even some laughs over on my Facebook page. Head over and “Like” me there for more.

by Jenny

Bible Quotes: The Armor of Light

I’m sure I’ve read it before, at least the first Sunday of Advent for the past 17 years. But this year, it was almost like everything and everyone got quiet around me on Sunday and I heard these words clearly–“The night is passed And the day is at hand. Let us, therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12) Wow. For someone who loves inspiring Bible quotes, I started imaging this on tee shirts, wall decals, and of course photoshopped on Pinterest boards. Let’s look at Bible Quotes: The Armor of Light, especially as we’ve entered this season of light.

Bible Quotes: The Armor of Light

It’s ironic that a time of year that is the most lit up with twinkle and sparkle, can also be one of the darkest times, a holiday blindness if you will. It’s like when you walk into a darkened room from being out in the bright sun, the room suddenly seems darker, you can’t even see where you’re going. And in this season of light, well, sometimes we are blinded and can’t even see where we’re going. Put on the armor of light.

For some of us, we’re suddenly blinded by the idea that we need something. We need a new this or need a bigger that. Ask us in June and we probably don’t even know we need it then. Come December first, it’s like we can’t live without it.

And this thing we suddenly need…it’s on sale. Those four letters can sure fuel that need. Thanksgiving night I sat outside my oldest daughter’s brand new job at 10:30 at night amazed at the number of people carrying out pillows they had just bought. And I thought “Really?” Last week would any one of these people have been streaming in the store at 10:30 p.m. to buy a pillow? Probably not. But last week the store was not decorated with the twinkly lights that cause this holiday blindness. Last week Christmas music wasn’t being piped through every open speaker and their wasn’t a man standing out front ringing a bell asking for donations. Nope, last week was just an ordinary week…and no one needed a pillow at 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night. Put on the armor of light.

This holiday blindness, it also causes blind spots and begins to mess with our minds. We tend to overestimate our finances, our ability in the kitchen, and our patience level. We forget who we really are in search of who we hope we are. We try too hard to be the good wife and leave a miserable husband, cranky children, glitter, flour and ribbon in the wake of what we thought was going to be the “perfect” holiday season. Put on the armor of light.

And all of these expectations; the need for a new pillow at 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night, the need to make the Pinterest worthy Gingerbread mansion, the need to have the biggest tree from the most storybook farm appropriately Instagrammed with the “Dreamy” filter …these things can cause a darkness to come over us.

This seasonal darkness doesn’t have to be a case of full blown depression; it can be that feeling of too much to do with too little time. This darkness can cause us to remake a pie that doesn’t look the way the magazine picture does…or our sister-in-law’s. The shadows can easily creep into our mind when we crawl into bed too late with too much still on our plate. This gloom hits us hard when it comes to comparison doesn’t it? Put on the armor of light.

The solution? The way to put on this armor of light? It’s so simple…but simple does not always mean easy. Begin by remembering who you really are. You are not the sum of your perfect turkey basting skills. You are not the sum of your coordinated stockings hung meticulously by the fireplace with care. You are not the sum of your Christmas present wrapping abilities.

Who you are in Christ, is the truth of who you really are.

Click To Tweet

And your worth is based more on Who He is, than who you are. You cannot create a Winter Wonderland to make Christ love you more. Honestly you can’t create a Winter Wonderland to make anyone love you more…not even yourself. So this armor of light? It’s actually a stepping from away from the lights of the season; they can and will blind us.

If this season can seem dark, follow Paul’s instruction to put on the Lord Jesus Christ; he said this right after he exhorted us to put on the armor of light. Put on the Light of the World.

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
†John 8:12

Each day there is more encouragement and even some laughs over on my Facebook page. Head over and “Like” me there for more.

As you begin or finish up your Christmas shopping, please remember to click my Amazon links <>.

by Jenny

Daily Affirmations of Gratitude

Today, let’s consider daily affirmations of gratitude since we are coming up on a holiday that begins with the word, “Thanks.” Years ago, changing the way I thought and spoke, using daily affirmations, were a large part in beginning to attack my negative, habitual thinking. In addition to affirmations, I also used thanksgiving as a means to combat those unwanted thoughts. Those who suffer from and with obsessive, scary, negative thinking patterns will tell you, “This is a battle.”

Daily Affirmations of Gratitude

So this battle I was in for my mind…I was so busy being scared, I could not be grateful; there wasn’t time. I was either considering a fear, chasing down a fear, or complaining about my fear. Instead of living in fear, I needed to live in gratitude–sounds almost like comparing apples to oranges doesn’t it? Instead of thinking in terms of, “The opposite of fear is …” Consider it this way…

Instead of being afraid of the bad might happen–be thankful for the good that already has happened.

Click To Tweet

The process of focusing on gratitude began as a stunted, forced assignment–write down 20 things everyday to be thankful for…no repeats. Stunted because well, 20? No repeats? Forced because my default was fear. I was not used to living in a place of thanksgiving added to the fact, I could only use hot chocolate, a pretty sunrise, or my children’s laughter only once. Well, technically, I’ve got 7 children (only 6 at the time)–and yes, yes I did count each one of their laughs as it’s own entry in the beginning…that was not cheating, it was more a process of learning to see. You know how when you come inside to a darker room than outside and it takes a minute for your eyes to adjust…well, it’s the same process when you begin to focus on gratitude; it takes a minute to adjust your sight.

I would love to report that I have journals and spirals with page after page filled with gratitude, but I don’t. I have some scattered here and there…I have a weird thing about journaling. I tend to keep a list for a while, get too busy–whatever that means–and the habit falls by the wayside. Time passes and I start needing a mental tune-up so I go back to the process of keeping track of things I am thankful for.

I’ve been posting a series all month long–30 Days of Thanksgiving. Let’s inject some fresh enthusiasm into that to finish out the month! Starting today–Monday–let’s all keep track of 20 things we are thankful for everyday until Friday. By the end of the week we will each have 100 items written down in our gratitude journal. Did you like how I roped you into this attitude of gratitude with me? Not only am I am a mother of 7, I am a firstborn and a Choleric temperament; I come by my bossiness and leadership naturally.

So who’s with me for the next five days? It’s only five days…we can do anything for five days! Use a spiral, a journal, a couple of sheets of notebook paper, a word document. you can even post your list in the comments of my daily 30 Days of Thanksgiving posts–anything you have to manually get twenty items on your list each day.

And now for some of those daily affirmations of gratitude; print this out and hang it on your bathroom mirror, office cubical or inside your kitchen cabinet where you reach up to get your coffee cup each morning. Wherever you place this printable–use it. Say these daily affirmations of gratitude every single day, preferably out loud. Say them each day and then write your list of 20 people, places or things you are thankful for. I guarantee, repeating these affirmations of gratitude will help you–teach you–to be more grateful. I bet by Friday, it will be easier to see things to be thankful for–if you tell yourself everyday you are a grateful person.

Each day there is more encouragement and even some laughs over on my Facebook page. Head over and “Like” me there for more.

by Jenny

Book Club Time: Searching for and Maintaining Peace Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of Book Club Time: Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart. Do not let the small size of this book fool you. Jacques Philippe packs so much instruction and wisdom into each word. Part one and two of my Book Club Time notes can be found here and here.

Book Club Time

*Direct quotes are bold and my notes and reflections follow.

Keep your heart open and always in the hands of Divine Providence, whether for great things or for small, and obtain for your heart more and more the spirit of gentleness and tranquility. We are all called to great things. It’s the interpretation of what makes a thing “great” that trips us up right? Praying outside the abortion mill or working the soup kitchen is a great good. But what if it comes at the expense of our family? (Who is My Neighbor?) Sometimes the greater good is calmly and sweetly putting the toddler back into bed for nap time after the fifth “I need a dwink.” Sometimes the greatest thing we can do is listen to our husband’s day intently without telling him all the things that went wrong in our day. One time a wise spiritual father told me, “Don’t go looking for extra sacrifices or crosses. Do what you are supposed to be doing instead and you will find them.”

If I am still not able to remain at peace when faced with difficult situations, then it is better that I should begin to strive to keep this peace in the easier situations of everyday life: to quietly and without irritability do my daily chores, to commit myself to doing each thing well in the present moment without preoccupying myself with what follows, to speak peacefully and with gentleness to those around me, to avoid excessive hurry in my gestures and in the way I climb the stairs. This goes along with the wise counsel I just shared. Jacques Philippe continues…Small things done with love and to please God are extremely beneficial in making us grow…

Must one run from evil? It must be done peacefully, without being troubled, otherwise, in fleeing, we could fall and give the enemy the leisure to do us in. This a quote from Francis de Sales the author shared. Years ago I suffered with anxiety attacks. I would feel one begin to come on and I would get scared because I knew what was coming–the physical pain and emotional distress. And the anxiety attack would be so.much.worse!! Eventually, there came a time when I began to feel the anxiety rising, I could stop and say–sometimes out loud even–“I know what this is. This is only anxiety. I am not going to die. I am not going to lose my mind. I’m going to think about (fill in the blank) instead…or I’m going to tackle the tile in the shower; it’s gross and needs my attention.” This took work, to be able to flee these anxious thoughts–calmly. But it made all.the.difference.

If you are struggling with fear and anxiety, I HIGHLY recommend you get Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart. This book along with my Bible and The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life were important tools in helping me to change my thinking habits.

Now is the time to sign up to receive The Littlest Way by email.

Email subscribers will receive my Advent Devotional, FREE in their inbox. Hurry Advent begins November 30th.

I considered selling my Advent Devotional as an ebook but decided not to. I know how stressful this time of year can be…money, family, sugar highs and lows, turkey buying, tree decorating…I am really proud of this devotional and I want you to have it–stress FREE.

So sign up (CLICK HERE) and enjoy!

Each day there is more encouragement and even some laughs over on my Facebook page. Head over and “Like” me there for more.

by Jenny

Bedtime Bible Quotes

Chris–who never travels for work and is rarely away from home just returned from being gone for sixteen weeks for work. Sixteen weeks with a fly in late Friday night and fly out early Sunday afternoon every third week. Sixteen weeks of me not sleeping because I don’t sleep well, if at all when he’s out of town–which is rare, thanks be to God. During these sixteen weeks I have relied on a couple of inspiring Bible quotes each night as I have crawled into bed–way too late. I know I’m not the only one that needs some bedtime Bible quotes, so here are a couple I fell asleep or at least laid in bed repeating to myself.

First though let me say, I have a new appreciation for military families–Thank you! And single parents–God bless you. Remember when the kids and I were so very sick with what we now believe to have been that Enterovirus, Chris was gone for those nine weeks. He was also gone for the four foot long snake crawling up and around the door frame of the outside of the house. And the baby snake, possibly a copperhead, that was on the wood pile, and clogged toilets and broken shower heads and five children needing to be at five different soccer practices and…and… And I wear a bracelet that states, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And I could. I made it–we made it all these weeks…BIG shout out to all my children but especially my three older girls. You girls are amazing and I am so proud to be your momma.

Bedtime Bible Quotes

So back to me and my fear and anxiety about being able to sleep or not being able to sleep when Chris is not here. First, I’ve mentioned how important it is to be careful about what we take into our minds (What Does the Bible Have to Say About Our Thoughts). Once it’s in there, it’s in there. And it will resurface at the most inopportune times–like late night. All those scary movies, crime shows and stories I read or watched, they pop into my head at night, trying to force themselves to be thought about. It takes concerted effort to think on the good, true and beautiful.

Once I begin the process of forcing these scary and negative thoughts out of my mind, I have to–have to–replace them with what I want to think about. One way to do this is to meditate on the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 states “the Word of God is living and active”…those are the thoughts I want to and need to think of at night especially. I actually started sleeping with a small Bible under my pillow to remind me of the life giving power of the Word of God.

Before I went to bed though, I would try to fill my mind with inspiring bible quotes that would help me settle down and fall asleep in peace. I’ll be honest, sometimes they worked…sometimes they didn’t. But repeating and meditating on the Word of God is always worth it. Repeating and praying these verses at least, at the very least, kept me from allowing my mind to be cluttered with scary lies.

These verses would be great verses to teach our children, especially if we have some that have some extra trouble at night. I wish I had these verses to think on as a child. I remember struggling with fear and anxiety at night even as a child. Instead of being told to just go to bed and not think about scary things, these inspiring bible quotes would have helped fill that vacuum.

If you have a little one, big one or yourself that struggles at night, print this page of inspiring Bible quotes and prayer them over yourself or your children each night at bed time.

Now is the time to sign up to receive The Littlest Way by email.

Email subscribers will receive my Advent Devotional, FREE in their inbox. Hurry Advent begins November 30th.

So sign up (CLICK HERE) and enjoy!