A WOMAN'S VIEW ~ Lenore Buth

Strategies to make every day better

"Strategies to make every day better." It sounds too simple, doesn't it?

I hear you saying, "If I'm having 'one of those days,' how on earth can I make it better?"

But you can, I can, we all can.

If we choose to grab hold of the power. Here's how. 

1.  Decide to make it a good day

When I was a young mom I read a book that challenged my thinking.

The author maintained that more than any other factor, our thoughts dictate the happiness level of our lives. Each day we decide it will be a "good" day or a "bad" day and then act accordingly. 

Could that be true? I thanked God our life was good and I wanted to be a happy mama, but most days I was more of a dreary mama.

The next day I woke up in a lousy mood, then remembered what the author said. (Insert groan.) Okay, I would try it for myself. I would fake smiles and act cheerful and not expect much in return.    

Surprise. My husband smiled back and kissed me more enthusiastically before he left the house. All day our children squabbled less and seemed happier. When problems arose instead of awfulizing and complaining to God, I murmured, "Lord, help me."

And one way or another, He did. 

Looking around the dinner table each family member seemed more contented, including me. At bedtime even our balkiest child trotted upstairs without argument.

As for me, instead of my usual rundown of "what ifs" I fell asleep quickly.

The next morning I tested that far-out theory again, with the same pleasing results. I promised myself that every day I would decide to have a good day. 

Over time that simple practice bore a lovely crop of good fruit in our marriage and our kids.  

Did I slip up now and then? Sure. Then I would start over again, asking the Lord's ever-present help.  

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  --Isaiah 41:10  NIV

2.  Believe you are--or will be--well and strong

At first this strategy made no sense. If I'm feeling achy or have an actual health problem, that's beyond my control. Right?

Not necessarily.  

Chalk it up to how suggestible we all are. Healthy or not, any time we ask ourselves, "Where do I hurt?" we can find some area or body part that doesn't feel quite right.

Then we begin to wonder what it means, maybe even spend time on Google trying to figure it out.

That line of thinking guarantees we'll feel worse.

Even if we have chronic health problems, our thoughts make us feel better or worse.

Every time it helps to concentrate on, "I know God is with me and He will never leave me."  

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  --Philippians 4:6-7  NIV 

3.  Choose to live love  

Love is all about emotion. We're "in love" as long as we feel love toward another person.

Isn't that what we all believe and read and watch on the screen? (That's fiction, remember?)

To build something more lasting we do well to consider a basic principle of Marriage Encounter. It runs contrary to popular thought:

"Love is a daily decision."

Not a feeling. Not a mood. Not an emotion.  

Every day we decide all over again to love. To speak and act in loving ways and work to strengthen our relationship.  

We decide today to love the person our spouse is today. 

If that sounds artificial, think back to before marriage. Didn't we take care to speak love and show love even on our bad days?  

In every stage of life we can pick out what's good or fixate on what's missing. Whichever we choose will affect how we treat each other.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.   --Ephesians 4:2-3  NLT

It's not rocket science   

I wouldn't pretend I've lived these strategies perfectly and I'm not much for "programs." All I know is these principles changed me and changed my life for the better.

Whatever your situation, why not give it a try?

Lovingly,

Lenore 

How to stay Up in a Down world

If you're like me, you're "up to here" with news accounts loaded with name-calling and dismal tales of corruption. On all sides. 

Like one of the characters in an old cowboy movie, "Ah hanker to hear somethin' good."

In those movies the other sunburned cowhand would look up at the Technicolor-perfect sky, spit out the blade of grass between his teeth and say, "Well, sure, Shorty. Reckon Ah 'kin do that."

Maybe he'd stretch long and tall, then pick up his guitar and sing a song with a tune that stayed in one's mind.

It might be the song many of us learned as children. Remember?

"Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play.

 "Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day."

Nobody cared whether that cowboy-turned-philosopher could sing. He had heart.

Long before I traveled West of the Mississippi, hearing words like that made me thankful to live in such a great country.  

Maybe we should start a movement where we are

The only qualification for membership is to focus on what's right--and talk about it.

Let's not stop there. Let's be the ones who speak the good word, whether to our children and grandchildren or to our friends and neighbors.

Most of us can think of a time when we were scraping the bottom of our ability to cope. Then someone quietly said something like this: "I know it will work out for you. Remember, I'm praying for you and I'm ready to listen any time."

People can live a long time on one encouraging remark.

One quality which unites us, rich or poor, young or old ...

We all long to hear words like these: 

• "I believe in you." 
• "You're working hard and that always pays off, even when it takes awhile."  
• "Of course you'll make it through this. Look at all you have going for you."
• "I can see you're learning and growing. That's the way to reach your goals."
• "I know you'll find a job and who knows? It may be the best job you ever had." 
• "God is faithful and He will carry you through this."

Who needs words like these?

Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain, put it this way.

"How do you know if someone needs encouragement? If they're breathing."

The great thing about lifting another person's mood is that it raises our spirits, too. Before long we start getting back what we've been giving out. Other people find us easy to be around.

It means we focus on the possible, not the impossible.

More often than seems logical, the difference between a person who succeeds and one who fails is that the ones who make it believe they will.

Almost always, someone planted that thought, then watered it with repetition, love and encouragement.

King Solomon talked about that long ago:

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.  --Proverbs 12:25

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.   --Proverbs 16:24

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.   --Proverbs 25:11

Our simple, heartfelt words can change night into day for someone else.

So let's vow to throw out discouraging words and substitute words that bring sunshine instead of clouds.

Perhaps we can't change the world, but we can affect the climate where we live.

Still learning, 

Lenore

What a gift! Every morning we step into a fresh new day

Have you ever stood at the beach just after dawn and been mesmerized by what seems an endless expanse of sand?

Ever been the first one to leave footprints? 

That's a perfect picture of each day you and I live.

The hours stretch before us...

Unsullied.

Untouched.

Ours to explore and enjoy.

Ours to revel in and rejoice in and give thanks for.

Here's a simple way to get your day off to a better start. Right away, as soon as you wake up, get your mind in gear by speaking this simple-but-profound verse aloud: 

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.   Psalm 118:24  ESV

Sometimes the dawn feels like a rescue

How many times have you sat up with a sick family member longed for morning?

How often have you said to someone, "It will be a better day tomorrow. Just wait for morning."

Somehow everything looks brighter, fresher, more hopeful in the light of a new day, doesn't it? 

We realize again the truth of Psalm 30:5b: 

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. KJV

Whatever is going on--or not going on--how shall we live?

With the fresh vision of morning let's take a reading of our life. Situations and relationships that looked one way yesterday may appear different in the new day.

Vow to fix your thoughts on joy, not gloom.

Dwelling on what's wrong in our world and with other people is like hanging heavy weights around our necks. Venting our frustrations to others in person or over social media only adds to the load we drag around. 

So what are we supposed to do with our emotions? 

In good times or hard times, we can't do better than to follow the timeless wisdom of a Christian poet and preacher, Joseph Scriven. In 1885 he wrote a poem that became the lyrics to one of the best-known hymns of Christianity, "What a Friend we have in Jesus."

Here's verse two--and doesn't it fit our troubled times?

Have we trials and temptations?
  Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
  Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

That hymn verse echoes Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28: 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   NIV

We're never alone and never on our own

There's a way to be calm and joyful in the midst of whatever comes. We remind ourselves who we are and Whose we are. We lock those truths in our minds and in our hearts by reading and studying the Bible.

Some folks think the Bible is outdated. Old-fashioned. They say our society is "more advanced" and we're more enlightened, so we've "moved beyond simplistic thinking."  

Here's what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.  NIV

Turn away from know-it-all newscasters and turn to God's Word

Reading the Bible and prayer help us understand deep-down in our bones that Jesus is for real and that He loves us.

Loved us enough to willingly give up His life to pay for our sins so that all who believe already possess eternal life.

This is not something we must qualify for or earn by our good deeds. Rather, this is God's gift.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV

What better way to greet each new day than with the Lord? 

He's the only one who knows what's ahead of us and who can strengthen us for each challenge. 

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.   Psalm 143:8  ESV

If we want to change our outlook we need to change what we feed our hearts and minds. Bible verses like that can be heart-lifters for every day IF we let them.

I'm praying for you, my friends. May you greet each new day with JOY, the joy of Jesus!

Blessings,

Lenore