All Things Wise: Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm leads to achievement. A sense of achievement - an awareness of accomplishment. Here is poise - poise through enthusiasm.

"We are often troubled, but not crushed;

sometimes in doubt, but never in despair;

there are many enemies, but we are never

without a friend; and though badly hurt at

times, we are not destroyed.

For this reason we never become discouraged.

Even though our physical being is

gradually decaying, yet our spiritual

being is renewed day after day.

And this small and temporary trouble

we suffer will bring us a tremendous and

eternal glory, much greater than the trouble."

(2 Corinthians 4:8,9,16,17)

Photo: Stormy Landscape by Rembrandt

ALL THINGS WISE: ACCEPTING YOURSELF

Why is it we spend more time looking at our faults than we do at our good points? We don't like our home or family background or even our hair color! But God wants us to accept ourselves as we are and to depend on His strength where we are weak.

In her book Love Adds the Chocolate, Linda Anderson recounted this incident: "I once knew a young woman who pointedly disliked not only what she was doing but who she was. She was convinced of her uselessness to both God and her fellowman, and she was certain that if the earth opened up and swallowed her nobody would miss her. After a few months of futile self-absorption, she came to the point we all must face if we are to find God's direction in our lives. One night she surrendered the peculiarities of her individual temperament to the Lord, piece by piece. she named them all and asked the Lord to put the pieces together and glorify Himself through them. To her surprise, over a period of years the very qualities she had once hated became polished gems in the Master's hands. She found to her delight that He was using them all!"

Whenever we feel guilty of looking too much at our faults and failures, let us remember who we are in Christ and thank God for the good points He's given us, and get busy doing things for others and for the Lord. It's the best way to begin accepting ourselves. Loving God above all, I am Ophelia Jane Julia thanking everyone who drop by my blog page and reminding everyone that: "Jesus wouldn't pay an infinite price for someone of no value."

Oil painting image was Expectations by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema taken from illusionsgallery.com

All THINGS WISE: Choose How To Grow Old

When I was in my teens, I admired a woman in her seventies - an active elder in our church. She dressed neatly, smiled a lot, and paid attention when i talked with her. I wanted to be like her when I got old.

I knew another woman in the same age bracket, but i surely didn't want to be like her. She seemed to do nothing but complain and was so self-centered that she wouldn't listen to anybody. She wouldn't take advice from anyone. She was a disgruntled old woman.

Psalm 92 shows us that those who believe in God and live in fellowship with Him and with His people will be in old age like a vigorous tree with wide-spreading, luxuriant branches.

If you want to stay optimistic and interested in life when you get old, start preparing while you are young. After trusting Jesus to be your Savior, make Him your chief model. Also select as living examples those who walk with Him. You will be kinder, gentler, purer, and more loving with the passing years. You and I choose each day the kind of person we will be when we are old.

O keep me sweet and let me look

Beyond the frets that life must hold,

To see the glad eternal joys;

Yes, keep me sweet in growing old.

~~Hazard

What you hope to be like tomorrow depends on the choices you make today!

Source for photo: abrahamescence1 of Flickr

All Things Wise: Not Ruled By Time

The ancient Mayans of Central America were obsessed with time. Early in their history they began to study the movement of the planets. Soon they noted a correlation between the cycles of the planets and the seasons, and they began to chart the stars. The priests interpreted their findings, and they devised an elaborate calendar which was as accurate as any calendar used today. With it they were able to calculate dates far into the past and the future. Mayan life was dictated by this calendar. Times for plantings, harvests, and sacrifices were minutely calculated and strictly observed.

Our culture too is dominated by time. Clocks and calendars, datebooks and watches keeps us marching rigidly on schedule. In some ways such attention to time is good, if it helps us to use wisely. Our earths and its seasons will one day pass away. And when they do, many of the things we tried to crowd into a day will not mean a thing. When we stand before God, will we be able to say that time did not rule us but that we ruled time?

If time could be our servant,

Our work would be sublime;

But if we do not master it,

We're only "serving time."

~~C. Hess

"To everything there is a season."

Ecclesiastes 3:1