NOVEMBER 08, 2014 STORIES OF BLESSING

NOVEMBER 08, 2014 STORIES OF BLESSING

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THE KEY OF GIVING THANKS

Written 2014-11-07 11:01:20, Friday

I wanted to share some keys of giving thanks.

1 Always give thanks. Do not ever stop. 

2 Give thanks in everything.

3 Give thanks for everything.

4 Practice is the key. The more you do it, the easier and more meaningful it becomes. 

5 Write it down on the page so you can read your blessings repeatedly--and count them all over again.

6 Make it a way of life and a way to be--not something to do. 

7 Enjoy giving thanks. Allow it to make your spirit and heart soar. 

8 Steal as many blessings as you can--meaning count other peoples' blessings you can see are blessings. For instance, if someone beats cancer. If a married couple decides not to divorce. Etc. 

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LEARNING TO BE CONTENT IN ALL AND FOR ALL

Written 2014-11-07 11:16:17, Friday

My happiness, joy, contentment, faith, hope, etc. should never depend on circumstances, emotions, or people. Circumstances constantly change and so do our relationships with people. Emotions are never the same are are fleeting. Moreover, circumstances, people, and emotions will fail you far too often. 

Contentment is a choice. 

Contentment is the realization that what and who you have in the present matter most. For, they are more than enough. We just need to choose them to be more than enough. 

If you cannot be content with what and who you have now, what makes you think you could ever be content with anything or anyone else? You have already invested in the what and who you have in your life now. To move onto something or someone because you think the grass is greener on the other side with them is a lie. The grass isn't greener. It's just grass and its just green as well. 

What you have and who you have now is more than enough.

That being said, there may be some things and some people you could really weed through and see less often, invest in less, or cut off all together. But, you do not have to fill your life with more of someone or something else in their place. Rather, allow what and who you have in your life to be more than enough.

This is the secret of abundance and contentment.

If you cannot be trusted with what you have, and who you have, why should you be trusted with more or different? 

Is learning this type of contentment easy?

Hardly. 

It takes constant choice and intentionality in order to get rid of the I need something more or new mindset. 

That being said, part of our problem with learning this type of contentment lies in a misunderstanding. 

Do you know what a "need" is? 

People say, "I need coffee." "I need a doughnut." "I need my husband." "I need more money." "I need a better car or house."

A NEED is something you cannot live without. There are only three of them: Food, water, and shelter. 

That's it. Those are the only three needs we have.

The rest are wants.

Want to learn how to be content? Realize that if you have anything fancier than bread, water, and a tent, you don't deserve it and you are very fortunate. 

What does this have to do with counting your blessings? 

If you count every single blessing you have in your life today, and have in the past, will you really ever want anything or anyone more? Or, will what you have had, and what you have, be enough?

Counting our blessings reminds us how very fortunate we are--and how some are not. Counting our blessings brings perspective and contentment in and for all things. 

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COUNT THE SMALL STUFF

Written 2014-11-07 13:04:07, Friday

I've learned over the last year in particular, how it's the small stuff that is most often the biggest blessing. The small stuff may seem like small stuff at the time, but one a little time goes by, I've been able to see how huge it really was--when at the time I didn't realize.

This, by the way, is another reason to write all of your blessings on the page. If I hadn't, I am not sure if I would have remembered the seemingly small stuff at the time. However, since I wrote it down and have re-read and recounted previous blessings, I was able to look back with hindsight and see how the chess pieces of life arranged themselves and the small stuff ended up being some of the most important. If I didn't have that record, I would never have remembered those 'small' things. 

Also, the small stuff is usually the most meaningful, the most powerful, and the most life-transforming. 

Never mind how if we cannot appreciate the small stuff at the time, how can we appreciate the bigger stuff?

Make sure to count all of your blessings, no matter how silly or small it may seem. Trust me. Later, these blessings will play an important part in your life and your journey. 

Do not take anything or anyone for granted. 

And, please, get it all down on the page. 

Catch the small, medium sized, and large blessings. Count them. They will make the difference in your life. 

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THANKSGIVING AND END OF YEAR BLESSINGS COUNTED CHALLENGES

Are you taking part in either one of these challenges--where we are essentially trying to count 20 to 25 blessings each day between now and Thanksgiving and 10 per day between now and the end of the year? 

If so, let me know. Attach a comment at the end of any blog post. Let's hold each other accountable to this and talk about it--and share our stories of blessing. 

Now, I want to do a writing prompt for these challenges today:

BLESSINGS COUNTED PROMPT

Count at least five additional blessings today.

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STORIES OF BLESSING #9

WRITING YOUR STORIES OF BLESSINGS

When you write your stories of blessing, you are writing your life story. You are writing a memoir (of any length) and are doing so with "blessings" as your theme.

Is there a more important story to share than of your blessings?

Just a thought.

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BIBLE BLESSINGS FOR THE TIRED #2

Written 2014-10-23 09:28:29, Thursday

Oh, how I long for the blessing of rest and I so thoroughly need it. I carry a great deal on my shoulders right now and it's weighing down my mind. Never mind the lack of sleep over the past several weeks.

{Journaling prompt: How about you? How are you feeling? Are you tired and/or burdened? What are you carrying?}

Let's be realistic, though, and honest with ourselves. I think we could all use more rest. The question, though, is how can we get more rest? And, is it possible to get total rest--and is it possible before we die? 

Those are questions to ponder and I hope we will discover the answer in the next several weeks. 

COFFEE'S REPRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANCE IN MY LIFE

What I do when I'm tired, even the weariness is caused by more than physical exhaustion, is I drink coffee. It's for what the coffee represents more than anything. 

{Journaling Prompt: What rituals do you do when you are tired?}

Here I sit with my coffee to me left, in my favorite turquoise mug, and I reach and take a huge gulp of coffee, desperate for the hit of coffee. Not the caffeine, for decaf does the same for me, but for the idea of the coffee. After all, I have wonderful, blessed memories of coffee. It is what I use as a reminder to pray, it makes me think of friends and family, and the warmth and taste are a feel-good for me. 

Coffee is a reminder to slow down, relax, and enjoy life and living. 

I just took a huge gulp as I hoped it would wash me with relief and pure enjoyment. And, almost spit it out. I got too sidetracked praying, counting my blessings, journaling, etc. that I have forgotten to drink my coffee. Now, it's cold. (Sigh.) Consequently, I will drink it as fast as I can and start over with a fresh, warm cup. (Pardon me for a moment, please.)

What a reminder of how important it is not to depend on anything, other than the only one who is completely dependable: God and His Word. Even my simple ritual of drinking a cup of coffee added to my tiredness. 

So, what now? 

Is it possible to really find rest? 

How do we find rest in the totally dependable God?

I already shared a couple of verses, but let's look at them in a different version and see what more we can learn from these verses:

Matthew 11:28-30 New Living Translation (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

What a biblical passage of hope and blessing. I feel better after reading it, for a moment at least. However, I start to allow these verses to roll around in my mind and I realize how all of that sounds really, really good. But, what does this mean to my life today? How does it apply? And, does it?

I decide to look at the previous version of the Bible to see if I can find the answers there. Care to join me? Turn there now, please. 

Take note of the differences between the two. 

Then, look at this version and do the same between all three: 

Matthew 11:28-30 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

28 “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Place my yoke over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves 30 because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

And, one final version, unless you want to look up more, of course.

Matthew 11:28-30 Expanded Bible (EXB)

28 “Come to me, all of you who are ·tired [weary] and ·have heavy loads [overburdened;T heavy-laden] and I will give you rest. 29 ·Accept my teachings [L Take my yoke upon you]and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in ·spirit [heart], and you will find rest for your ·lives [souls; Jer. 6:16]. 30 ·The burden that I ask you to accept [L …because my yoke] is easy; ·the load I give you to carry [L and my burden] is light.”

Expanded Bible (EXB)

The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

{Journaling prompts: What all have you learned about this passage? What does it mean to you and your life?}

In the next several blog posts, we will take a look at this passage and break it down so we can capture all of the blessings from this passage. Stay tuned.

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STORIES OF BLESSING #4

THE DEFINITION OF BLESSING

Look at the definition of blessing from Dictionary.com:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessing

It's rather interesting.

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ARE YOU READING THIS BLOG?

Are you reading this blog? Welcome, if you are! I would love to hear from you. Add a comment at the end of any blog post.

It's my desire for us to form a community where we can walk with one another through this journey of life, and inspire and encourage one another as we share blessings.

Do you have any suggestions, thoughts, questions, etc.?

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ARE YOU DOING THE THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE?

Again, I would love to hear from you. Add a comment to the end of any blog post.

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THOUGHT TO PONDER

Do you want to leave your legacy?

What a legacy it would be if you recorded all of the blessings in your life. I cannot imagine anything more meaningful or spectacular than that.

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HOW DO YOU WRITE YOUR STORY OF BLESSING?:

A HOW-TO, TIP, HINT, SUGGESTION, TEACHING MOMENT

Written 2014-10-17 12:24:05, Friday

I recommend my starting with a list. Count your blessings in list form. Write as much with each bullet/point in the list. Start with one sentence each and then grow to four sentences each. Do this every day for a week. Then:

Once you get a good and sizable list started, pick one of those memories, or another that pops into your mind, and write a 100 word story of blessing. Do this every day for a week. Keep adding to your blessings list as well. Then:

Write a 200 word story regarding a blessing you want to count. Do this every day for a week. Keep adding to your blessings list as well. Then:

Write a 300 word story regarding a blessing you want to count. Do this every day for a week. Keep adding to your blessings list as well. Then:

Keep doing this until you are up to the word count you feel most content with. Add 100 words per week per story until your each the desired number count. I would say try to do a 1,000 word (max) story at least once a week, though. Ideally, though, in time, you'll do at least three per week. Do most of your stories of blessing, though, the word count you prefer. 

Why do all of this?

1 To count your blessings

2 Leave a legacy

3 Remember what has happened in your life

4 It brings a proper perspective

5 It helps improve your health (this is a scientific fact)

6 You can encourage and inspire others

7 You will live a better life if you do, one of more contentment and purposeful living

8 Why not? 

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CAN YOU AND DO YOU COUNT THE STORMS AND CHALLENGES OF LIFE AS A BLESSING?

A Tip, Suggestion, Hint, How-To, and Prompt

Written 2014-10-17 11:56:33, Friday 

Think of the really tough stuff in your life. Think of the storms and challenges you've experienced. Think of the things you would prefer not to think about.

Just wait. I know that it's painful to think about, but there is a reason for my madness and for this suggestion. 

Think about all of those things and try to find three blessings or more from each experience. 

Why? Finding the blessing of each puts you in control of the situation for starters. You are able to take control of the situation so the situation no longer takes control of you. 

Also, finding the blessings finds the good out of a tough situation. Finding the good always outweighs the bad. So, shift the scales. The more good you can find, the more blessing, and count it, the more good will come out of the tough situation and will conquer the bad. 

Finding the blessing shows growth. You never want a situation to make you regress. You want to learn from each situation and make it count for something.

At first, trying to come up with one blessing might be difficult. However, keep thinking on it. Find a blessing from each experience--and make sure to write it down. Count it as a blessing. Be very intentional. Keep thinking on each experience until you can come up with a minimum of three blessings from each. 

If you were to do this, and really do it, you would be surprised at the result. 

I've discovered through my life that the biggest and most blessings have come out of a time of storm. They are the very things that have shaped who I am, what I stand for, and what I want to be. Every challenge has made me better. And, every time I've conquered a time of storm with counting my blessings (at the time and later), it's become a favorite memory--for I was challenged and morphed it into something to be thankful for. 

Give it a try. I guarantee you'll be deeply blessed. 

Count your blessings and turn them into stories of blessing. You'll bless others in the process. 

--By Stacy Duplease of Virginia

#Blessings #Challenges #CountYourBlessings #StoriesOfBlessing #Storms #ToughStuff

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WHAT STORIES OF BLESSING SHOULD YOU WRITE AND SHARE?

All of them is the answer.

However, share whatever you feel most comfortable with. Also, don't forget, you can change the details in order to keep some secrecy--or you can even use your name as 'anonymous' and your place of residence can be 'earth.'

Seriously, though. Every blessing in your life, every story of blessing, matters. All of them.

A blessing is a special favor you are given that you do not deserve. But, you received it anyway. Do you hear the true blessing it is? You were given a gift you didn't expect or deserve. Take stock. Count them. Don't let them pass by without acknowledging them. After all, there is so much in this life we shouldn't acknowledge and do, each blessing is that much more important to observe and remember.

Share all of your stories of blessing, or just a few. The choice is up to you.

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THE GODLY BLESSING

Written 2014-10-17 13:51:10, Friday

The blessings we are talking about on this blog are the blessings given to us by God. He may use people, places, things, or events to do so, but it's still God giving us the blessing, the special favor. And, we are to count each blessing and show our reverence of God. Counting our blessings makes us realize, with awe, what God has done, is doing, and will do. 

Our counting of blessings is taking noticed of what God has done in our lives, through our lives, and around our lives. It's acknowledging God. 

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DAY 1 OF 365 DAYS OF COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS (AND WRITING YOUR STORIES OF BLESSING)

Think of three blessings from last week and write them down in a list. 

Then, turn them into a story of blessing of whatever length you would prefer, but at least 100 words. 

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Thanksgiving and Everyday Blessings by Ellen of Denver

Having food,  being able to eat.

Toilet paper

Toothpaste,  brushing teeth

Water

Internet

Clothes, shoes

Advil,  Tylenol for pain

Refrigerator,  stove

These are just a few things we take for granted

-- By Ellen of Denver

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #1

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #1

QUESTION

Can I share the story of someone else or does it have to be mine? 

ANSWER

The rule of thumb is to not share a story without permission. (Otherwise, it's stealing.)

However, you can change the details of people, places, and specific events where the story could have happened to anyone at anytime. Then, you can share how you were blessed by the story. This would be a blessing to everyone else.

EVERY STORY MATTERS

EVERY STORY MATTERS

Every story matters. This includes each of yours. 

Moreover, every story has blessings you can find in it if you search hard enough. No experience is pointless and has a reason. The blessings found and lessons learned are the reason and purpose of each story. 

Share your story, find the blessing, share the blessing with others. A blessing shared is a blessing doubled. 

The point of this blog is to share a legacy of blessings through life story. Hence, the title: Stories of Blessing. Anyone can read this blog for encouragement and pick-me-up, as well as for inspiration. But, you could also read this blog and as a starter or prompt for thinking of your own stories of blessing. 

Also, this blog is for anyone who wants to share your story, and leave a legacy, but isn't sure how to share it or where to share it. Here is the place. 

I will include "How to Share Your Story" blog posts on how to write and share your story. So, stay tuned. However, if you need more suggestions, some critique, or some coaching, holler. I can give you a hand. It would be a pleasure. Feel free to drop me an email at: rememberingyourpresent@gmail.com.

STORYTELLING HINTS AND TIPS:

Which story should you tell first? The first one that comes to mind. There's usually a reason you think of it first. 

Welcome. We can't wait to hear your story.

Have a blessed day.