Browsing Tag

grace

Happy Day Moment Echoes: 10.14

Failure Can Be a Good Thing

I’ve spent a lot of this month feeling guilty. That I’ve let people down. That I’ve disappointed others. That I’ve not been enough.

crumpled paperI’ve tried tried tried. And somehow failed. There have been explanations. But still. Failure.

No matter what I gave, what I did, it was not enough.

The burden of such … is crushing. But the more I dwell on my shortcomings, the longer I entertain negative thoughts, the more they stay in focus.

I have to pound this hope into my mind and heart and soul: That there can be forgiveness for mistakes. That I can choose not to wallow in self-pity. That I am not doomed to be a constant failure. But I can choose to learn from my screw-ups and determine to be better.

That when I make a mistake, when I fail, I can tell myself, “You made a mistake, next time you will do better.”

When you fail, be brave and learn from it. Pick yourself up, and be better.

That every day is new, a fresh start. And I shouldn’t drag my failure in each new day.

That grace is all about starting over.

Grace allows us to forget the past and move forward in the future.

That David said of God: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” {Psalm 139:5, NIV}. What’s behind can be forgiven; what’s before can be better.

Forget about what’s behind and keep looking toward what’s ahead.

That we all have ups and downs but the key to happiness is to always try to move forward. I need to not look back or obsess over my mistakes. We all have them, and there is nothing I can do to change the past. But I can determine to let failure be the good thing that initiates change, growth, improvement.

Failure can be a good thing.

IF we learn from it.

And, IF, like the song says, we can “Let It Go.”

Let it go Elsa3

So, during this hard month of struggle, these are the rest of the messages to myself, the Happy Day Moment Facebook Page Echoes for October:

  • Courage grows when we learn to trust God.
  • Apologize for your mistakes. Apologize for any unintentional hurts. But don’t apologize for being you.
  • Gratitude opens a window and lets the freshness in and the staleness out.
  • Let us be “again” people. Love again. Rejoice again. Bloom again. Forgive again.
  • Don’t allow anyone who has wronged you to have power over you. Forgive. And cover offenses with love.
  • You may be in the middle of a really difficult chapter, but don’t give up on the plot, on your amazing story.
  • When we look past our own pain, and help someone in theirs, we often see a different perspective, a view leads to gratitude.
  • If others beat you down with criticisms, remember you are always valuable and loved in God’s eyes.
  • It’s your heart’s attitude that determines how peaceful you will be during times of brokenness.
  • Let there be time for love and understanding, even in the midst of deep disagreement or disappointment.
  • If you’ve been stung by betrayal, bend your heart toward mercy. Forgiveness heals injury.
  • Be an apparent agent of love, not a secret one. Through the words you speak, through the life you live.
  • Stand on the promise that God’s grace is sufficient.
  • If you’ve been thrown into a storm you never saw coming, let hope be your anchor.
  • Small kindnesses go a long way in increasing happiness.
  • People who express gratitude every day live happier lives.
  • Nourish your soul. Take time to read.
  • Everything derives from this: Love God and love each other — period.
  • Most times it takes hardships to make us truly appreciate what we have.
  • Choose to believe you are precious regardless of how others treat you.
  • View others with eyes of grace, not eyes of judgment.
  • Be abundant in your love, in your forgiveness, in your mercy.
  • Remind yourself of the good stuff: that you showed up. That you asked for help. That you gave help. That you’re trying.
  • Be a champion of the message: Live with gratitude. No matter what you’re facing.
  • Spend intentional time being grateful and you will ground yourself in God’s love.
  • Invest your time and energy on the positive, not the negative.
  • Let love and forgiveness be your cloak against the harshness of rejection.
  • Those I most admire are benevolent. They share. They love.
  • Understand and embrace the idea that God has a plan for your life.

Can I just say, THANK YOU for reading my blog posts? For sometimes sharing them on Facebook, forwarding them to friends, tweeting about them on Twitter, and most of all, commenting on the blog itself. What a treasure your responses are to me!

 

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Happy Day Moment Echoes: 12.13

Appropriately, the most common word in my Happy Day Moment Facebook Page posts for December is GRACE.

And, it appears “grace” was on the hearts of many following my page as these posts were viewed the most:

  • Keep extending grace and forgiveness to others. Sometimes things aren’t as they seem.

  • It does come down to grace and God’s love. We can choose to pour grace all over. All over people. All over every situation.

  • Recognizing our need for grace enlarges our capacity to give it.

  • Have patience, show grace, and do not judge others for their glaring flaws and weaknesses.

I needed grace for this Christmas more than any gift that could be wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. The month for me was beautiful and holy and hard and lonely.

But it was His grace that touched my heart day by day as I kept the birth of Jesus as the reason for the season.  I wasn’t touched by what I received or didn’t receive; not by who I saw or didn’t see, not by lights or decorations or ornaments or food. No, this was the holiday for His grace. Always His grace that touched me.

Acceptance. And grace.

Grace that a newborn child came.

Where was your Christmas this year? Where is your heart this Christmas? Were you hurting, alone, grieving?

Know this… there is grace. He is grace.

And these are the other Happy Day Moment Echoes for December 2013;

If you’re gentle and honest with those you love, you can work through any trial together, with love and compassion.

Don’t let disappointments and difficult times fragment your joy. Look ahead, not back.

The right perspective will keep me going or cripple my progress.

Make a decision to live in your vision, not in your circumstances.

We are all under the canopy of God’s love.

Stay focused on the right things and just do the best you can.

Give freely the gifts of love and compassion. Don’t be concerned with what you’ll receive in return, just give.

May God’s love find you today, and may you share it with someone through some large or small act of kindness.

A thankful spirit can bring healing and turn all that it touches into happiness.

Let your love be directional: up to God, out to others, in to self.

Life is too short for hauling around weighty bags.

Catalog the kindnesses of each day. Look at what you have. You have much to be grateful for.

Remember, when some things are really really hard to live through, God is near to the brokenhearted.

The mystery is that our small offerings of gratitude will soften our hearts and change our perspectives in ways that can’t happen with closed hands.

The most powerful way to foster happiness is by helping others. Especially during the stressful holidays.

Assembly instructions for a good life. Step one: Love God. Step two: Love others.

Cultivate kindness and give others grace.

 

photo by: caryatidxx

Happy Day Moment Echoes: 6.13

Words. Words we say. Words we hear. Words we think. Words of calm and words of chaos. Words of love and words of hate. Words of peace and words of division. Words of encouragement and words of alienation. Words of joy and words of sorrow. Words of wisdom and words of recklessness. Words of help and words of harm. Words of truth and words of invention. Words of goodness and words of meanness. Words of respect and words of rejection.

Words of prayer. Of blessing. Words that bring healing, that don’t crush the spirit of others. Words we utter and words we chose not say.

We have a choice.

Words as gifts not words as arrows.

These are my words … the echoes of my Happy Day Moment tweets (#happydaymoment) and Facebook Page posts for June 2013.

  • We are defined by what the Word of God says we are. We are not defined by what any person says we are.
  • Be gracious and kind to family members. Show grace and love to strangers.
  • I am convinced that nothing can ever separate me from God‘s love.
  • The darker the night, the brighter the stars. The deeper the grief, the closer is God! ~Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
  • I hope that I will never do anything apart from the desire to bless others and live with gratitude.
  • Open your heart and live with confidence. You have much to offer.
  • Kindness and respect are investments that never fail.
  • Do something nice for yourself. Every day. You are worth it.
  • Don’t be distracted with the things that don’t really matter. Grab onto life’s precious moments.
  • Speak good encouraging words, that they may give grace to those who hear.
  • Focus on doing the things that will matter forever.
  • The miracle comes when we let go and trust.
  • There is always Faith. Hope. Love. And the greatest is love.
  • Do not take today for granted. Love. And be loved.
  • Start humming. People will smile. Or roll their eyes. Or try to punch you in the mouth. Hum anyway.
  • Reach out to people who are hurting. You never know what a difference you can make.
  • Today tell everyone in your family “I love you.” Go on now. Life is short.
  • Thou shalt be optimistic.
  • A grateful mindset can help you navigate life’s turbulence.
  • God never promised there would be no drama. But He did promise there would be redemption.
  • Yes, you have limits. But yes, you also have abilities. Offer your gift anyway. Be who you are anyway.
  • Your kindness sends light into the dark places.
  • Choose praying over worrying.
  • Grateful people are happy.