Focus on goodness in your life
A hand tugged on my arm as my daughter asked, “Mom, can you play a card game with us?”
With only a little hesitation I said, “All right honey.” Her eyes shone and so did mine. And together, we walked outside to our backyard.
Sitting outdoors on the patio furniture, my other two daughters were shuffling a deck of cards. I joined in on the fun, and my oldest daughter dealt each of us 20 random cards facedown. One of the strategies for winning was that we were to keep the cards that were important and discard the rest.
As I watched my daughters look through their cards and hold on to the cards that were most significant to them, I wondered to myself, “What is really important in life?”
What are your priorities? What are the cards that are the most important to you?
Yet, day by day, we can lose our focus. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness, worries and challenges of daily life, that we can forget where our center of attention should be.
However, like my daughter’s card game, let’s take the special cards. Let us choose those that have the most meaning to us. And then … leave the rest.
Scripture says, “Examine all things, but hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Often, we live according to our priorities. So, surround yourself with what you love. Focus on the goodness in life, your goals and glorious dreams for the future. For God wants you to be mindful, discerning and selective with your time and future.
There was once an old Indian chief who said to a young preacher, “Ever since I have given my heart to God, I find that within me it seems as though there’s a fight between two dogs.”
The preacher was intrigued as the Indian chief continued, “There is a good dog that wants to do what’s right and possesses positive qualities such as happiness, kindness, and empathy. But the other dog sometimes focuses on what’s wrong, including regrets, resent- ments and anger, and often complains to anyone who’ll listen.” Standing there in amazement, the preacher was transfixed by the chief’s experience. With anticipation, the preacher asked, “Chief, which one wins?”
The wise old chief remained silent for quite a few moments. He put his hand on the preacher’s shoulder. Then, the chief gave a very profound answer. He uttered, “The one that I feed the most.”
As we look over the priorities in our lives, let’s be sure we are feeding the right things. Success starts in our thought life. What we dwell on, talk about, and look to – good or bad – can expand, magnetize and affect the outer part of our lives. Our focus can determine our realities.
In our pond, we placed 12 tiny, petite goldfish. Yet, after a number of weeks, the diminutive goldfish grew quite large. For goldfish grow to their surrounding area. So put yourself in an environment for success, a place where you will grow and become all that you can be. Laugh, love, pick your friends carefully. Let your imagination go and dare to dream. And set your sights high. Don’t live beneath your purpose. There are talents you have that are yet to be discovered, marvelous opportunities to pursue, and new-found possibilities to achieve. Be enthusiastic about the possibilities ahead, focus on seeing yourself strong, prevailing over obstacles, and rising to new heights of success.
Despite challenges, mistakes, disappointments of the past or the hurts people could have caused, your life is not over. Don’t let your past environment or what happened before limit you. Do not count yourself out or go through your days feeding negativity. Bounce back if you fall. Do like Taylor Swift and shake it off! Right now, you can start anew and live the life you choose.
• Decide what you desire. Don’t be vague, you need clear goals.
• Then create a healthy, balanced plan on how to achieve them.
• Put that plan in writing to take your goals from the realm of thought to setting in motion the beginning of action. And review your goals regularly.
• Take action, even if it’s just a few small steps, each day towards that goal. Thus, you will feel a sense of accomplishment, and your confidence will begin to grow.
• Create a vision in your mind of who you want to be and then live that picture as if it were already true.
• Pray for God’s perfect will and thank Him daily for His help and guidance.
• When you face stumbling blocks, keep moving forward, and don’t quit. The more you do, the better you will feel.
• Always follow through and do more than is expected. Success in life depends on your determination to grasp opportunities and your perseverance to see them through to completion.
• And help others along the way, for your life may be the only Bible some people read.
Sometimes, a little adjustment in your priorities is all that is needed. When you wake up in the morning, take 30 seconds to say, “Thank you, God, for all of my blessings,” “I’m getting better and better,” and “Something fantastic is going to happen.”
Then, during the day look for the good and the beauty that surrounds you. Go through your hours feeding positivity. Focus on everything that causes you to feel blessed. Talk about what makes you and others happy. It only takes a moment to thank God for the many blessings that decorate our days, or to say a prayer for someone who has a special need or to share the joy of the Lord in your heart with someone you love. Spreading sunshine and doing good deeds will come back to you many times over.
The blessings God has for you are right within your reach. For you may be one phone call away from seeing a dream coming to pass. You could meet one person who can positive change your life. You can be offered one new opportunity to bring you way ahead.
Therefore, open your eyes to the possibilities around you, think great thoughts, and visualize the achievements to come. Be positive. Be joyful. Be happy. Your future is filled with unlimited possibilities.