The work of love and sacrifice means trouble that nothing but supernatural aid and Divine strength can touch. The heartache of those who are wakened up to any due sense of the eternal is one that nothing but the hand that moves all things can soothe or remedy. Faith in the absolute goodness of God can alone sustain the mind in these deep places of fear, and under the shadow of death.

http://biblehub.com/john/14-1.htm

How to Have Fullness of Joy

Joy is essential in bearing life’s burdens.

We all have burdens, but we can choose to respond in despair or in joy. How is it possible to find joy in the midst of your difficulties?
We need joy in order to have the strength to live the Christian life.

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
~John 15:11




WOW, God loves us SO much, beyond anything we can even imagine.

Blessed,
JB

There is no more glorious opportunity than the day in which we live for proving in personal life and in every way that we are confident in God." --Oswald Chambers, in The Place of Help from the Quotable Oswald Chambers.

"Never limit God by remembering what you have done in the past. When you come into relation with the Reality of Redemption God creates something in you that was never there before; it is the active working of the life of God in you; consequently you can do now what you could not do before. " --Oswald Chambers, in God's Workmanship from the Quotable Oswald Chambers.

"Beware of passion that makes you reach for position, because it will end in spiritual infamy. Passion is the combination of desire and pride with a wild reach of possibility. The desire may be for a big or a little thing, but the instant result of anything done at the spur of passion lands you in a wilderness of disgust, nursing wounded pride." --Oswald Chambers, in Not Knowing Whither from the Quotable Oswald Chambers.

The greatest test of Christianity is the wear and tear of daily life; it is like the shining of silver: the more it is rubbed the brighter it grows." --Oswald Chambers, in Disciples Indeed from the Quotable Oswald Chambers.

Making Progress... That's what counts :)

"I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect in the pursuit of my personal goals, but I’m making progress compared to where I was."

link here

The fear of failure or failure itself is nothing compared to the bleak future of not growing, not stretching, and not going after my dreams.

Becoming a teacher. Hard work. haha

***Simple Technique to Stop Negative Thoughts***

In my early 20s I experienced a personal breakdown as a result of storing repressed memories and emotions associated to various incidents over the years. My mental health decided that one day it was giving up and went into self sabotage and desolation. I would wake up every day feeling numb and exhausted. I would have terrible visualizations that something bad was going to happen. I even had flashes of harrowing pictures involving the people I deeply cared about. Every day seemed like an uphill struggle and lacked any feelings of excitement about anything. It never used to take much to get me excited (as I was such a positive person), but during this time I could never get into that excited, happy state. I would go out and spend money on a whim in the hope that it would give me a buzz, make me feel a bit more alive inside. Of course, it never did

I was very conscious that as a naturally happy person I was feeling very different. I remember vividly looking out into my garden and seeing a dark and grey border around the edges of my vision. It was like I was in a tunnel, and all I could see was what was in front of me. Every time a happy thought came into my mind, something horrible took it away by replacing it with something unpleasant. I put up with it for three years, and things started to get better as I took a course in homeopathy and naturally weaned myself off anti-depressants. The strange, sporadic flashes kept continuing, however, and I was worried that I was going to create or experience them. I was unable to fully control my thoughts, and I began to understand why a few years later.

I have always had a deep fascination with the psychology of the mind and decided to qualify in Neuro Linguistic Programming. During my studies, I began to understand how my mind was working, and the realization that I could literally manipulate my thoughts amazed me. I became a master of my own mind, and I am going to teach you how you can re-wire yours as well.

I am sure some of you reading this have experienced similar bizarre thoughts and visualizations. The unconscious mind is very powerful, dominating the conscious mind, playing tricks on us and causing us to think in negative ways. Of course, a common issue is the lack of serotonin in the brain which can create negative feelings, and many people turn to pills to try to balance it out. But, pills really only act as a plaster (I am not a doctor, though, and do not suggest that you stop taking them if you are on them). In my experience, I had terrible side effects from taking anti-depressants: my body would often reject them, and I tried out about six different types. Finally, I turned to an amazing therapist and homoeopathist who weaned me off them; I will always remember him to this day for that very reason.

Your deepest healing must start with identifying the root cause of your unhappiness. Many people are not even aware of their root causes, fighting against themselves but feeling mentally defeated and worn out. That is why it’s so important to work with a professional who can help you draw out the deeper underlying triggers; do not suffer alone.

My moment of clarity came when I realized that thoughts were simply that – a thought. I wasn’t going mad, but I had unconsciously anchored some very negative thought patterns because I was in a state of self sabotage. I had unconsciously learned to punish myself with a negative thought, whenever I was starting to feel positive again. I had simply learned a habit of thinking negatively during my experience of depression, and my mission was to undo this detrimental behavior.

The magic to finally alleviating this way of thinking came by being able to detach myself from the thought itself. I would acknowledge when one popped into my head, really notice the detail, thank it, and then let go of it. I removed any anxiety or fear around my thoughts, and by simply accepting them as thoughts, they disappeared over time.

Before I mastered NLP, the above process was extremely effective for me. I was actually achieving my own re-wiring without really being aware of what I was doing. The great news for you is that I am about to share an NLP technique which may speed up the process a bit:

When you find yourself thinking a negative thought, going back into a past memory or saying something which is detrimental to your well-being, follow this simple technique:
Find a quiet place where you can sit and not be interrupted, and close your eyes (you can keep your eyes open if it’s easier).
Bring in the thought, words or feelings that are causing you upset or discomfort.
Notice how they are making you feel, what you see, hear, smell or taste.
Decide what you would like to replace the thought, word or feeling with. Perhaps it might be something which smells nice, tastes nice or feels good. Perhaps you have a past happy memory which you could use to replace this thought. Really connect to the state.
Imagine or pretend to release the thought, word or feeling, so it is separate from you. Maybe you might want to imagine that it’s a particular color, shape or person, and see it as though it’s in front of you on the floor like an object.
When you are ready, using your imagination, bring in the positive thought or feeling which you’d like instead, and saturate the negative thought you see in front of you. Soak it, dowse it, drown it, and suffocate it!
Remain in that wonderful state of positivity until the negative thought has disappeared.
Come back into the room, look at the time, and do a quick jog on the spot… (trust me on that bit!).

Problem-solving

Simple Life Strategy: A Simple 5 Step Problem Solving Strategy


1. Become aware. What are you focused on? Are you getting caught up in the problem its-self?

2. Note your language. Is it positive or negative? Is it helping you or hindering you?

3. Decide to not focus on the problem. Make a conscious decision to move away from concentrating on the problem.

4. Think laterally (sideways). Consider how others may have tried to solve the problem? How have other industries, or other countries dealt with such problems? Can you apply this thinking?

5. Search for solutions. Come at the problem with solutions instead of getting stuck on what is wrong or missing.

http://simplelifestrategies.com/5-step-problem-solving-strategy/

5/28/13

One way to build up your savoring skill and boost your mood is to engage in techniques that distract you from your worries and help you avoid overthinking.

40% of your happiness is within your control!