No Really, Fix It

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."   ---James 1:2-4

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Remember my Please Don't Be a Henry post, the one about fixing things? I hope you're doing that. You know, fixing what can be fixed in your life.

Why?

Because lately we've all lost much. In fact, I'll not even list our losses, for we each have our own list. You know exactly what I mean.

(I want to add here that I believe many of these losses are only temporary. I have much hope for our near future, but that's a whole other blog post.)

Anyway, when our stuff, our freedoms are snatched away and we go from feeling in control to being controlled, it's so easy to become bitter. Defeated. Angry. Anyone can do that, for it's a natural (without God's power) progression.

Down, down, down; a spiral into, "This'll never get better."

Like, recently I skimmed through a friend's Facebook timeline and oh no! All the meme's and posts, well, my friend could've saved time and just posted:

I am angry.

I am bitter.

I hate people.

I am angry.

I am bitter.

I hate people.

Yikes. Bitterness changes who we are--for the worse.

What I believe? Hard times release what's living inside us. Me, I'd rather have her burst outta there:

...than her:

How about you?  ツ

So along with--

Praying

Praising

Boycotting

Encouraging

Learning

Truth-speaking

Prepping

Believing

Standing, etc.

-- I will continue fixing what I can. Proactivity these days is vital. It's like fighting back for your way of life before the corona madness. It's like taking care of yourself rather than depending upon the government, like making your own decisions, like Life the way it should be again.

A tiny example: see this reading sun lamp?

Naomi gave me hers and oh wow. The sun chooses not to shine? No big deal! I'll just grab my homebaked fruit dessert, a cup of coffee and a Judy Bolton book then sit at my table in the upstairs window beneath this light.

Good gracious, just call me a moth, a moth being drawn to a flame.

And already I told you about watching Tim Janis's autumn videos during our bleak winters:

Life's grey, brown and bleak out my windows? Doesn't matter anymore. 

How wonderful when one can repair some of her winter problems and how terrific when she can stop stuff from sliding, crash! out of her freezer シ  --

We treat those like drawers, pull them out. (And yes, we have a chest freezer in the basement: this is the one on top of our fridge.)

Also--long story--but I moved my 'office' to the opposite end of our upstairs' room. At first I used two tiny end tables beside me to hold supplies and that was sort-of meh, ok. 

But weeks later, hooray! The idea to move a set of shelves beside me popped into my brain and when I did? Oh, Life felt incredible again.

Okay, tiny changes to you, yes, but to me? Huge, happiness-inducing ones, inspiring me to no end even now in 2021, even while in my 60's, even in a world gone tipsy-sideways.

Anywhere, even online, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This old dog can still learn new tricks and help others to hang in there with joy and purpose and hope, as well. She can and so can you.

No, really.

Never hold hands with Hopelessness! He's a horrible, horrible fiend.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed..."   ---2 Corinthians 4:8,9

We truly are more than conquerers in Him and now's a wonderful time to form a habit of overcoming in all challenging areas.With God we can conquer apathy, procrastination, complaining, offense and whatever else stops us from shining brightly and loving others as He does.

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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15