Footpath to peace?

(08.28.21– Just Plain Peace – Psalm 121:7-8)

My friend, may I ask you a question? Perhaps finding peace in this life is more a matter of attitude and not so much a necessity of laboring to get there?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

What's the secret to contentment? I guess if we knew that, we'd be able to promote a whole lot more of peace in the world and a lot less conflict. Remember that old Disney movie, Pollyanna? Pollyanna was a happy little girl and it liter- ally drove most people around her to distraction. Nothing could happen to her or around her except that she would find something positive and good about it. Her secret? As she told her friends, "it's the glad words." She focused on "glad" words rather than "sad" words. When bad things happened she simply pulled a "glad" word out of her heart and used it. Oh that it was that easy; to be able to simply call up a happy thought or word to diffuse any bad situation would be worth gold. Could contentment be that easy to find?

Perhaps Pollyanna wasn't so far off. Perhaps finding peace in this life is more a matter of attitude and not so much a necessity of laboring to get there.

Here's a thought from the Christian author and teacher, Henry Van Dyke: To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your smiles rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ, and to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit in God's out of doors, these are little guideposts on the foot path to peace. (Henry Van Dyke)

Psalm 121 echoes Van Dyke's thought: "The LORD will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going" (Psalm 121:7-8). Do you want to be happy? Try taking on a "glad" attitude in life. When things go wrong, be happy that they aren't more wrong than they are. If people mistreat you, be thankful for those who don't. If you're out of work, thank God you have skills to change unemployment into employment. If family, spouse or friends aren't perfect, it's good to be reminded that you aren't either. Finally, if sickness is knocking at your door, be happy it isn't death battering it down. Be glad even when you're tempted to be sad. When you opt for gladness over sad- ness you open the door to life, the "coming and going" that the LORD will bless. Start counting your blessings and, by the way, it doesn't hurt to know some glad words. They come in handy when sadness is knocking at your heart.

We pray. Heavenly Father, When things go wrong, help us to be happy that they aren't more wrong than they are. If people mistreat us, make us thankful for those who don't. If we are out of work, make us thankful You have given us skills to change unemployment into employment. If family, spouse or friends aren't perfect, remind us that we aren't either. Finally, if sickness is knocking at our door, help us to be happy it isn't death battering it down. Lord, we want to be glad even when we’re tempted to be sad. When we opt for gladness over sadness we know that You will open the door to life, the "coming and going" that is Your blessing on us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.

Footpath to peace?

(08.28.21– Just Plain Peace – Psalm 121:7-8)

My friend, may I ask you a question? Perhaps finding peace in this life is more a matter of attitude and not so much a necessity of laboring to get there?

My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I'm M. Clifford Brunner.

What's the secret to contentment? I guess if we knew that, we'd be able to promote a whole lot more of peace in the world and a lot less conflict. Remember that old Disney movie, Pollyanna? Pollyanna was a happy little girl and it liter- ally drove most people around her to distraction. Nothing could happen to her or around her except that she would find something positive and good about it. Her secret? As she told her friends, "it's the glad words." She focused on "glad" words rather than "sad" words. When bad things happened she simply pulled a "glad" word out of her heart and used it. Oh that it was that easy; to be able to simply call up a happy thought or word to diffuse any bad situation would be worth gold. Could contentment be that easy to find?

Perhaps Pollyanna wasn't so far off. Perhaps finding peace in this life is more a matter of attitude and not so much a necessity of laboring to get there.

Here's a thought from the Christian author and teacher, Henry Van Dyke: To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your smiles rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ, and to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit in God's out of doors, these are little guideposts on the foot path to peace. (Henry Van Dyke)

Psalm 121 echoes Van Dyke's thought: "The LORD will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going" (Psalm 121:7-8). Do you want to be happy? Try taking on a "glad" attitude in life. When things go wrong, be happy that they aren't more wrong than they are. If people mistreat you, be thankful for those who don't. If you're out of work, thank God you have skills to change unemployment into employment. If family, spouse or friends aren't perfect, it's good to be reminded that you aren't either. Finally, if sickness is knocking at your door, be happy it isn't death battering it down. Be glad even when you're tempted to be sad. When you opt for gladness over sad- ness you open the door to life, the "coming and going" that the LORD will bless. Start counting your blessings and, by the way, it doesn't hurt to know some glad words. They come in handy when sadness is knocking at your heart.

We pray. Heavenly Father, When things go wrong, help us to be happy that they aren't more wrong than they are. If people mistreat us, make us thankful for those who don't. If we are out of work, make us thankful You have given us skills to change unemployment into employment. If family, spouse or friends aren't perfect, remind us that we aren't either. Finally, if sickness is knocking at our door, help us to be happy it isn't death battering it down. Lord, we want to be glad even when we’re tempted to be sad. When we opt for gladness over sadness we know that You will open the door to life, the "coming and going" that is Your blessing on us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.