Be a Joy Carrier

This is something I needed to read, and I thought others might as well!

The fruit of the Spirit is...joy.Galatians 5:22

Most of us are far too serious for our own good. We're uptight about everything: being five minutes late, getting stuck in traffic, waiting in line, somebody giving us a wrong look, overcooking a meal, gaining a pound, discovering a wrinkle, making an honest mistake; you name it - we lose all perspective! The problem is, we have unrealistic (and unscriptural) expectations.
God didn't say He'd take us out of our troubles; He said He'd bring us through them and make us stronger. If you want to experience the joy Jesus promised, do two things:
(1) Admit that your uptightness is largely because of the way you've decided life should be.
(2) Understand that your expectations are causing most of your frustrations. If you keep expecting things to be a certain way and they aren't, you'll always be upset.
Here's an idea: try approaching each day without all those expectations. For example, don't require everybody to be friendly; then when some are you'll be delighted. Don't expect your day to be trouble-free; instead when problems come, say: "Thank you Lord for a chance to grow in grace."
Do it, and you'll see how much better everything is. Rather than fighting against life you'll be flowing with it. And pretty soon, if you work at it, you'll enjoy your life more, and other people will enjoy being around you much more too!

That's why Paul wrote, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRS).

Happy Birthday to Me!

You know how when you are little, it seems like birthdays should be solely about you, but as you get older, it really doesn't seem that way?

Well, I feel like a kid again today! I think I have been smiling all day and of course, I feel pretty, oh so pretty, too... and pretty in pink, no less! I've had a great day so far though. My dog let me sleep the whole night through until my alarm went off, and I got to hit the snooze button once! Then there was a gift on the table waiting for me this morning, which is a great way to wake up!

I get to work, and I get birthday wishes from my coworkers! Which was followed up by a phone call from Pa and an email from my mom and aunt. Lunch at Orlando's with my coworkers/friends and my boss got me chocolate rum cake! YUM! Then this afternoon I got a pretty spring bouquet from my boss of purple tulips, red roses, little red flowers and yellow lilies... followed up by a cookie bouquet from my Dallas area family! YEA!

I'm looking forward to tonight, dinner at Great Wall and of course, presents! :)

Hello!

So finally, a new post! It has been crazy at work around here lately. Finished our faculty/staff reception last night, yesterday tried to eat me up and spit me out, but I managed to survive. I'm really looking forward to our 50 Year Reunion on Thursday. It should be really good, and the ladies that I've talked to sound really nice. So I hope everything goes perfectly because that one has been my full project.

I probably won't post much until after graduation on the 13th... we have a lot of stuff happening up until that point. Hope y'all have a great week!