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Humour, can be a bit of a Funny Thing.

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I was reminded about a conversation that I had, a while back now.

It was a hot day, and I was wearing shorts. Nothing unusual there then really. But, for a long time, I just didn’t wear shorts, regardless of how warm it was. (No, I’m not going into the reasons of why, other than self consciousness.)

The person I was with, mostly, didn’t wear shorts either, and noticed that I was wearing shorts. The said person, then went on to make a joke about my short wearing.

I was a bit irked by this, but endeavoured, to not show this. Instead, I may have tried to make light of the situation, by using humour, myself, in some way.

But inside, I was kind of thinking, “I’m trying to step into the freedom of wearing shorts, and all you want to do, is to make fun of me, whilst I’m actually, still a little bit apprehensive about the freedom, that I’m trying to take hold of! Why do you have to do that???”

I could probably write a whole separate post on trying to answer that question fully. Instead of trying to do that, I’ll just point you to the title of this post, and point out, that…

Humour, can be a bit of a Funny Thing.

Sometimes, humour can be just the thing to diffuse a tense situation, but it can also cause a tense situation, if used in the wrong way.

Do we use humour in the right way? Or can we get caught out, by using humour in the wrong way? Do we sometimes, unwittingly cause a level of upset, because of our bad use of humour? Or, could it even be, that we are hurting on the inside, but we have no way of how to deal with the hurt, so we try to make light of the situation, by making a joke? (Which might be received well, or could possibly cause offence to be taken??)

As I said, Humour, can be a bit of a funny thing.

If Our Lord God, tries to prompt us, to not make a joke (or speak anything) then can we hear Him, and follow His prompting?

What would we rather have, a laugh being had, at the expense of someone, or a possible laugh being missed, but, no one paying a price, for the laugh. (That may not even have been that funny in the first place?)

I’m not trying to say that we should never try to be funny ever again, as sometimes, it can be just what’s needed. But can we try to have a bit more wisdom, as to when it’s the right time, for humour?

If a joke is heading towards the belittling direction, could we try to, not go that way? Could we instead, just keep quiet, or look for something more positive to say?

If we have been on the wrong side of a bad joke, can we be quick to forgive, so that it won’t become anything greater than a bad joke, that gives us the opportunity to put into practice, the good practice, of forgiving?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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Proof Can Come, From Doing

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Psalm 34:8

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

I cycle to work, it’s my preferred way to get to work. When I’m on the bike, my preference is to be wearing shorts. But, when the cold weather comes, it demands that long trousers are used. It would be beyond crazy to be wearing shorts, when it’s too cold to do so.
When the weather changes, for the better, it can then be the time to start thinking about my preferred attire. But the question I can then face is, when is it OK for shorts?

If I used the temperature reading at the time I started to use long trousers as a guide, I’d probably be in shorts that much sooner. At the end of the season, I’m reluctant to change to long trousers, with the thinking of, “It’s not so bad, I can still do this.”

After I’ve spent the cold season, benefitting from the warmth of the long trousers, I can take some persuading, to change back to my preferred shorts. … ??? I can find myself in the position of, “Can I really wear shorts, now???”

I can see what the temperature is, and I can know that I could wear shorts, but my current experience, kind of speaks to me, “You’re all good in the long trousers, why do you want to change? You’ll only be cold, if you do change.”

I do actually prefer the shorts, and I am just actively waiting for the right time to make the switch, but it can end up being a fight against, what I’m currently doing, that’s working, which can leave me in a little bit of confused state.

I can check the temperature, and I can know, that it’s ok to make the switch to shorts. But, it’s one of those things, where, I can only really know that it’s ok to make the switch, when I actually wear the shorts!

Checking the temperature let’s me know that it should be ok, but it’s the experience of doing it, that truly confirms that it’s all good to make the switch.

There is a reason for me, writing about this here, which I’ll now share.

When it came to my choosing to follow Jesus, I did so, because I knew that it made sense to do so. I didn’t blindly follow, but I looked at the information, and just knew that it added up, and made sense. But as I have walked the path of being a Christian, I’ve now also gained experience that confirms that it’s all true. It’s one of those things, where doing, also gives extra proofs, that it’s good.

Psalm 34:8

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

If you also reach a point where you can see that it adds up, then why not make the choice to follow? If you do, then you too can expect to gain experience, that confirms that it’s good and a worth while decision to make.

For those if us who are already following, the same theme can apply to new lessons, leadings or prompting’s from God.
We can hear about something, but as we do, then we can begin to know, on a greater level, that it’s the right thing to be doing.

So, if we are being challenged by Our Lord God, and we know it’s Him who is doing the challenging, then will we follow Him, and step into or onto the path that He is placing before us?

John 10:27

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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Take You’re Time with it.

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I loaned a chess book to a friend. When I saw the friend a week later, they asked, “I’ve got the book with me, do you want it back?” The book had not been fully read, at that point.

My thoughts went to, “You need to take your time with reading that book to get the most from it. Keep it for as long as you need it, to get the best, from it.”

When I read the book, I was able to speed read the first couple of chapters, as my ability was beyond chapter 1 to whatever point to I got to, when I needed to take a bit of time to take in, the lesson being taught. So I was surprised at being asked if I wanted it back already, after just one week. In my mind, the book would be on loan, for at least a couple of months.

My response to the question was something like, “Keep the book for as long as you need it, to get the most from it. As you get further into the book, you’re going to need to take your time with it, to get the most from it. Yes, I do want the book back at some point. But, it’s yours, until you’ve worked your way through it, properly.”

For me, the book was just sitting on the side, not being used. I do want it back, to take it’s place in my very small library, but only when it is finished with, by my friend.

It lead me to the thought of, can we sometimes be in too much of a hurry? To try to rush through things, because we think that there is a time restraint, that actually doesn’t exist?

Do we sometimes, just need to slow down a bit, with the …. , that we are working through/with, in order to get the Best or the Most, from it?

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Who Are You Speaking For?

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Ephesians 4:26
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

Who has fallen short of the above scripture? … At times, I have. 😦

If we are truly honest with ourselves, then would we all be putting our hands up?

For those of us who have our hands up, who do we represent, in those moments?
Whose agenda, are we pushing forward?

Now I do think that I should point out that there can be a righteous anger, that can motivate us to do good, when we see an injustice. But, that is not the anger that I’m considering here.
(Although, even in the case of righteous anger, can we allow the anger to take hold of the driving position, a little bit too much???)

If we do allow our anger to start directing our actions, it’s in these moments, that we may need to reflect, and then ask,
“Whose beat was I dancing to?
Whose agenda, was I working towards?”
(We may not like the answers to them questions.)

Some pointers to the answers for those questions, could be to ask, was my actions, something that is building up, or tearing down?

If it was a tearing down, was it done in a loving way?

How was the delivery service?
Could it have been a case of, “I have a hot cup of tea for you, and your going to have it, even if it means, I’m going to throw it at you!!!” … ???

If we have fallen short on this subject matter, then can we try to do better, the next time, that we feel, we might end up regretting our actions?
(Even those micro events, that we kind of, just discount???)

When we have fallen short, then we do need to remember that Our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to return to Him.

1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Ephesians 4:26-27
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

____________________

If this post has been a bit too much of … anything for you, then do consider reading Ephesians Chapter 4.
It’s much more uplifting and will give you a proper context for the scripture.

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The Answer, is so Simple.

What’s the number, under the car?

In the above picture, there are several car parking spaces, that are empty, but with one space occupied by a car. What’s the number, under the parked car?

The answer is, genuinely, simple. It’s so simple, that you maybe annoyed by not seeing it sooner, when you know what the answer is.
It’s one of those puzzles where, gaining the right perspective, will reveal the answer, with very little explanation.

The answer to the puzzle, will be revealed, later in this post.

There is a point to my sharing this puzzle here. If we can gain a right perspective, then the answers, can become, that much easier and simpler to understand.

Sometimes, our thinking may need to be turned upside down, in order to gain a right perspective. We may not like the idea, that we’ve had things round the wrong way, for any amount of time. But if that is the case, then wouldn’t we be better off, if we can gain a correct perspective?

(The answer to the problem is about to be revealed, if you want to try to work out the solution, if there are any who haven’t worked it out by now, then stop reading/scrolling down now.)

Below, is an exact copy of the above picture, but with one small difference. It’s been turned around by 180 degrees. It’s been turned, upside down, or more to the point, it’s been turned around, so that it can be viewed from the right perspective.

Can you now tell me, what the number, under the car is?

I do hope that you are not too annoyed by this, but that you can see the fun in this picture.

That, which was so difficult to see, when it was the wrong way around, is so simple to see, once we can gain a correct perspective.

For me, knowing that God is Real, and that God Loves us, and wants to know us, personally, has been like viewing the picture, from the right perspective.

I just Know what the Truth is now, and the more that I look into these matters, the more I Know, that it is true.
That God is Real, and that God Loves us, and wants to know us, personally.

If you don’t already have a correct belief about God, then would you like to have the opportunity, to gain a correct perspective?

A starting point could be, to ask, “God, if you are real, then please, show yourself to me?”

If God, really is real (which I know that He is) then wouldn’t it be that much better, to be aware of this, so that you could then make an informed decision, about the things of God, rather than having an upside down view of the situation, which can lead to struggling to understanding, what’s going on?

So, if you are not already a believer, then would you consider asking the question below?

God, if you are genuinely real, then please reveal yourself to me?

____________________

Below are a couple of links to other posts. If one just stands out you, then please consider clicking on that one.

Is God Real???

It can be good, to be reminded of the obvious.

Knowing The Truth, can Change your Perspective!

The Rope and The Thread

More posts, for those who would like to search out, the truth.

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Some Things are Good, to Not Consume!

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I was cycling home, when I suddenly saw a black dot, just in front of me, that then hit my mouth, and fortunately, then bounced away.

I immediately thought, “I’m so glad, that my mouth was closed, as that fly hit my mouth!” (Phew)

There are some things, that I’d really rather not consume, fly’s, being one of them. 🙂

I did give a “Thank You” to God, that my mouth was closed, at the critical point in question.

My thoughts, then went to, “Are there some things, that we take on, or consume, that aren’t, the best things, for us?
Are there some things, that we would be better off, if we would just close our mouths to them?”

I’m not going to give you a list of such things, as Our Lord God, is able to bring such things to our minds better than me. But then the real question becomes, …

When Our Lord God, brings the things that we should close our mouths to, to our minds, will we then follow His prompting, and close our mouths to the things, that just aren’t quite so good for us?

________________________________

I’d finished the above a few days ago, then, this morning on my cycle ride in to work, I had three instances, where I had to choose to not consume, that, which I had to go through.

The first instance.
Just as I was about to go through a park entrance, a person, who was walking past the entrance, was smoking in front of me, which I only realised as I started to take in the left over smoke. I have a complete dislike to smoking, and I react badly to it. So, rather than take the smoke in, I exhaled as deeply as I could, and held the exhale, to only breath in again, once I was in the park and the smoker was at of the way.
I had to go through the smoke, but I chose it not take it in.

The second instance, I had a bit more warning.
A person had just exhaled from a vape, and a big vape cloud was directly in front of me. As I saw it, I took a big intake of breath, in the fresh air, that I could then hold, as I went through the vape cloud.
Again, I had to go through it, but this time I was more prepared, and I just went through it, but not taking anything of it, in.

The third instance was very similar to the first.
I don’t recall the exact details of the third instance, and it was less of an thing, than the first, but I do remember thinking something along the lines of, …
“Really, three times now, I’ve had to go through something, whilst not taking it on board, three times!”

I’m hoping that this is just to confirm that it’s right to post this blog post here today, as haven’t me and my wife gone through enough already?

My ride to work, doesn’t normally have any instances, as the above, but this morning, Three!!! ???

I thank You Lord God, that You Are With us, as we go through life’s trials and troubles.
Please help us to look to You in All things.
Help us to Not consume or take on board, anything that is not form You.
Help us to pass through them, and to not be affected by them.
Help us to look to You, our True source of Help.
Our Lord God Almighty.
The One who is Able to lead and guide us through all of that, which we must go through.
Amen.

________________________________

James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

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To Share, or Not to Share?

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I’ve had a time, just recently, when I had a very real desire to share a thought about a something, that had been revealed to me, with a fellow brother. So, share it, I did.

I don’t think that I did anything wrong by sharing, but, part of me, is asking the question of,
Was it right to share that, just at that particular point in time?
Or was it just my want and desire to share that thought, at that precise moment?

There is a part me me, that is thinking, “You were a bit of a bulldozer there. It wasn’t quite so free flowing then, but more of a, you will get to understand my point.”

I do know, that I’m making it sound worse, than it was.
As I’ve done a little bit of pondering on it, there’s a question that’s been kind of coming to me. It’s, …

“If you had of waited for God’s timing, could a better opportunity to share, have presented itself, at a later time, when it would have been received, that much better?”

Which leads to the title of this post. To Share, or Not to Share?

I know, there is an enemy, who wants to tie us up in knots, over this very question, so that we then just keep asking, “shall I, or shall I not share”, and then the time, just passes us by, and we end up being, all the more confused.

I’ll try to be brief, with the next bit.

I’m thinking that there’s three main groups, that the answer to the question of, “to share or not to share”, can fall into.

1. Yes. share!
2. No, keep Quiet!
3. It’s OK to share, and, it’s OK to not share.

If the answer falls into the first group, then Yes, we should be sharing.
Ideally, we won’t let thoughts of, “But how do I …”, “Now is not the right time” and the like crowd in.
If the answer is, a “Yes” to share, then we need to try and be a bit bolder, and share.

If the answer falls into the second group of, “No, keep quiet!” Then we should keep quiet.
In this category, we can also have the scenario of, having a right word, but also having it at the wrong time. Are you aware, that a great damage can be done, with a correct word, given at, a wrong time. ???
Ultimately, if the answer to share, is a “No”, then we should not be sharing.

Which leaves us with the last group of, “It’s OK to share, and it’s OK to not share.”
How many times do words or thoughts, actually fall into this group, but we are looking for a definitive, “Yes” or “No”, as to whether we should share, or not?
If an opportunity to share is there, and you have something to share, then share.
But, then even in this group, if you are the only one, who’s ever sharing, then do you need to quieten down a bit, to make room, for someone else to share?
If you never speak up, then do you need to speak up a bit more, so that other people can also benefit, from what Our Lord God, is speaking to you?

If I’m not careful, then this could degrade into an endless ramble of nonsense.
Hopefully, you’re not thinking that it’s already there??? 🙂
(And all this was written, whilst trying to be brief???)

Ultimately, it’s always going to be that much better for us, if we can hear and follow, Our Heavenly Father’s thoughts and plans, over our own, and then be willing to follow them.

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Do You Want to See the Truth, or Just Prove that Your Truth is Correct?

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How open, are you, to what the actual truth is?

If you are wrong in you’re thinking, in some way, would you want to know about it?

If what you believe, is actually incorrect, then, would you want to come to a place of actually realising this?

If I am wrong, in what I think or believe, then I would like to be corrected. I do not like the idea of blindly following a lie!

The error, that I can fall into, is that I, Daniel, want to prove that I am correct in what I think and believe, and as such, I can become very passionate and forceful with how I conduct myself. In short, my delivery service of the truth, that I believe I have, can become a very bad service, as I try to prove that I am correct, in what I’m thinking.

Could I do better?
Hence the title of this post, “Do You Want to See the Truth, or Just Prove that Your Truth is Correct?”

Or if I’m going to make it personal to myself…
Do I Want to See the Truth, or Just Prove that My Truth is Correct?

My thinking is going to, if I can put the truth, into the position of being on trial, in place of what I, think is the truth, then could that subtle difference, mean that I, would no longer be on trial myself?
But the truth itself, would be the one who is.

If I could try to take on board this thinking, in a greater, and better way, then could this remove some of the need, that I feel, to defend myself, whilst I discuss what it is that I believe, with someone who has a different view to me?

Now, I’m not saying that we should change what we believe to be true, just to fit in with current thinking, as that is what the majority are seeing as the truth, in the here and now.
That would be the opposite of what I’m trying to say, and could end up leading to, the truth, being exchanged for a lie. I’m wanting to see, and know is, what is the actual truth.

But how do we seek out this truth?
Could we try, shining a light onto the perceived truth, to see how it holds up?

But what type of light, will we use?
A pitfall we can fall into, could be to shine a very narrow beam of light, onto the truth.
In this instance, we can end up with a bit of truth, without understanding the context, in which that truth is set.
The best way I’m thinking that I can explain this is, if we have a certain point of view, then we go and search out for evidence, that agrees with us, which we then present, as good evidence. But at the same time, we dismiss the evidence to the left and right, of our good evidence, just because we disagree with it.
It may sound crazy, when put, the way it’s just been presented, but how many of us, have been caught out, by this type of thinking… ???
(Me included)

Instead of narrow beam of light, would we be in a better position, if we were to use a floodlight, instead?
Or even better still, if we could use, daylight?

If we do seek out the light, but it then challenges our thinking, then how will we react to that?
Will we be able to accept the truth, for what it is, or will we want to hold fast onto, what we think is the truth?

John 3:19-21
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

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Should we Ever be Comparing Ourselves, with Others???

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I’m thinking that this week’s post, might be a bit of a lightbulb moment for me.

I was having a bit of a daydream, thought process, where I was having a conversation with a content creator, who I have just recently come across
(I’ve only seen their social content.)

During this conversation, my thoughts were going to a place, where I was wanting to compare the difficulties that we faced to the difficulties that they face. But, then it struck me, that, even the thought process of doing this, was just so offensive, to me!
It just felt, so wrong!
Which, in a roundabout way, has led to this week’s blog post title of,
“Should we Ever be Comparing Ourselves, with Others???”

l then did a quick web search, that led me to a page, that then just confirmed to me, that this is a very sensible question to ask.

I’m thinking that, part of my problem is, that it’s so ingrained in me, so that I do it, (comparing to others), without even thinking about it.

I’m aware of the need to focus on what you can do, over what you can’t do.
There has been many times, in the past, when I’ve spoken this very thought to my wife, when I’ve been trying to encourage her to be thankful, for what we do have.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve even got a previous post of “God is my Judge“, where I look into the thoughts of, “I don’t need to worry about what you think of me, because, it’s what my God thinks of me, that is, the bit that matters.”

So, I’m starting to see, that I am aware of this thought, on one level, but that I’m probably missing so much more.

I’m now starting to think, that this is even covered, in the very beginning, in the ten commandments.

Exodus 20:17
17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”

Could this scripture also apply to, your neighbour’s abilities, looks and everything else?
Does this strike at the very heart of, “You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, but instead, listen to what your God is saying to you, about you?”

Now, I’m not saying that we should “never compare again”, as that would just be an impossible ask.
But, when it comes to our self worth, could we start to be aware of the dangers of, comparing, in the wrong way, and as such, try to do better, in the future.

I’m thinking that I may have a new subject matter to think about, look into, which may or may not, lead to further posts… ???

But, for right now, I’ll finish, as I started, with the thought of…

Should we Ever be Comparing Ourselves, with Others???

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Can You Be Thankful, when Someone Receives, What you are Waiting For?

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If you are waiting for an answer to prayer, and you then see someone else receive the answer that you are waiting for yourself, then how do you react to that?

Are you pleased for them?
Or, is there any resentment in seeing, what you are seeking, asking for, longing for, go to someone else?

Can you be left with the feeling of, “When will it be my turn?”
It can be a normal natural response, when there is pain in the pot, and the relief appears to go to another. But, just because it is a normal natural response, is it a response that we should give any time or energy to?
If a response causes us pain and upset, would we be better off, if we could instead try to… “Take captive, every thought” ?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

If the above has struck a chord with you, and you are still reading this, then thank you for staying with this.

If I’m going to be honest with you, I’m struggling to write the next bit.

I’ve heard, and do try to counsel myself, and my wife to follow a better line of thinking. For me, one of the obvious, go to scripture’s, is…

2 Corinthians 12:8-9
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

The part that I focus on, more than anything, is, “My grace is sufficient for you”.

There can be times when it is a real choice to think this way, instead of going down the, “When will it be our time?” or the, “It’s just not Fair!” route.
There can be times, when I need to ask, “Lord, can we Please have Your Peace and Joy, while we wait.”
Then, so many times, the words, “My grace is sufficient for you” comes back to me.

Our God is With us, in the trials. He is not distant, and leaving us to get on with it. No, He is with us, helping and supporting us, in ways seen, and unseen by us.

It can sometimes be a tough choice to say “Thank you” to Our Lord God, in the trials, and to remember and know that, His Grace, is sufficient for us. But it is still a true and valid thing to do, even if, sometimes, it hurts.

It maybe a choice, to rejoice, if we see someone else recieving a blessing, that we’d like to be recieving, but it’s still a good choice to make.

When it comes down to it, do we want to be filled with thoughts of, “It’s not fair”, or “When will it be my turn”, and the like. Or would we rather be filled with thoughts of Thankfulness and rejoicing?
What we fill up with, tends to be what flows out of us.

Ephesians 3:16-21
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.